Detailed Schedule

Overview: Jan 13

Introduction to the course

Introduction to the Web and Online Resources that will be used throughout the semester.

Lecture 1: Introduction: Jan 15

I will discuss prototypical voice and data communication applications from a managerial and technical perspective. I will present frameworks to help you characterize these applications in terms of the interactions between technology, task and people. The discussion will be broad ranging and provide an overview of the ground that will be covered this semester.

Before class

• Skim Chapter 1
  
• Read any one of the reports in the document Reengineering through Information Technology
  
• Skim the case study on the use of the Web as the universal interface to a government job bank.

Lecture 2: Telecommunications Industry: Jan 20

I will provide an overview of the telecommunications industry. We will discuss different sectors in the industry, the various players and discuss industry wide trends.

Case Discussion: Mini Case 1-2 on Reengineering work flows at Shearson Lehman which will be handed out in class on Jan 15.

Before class:

• Read MiniCase 1-2 and be ready to discuss it. Give some thought to the operational and strategic choicess that must be made in deploying such technology. Characterize the technology using the frameworks discussed in class in Lecture 1. Given the availability of new Internet-enabled technologies, would you do things differently?
  
• Read the first 4 pages of the paper on telecom technology and infrastructure by Marvin Sirbu. Skim the rest of the article.
  
• Read the Information Week article on competition in the local loop.
  
• Skim Chapter 2 and 3 to get a technology overview
  

To operationalize the ideas in the case, develop a university application of the telecommunications-based imaging technology described in the case. We will discuss some of these in class.

Lecture 3: Telecommunications Policy Primer: Jan 22

Prof. Alex Hills will address the class on the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the implications that will have for the telecommunications industry.

Before class

• Review the report from the Benton Foundation about the impact that the act is likely to have.

After Class

• Skim the Overview of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 from Piper and Malbury with an emphasis on its impact on information services.
  
• Skim the article titled Auctioning the Airwaves by George Gilder.

Lecture 4: Technology Fundamentals 1: Jan 27

We will discuss different types of "Business" Information (voice, video, data, and image), their bandwidth requirements and the implications that these requirements have for an organization's telecommunications infrastructure.

Before class

• Read the excellent FAQ on image formats such as JPEG and GIF.
  

Lecture 5: Technology Fundamentals II: Jan 29

• Transmission concepts and overview of alternative transmission media
• Introduction to communication techniques: signal encoding, asynchronous and synchronous communication

Before class

• Read Chapter 2 and 3
  
• Review the introductory article on DVD and the DVD page from Toshiba.
  

Lecture 6/7: Technology Fundamentals III and IV: Feb 3 and 5

• The need for flow control, error detection and correction and link control protocols

Before class

• Review Chapter 3 and lecture notes

Lecture 8: Multiplexing: Feb 10

• Transmission Efficiency: multiplexing and compression
• economic analysis of networks with and without multiplexors

Before class

• Read Chapter 8 (pages 293-301) and review lecture notes

MIDTERM I

Mid Term Exam I covering lectures 1 through 7 will be held on Feb 12

Lecture 9 & 10: Voice Networks I and II: Feb 17 and 19

Having discussed communication between two directly linked devices, we now discuss communication over a network. We will discuss both voice and data networks. In each case we will introduce the enabling technology -- circuit or packet switching as the case may be and discuss operational and strategic management issues. We will begin with a discussion of voice networks.

I will introduce circuit switching and discuss the principal service offerings in the marketplace. We will also discuss different types of carriers - local exchange carriers, inter-exchange carriers and bypass carriers. In addition, we will review the history of regulation in this industry and the continuing changes that are fundamentally changing the marketplace.

• Circuit Switching
• Private and Public Switched Telephone Networks
• Common Channel Inter-Office Signalling
• Bulk Rate Offerings; VPN, WATS, Advanced 800 services
• PBX vs. Centrex; the managerial case
• History of regulation in this industry

Before class

• Read Chapter 4
  
• Browse the ATT call center page to get a sense for the services that are made available over the PSTN. Look at the case studies of the use of these services in various organizations.
  
• Browse the technical overview of business services available from ATT.
  
• Browse the overview of the SS7 signalling system and the support it offers for computer telephony integration.

In addition to these resources, I highly recommend that you visit the homepages of telephone companies such as MCI and Pacific Bell. I plan to use the report by Booz, Allen and Hamilton on the network needs of the State of Maryland to provide substantive context.

Lecture 11 and 12:Data Networks and Packet Switching: Feb 24 and 26

We will review the essential features of packet switching technology and discuss public data networks and the services available in the marketplace. Strategic and operational management of data networks will also be discussed.

• Packet switching
• X.25 Networks
• Public and private data networks
• Value Added Networks (e.g., Compuserve, Tymnet)

Before class

• Read Chapter 8 and lecture notes

Lecture 13:Fast Packet Switching: March 3 and 5

We will discuss fast packet switching technologies such as Frame Relay, SMDS and ATM. We will focus on Frame Relay, its economics and the managerial issues involved in adopting the technology.

Before class

• Review the chapter on Frame Relay Networks on the Network Computing Web Site. We will discuss this material as an example of fast packet switching service.
  
• Review organizational applications of frame relay technology.
  
• Read Chapter 12

Lecture 14: ISDN: March 10

In this lecture, we will discuss ISDN, the services that are available in the marketplace and common applications. In particular, we will examine the use of ISDN in SOHO (small office home office) applications and its role as an enabler for telecommuting.

