information technology solutions plan 1...

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS PLAN 1

Information Technology Solutions Plan:

Marco Abuaitah © September 13, 2015

ABSTRACT

This paper represents an Information Technology

Solutions Plan. It is prepared specifically for a

scenario case pertaining to UNICEF (The United

Nations Children’s Fund), taking into consideration

its needs for reliable communication networks when

responding to natural disasters. The paper begins by

providing some background about UNICEF as well

as addressing the issue at hand. It then presents three

major technological innovations and provides

extensive research and critique about them while

focusing on what may be the better solution for

UNICEF. To better demonstrate the communication

networks of the technological innovations, diagrams

are presented throughout the paper. The paper

continues by providing an emphasis on what

technological innovation would best fit the needs of

UNICEF, and provides a comparison table of the

three technological innovations. The current phase of

the information technology life cycle is identified

prior to suggesting ideal timelines for adoption. The

paper then discusses some important variable to be

considered by UNICEF when deciding to adopt new

technologies; a process is suggested for ensuring

smooth adoption. Graphs are presented throughout

the paper to better illustrate the phase of the

technology life cycle, technology adoption cycle, and

the smooth adoption. The conclusion of this paper is

an implementation plan for the integration of BGAN,

taking into consideration several countermeasures to

ensure compliances.

Keywords: BGAN, ethical, GAN, IsatPhone,

ITSP, legal, RBGAN, S-curve, security, stakeholders,

UNICEF, VHF, VoIP, VSAT, WiMax

Information Technology Solutions Plan

This Information Technology Solutions Plan

addresses some of the major deficiencies in

UNICEF’s communication networks and presents

some of the most ideal technological innovations that

could address the needs of UNICEF. It offers

research and critique of several technologies, an

adoption and strategies proposal, and an

implementation plan for the desired technological

innovation.

Introduction and Background

UNICEF was created in 1946 under the

name United Nations International Children’s

Emergency Fund to help children of war at that time

(UNICEF, 2015). A few years after the war, the

organization changed the name to the United Nations

Children’s Fund due to helping women and children

worldwide, and not only those of war or who were

undergoing emergencies (UNICEF, 2015). Certainly,

humanitarian organization UNICEF continues to

serve women and children around the world during

emergency situations despite the name. According to

UNICEF (2015), “In cooperation with governments

and non-governmental organizations (NGOs),

UNICEF saves and protects the world's most

vulnerable children, working to ensure child rights

and providing health care, immunizations, nutrition,

access to safe water and sanitation services, basic

education, protection and emergency relief.” In

efforts to help every single vulnerable child, UNICEF

needs reliable voice and data communication

networks and the tools to be able to communicate

locally and globally, especially during and post

natural disasters where regional communications

infrastructure would most likely be destroyed.

“The current global communication

architecture is comprised of multiple and disparate

networks, with almost 1,000 entry and exit nodes all

over the world” (UNICEF, 2007). Therefore, with the

right and most cost-effective communication

networks innovations, UNICEF will be able to

communicate effectively at natural disaster sites as

well as between the sites and UNICEF’s headquarter

offices, ultimately providing their exceptional

services anywhere in the world. Considering the type

of service that UNICEF provides, evident challenges

exist such as having communication networks readily

available for them upon their arrival to the natural

disaster sites.

Currently, UNICEF uses multiple equipment

to build voice and data communication networks at

disaster sites. Some of UNICEF’s equipment for

telecommunications and data connectivity include the

VSAT system for data services, VHF radio networks

for reliable communications, and HF radio networks

for long-distance communications (United Nations,

2005). Some challenges arise when utilizing these

services which significantly affects the UNICEF

team in effectively providing aid during a natural

disaster. Some of these challenges are determining

the type of radio frequencies to use which is

determined by local authorities, obtaining local

government licensing and approval for VSAT system

sites, and finding skilled personnel with the required

technical skills to install and maintain the VSAT

complex system. Therefore, there is a need for more

reliable services that would offer UNICEF the voice

and data communication networks that they are

seeking to be able to provide full aid during disasters.

UNICEF would extremely benefit from a portable

technological innovation that needs minimal training

to operate.

The deficiency of the organization is present

in setting up communication networks at disaster




sites and immediately start communicating with

headquarter offices and accessing UNICEF’s

intranet. In order to establish these reliable

communication networks, three technological

innovations are being considered including IsatPhone

Pro satellite phone, WiMax wireless

communications, and BGAN portable satellite

Internet and phone.

Research and Critique

IsatPhone Pro satellite phone, WiMax

wireless communications, and BGAN portable

satellite Internet and phone seem to be the ideal

technological innovations to address the needs of

UNICEF’s natural disaster responders, with the self-

contained BGAN being the highly reliable, entirely

portable, and most cost-effective solution. The

following assessments of the three innovations

explain declaring BGAN as the most effective tool

for building UNICEF’s communication networks.

IsatPhone Pro Satellite Phone

The way IsatPhone Pro addresses the needs

of UNICEF is by providing the first responders with

voice and data communications anywhere on the

planet. IsatPhone Pro operates over I-4 satellite

network as shown in Figure 1, thus ensuring reliable

call stability (Inmarsat plc., 2015). One must expect

the lack of power supplies in or post nature disasters.

The IsatPhone is equipped with a battery life of up to

8 hours of straight talk, and over 160 hours of

standby (Inmarsat plc., 2015). This device would

enable UNICEF staff to communicate with each other

at the natural disaster site as well as establish voice

communications with headquarter offices.

Figure 1. Inmarsat satellite coverage. This map indicates the

area of the globe that receives radio beams from Inmarsat satellites.

Inmarsat. (2015). Our coverage. Retrieved August 2, 2015, from Inmarsat:

http://www.inmarsat.com/about-us/our-satellites/our-coverage/. Copyright

2015 by Inmarsat plc.

IsatPhone Cost. The cost of the IsatPhone

Pro device itself is $595, and once the device is

purchased, there is a monthly fee of $93.95 to operate

the device. According to Ground Control (2015),

there are a few features that are included within this

price if the device is purchased from them including

unlimited data, ten free minutes each month, free

incoming calls and free incoming SMS text messages

(Ground Control, 2015).

IsatPhone Advantages. IsatPhone Pro

voice quality is significantly clear, and they are

designed to operate under the toughest conditions

including storms anywhere on the planet (Ground

Control, 2015). Therefore, no matter what the natural

disaster is, UNICEF team is able to communicate

with staff at the disaster site as well as at their

headquarter offices. This is due to the fact that

IsatPhone Pro is connected to I-4 stationary satellites,

unlike other satellite phones who are connected to

mobile satellites, which results in more dropped calls.

