Scenario

A former dot com company, Verbania, Inc., shut down in 2001 because of the Internet bubble burst. It is attempting to reinvent and launch itself once again. It is looking for a complete information technology (IT) solution that includes hardware, software, networking, and security, among other requirements. Verbania’s core product will be a social networking Web site and mobile application that rivals the big names that currently represent social media. It is attempting to find the best features and consolidate them into its product. The company is looking to establish its headquarters in the Silicon Valley region in California. The executives at Verbania are looking for your company to propose a solution that will endure future Internet trends.

Answer the following questions, keeping the requirements below in mind:

What specific and detailed requirements are addressed in the solution, and how?
What unstated requirements are there and what method(s) would you use to collect a more comprehensive set of requirements?
Describe all the requirements and explain how they would be met using hardware, software, networking and security. In other words, summarize the necessary elements of the solution necessary to address the requirements. Support your proposal.
What does Verbania need from an IT perspective to set up the needed infrastructure?
What is included in the solution’s hardware and software infrastructure?
Include a high level network diagram that illustrates the required hardware/software infrastructure on the company’s premise. Make sure to copy/paste this diagram in the Word document. It should NOT be submitted as a separate file. In the Word document in addition to providing the diagram, a written explanation should be provided.
Explain access from the perspective of employee (internal and external access) and end user (remote access).
Requirements:

The basic user requirements for the social networking solution must include but are not limited to the following:

Creating an account and a profile
Creating discussion forums and posting
Search capability for people
Gaming component
Calendar component for reminders
Instant messaging and Voice Over Internet protocol (VOIP)-type calling between friends
Secure account and email feature
Availability seven days a week
The basic company requirements for the social networking solution must include but are not limited to the following:

Collect, store, back up, and mine user data to better understand users.
Integrate collected data with customer relationship management (CRM) to improve business and customer support processes.
Analyze user patterns, behavior, and generated traffic to present to advertisers.
Requested functionality for the social networking application includes the following:

Account setup and log-in functionality
Creating a profile
Adding or removing friends
Posting to a discussion area