SWOT Analysis
Strengths
The A Energy Company has an information technology infrastructure that enables an efficient production of energy systems. The company has incorporated this infrastructure system into its operations ranging from production to designing. Energy Company’s information technology infrastructure enables workers to integrate technology into their activities to produce energy efficient products and supply them to their customers in central and western United States. It uses advanced technology capabilities to supply products of a superior value to their customers.
The company’s information technology infrastructure allows interconnectivity between their production locations; the company has two offices of the same size in the central and western America. This interconnectivity promotes coordination among employees stationed at the two locations (Lee, 2009). The locations in California, Fresno, Illinois, and Chicago have similar and equal networks and have monitoring systems installed. This promotes uniformity of operations and orchestration of ideas.
A Energy’s information technology infrastructure provides for interruptions such as shortages of power supply; there are several redundancies incorporated in the system to maintain its usability even during times of crisis. The infrastructure system has also facilitated the creation of a network through which employees in various departments share information, thus increasing the company’s performance and overall productivity.
The company’s information infrastructure is equipped with numerous servers that provide storage for the firm’s information. These servers also enable employees to work even when out of the office. This also increases their productivity. All the systems in the information technology department have backup systems, which the company can rely on for operation in an event of system failure. This shows the level of preparedness of the A Energy Company. The backup server, for example, initiates backup system programs on all computers arrayed in the network on a daily basis and serves the websites.
The employees in the information technology department are committed to teamwork to ensure smooth operations for the A Energy Company. The company’s success is mainly attributed to team effort among employees. The staff in the information technology department work closely and efficiently to ensure the security of all systems, and a flow of information among other departments.
Weaknesses
The A Energy Company has a limited number of employees; this translates to inadequate staff in the information technology department. This shortage is harmful to the company as there is an increased workload per employee. Employees perform better when they specialize into a single area of operation (Papp, 2001). Similarly, in the event of an employee’s resignation or termination of employment, the company’s information technology department would be at stake.
The operations of the company’s information technology department rely on technology. Overdependence on technology may affect a company’s productivity especially because of the rapid variations in technology. A company, therefore, may feel pressurized when attempting to keep up with such changes. The information technology infrastructure has to be changed regularly to cope with technology advancements.
The A Energy Company has insufficient funds to address technology infrastructure in the markets they will venture. They are uncertain about the markets in the southern and eastern parts of the United States. They will need to set new infrastructure in these markets and provide backup systems for them. The company also lacks innovative ideas in technology; this may affect their market share and productivity in these new markets.
Opportunities
The A Energy Company has an opportunity to integrate technology in the four regions, eastern, central, southern, and western America. It should take advantage of the new markets to capture and dominate the market share for the production of energy efficient products. The company also has an opportunity to innovate technological infrastructure to facilitate their activities both in the existing and potential market. This will result in increased energy generation in these regions hence increased sales and profit margins (Papp, 2001).
A Energy Company has a chance to expand its information technology infrastructure from the expanded markets. It also has a chance to learn the technology infrastructure used by similar companies in the new markets; this will insight them to innovate better information technology infrastructure and survive in the face of competition. The company also has an opportunity to increase the number of staff members in the information technology department; this will increase the chance for innovations regarding upgrade measures to deploy to the existing system.
Threats
The A Energy Company faces a significant level of uncertainty regarding the competence of their information technology infrastructure in the new markets. It needs to invest in research and development to study what infrastructure its competitors use in their operations. The company also faces a threat regarding the sufficiency of funds to develop new infrastructure in the new markets and sustain them.
The A Energy Company faces a threat of system insecurity with the expansion in the market. Technology systems are prone to security threats such as hacking, data trafficking, and viruses. A company’s information technology infrastructure should be their priority (Fisch & White, 2000). The A Energy Company, therefore, needs to device measures to protect their systems from such threats especially after expansion. Competition is another potential threat facing the company. The markets are flooded with the need for innovative information technology infrastructures. It should employ innovative strategies in production and other operations to cope with this competition.
Evaluation of SWOT analysis
The strengths of A Energy Company’s information technology infrastructure have contributed to its success. The company, however, needs to enhance them before considering the expansion of their market. It should invest in training more individuals for the information technology department in an attempt to increase technological innovations. The company should consider grouping all its servers together on a single hardware; this helps reduce infrastructure costs and improve performance. It can then channel the revenue saved to other operations.
The lack of innovation is the deficiency that carries the most significant impact on the company’s information technology infrastructure. The lack of innovation is often caused by consistent changes in technology and results into network performance challenges. An entity that relies on technology for operations needs to be watchful for the latest forms of technology in the market. It can also improvise ways to integrate their existing technology through innovations.
Potential solutions
Innovation is possible through the employment of more workers because more labor generates originality. Innovation can also be achieved through rigorous research and development. Investment in research and development promotes creativity because of the generation of knowledge about existing technology systems (Sauber & Tschirky, 2006). Research and development also helps in sealing the loopholes that exist in technology infrastructures to generate own ideas. It also influences the thinking of employees and aids the achievement of organizational goals.
Recommendation
A Energy Company should employ cloud computing to aid the innovation process. Cloud computing involves a connection of a system of computer systems through a network (Furht & Escalante, 2010). Given the company’s diversity in technology infrastructure, the use of cloud computing would seal the innovation loophole because the monitoring of systems would be easier. Cloud computing ensures the efficiency of shared resources. A Energy Company’s success in the new markets depends on its network of resources; the company should ensure that they have an information technology infrastructure that interconnects all regions in these parts of the United States.
Cloud computing allows a company to reduce infrastructure-related costs; this helps it focus on other projects that contribute to its growth. The A Energy Company currently faces a threat regarding the funding of technology infrastructure in the new markets. The use of cloud computing will help it generate funds to set up this infrastructure in Southern and Eastern United States. Additionally, cloud-computing speeds up a company’s processes, hence no need for regular system maintenances (Furht & Escalante, 2010). It also enables a company’s information technology department to adjust resources according to the market demands. Cloud computing, therefore, is relevant to the A Energy Company especially in view of their market expansion interests.
References
Fisch, E. A., & White, G. B. (2000). Secure computers and networks: Analysis, design, and implementation. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press.
Furht, B., & Escalante, A. (2010). Handbook of cloud computing. New York: Springer.
Lee, I. (2009). Selected readings on information technology and business systems management. Hershey: Information Science Reference.
Papp, R. (2001). Strategic information technology: Opportunities for competitive advantage. Hershey, Pa: Idea Group Pub.
Sauber, T., & Tschirky, H. (2006). Structured creativity: Formulating an innovation strategy. Basingstoke England: Palgrave Macmillan in association with the European Institute for Technology and Innovation Management.