UNICEF is considering a device that is self-contained

and portable. The dimensions of an IsatPhone Pro are

170mm · 54mm · 39mm, and it weighs only 279g,

which means that it could simply fit in someone’s

pocket, offering great portability (Inmarsat plc.,

2015).

IsatPhone Disadvantages. Despite the free

data plans offered, transferring data over

communication networks using IsatPhone Pro may

not be practical in situations where the Internet speed

is vital. IsatPhone Pro takes up to 20 – 50 seconds to

download and view an e-mail that is HTML-based

(HyperText Markup Language), and could take up to

minutes or even hours if e-mails contain graphics

(Ground Control, 2015). Whether it is being used for

voice or data communications, the IsatPhone can

only be used by one UNICEF staff member at a time.

UNICEF would be unable to set up humanitarian

calling centers relying solely on IsatPhone Pro as it

can only be connected to one switch as a time, which

would allow for one phone call at a time. More

importantly, proving humanitarian calling centers

using IsatPhone Pro may be extremely costly. Once a

certain quota is reached, the more users utilize the

IsatPhone Pro, the more the charges would be.

IsatPhone Implementation. There are two

main IsatPhones: IsatPhone 2 and IsatPhone Pro.

IsatPhone Pro is being considered here because

UNICEF’s interest is in acquiring reliable voice and

data communication networks, and not only voice.

Unlike IsatPhone 2 which only provides voice

communications around the world, IsatPhone Pro

provides voice and data communications (Inmarsat

plc., 2015). IsatPhone Pro requires minimal

experience, if any, to operate. There aren’t any other

equipment to be installed in order to use the device;

therefore, little does the person have to know to

operate the device. If the user is familiar with using a

cellular phone, he or she would be able to operate the

IsatPhone Pro. This also applies when connecting to

the Internet. With a single cable, the user could

connect the IsatPhone to a laptop, and with one click,




connect to the Internet to be able to send and receive

data. Therefore, implementation would only involve

purchasing the device and the service plan, and then

distribute the devices to UNICEF staff.

IsatPhone Benefitting Personnel and

Stakeholders. If the technology of IsatPhone Pro is

adopted many UNICEF, staff will benefit from this

adoption, especially those at natural disasters sites.

UNICEF staff being able to effectively communicate

with each other using high quality voice

communications means fewer dropped calls, and

most importantly, faster response times to women

and children in need of assistance. Thus, UNICEF

staff are benefitting by being able to communicate

with each other, which benefits the children as a

result due to UNICEF staff being available for aid

instead of setting up communication networks.

IsatPhone Pro offers UNICEF staff immediate

communication networks upon arrival to disaster

sites because it does not require the complicated

setup that most satellite connection devices require.

IsatPhone Cost-effectiveness. The

IsatPhone Pro is extremely cost-effective when

considering voice communications that are needed by

UNICEF staff. However, it may not be the best

option for data communications due to its download/

upload speed of 2.4 Kbps, which is extremely slow.

This device may be ideal for UNICEF staff during

the initial phase of disaster response. Once at the

scene, responders may need to send large amount of

data (i.e. images) which would require a device that

is more reliable and quicker in sending and receiving

data as data communications become even more vital

in subsequent phases.

WiMax Wireless Communications

WiMax stands for Worldwide

Interoperability for Microwave Access (Spector,

2010). The focus of this communications innovation

is not only on addressing the needs of UNICEF staff

by providing them with the communication networks

that they need, but also on providing Internet access

to those at disaster sites who are unable to reach a

humanitarian calling centers where they would be

able to communicate with their loved ones. As the

name may imply, WiMax is able to cover a large area

with Internet access. Coverage can reach up to a

thirty-mile radius (Spector, 2010).

WiMax Cost. This wide area network

technology can be set up with only two devices, a

WiMax tower and a WiMax receiver.

Unquestionably, the more equipment ordered, the

higher the cost. The cost of a tower could be as low

as $1,500.00 (Alibaba, 2015) and the base station as

high as $26,000.00 (Moonblink Communications,

2014). UNICEF may also be responsible of covering

the fees of those performing the installation of the

main tower.

WiMax Advantages. Considering the large

area of coverage that WiMax has to offer, many

people can get access to the Internet wirelessly

without having to be physically present at support

sites or humanitarian calling centers. Anyone with a

smart phone, tablet, or laptop PC can get access to

the Internet. UNICEF would have the capability of

offering network connections to local residents who

are affected by disaster once the setup is complete.

Mobile phone towers and other communications

infrastructures might be destroyed by natural

disasters; however, anyone with a WiMax-enabled

device is able to connect to a WiMax tower and reach

out to their loved ones via text messages, e-mails, or

even social networks. This also lifts some of the

burden on UNICEF’s staff in trying to connect loved

ones with each other post natural disasters and allows

them to focus more on getting efficient help to

disaster sites. For example, UNICEF staff could use

the time to contact headquarter offices to request for

necessary aid and personnel at the same time an

affected local is able to connect with loved ones,

which ultimately speeds up the recovery process.

WiMax offers Internet access at a speed of

up to 75 Mbps, which is extremely fast (Naveen,

Nidhish, Prasanna, & Varun, 2008). “The fastest Wi-

Fi connection can transmit up to 54 megabits per

second under optimal conditions” (Brain &

Grabianowski, 2015). Furthermore, the real

advantage of WiMax is in its distance. With a

frequency bands of 2 – 11 GHz and 10 – 66 GHz,

WiMax is able to blanket a radius of up to 50

kilometers or 30 miles (Brain & Grabianowski,

2015). There is also the portable version of WiMax

towers which may be more ideal for UNICEF.

According to Alvarion (2008), “Mobile WiMax is

ideal for quickly establishing connectivity during

disaster relief operations and situations requiring fast

network establishment.”

WiMax Disadvantages. Not all devices

such as computer, tablets, and mobile devices are

WiMax-enabled. Therefore, the more UNICEF staff

that have WiMax-enabled devices, the more effective

this network would be. Hardware limitations also

exist from price and availability aspects.

Furthermore, WiMax security standards have not yet

been completely accomplished (Wright, 2006).

Considering the efforts and experience needed to

install WiMax networks, it may not be an ideal

source of communication for short-time natural

disaster responses. Despite the more bandwidth, bit

rate, coverage area, performance, and quality of

service, WiMax requires high installations, largely




dependable on power sources, and susceptible to bad

weather (Brain & Grabianowski, 2015). Furthermore,

the cost of equipment could be really high, especially

if no resources such as a power supply is available at

the site of the natural disaster, which is normally the

case. WiMax receivers are portable; however, in the

case that UNICEF is having to install the towers, they

will be fixed. The dimensions of a WiMax tower are

28' · 7.5' · 7.5', which is relatively large. If the right

transportation equipment is not available, it would be

difficult to transport a WiMax tower.

