Abstract This thesis deals with the process of server consolidation, which is tightly connected to IT infrastructure of virtually any organization. Moreover it is dealt in some respect with the way the organization runs and with linking these two particular areas together. The goal of this thesis is to identify consequences or impacts of server consolidation process on the way the organization functions and on methods how to measure these impacts. One of the steps towards this goal is unmistakably analyzing the planning and deployment of server consolidation including virtualization technology. Server consolidation is characterized as a process leading to simplified and more effective IT infrastructure of an organization. To analyze the IT infrastructure in complete and systematic way it is used framework called IT Infrastructure Library respectively part of it called ICT Infrastructure Management. Because of that linking of the server consolidation process progress to organization's global goals is granted. Contribution of this thesis can be seen in complex analysis of the consequences of the server consolidation process to the functioning of an organization. Especially in areas that are usually not being considered in connection with server consolidation, which is considered to be IT matter, such as human resources and social enviroment. Key words: server consolidation, server consolidation consequences, ICT Infrastructure Management, Virtualization

Includes bibliographical references / Although learning management systems (LMSs) have been widely adopted by universities in developing countries, their potential to support students' learning has not been fully exploited due to several factors. Some of the factors limiting the more successful implementation of LMSs in developing country universities have been identified and reported in this study. Most importantly, LMS implementation in developing country universities is constrained by limited institutional ICT infrastructures, Internet bandwidth and electricity outages that affect the accessibility of LMS services by the students. The main research question addressed in this study is: How can we better use the available ICTs and ICT infrastructure in developing country universities to enhance the accessibility of the LMS services by students to better support the implementation of LMSs? The research question was addressed through surveys and experimentation. Two surveys were carried out, and the findings of these surveys were useful in: understanding the current state of practice in LMS implementation in developing country universities; defining the problem; understanding the students' LMS expectations and needs; and deciding the nature of the intervention to be implemented. Through the surveys, it was established that the majority of students in the surveyed universities possessed mobile phones, most of which being internet enabled phones. The study therefore explored the possibility of enabling and enhancing mobile access for LMS services so as to enhance students' LMS accessibility through their mobile phones. The design, development, implementation and evaluation of the intervention (the mobile LMS) were achieved through a user-centred development approach that included participatory design, prototyping and user experience evaluation. An impact evaluation of the mobile LMS intervention indicated that: mobile LMS interfaces can lead to students' increased access and use of the LMS through mobile phones; students prefer streamlined mobile LMS interfaces with fewer and block-based services; with streamlined mobile LMS interfaces, students are able to get the LMS services they need on their mobile phones without the need for desktop and laptop computers and without the need for the full desktop LMS interfaces. While the streamlined mobile LMS allows the students an opportunity to more satisfactorily access the LMS services through their mobile phones, it also takes away the pressure from the constrained institutional ICT infrastructure and facilities such as computer laboratories. The design and development process of the mobile LMS intervention highlighted that students' involvement leads to creation of more usable and useful mobile LMS interfaces and that most of the students' mobile LMS needs can be achieved through a cross-platform mobile Web application.

The employment of the right technology in an organisation can provide major competitiveadvantages. Not only in organisations, but at a higher level, governments are seeking for newtechnologies to enhance their services while minimising the costs. Although, there might beno precise definition for cloud computing, the tremendous advantages and benefits of this newtechnology has turn cloud computing to the hottest topic in Information Technology.The remarkable effects of cloud computing in economy have already stimulated thedeveloped countries to deploy this technology in national level. Nonetheless, the adoption ofcloud computing could transform the workflow in the organisations. Therefore, in order toensure the smooth transition with minimal casualties, preparations needs to be done and aclear road map has to be followed.However, the approach to cloud adoption process in developing countries can be entirelydifferent. While it has been pointed out that cloud computing can bring more advantages todeveloping countries, it adoption can be profoundly challenging. Consequently, a set offundamental and yet vital preparation are required to facilitate the process of cloud adoption.Moreover, a definite framework that is formed based on the current state of the country isabsolutely necessary.In this research, we focus on the process of cloud adoption in Iran as a developing country.We start by providing a comprehensive background on cloud computing by studying itsaspects, features, advantages and disadvantages and continue to identify the vital cloudreadiness criteria. Next, we conduct an empirical study in order to assess the state of cloudreadiness in Iran by performing interviews, observations and discussions. Finally, after weanalyse our data from the empirical study, we present our results by presenting a clear and definitive framework for cloud adoption in Iran. / Program: Masterutbildning i Informatik

No description available.

