ITCO-498 Capstone Project Guidelines V10 Overview

ITCO-498 Capstone Project Guidelines V10 overviewthis Docu

This document provides information to guide your capstone work. The ITCO-498 Capstone Project is the culmination of your Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) degree program. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate many of the concepts and techniques you learned throughout your degree program. The Capstone Project’s required group work, individual work, scenario, and submission details are provided in this guidelines document. During the first week of the class, you will be formed into teams by your instructor.

Teams will need to select which project components each member will assume responsibility for. Contact your instructor if you have any questions regarding this document or the ITCO-498 Capstone Project.

Paper For Above instruction

The capstone project revolves around designing a comprehensive IT solution for Crostini, Inc., a startup software company developing an online platform named Mince—short for “Making Italian Novel Culinary Experiences.” This platform aims to be a hub for Italian culinary content, including blogs, recipes, videos, eCommerce, social interaction, and administrative tools. As an IT consultant, your task involves gathering critical information, analyzing the system requirements, and proposing an effective network architecture that aligns with Crostini’s expectations for performance, security, and usability.

Information Gathering Techniques and Countermeasures

To develop a robust IT solution, it is essential to collect accurate and comprehensive information about existing systems, user requirements, potential vulnerabilities, and industry standards. Four primary information gathering techniques include interviews, questionnaires, document analysis, and observations. Each has its distinct methodology and benefits.

Interviews

Interviews involve direct conversation with stakeholders, including users, managers, and IT staff, to gather detailed insights into their needs, expectations, and concerns. This technique provides qualitative data and fosters clarification of complex issues. For example, interviewing Crostini staff can reveal specific content management needs or security concerns.

Countermeasures to prevent hackers from exploiting interview vulnerabilities include securing interview communication channels with encryption, verifying stakeholder identities, and restricting access to sensitive interview data through proper authentication protocols.

Questionnaires

Questionnaires are structured forms distributed to a broad audience to collect quantitative data on user requirements, technology usage, or security awareness. They are cost-effective and can reach many respondents simultaneously. For instance, a questionnaire could assess user familiarity with social media features or payment systems.

To mitigate the risk of information theft via questionnaires, implement secure web gateways, encrypt transmitted data, and limit access through user authentication measures such as multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Document Analysis

This technique involves reviewing existing documentation—such as system manuals, security policies, or prior reports—to glean relevant information without direct interaction. It helps identify organizational standards, legal requirements, and technical constraints.

Countermeasures include controlling document access with user permissions, encrypting stored files, and maintaining audit logs to prevent unauthorized retrieval by hackers.

Observations

Observation entails monitoring current systems and user behaviors in real-time to understand operational workflows and security practices. It provides contextual insights that might be overlooked in interviews or questionnaires.

To defend against security breaches during observation, ensure physical and network access controls are in place, use anonymized data collection when possible, and maintain strict confidentiality protocols.

System Analysis for Crostini’s IT Solution

Based on Crostini’s specifications, the IT solution comprises several core components including web servers, application servers, databases, a content management system, eCommerce modules, social media features, and security infrastructure. All components must support scalability to house unlimited recipes, videos, and thousands of products while ensuring high availability and security.

The network architecture proposed adopts a layered approach. The core includes a perimeter firewall and intrusion detection system (IDS) to safeguard against external threats. Web servers hosting the platform are deployed within a demilitarized zone (DMZ) to separate public access from internal systems. Application servers managing business logic are housed within a secure internal network, connected via high-speed switches. Databases are placed behind additional security layers, with data encryption and regular backups to prevent data loss and unauthorized access.

Network Diagram and Explanation

The designed network diagram features an on-premises data center comprising firewalls, routers, switches, web servers, application servers, database servers, and security appliances. Cloud services host the content delivery network (CDN), backup storage, and scalability solutions such as cloud-based load balancers and auto-scaling groups. The diagram illustrates secure VPN connections for remote administrators, secure HTTPS channels for users, and API gateways linking cloud resources with on-premises systems.

This hybrid architecture leverages cloud scalability, reduces latency for global users, and enhances security by isolating critical assets behind firewalls and employing encryption standards like TLS. Cloud components are chosen for their flexibility, cost-efficiency, and ability to support high traffic volumes during peak usage times, aligning with Crostini’s performance and availability expectations.

Conclusion

Creating an effective IT infrastructure for Crostini’s Mince platform necessitates meticulous system analysis, strategic network design, and comprehensive security measures. Employing robust information gathering techniques ensures the solution addresses real user needs while safeguarding against potential threats. A layered, hybrid network architecture provides the scalability, security, and high performance required for a globally accessible, content-rich platform. As the project progresses, continual assessment and adaptation will be critical to meet evolving technical and market demands.

References

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