Before class

• Read the chapter on ISDN on the Network Computing web site.
  
• The Pacific Bell telecommuting planning guide.

Lecture 15: Overview of ATM and Review of Data Networking: March 12

Overview of Asynschronous Transfer Mode Networks

Review of Wide area Data Networking options. Mapping technologies to requirements.

MIDTERM II

The second mid term exam covering material in lectures 8 through 15 will be held on March 17

Lecture 16: Local Area Networks I: March 19

This is a brief overview of this important technology. The objective is to complete our discussion of network infrastructure. I will focus on Ethernet-based technologies and ways in which these networks interconnect with other networks to create enterprise wide networks.

• Basic LAN Technology: focus on Ethernet-based networks
• LAN Standards
• LAN's: operational and strategic issues
  
• Here is a great resource on LAN's. We will only focus on Ethernet based LAN's.
  

Before class

• Read Chapter 5 and review lecture notes.
  

Lecture 17: Local Area Network Protocols and Internetworking: March 31

We will briefly review LAN protocols. Following this review, we will begin our discussion of Internetworking. Our focus will be on reviewing the TCP/IP protocol and to provide an understanding of internetworks that combine local and wide area network components. The objective is help lay the ground for the discussion of intranet and internet-enabled applications.

Before class

• Read Chapter 9
  

Lecture 18 Internetworking and the Internet: April 2

Discussion of the internetworking fundamentals and a history of the Internet.

Before class

• Read the History of the Internet
  
• Browse the history of the Net in the form of a time line

Lecture 19: The World Wide Web: April 7

The Web is the killer application on the Internet. We will introduce basic web technologies such as the hypertext transfer protocol and discuss strategic and operational issues related to the use of these technologies to facilitate intra and interorganizational processes.

Resources that we will use include

• the Report on the use of the Web as the universal interface to government services.
  
• the cover story from Byte Magazine on Why Businesses need the Web
  
• Browse the Edgar site. Review the chapter on information dissemination in the Report on Web-based government services. Evaluate EDGAR in terms of the criteria described in the report.
  
• Assess the value added by EdgarScan site from Price Waterhouse. This site requires registration. Contrast it with the NYU EDGARsite.
  
• Read the paper by Prof. Kambil and Mark Ginsburg on Public Web-based Information Systems. This is a Word97 document.
  

Lecture 20 and 21: WWW Extensions and Analysis of Web Technologies: April 9 and 14

These lectures will discuss the latest Web technologies and analyze the ways in which they can be used to meet organizational requirements.

• The XML archives at the W3C has several excellent pointers to XML. Make sure you browse the XML FAQ.
  
• Hands on overview of XML
  
• Read the article from Byte on XML and DHTML and their expected impact on the Web.
  
• Java Computing in the Enterprise has good discussion of the promise of network computing.
  
• The Networked Enterprise Vision articulated by Netscape is interesting. Demonstrates several interesting web-enabled applications on intranets.
  

We will use the following resources to provide substantive context to our discussion.

• The first is the report on the use of the Web as the universal interface to government services.
  
• The second is Fedworld which is perhaps the largest web-based information service currently implemented. Fedworld is a web-technology enabled central clearing house for all federal government information.
  In addition to discussing the technology, we will discuss the role of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) as a key component of the strategy used to realize and maintain Fedworld. You should review the following documents.
  
  • Overview of NTIS services
    
  • Detailed discussion of NTIS and the role it plays in helping agencies publish information
• Intranet technologies are an important way in which Web technologies are being used within organizations. The Network Computing Web site on implementing Intranets is a great resource.

Lectures 22 and 23: Electronic Data Interchange and the Walmart Case: April 16 and 21

A key feature of telecommunication technologies is their ability to extend the reach of organizations as well as to allow sharing of information across organizational boundaries. A key enabler is a technology called electronic data interchage (EDI). EDI is key component of several electronic commerce initiatives in both the public and private sector organizations and a key enabler of quick response systems that have redefined procurement and acquisition.

We will use a classic case -- the Walmart case -- to discuss a variety of strategic and operational issues pertaining to EDI deployment. A key question that I would like the class to address is the implication that the growth of the Internet has for EDI applications.

Before class

• Review the EDI resources from Oklahoma State.
  
• Read the overview of Internet EDI strategy Issues.
  
• Read the discussion of EDI and FEDI and its applications.
  
• Study the cost comparison of EDI on the Internet vs. on a VAN
  
  
• Study the documents and procedures used by Staples, the office superstore, to implement EDI.
  
  
• Review the use of quick response systems at Benetton.
  
• Read the article on updates to Walmart's strategic use of information technology.

Those in the class that are interested in this topic may read the NIST document Streamlining Procurement Through Electronic Commerce

This document describes the business case for electronic commerce and EDI in the public sector and discusses technical infrastructure required to enable it. The ideas presented apply equally to public and private sector organizations. The document is in adobe acrobat format. You can download a copy of the acrobat reader.

Lecture 24: April 23 Security Issues

Overview of Security Issues

• Skim the excellent overview of firewall technology available at the Network Computing site.
  
• Read Chapter 13

Week of April 28
I will be away at a conference the week of April 28. No classes will be held on April 28 and April 30.

FINAL EXAM

The final exam will be held on April 30 covering material in lectures 16 through 24

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