There are many issues involved in implementing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects in general, and infrastructure (ICT/I) projects in particular. Failures are still common despite advances in project management tools, and increased ICT sophistication. Executive sponsorship and support is acknowledged to make a difference to the success or failure of these kinds of projects. Little has been written on the views of non-ICT executives about the issues they have with ICT/I projects, which have particular challenges because of their highly technical nature. This research sought to develop a theory not only about what the issues are, from the non-ICT executive perspective, but also how these issues appear in, and may affect the outcomes of, such projects. An interpretive study using single units of analysis within multiple cases, to build an inductively derived theory, was the approach chosen for this research. An adapted grounded theory analysis, following the original Glaser and Strauss (1967) philosophy, was used to analyse data extracted from interviews with fifteen chief executives or equivalents. Three themes arose out of this process: Executive Perceptions of ICT/I; Strategic Alignment of ICT/I projects;ICT/I Project Outcomes The themes had quite strong connections between them. Jargon Barriers between ICT staff and these executives, affected the executives perceptions of ICT/I and were strong contributing factors for a poor strategic alignment between ICT/I projects and business goals. The poor alignment was primarily caused as a result of low levels of executive engagement with these projects, because they couldn’t understand the “techno-speak” of their ICT people. The consequence was consistently low satisfaction with ICT/I project life cycle outcomes. There was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. there was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. The substantive theory developed from this work is that: Jargon barriers created by ICT staff generate poor relationships between ICT staff and their executives, which in turn can cause low levels of executive engagement with their infrastructure projects, and consequently affect executive perceptions about the outcomes of these projects.

There are many issues involved in implementing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects in general, and infrastructure (ICT/I) projects in particular. Failures are still common despite advances in project management tools, and increased ICT sophistication. Executive sponsorship and support is acknowledged to make a difference to the success or failure of these kinds of projects. Little has been written on the views of non-ICT executives about the issues they have with ICT/I projects, which have particular challenges because of their highly technical nature. This research sought to develop a theory not only about what the issues are, from the non-ICT executive perspective, but also how these issues appear in, and may affect the outcomes of, such projects. An interpretive study using single units of analysis within multiple cases, to build an inductively derived theory, was the approach chosen for this research. An adapted grounded theory analysis, following the original Glaser and Strauss (1967) philosophy, was used to analyse data extracted from interviews with fifteen chief executives or equivalents. Three themes arose out of this process: Executive Perceptions of ICT/I; Strategic Alignment of ICT/I projects;ICT/I Project Outcomes The themes had quite strong connections between them. Jargon Barriers between ICT staff and these executives, affected the executives perceptions of ICT/I and were strong contributing factors for a poor strategic alignment between ICT/I projects and business goals. The poor alignment was primarily caused as a result of low levels of executive engagement with these projects, because they couldn’t understand the “techno-speak” of their ICT people. The consequence was consistently low satisfaction with ICT/I project life cycle outcomes. There was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. there was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. The substantive theory developed from this work is that: Jargon barriers created by ICT staff generate poor relationships between ICT staff and their executives, which in turn can cause low levels of executive engagement with their infrastructure projects, and consequently affect executive perceptions about the outcomes of these projects.

There are many issues involved in implementing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects in general, and infrastructure (ICT/I) projects in particular. Failures are still common despite advances in project management tools, and increased ICT sophistication. Executive sponsorship and support is acknowledged to make a difference to the success or failure of these kinds of projects. Little has been written on the views of non-ICT executives about the issues they have with ICT/I projects, which have particular challenges because of their highly technical nature. This research sought to develop a theory not only about what the issues are, from the non-ICT executive perspective, but also how these issues appear in, and may affect the outcomes of, such projects. An interpretive study using single units of analysis within multiple cases, to build an inductively derived theory, was the approach chosen for this research. An adapted grounded theory analysis, following the original Glaser and Strauss (1967) philosophy, was used to analyse data extracted from interviews with fifteen chief executives or equivalents. Three themes arose out of this process: Executive Perceptions of ICT/I; Strategic Alignment of ICT/I projects;ICT/I Project Outcomes The themes had quite strong connections between them. Jargon Barriers between ICT staff and these executives, affected the executives perceptions of ICT/I and were strong contributing factors for a poor strategic alignment between ICT/I projects and business goals. The poor alignment was primarily caused as a result of low levels of executive engagement with these projects, because they couldn’t understand the “techno-speak” of their ICT people. The consequence was consistently low satisfaction with ICT/I project life cycle outcomes. There was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. there was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. The substantive theory developed from this work is that: Jargon barriers created by ICT staff generate poor relationships between ICT staff and their executives, which in turn can cause low levels of executive engagement with their infrastructure projects, and consequently affect executive perceptions about the outcomes of these projects.

