Needs and Challenges for the Business

Embracing new technology is crucial for the modern businesses. Use of advanced technology helps businesses to create value for their customers (Vaishnavi & Kuechler, 2015). However, each business has separate needs. Therefore, the selection of technology needs to be done on the basis of unique needs of an organization. In this assignment, the business needs of SNHU VITA site are identified and suitable information technological solutions are suggested. The advantages of each solution are also analyzed in this assignment.

The SNHU VITA site aims to provide taxation solutions for the users who live in the remote areas. The organization focuses to provide the users with more flexibility to submit their documents and getting the required solutions in a more efficient way. In order to provide solutions to the users with the existing system, the volunteers have to deal with lots of e-mails which make the task complex for them. In addition, the system increases the chances of duplication which often leads to wastage of valuable time and resources. In case of the current system, the chances are high that two volunteers are working on the same documents. The lack of communication and synchronization is also a big issue in the current system. As the number of VITA site users is increasing gradually, the existing problems are expected to be intensified later. Currently, the business requires solutions to get rid of its existing challenges.
Analysis on the existing challenges faced by the SNHU VITA site indicates that most of the problems are faced by the volunteers is caused due to lack of communication. Therefore, the current system can be improved by upgrading the existing communication system. The VITA site needs an integrated system that can help the volunteers to avoid duplication and handle the increasing number of documents effectively.
The integrated communication system can be either a product or the VITA site can use a number of communication systems together for mitigating its existing challenges.

New communication technologies are changing the business activities regularly in the contemporary organizations (Roh et al.2014). In case of SNHU VITA site also, use of latest communication technologies can be effective for mitigating the challenges faced by the volunteers. Here, three advanced communication technologies are analyzed and their advantage as well as the shortcomings is identified.
Big data: The modern organizations need to deal with huge amount of data. To serve the customers effectively, the organizations have to manage each aspect of the information and analyze it effectively. Use of Big data based systems help the businesses to analyze the information in an efficient way (Crowley & Heyer, 2015). In case of VITA site also, use of bog data based systems can be helpful for the volunteers. The volunteers are currently handling huge amount of documents and the amount of documents can increase later with the number of users. Therefore, use of big data based systems would help the volunteers to serve the users more efficiently.
Cognitive networks: The business environment for the modern organizations is changing at fast pace. In the continuously changing business environment, the traditional networks are soon being replaced by the cognitive networks. The cognitive networks employ cognitive processes for analyzing the current status of networks and taking decisions accordingly. The cognitive network is also able to learn from the previous decisions and it helps the network to act more efficiently in future. In addition, the cognitive network is effective for maintaining data flow.
 In case of VITA site, use of cognitive network will help the volunteer and the end-users to know the latest status of the cognitive network. The automated decision making and self-modification facility of the network will help the users to carry out the activities in a simpler way (Silverstone, 2017). The cognitive network can let a volunteer to know status of a document and it will reduce the chances of duplication. It, in turn, will help the volunteers to use resources in a more efficient way. 
 IoT ( Internet of Things): An IoT based system is effective for managing a number of users through smart devices in an interactive way. The IoT based system helps businesses to communicate easily with the users (Hashim, 2015). Easy scalability is another advantage for the IoT based networks. Such networks can easily accommodate the growing number of users and hence, the IoT based systems are highly effective for rapidly growing businesses. 
In case of the VITA site, use of the IoT based systems can help volunteers to communicate with the users at remote locations more effectively. Communicating with the remote users is one of the biggest problems for VITA sites. It indicates that use of IoT based system would help the volunteers to get rid of the communication issues. In addition, accommodating with the increasing number of users will also be effective for the VITA site.

The above discussion indicates that the VITA site has a number of options to get rid of the problems for serving the customers. However, each of the option is not equally feasible due to differences in implementation cost, benefits to the users and effect on the stakeholders. Here, all the options available to VITA site are assessed. 
Big data based system:
 Implementation cost: The implementation cost for a new big data system would be high (Boccardi et al.2014). However, the organization has to bear the up gradation and maintenance cost also.
Benefits to users: The big data based system is beneficial for the volunteers to manage the huge amount of data. However, it may not be effective to communicate with the remote users.
Effect to stakeholders: The big data based system is effective for the volunteers only. The other stakeholders are not benefitted from it.
Cognitive network:
Implementation cost: The implementation cost would be high. The maintenance cost will be added to it.
Benefit to the users: The cognitive network will be effective to get rid of the duplication. The communication problem may not be mitigated using it.
Effect on stakeholders: Only the volunteers will be benefitted from this system. Others will not be affected.
IoT based system:
Implementation cost: The implementation cost of IoT based system would be moderate because of increasing availability of affordable smart devices (Avgerou & Walsham, 2017).
Benefit to the users: The data management and communication would be easier for the volunteers and users.
Effect to stakeholders: Both the stakeholders will be benefitted from this system, due to ease of data sharing and communication.

On the basis of the assessment, it can be stated that the VITA site should use IoT based system. The system is affordable. In addition, the IoT based system is able to mitigate o all the challenges faced by the volunteers and the users. It helps remote users to communicate easily. The volunteers also become able to get notified regarding the status of the network and avoid duplicity. The other two systems are effective for the VITA volunteers but the IoT based system is effective for all the stakeholders. Therefore, it is evident that the IoT based system would be the most suitable for the organization.

The discussion in the current assignment indicates that the communication n system in an organization should be chosen on the basis of particular needs. However, before selecting a technology, feasibility of the technology also needs to be assessed in terms of cost and usability. 

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