WiMax Implementation. Depending on the

resources available, implementation may vary.

However, assuming that no other resources are

available, which is typically the case in natural

disasters, UNICEF staff would need to install a

WiMax tower, and a WiMax receiver. Once two

towers are installed, a fixed radio signal is established

between the two and offer communication networks

to devices that are WiMax enabled. In order to

implement this technological innovation, UNICEF

would need to obtain at least two towers that would

most likely be sufficient to install at the site of a

natural disaster. UNICEF would also need to acquire

wireless receivers to be able to provide a local area

network at support sites such as a humanitarian

calling center. Mobile WiMax comes with all

equipment pre-mounted and configure with an

industry-leading twelve-minute deployment time

(Alvarion, 2008). Figure 2 demonstrates a typical set

up that UNICEF may consider. The colored circles in

Figure 2 illustrate the area that is covered and within

which people and staff can get Internet Access.

Unlike phone towers, WiMax towers can send and

receive signals from each other, offering a larger

coverage area (Brain & Grabianowski, 2015).

Intranet

WiMax Base Station

City affected by Natural Disaster

City Affected by Natural Disaster

WiMax Tower

WiMax Tower

UNICEF Headquarters



Figure 2. WiMax Communication Network. An example of WiMax network

would look like if adopted by UNICEF. The large circles indicate the

coverage area.

WiMax Benefitting Personnel and

Stakeholders. The timing of entry of this

technological innovation is extremely vital. In order

for a larger amount of personnel to benefit from this

technology, complimentary resources must be

evaluated because of how fairly new this technology

is. The timing of entry would be most effective and

would benefit UNICEF staff as well as residents of

disaster sites if complementary resources were highly

available. For example, those who do not have access

to WiMax-enabled devices will not be able to use the

service to communicate, and humanitarian calling

centers will be flooded with those seeking help.

Furthermore, hospitals that are still functional after a

natural disaster who may not have been affected,

would also use the WiMax communication networks

established by UNICEF in order to perform Internet-

based patient care.

UNICEF could benefit from WiMax post

natural disaster by establishing WiMax base stations

that would permanently maintain at the disaster site

for further reconstruction. For example, once

businesses recover, they are able to connect to the

Internet without relying on the presence of a radio

tower that would have to be provided by local phone

companies. This may ultimately aid in expediting the

recovery process. Furthermore, UNICEF could also

be compensated financially by local phone

companies who may use the service until they rebuild

themselves. This could mean building relationships

between UNICEF and developing countries through

WiMax and helping more women and children have

access to the Internet not only while recovering from

natural disasters, but on a regular basis as well.

WiMax Cost-effectiveness. It is hard to

determine the exact cost of WiMax because it would

depend on the equipment available at disaster sites.

There are typically other organizations that attend to

natural disasters around the world to set

communication networks. In the case that UNICEF

plans to set up natural disaster aid site for extended

periods of times, then this may be an ideal solution.

However, for operations lasting short periods of

times, it would be more cost-effective to go with

another option such as BGAN Portable Satellite

Internet and Phone.

BGAN Portable Satellite Internet and Phone

Inmarsat is a global satellite communication

services provider and one of the major companies

that attend to disaster sites to aid in providing

communication networks (Inmarsat, 2015). They

offer what may be the most effective devise that

could connect to the Internet from anywhere in the

world, BGAN. This company was established by the

International Maritime Organization (IMO) to




“enable ships to stay in constant touch with shore or

to call for help in an emergency, no matter how far

out to sea” (Inmarsat, 2015). Therefore, obtaining

service from this company would mean reliable

communication networks for UNICEF. Inmarsat

operates eleven satellites in geosynchronous orbit

that transmit radio beams in two global

configurations (Inmarsat, 2015), which covers almost

the entire globe as shown in Figure 1. UNICEF

would have access to these satellites when attending

to vulnerable women and children almost anywhere

around the world.

BGAN stands for Broadband Global Area

Network (Rouse, 2005). This compact device makes

it possible for users to connect their “laptop PCs,

Smartphones, switches, routers or other IP devices to

the Internet or integrate them to their corporate

network at speeds up to 492 Kbps” (Network

Innovations, 2015). This means that UNICEF staff

can link their devices to BGAN and immediately

have access to their Intranet as if they were sitting in

their home office building or on at their home desk.

BGAN Cost. Some of the most effective

devices that were recently distributed to the market

are less expensive than previous devices and provide

a more advances service. For example, the recent

Explorer 510 BGAN Terminal costs $1,995.00 with

an upload speed of up to 484 Kbps, while the

previous Explorer 300 BGAN Terminal cost

$2,595.00 and offered an upload speed of 240 Kbps

(Ground Control, 2015). Furthermore, UNICEF staff

could have unlimited access to the Internet through a

fixed version of BGAN called BGAN Link. This

BGAN device itself is $1,600.00, and the service is

$1,125.00. Although with BGAN Link more

equipment would be needed to cover larger areas, one

BGAN Link could be sufficient as UNICEF staff set

up their first station at the disaster site.

BGAN Advantages. BGAN can be

connected to just about any computer, and once that’s

done, UNICEF staff can then have access to voice

and data communication networks. More importantly,

in the case that a first responder is on the move and

must access the World Wide Web, send an e-mail, or

even make a phone call, an antenna can be connected

to the BGAN terminal that is connected to a

computer, and immediately provide access to the

Internet and VoIP. VoIP stands for Voice over

Internet Protocol, it is “a technology that allows you

to make voice calls using a broadband Internet

connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone

line” (Federal Communications Commission, 2015).

The dimensions of Explorer 510 BGAN Terminal are

7.8" · 7.8" · 1.6", and it weighs 3.1lbs. This is smaller

than the size of most laptops, and thus greatly

portable.

Moreover, BGAN has a terminal web portal

which enables user to see where the other terminals

are located (Ground Control, 2015), which would

help them locate aid sites. This is particularly

significant in areas that are not familiar to UNICEF

responders. Unlike satellite installations, BGAN Link

does not require certified installers and can be

installed by anyone in minutes (Ground Control,

2015). “BGAN terminals are highly robust devices

that operate well in extreme environments” (Ground

Control, 2015). Furthermore, BGAN can offer voice

and data communications to a large number of users

at the same time.