There are many issues involved in implementing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects in general, and infrastructure (ICT/I) projects in particular. Failures are still common despite advances in project management tools, and increased ICT sophistication. Executive sponsorship and support is acknowledged to make a difference to the success or failure of these kinds of projects. Little has been written on the views of non-ICT executives about the issues they have with ICT/I projects, which have particular challenges because of their highly technical nature. This research sought to develop a theory not only about what the issues are, from the non-ICT executive perspective, but also how these issues appear in, and may affect the outcomes of, such projects. An interpretive study using single units of analysis within multiple cases, to build an inductively derived theory, was the approach chosen for this research. An adapted grounded theory analysis, following the original Glaser and Strauss (1967) philosophy, was used to analyse data extracted from interviews with fifteen chief executives or equivalents. Three themes arose out of this process: Executive Perceptions of ICT/I; Strategic Alignment of ICT/I projects;ICT/I Project Outcomes The themes had quite strong connections between them. Jargon Barriers between ICT staff and these executives, affected the executives perceptions of ICT/I and were strong contributing factors for a poor strategic alignment between ICT/I projects and business goals. The poor alignment was primarily caused as a result of low levels of executive engagement with these projects, because they couldn’t understand the “techno-speak” of their ICT people. The consequence was consistently low satisfaction with ICT/I project life cycle outcomes. There was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. there was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. The substantive theory developed from this work is that: Jargon barriers created by ICT staff generate poor relationships between ICT staff and their executives, which in turn can cause low levels of executive engagement with their infrastructure projects, and consequently affect executive perceptions about the outcomes of these projects.

The area of eHealth has been increased in the recent age but also facing a lot of challenges. In relation to these, there exists a lack of interoperability among different healthcare organizations in the way of providing care services to the healthcare professionals and the patients. Interoperability among the healthcare organizations is appreciated not only by the academia but also by the policy-makers and other related personnel. Today, implementation of interoperability has become an intricate job than expectations. Interoperability is resisted by different barriers but potentially can give several benefits to all stakeholders and ultimately should be focused. The study is conducted for investigation of challenges and benefits of interoperability among healthcare organizations in the Blekinge County. In the first phase, after having a comprehensive review of literature, the challenges and benefits for the implementation of interoperability among Swedish healthcare organizations are identified. Depending on the findings, interviews were conducted with the eHealth professionals of the Blekinge County to clearly understand about the strategies and plans regarding the interoperability among the healthcare organizations in the Blekinge County. After performing a thorough analysis, questionnaire were conducted with the Medical IT administrators and with other related personnel to know about their opinions about the problem. The authors find after analyzing the results of the study that focus on resolving issues like standards adaptation, accessibility, integration, privacy and proper ICT infrastructure could provide interoperable environment among municipality healthcare centers and hospitals in the Blekinge County and other areas in the Sweden.

Information Communication Technologies are increasingly used in organisations’ market expansion strategies. These Information communication technologies provide organisations with opportunities such as ease of communication and movement of resources, making the entry into new markets a faster and less resource heavy process. When expanding throughout the African continent, the challenge presented in using this approach is that many African markets have underdeveloped information communication technology infrastructure. In considering this barrier, the extent to which information communication technology enables market expansion throughout the African continent is the topic which has been fully analysed and discussed. An exploratory research design and a qualitative method have been used in this study. The subjects of the data collection were three key individuals selected from a large South African retailer. These three individuals job roles spanned across the marketing and IT departments and were influential in the organisation’s expansion efforts throughout Africa. The findings of this study show that the levels of information communication technology infrastructure vary vastly from country to country on the African continent, noting South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Botswana as the more advanced nations with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda lagging in development. The findings also show that for retailers, the retail focused technology available in South Africa is not yet available in other African nations which causes challenges in offering the same value to consumers across the board. However, the finding show that the development of cloud-based systems has assisted in the widespread use of technologies without the need of heavy investments into physical locations.