BGAN Disadvantages. Some of the

disadvantage of BGAN may not be considered so

significant due to the cost-effectiveness and

portability of this device. One of the disadvantages is

that one must have their own device to connect to the

BGAN terminal such as a laptop, tablet, or a phone.

Also, the more users join the network, the slower the

communications may become.

BGAN Implementation. Figure 3 below

demonstrates what a typical BGAN communication

network would look like at the UNICEF aid site if

implemented. The implementation process requires

purchasing as little as one device. One BGAN

terminal should be sufficient to provide access to a

large number of users unless determined otherwise by

UNICEF staff in the case that they are considering

multiple aid sites. In order to implement this

technology at the site, a UNICEF staff would merely

place the BGAN terminal anywhere within the site

and, with the push of a button, begin voice and data

communications.

Intranet

Satellite

BGAN Terminal

Laptops

UNICEF Telecommunication CentersUNICEF Base

Smart Phones

UNICEF Headquarters

Natural Disaster Site

Figure 3. Communication Network Using BGAN. This example illustrates

the type of devices than can connect to a BGAN terminal at one time.




BGAN Benefitting Personnel and

Stakeholders. Considering the simplicity of its

installation, BGAN does not require finding skilled

UNICEF staff to perform the installations. This

allows UNICEF to better distribute their staff to

provide aid to women and children and not focus

their attention on trying to set up communication

networks. According to Ground Control (2015),

“these terminals can be installed by anyone in

minutes.” Given that BGAN terminals operate by

sending and receiving signals from I-4 satellite,

Inmarsat would also be a stakeholder in this case.

BGAN Cost-effectiveness. The cost

effectiveness of BGAN is evident in its Internet

speed compared to other devices. For example,

BGAN can download a 100 kilobyte page in 5

seconds for the cost of 60 cents, whereas it would

take the IsatPhone Pro about 5.5 minutes to download

the same page for the cost of $5.0 (Ground Control,

2015). BGAN would allow UNICEF staff to assess

disaster situations and offer aid in a timely manner.

BGAN is a great solution for the initial assessment of

disastrous situations as it provides fast and reliable

voice and data communication networks. For

example, UNICEF staff might need to send a number

of images to a headquarter office to be reviewed in a

timely manner. Without BGAN, this would possibly

take days to accomplish.

BGAN satellite receiver is one of the most

important devices that is provided by Inmarsat, which

single-handedly enables voice and data

communications. Although the cost of BGAN is

might be high and does not allow for long term

operations, it would be ideal to use this services

immediately post disasters as other equipment may

not be available due to their dependency on other

services such as radio rooms (United Nations, 2005),

or due to not being present at the site immediately

after disasters due to their portability limitations.

Table 1 on the next page provides a snapshot

of some of the major features of the three

technological innovations considered in this paper.

Considering the advantages and disadvantages

discussed above, BGAN communication networks

for voice and data may be the ideal technological

innovation for UNICEF to connect their staff at

natural disaster sites, and between the sites and their

headquarter offices. Finally, BGAN simply satisfies

the need of UNICEF for a self-contained portable

device that is able to offer reliable voice and data

communication networks. ISAT BGAN WiMax

VoIP/ Voice Yes Yes Yes

Data Yes Yes Yes

Broadband

speed

Yes

Requires

Power

Source

No No Yes

Range N/A 100 feet 30 mile

radius

Size 170mm · 54mm · 39mm

7.8" · 7.8" · 1.6"

28' · 7.5' · 7.5'

Devices

Connected

1 11 Unlimited

Roaming No No Yes

Data Speed Dial-up speed of

2.4 Kbps

Broadband speed of 464

Kbps

750 Kbps

Equipment

Cost

$595.00 $1,995.00 $23,000.00

Table 1. Major feature of the three technological innovations IsatPhone,

WiMax, and BGAN.

BGAN’s Phase of the Technology Life Cycle

The technology life cycle describes the

journey that a technology undertakes from the time

the technology is introduced to the world until its

dissolution (Papageorgiou, 2013). Of course, some

technologies survive longer than others and some

stabilize until newer technologies cause them to

become obsolete. This is demonstrated in the s-

shaped curves of three technological innovations that

revolutionized overtime as illustrated in Figure 4 part

(a) on the next page. According to Schilling (2013),

the s-shaped curve illustrates the technology

performance over efforts and the technology

diffusion over time. The start of the journey to

BGAN began in the 1990’s with the introduction of

the GAN (Global Area Network) technology.

According to Inmarsat (2015), GAN was launched in

1999, and shortly after, in 2000, a new technology

called RBGAN (Regional Broadband Global Area

Network) dominated the market until the launch of

BGAN in 2005. The s-curve of GAN and RBGAN

has dotted lines at the top of each curve indicating the

dissolution of those technologies over time as seen in

Figure 4 (a). The s-curve of BGAN technology,

however, continues to develop because there has not

yet been a new technology introduced to the public

that would ultimately replace the BGAN technology

and serve a similar role to its customers. According

to Farion (2012), as one of the fastest satellite-

internet services in the world, BGAN continues to

dominate the market until the present day.




Figure 4. (a) S-Curve. This graph illustrates the cycle of GAN, RGAN, and

BGAN technologies, with BGAN being the most recent technology. (b)

Technology Life Cycle. This figure illustrated the phase of BGAN in its

technology life cycle.

The four major phases in the technology life

cycle are the introduction stage, growth stage,

maturity stage, and the decline stage (Advameg,

2015). According to Khurana (2013), the phases of

the technology life cycle are similar to those of a

biological life cycle: emergence of the new

technology (birth), increased productivity of the new

technology (growth), decline in sales growth of the

new technology (maturity), and finally the

replacement of the new technology (death). In the

case of the broadband global area network (BGAN),

it is fair to say that this technology is currently in the

growth stage.

Evidence of Growth

Figure 4 part (b) provides a closer look into

the s-curve of BGAN technology to further examine

the phase of the technology life cycle that it is in. As

indicated, the BGAN technology is in its growth

phase or stage. The growth phase occurs when a

product has “survived its introduction and is

beginning to be noticed in the marketplace”

(Advameg, 2015). The survival of BGAN is due to it

attracting a wide range of users, from banking to

television industries (Nair & Staff, 2003). Further

evidence lie within the BGAN production quantities.

According to Thrane & Thrane (2015), Inmarsat sold

over 300,000 BGAN terminals worldwide, which

also indicates increased public knowledge of BGAN

technology. Although most technologies become

obsolete at some point in time, the later stages of the

graph do not necessarily represent a definite path for

BGAN as the technology could possibly either

diminish or sustain in a saturated state where it would

still be present in the market for a certain period of

time.

Although predicting the path of the future is

difficult when determining the time of adoption of

BGAN, considering the past accomplishments by the

technology may significantly aid UNICEF in the

decision making processing as well as in determining

the BGAN phase of the technology life cycle.

Inmarsat, the global contributor to satellite

communications technology, is rapidly and

continuously working on advancing their coverage

networks that support their BGAN technology,

making it harder for competitors to catch up and

maintaining the technology in the growth state. For

example, throughout the past several years, Inmarsat

launched 13 satellites to accomplish exceptional

voice and data communications networks around the

world (Inmarsat, 2015). Furthermore, since the need

for BGAN technology continues to increase, Inmarsat

will be launching Inmarsat-5 F3 satellite to its

geostationary orbital position on August 28 of this

year to provide even a wider coverage for BGAN

terminals and other devices (Inmarsat, 2015). This

further indicates that the BGAN technology is still

blooming and has yet to reach the maturity stage of

the technology life cycle where the inevitable decline

would begin. These facts and the current phase of

BGAN’s life cycle should be considered by UNICEF

when deciding the timing of BGAN adoption because

UNICEF should neither adopt the technology too

soon nor too late.

Timing of BGAN Adoption

Adopting new technologies is not an easy

task considering the uncertainties surrounding further

market conditions as well as the technological

innovation itself, which is outside of UNICEF’s

control. Although it is hard to predict the future of a

technological innovation, those that experience rapid

technological change may affect UNICEF the most.

According to the Journal of Economic Dynamics and

Control (1998, p. 781), “where technological change

is rapid there is very little chance of fully recovering

the cost of capital invested in any chosen new

technology, so that the technology choice becomes an

irreversible one.” Fortunately, the BGAN technology

has advanced dramatically in the past few years. This

suggests minimal advancements in the upcoming

years and an optimal BGAN technology adoption

time for UNICEF.

The aforementioned sale of over 300,000

BGAN terminals suggests large amounts of

production; therefore, from a financial perspective, it

would be ideal for UNICEF to begin the adoption

process within the upcoming year considering that

the cost is lower. According to Investopedia (2015)

“if there is a low supply and a high demand, the price

will be high. In contrast, the greater the supply and

the lower the demand, the lower the price will be.”

Considering that BGAN demands consist mostly of

businesses providing services in areas where the

typical phone and data networks are not available act

as evidence that the demand should be low as far as

the diversity of companies, but high in the number of

manufactured devices. This means that one company

may order a few thousands of BGAN terminals,




requiring high productions of the product. Since it is

evident that production is high, it would cost

UNICEF less to adopt the BGAN technology.

Therefore, considering the recent advancements in

BGAN technology and its cost, UNICEF would

ultimately reach the optimal adoption time if

implemented the technology in the upcoming year.

In doing so, UNICEF avoids adopting

BGAN too soon where a new technology may

become available that would provide them with even

better voice and data communication networks. This

is highly unlikely because, as indicated above,

BGAN technology is dominating the satellite-Internet

services and there hasn’t been any introductions of an

alternative technology so far. Furthermore,

considering the nature of UNICEF’s services,

potential financial payoffs are not of essence because

they are merely utilizing the BGAN technology, and

they are not selling the product to make a profit. This

suggests that UNICEF would not lose money because

of uncirculated inventory or anything of this nature

because they are adopting based on necessities and

not based on purchases to make a profit. However,

UNICEF is more likely to receive contributions from

governmental organizations (GOs) and non-

governmental organizations (NGOs) should they

succeed in the timely adoption of BGAN technology

because of their cost-effective adoption of new

technologies using voluntary financial support, which

would be demonstrated in the adoption of BGAN.

Additionally, if we consider the technology

adoption cycle, UNICEF seems to fit within the early

majority of those who adopt innovative technologies,

which constitutes 34% of adopters as illustrated in

Figure 5. The technology adoption cycle describes

the adoption of a new innovation based on characters

defining the nature of adopters (Mars, 2009), which

normally represents a classical normal distribution as

seen in the bell-curved graph in Figure 5. The early

majority of adopters will adopt the technology after

seeing it used successfully and they tend to be active

in communities (Investopedia, 2015), which applies

to UNICEF.

UNICEF is adopting the technology after a

relatively large number of business had already

adopted the technology and found it to be successful,

which was indicated in the units sold as mentioned

above. It is also important to mention that early

adopters tend to pay more for the product than early

majority of adopters (Investopedia, 2015). This

suggests that UNICEF would most likely pay a

reasonable amount of dollars for the technology as it

has already passed the early adopters stage. The cost

of adoption is discussed further in the Cost and

Network Size section of this paper.

Figure 5. Technology Adoption Cycle. This illustrates the state where

UNICEF fits in the technology adoption cycle. Imbedded UNICEF image

source: http://teespring.com/savephilippines.

Variables Affecting the Timing and

Implementation of BGAN

Although the BGAN growth phase of the

technology life cycle offers UNICEF an optimal

timing of the technology, some variables must be

considered before adoption takes place. These

variables include cost and network size, training, and

technology improvements as well as reliability.

Cost and Network Size

Cost and network size interchangeably

affect the timing of adoption because UNICEF would

have to allow a certain period of time for every

region to adopt the technology before moving

forward. There are currently several UNICEF

headquarters in different countries around the world

including the United States of America, Switzerland,

Denmark, Italy, Belgium, and Japan (UNICEF,

2015). Headquarters along with regional offices,

supply divisions, and business offices within those

countries create a large network that would

significantly affect the cost of adoption; the larger the

network the higher the cost.

However, the large network of UNICEF to

be covered by BGAN technology provides an

advantage of allowing UNICEF to divide their

technology adoption in different phases which offers

a more cost-effective approach for adoption.

According to Rosenblatt (2014), phased operation

methods allow larger operations of system adoptions

to be executed in stages. It also provides a smaller

risk of failure and is less expensive (Rosenblatt,

2014). This process is extremely significant for the

timing of adoption because UNICEF would be able

to use smaller amounts of its funds towards the

adoption process and not all at once. Figure 6 on the

next page illustrates the gradual conversion from

what would be the old technologies used by UNICEF




to the new technology BGAN.

Figure 6. Phased Operation. This phased operation changeover method

illustrates the phased adoption of BGAN by UNICEF and the retiring of

UNICEF's old systems.

One key factor to keep in mind is that

phased operation methods are less expensive than

other methods (Rosenblatt, 2014), which is extremely

significant for UNICEF because they rely heavily on

voluntary financial support. This is also important

because UNICEF had already allocated their

financial investments in information and

communication technologies up until 2017 (United

Nations Children’s Fund, 2013), and it would be

much easier to use some of these funds to gradually

adopt the new technology in one region at a time than

using a lump sum of money for all regions at once.

UNICEF will not be required to postpone

adoption of the new technology until the allocation of

a new budget investments because it will be able to

use the current funds designated for information

technologies from the integrated budget of 2014-

2017. Therefore, considering the cost of BGAN

equipment discussed in part one of the ITSP and

BGAN’s phase of the technology life cycle as well as

cost and network size discussed in this part of the

ITSP, adoption of BGAN technology is made

possible. Part one of the ITSP discussed in detail the

cost of equipment, and this part of the ITSP has

discussed the cost of adoption of the equipment, but

what about other costs that may affect the adoption of

BGAN?

Training for the New Technology

Adopting new technologies may definitely

require UNICEF to spend time and money on

training their staff to use the new technology which

would no doubt affect the timing of adoption.

UNICEF managers must make sure that they have

trained staff responding to disaster sites. Fortunately,

BGAN terminals are extremely easy to use; they do

not require technical expertise or extensive training to

set up and use (Inmarsat, 2015). UNICEF should be

able to train the staff to use BGAN terminals in a

relatively short period of time due to its setup

simplicity which is indicated in 3 steps: placing the

terminal on any surface, turning the device on, and

pointing it towards Inmarsat satellites. BGAN

Launchpad software, which is also easy to use, would

allow users to view the strength of the signal received

from the satellite and point the terminal towards the

stronger signal (Inmarsat, 2015). Once the setup is

complete, UNICEF staff will have established voice

and communication networks that they can access to

communicate at disaster sites as well as between

disaster sites and headquarter offices. This simple

setup should have a minimal effect on the timing as

well as cost of BGAN technology adoption by

UNICEF.

Furthermore, considering the portability of

BGAN terminals, UNICEF is not required to travel to

disaster locations to setup large satellite dishes or

anything of this nature where it might require skilled

personnel as well as the availability of the heavy

equipment to transport the satellite dishes. BGAN

portability also allow UNICEF responders to simply

travel with their devices to disaster sites and

immediately start the setup process. Therefore,

considering the minimal training required to train

UNICEF staff and the undemanding portability of

BGAN, UNICEF would be able to accomplish a

quicker adoption of the technology once the adoption

process is initiated.

Technology Improvements

Technology improvements is another

variable that needs to be considered when UNICEF

adopts a new technology. This can apply to older

technologies or new ones. BGAN technology has

developed quite significantly in the past few years as

was shown in Figure 4 (a). This and the fact that

BGAN is in the growth stage indicates smaller

developments in later stages. “The efficiency gain

from the new technology is much larger during its

enhancement stage than during the initial stage” (Hall

& Khan, 2002). However, if the technology was not

advanced, it would be wiser for UNICEF to postpone

adoption of BGAN to avoid the redundancy of

adopting new technologies. For example, if UNICEF

had adopted RBGAN technology back in 2000, then

they would have had to retrain their staff and

distribute new terminals once BGAN technology was

introduced in 2005. This would have of course been

an early adoption of the technology which would

have cost UNICEF a financial burden.

One thing to keep in mind when it comes to

technology improvements is the advancement of the

older technology and not only the newer ones. How

likely is it that the equipment that UNICEF already

obtains may be capable of providing the same service

that BGAN provides? According to Hall & Khan

(2002), sometimes when a new innovation is a close

substitute for an existing technology, then the

innovation itself may induce providers of the old

technology to make improvements in an effort to

retain the market position. The reason why this is a

significant factor in the timing of adopting BGAN is

because UNICEF would ultimately obtain the new




technology for a much longer time due to the delay in

the diffusion of the older technologies. This merely

emphasizes the need for UNICEF to take immediate

actions and adopt BGAN as their new technology for

voice and data communication networks.

BGAN Reliability

In addition to being able to provide aid to

women and children during disasters, UNICEF seeks

opportunities to receive feedback from those who

need support as well as everyone in developing

countries. Part of UNICEF’s mission is

understanding what developing countries need in the

case of emergencies, and BGAN would allow them to

reach parts of the world where basic voice and data

networks are not available. According to Kochi, a

humanitarian and technologist at UNICEF, the staff

at UNICEF wants to hear from young people all

around the world of what they think about social

issues and how they impact their lives. (Dobush,

2015). Having the right technology for the job would

mean that UNICEF would receive the feedback that

they need from almost everywhere in the world.

Therefore, considering the launch of the most recent

satellite that would allow Inmarsat to provide satellite

coverage almost anywhere in the world suggests that

BGAN fits the needs of UNICEF and immediate

actions should be taken to adopt the technology. If

Inmarsat satellites did not provide the coverage that

they do today, then it would definitely be wise to

wait, but since UNICEF’s goals is to reach out to as

many people around the world as possible, especially

where communication networks are not available or

destroyed, then this would be the optimal timing for

adopting the BGAN technology.

Process to Ensure Smooth Adoption of BGAN

As previously mentioned, when adopting

BGAN, UNICEF would be executing a strategy of

phased operation changeover to ensure smooth

adoption of the new system while retiring the old

system. Phased operation changeover method allows

organizations to implement new systems in stages, or

modules (Rosenblatt, 2014). As mentioned in the

first part of the ITSP, UNICEF currently uses

multiple equipment to build voice and data

communication networks at disaster sites. Some of

UNICEF’s equipment for telecommunications and

data connectivity include UNICEF VSAT system for

data services, VHF radio networks for reliable

communications, and HF radio networks for long-

distance communications (United Nations, 2005).

The reason for using this method is to allow UNICEF

to gradually train staff to use the new system as they

retire these old ones.

UNICEF is able to use this method to allow

for smooth adoption because they are a large firm

that’s already using advanced technology to establish

voice and communication networks. “Innovation

adoption would be slower for firms which are already

at the forefront of technological efficiency than for

those currently using relatively inefficient

technologies” (Farzin, Huisman , & Kort , 1998).

Therefore, there is no need to initiate a global

conversion from the old system to the new system by

UNICEF where all locations would retire the old

technologies (VSAT, VHF, and HF) at once and

immediately adopt the new technology (BGAN).

Instead, UNICEF is able to gradually adopt the new

technology one region at a time while training staff

how to use the technology.

Additionally, UNICEF should evaluate

processes of adoption to ensure ideal timeline of

distribution and system quality and reliability. The

majority of the adoption process would be purchasing

the equipment and distributing it to designated

locations. UNICEF must maintain a steady schedule

to ensure a smooth adoption. Also, UNICEF should

consider evaluating BGAN terminals in multiple

locations to make sure that the product would fit the

needs of all locations and that the product has the

needed quality of voice and data communications.

Implementation plan The Process to Ensure Smooth Adoption of

BGAN above addresses some of the implementation

steps; however, an implementation plan is needed for

UNICEF to identify specific tasks. An

implementation plan is a “management tool designed

to illustrate, in detail, the critical steps in developing

and starting a project” (USHHS). The goal of

UNICEF’s implementation plan is to integrate the use

of BGAN technology and retire the old technologies.

The purpose of this integration is to establish reliable

voice and data communication networks at disaster

sites as well as between disaster sites and headquarter

offices. Figure 7 on the next page illustrates the steps

that will be taken by UNICEF to implement BGAN

technology, including obtaining BGAN terminals,

training personnel, and retiring the old technology.

Once the decision is made to integrate

BGAN and retire the old technology, UNICEF

headquarters can then notify local offices through

their intranet. Figure 7 illustrates the steps included in

implementing BGAN technology in one site. These

steps or tasks constitute the Work Breakdown

Structure (WBS) of the project. “A work breakdown

structure involves breaking a project down into a

series of smaller tasks” (Rosenblatt, 2014). BGAN

implementation should be the same for all sites. Sites

could also relate to local UNICEF offices. These sites

would be notified by UNICEF headquarters upon

going live. Then once they approach their




implementation date, a reminder should be sent out to

those facilities to get everyone prepared for

conversion. As previously described and illustrated in

Figure 6 on page 23, the conversion would occur

gradually, allowing for evaluation of each site before

moving on to other sites. Figure 3 on page 15

illustrates how GBAN communication networks

should be built at each site.

Figure 7. BGAN Implementation plan. This figure illustrates the tasks

required for implementing BGAN by UNICEF.

In order to determine the length of each task,

a “weighted” formula should be used. “Project

managers often use a weighted formula for estimating

the duration of each task” (Rosenblatt, 2014). For

each task, three different times should be picked prior

to determining the final time of the task. UNICEF

project manager should determine a best-case (B) and

worst-case (W) completion times, and then decide

what the probable-case completion time (P) should

be. Once those three times are determined for each

task, the following formula can be used to determine

the completion time for each task: 𝐵 + 4𝑃 + 𝑊

6

For example, in order to determine the time for

testing terminals, UNICEF project manager should

consider 1 day for the best-case time, 7 days for the

worst-case time, and 4 days for the probable-case

time. The numbers should then be applied to the

formula as follow: 𝐵 + 4𝑃 + 𝑊

6=

1 + (4 ∙ 4) + 7

6=

8 + (16)

6= 4 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠

Project Monitoring. According to Rosenblatt

(2014), “a critical path is a series of tasks which, if

delayed, would affect the completion date of the

overall project.” Figure 8 displays a small portion of

the BGAN project path; the red path illustrates the

critical path. UNICEF project manager must ensure

that tasks of the critical path do not fall behind

schedule. For example, as shown in Figure 8, task 10

can start with task 8; however, both tasks must be

completed before task 9 begins. In the case that

UNICEF managers fail to do so, the project would be

extremely delayed and many sites will be affected.

Figure 8. A small portion of UNICEF's BGAN project path. This figure

illustrates a critical path within the BGAN project.

Stakeholders UNICEF internal stakeholders consist of

UNICEF’s staff members, whether locally or

globally, as opposed to UNICEF external

stakeholders who consist of governmental

organizations (GOs), non-governmental

organizations (NGOs) and private organizations, but

most importantly the children of need (United

Nations Children’s Fund, 2013). Both internal

stakeholders and some external stakeholders need to

be included in the processes of transitioning to

BGAN technology. Internal stakeholders need the

right working and reliable technology in order to

provide support to children in need, and external

stakeholders providing voluntary financial

contributions are more satisfied when UNICEF is

able to deliver the needed aid.

UNICEF internal stakeholders including

employees and volunteers need to be included in the

processes of implementing the BGAN technology to

ensure the integration is thorough. Such stakeholders

depend incredibly on communication networks while

at disaster sites. They need to be thoroughly trained

to use the new technology as indicated in the

aforementioned Training of The New Technology

section. Without the right and reliable tools to

establish communication networks, internal

stakeholders will not be able to provide the necessary

aid at disaster sites. They need those communications

networks to establish contact with home offices to

express the level of aid that needs to be deployed to

the disaster sites, request first aid support, and

provide progress updates. Engaging those

stakeholders would ensure that their needs are being

met. For example, a simple periodical questionnaire

could reveal how reliable the BGAN technology is,

especially at disaster sites.




On the other hand, external stakeholders that

provide financial contributions to UNICEF do so

based on the trust that UNICEF would provide

effective aid to children and women in need.

Therefore, by investing in BGAN technology,

UNICEF is establishing exceptional data and voice

communication networks to be able to connect with

headquarter office during disasters as well as send

and retrieve data. Consequently, strengthening their

aid to disaster sites that lack communication

resources as well as ensuring that the needs of the

external stakeholders are met.

Ethical Compliance The Code of Ethics for United Nations

personnel states that ethical compliance reaffirms the

“purpose, values and principles of the United Nations

as enshrined in its Charter, and the importance of the

United Nations to secure the highest standards of

efficiency, competence, and integrity” (UN, 2005).

UNICEF abides by the United Nations code of ethics

and places an emphasis on respect for human rights,

especially considering the nature of their work. These

are relevant to the new technology BGAN in the case

that it is used to violate human rights, reveal

confidential information, or abuse authority.

Implementing surveillance or monitoring

software would prevent or at least decrease

noncompliance, especially when users are made

aware of the software. For example, if a UNICEF

personnel is using a BGAN terminal to transfer files

to his or her personal account without permission, the

monitoring software could identify the type of files

that are being transferred and where they are being

transferred to over BGAN terminals and alert

UNICEF.

The sort of behavior mentioned in the above

example violates human rights when the information

contained in the files concerns vulnerable people at

disaster sites. Furthermore, it violates principles and

code of ethics relating to the confidentiality of

information – discussed in subsequent sections –

when the files transferred are not meant to be

available to the public but obtained for private gain.

This also applies to those who may abuse their

authority by violating their administrative privileges

to distribute confidential files for private gain. For

example, an employee may use BGAN terminals to

post confidential videos on Youtube to gain publicity,

or distribute them to news channels for financial

rewards. Aside from implementing surveillance

software, merely making users aware of UNICEF’s

code of ethics as well as policies associated with the

use of BGAN terminals may by itself ensure ethical

compliance.

Legal Compliance

In order to ensure legal compliance for the

implementation and use of the BGAN technology,

UNICEF must first make certain that the companies

they are investing in to adopt the technology are

certified to provide global coverage. The company

that UNICEF is currently considering for their

communication networks through BGAN technology

is Inmarsat, which complies with the International

Astronautical Federation and the International

Institute of Space Law (UN, 2007). This suggests that

UNICEF would ensure legal compliance for the

implementation and use of its new technology

because BGAN is one of the two most relevant

standards for the satellite telecommunications (Abad,

2008). Additionally, BGAN complies with Transport

Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol

(UDP).

UNICEF should also follow some key

information-assurance steps to ensure a smooth and

compliant transition as they maintain their qualities

shown in Figure 9. In order to maintain integrity,

which “involves making sure that an information

system remains unscathed and that no one has

tampered with it” (Techopedia, 2015), UNICEF

should install anti-virus software on their computers

that link to BGAN terminals. This avoids

unauthorized personnel from tampering with the

system and ultimately cause it to not comply with

public laws. UNICEF should also create its own

policy so that individuals are aware of the scope of

authority that they have so they are not violating any

codes. For example, UNICEF could issue a policy

that prevents individuals from accessing external e-

mail addresses while utilizing BGAN terminals to

transmit information. In doing so, UNICEF would

avoid violating legal standards associated with

communication networks at the disaster site where

responders may not be quite familiar with the

country’s communication policies, which could be

caused by unauthorized e-mails infecting UNICEF’s

communication networks.

Figure 9. Information Assurance Model. This figure represents some

information assurance qualities to be maintained by UNICEF. Source:

(Threat Connect, 2015)

Information

Security

Integrity

ConfidentialityAvailability

Authentication




Other qualities associated with information

assurance are authentication and confidentiality.

UNICEF can maintain authentication by requesting

for passwords upon the access of BGAN terminals by

UNICEF employees. Not only would this confirm the

identity of users, but also allow for identifying

unauthorized access to prohibited or confidential

information. Maintaining confidentiality may prevent

something like this from happening. UNICEF can

assign specific access to each user. This is extremely

important when communicating with headquarters

from disaster sites. For example, responders may

need to send updates which they want viewed by

authorized personnel only at headquarters to protect

the people involved. Therefore, by designating

authorized users, UNICEF is ensuring information

confidentiality.

Availability is also significant when it

comes to information assurance, especially

considering the nature of UNICEF’s work of

responding to disasters, which are unexpected

circumstances. Not having the BGAN technology

readily available upon the occurrence of a disaster

would mean than UNICEF may experience delays in

their response time as well as inability to

communicate with headquarter offices or at disaster

sites. Maintaining availability by UNICEF should

also include updating all BGAN enabled devices with

up-to-date software to avoid any communications

interruptions while responders are at disaster sites.

Updating BGAN terminal software would also insure

up-to-date protection and enforces information

security, which is discussed further below.

Security

UNICEF abides with the Information

Security Forum Standard of Good Practice for

Information Security (United Nations, 2006). The

Standard of Good Practice for Information Security is

the most comprehensive information security

standard in the world (ISF, 2014). UNICEF relies on

it to keep its business risks associated with

information systems within acceptable limits. In

order to protect the personal and business data,

UNICEF must reinforce its intrusion detection and

host-based firewall. “A firewall is a part of a

computer system or network that is designed to block

unauthorized access while permitting authorized

communications” (UNICEF, 2009). UNICEF must

take further measures in ensuring security of BGAN

implementation and use by limiting the amount of

users that have access to sensitive information. This

concern was evident in UNICEF’s 2005 Financial

Report and Audited Financial Statements that

presented several IT security risks associated with

super-user access (United Nations, 2006, p. 68). This

has raised concerns about employees who obtain

passwords that enabled them to access sensitive data

including IP addresses and records, which is

extremely vital while utilizing BGAN technology as

it provides voice-over-IP communications.

UNICEF should consider threats from all

angles including the various types of attackers

labelled by IT professionals including

Cyberterrorists, Hackers, Hacktivists, Script Kiddies,

Spies and even Employees (Rosenblatt, 2014, p. 526)

as listed in Table 2. UNICEF should take some

countermeasures to ensure the security of data from

these attackers while implementing BGAN as well as

post implementation. All USB ports on all current

devices should be disabled and all data should be

uploaded to a secure cloud that is currently being

used and trusted by UNICEF. Once the site

implementation of the new technology is

implemented, data can be loaded onto the new

terminals. This would prevent any unauthorized

personnel from retrieving sensitive and personal

information. In the case that external hard drives are

necessary, they should be encrypted to avoid

unauthorized access in the case of a theft of those

devices. Encryption would also aid UNICEF while

using BGAN communications; UNICEF currently

uses strong 128-bit encryption, which can be utilized

when protecting information as it transfers through

the internet (UNICEF, 2007). According to Abad

(2008), “to provide end-to-end security and Virtual

Private Network (VPN) implementation, encryption

of the data is necessary”. Attacker Description Skill Set

Cyberterrorist Attacks to advance political, social, or ideological goals

High

Employee Uses unauthorized information or

privileges to break into computer

systems, steal information, or cause damage

Varies

Hacker Uses advanced skills to attack

computer systems with malicious intent (black hat) or to expose flaws

and improve security (white hat)

High

Hacktivist Attacks to further a social or

political cause; often involves shutting down or defacing Web

sites

Varies

Script Kiddie Inexperienced or juvenile hacker who uses readily available

malicious software to disrupt or

damage computer systems, and gain recognition

Low

Spy Non-employee who breaks into

computer systems to steal

information and sell it

High

Table 2. The various types of attackers. This table illustrates some of the

various threats that UNICEF might be exposed to while using BGAN

technology. Source: (Rosenblatt, 2014, p. 526).




UNICEF should also take some

countermeasures to secure the physical equipment

itself. For example, UNICEF headquarter can

designate locked closets where BGAN terminals and

their complementary devices can be held at all times

when not in use, or when not deployed to disaster

sites. UNICEF should also designate certain

personnel responsible for ensuring the safety of the

equipment while at disaster sites to make sure that

they are not being used by unauthorized personnel.

Conclusion

The ideal technology for UNICEF to adopt

for their voice and data communications networks is

BGAN technology. Determining the ideal timing for

adopting a new technology is certainly not an easy

task. This paper discussed some of the significant

factors that would aid UNICEF in choosing the

optimal time for adopting BGAN by introducing the

current phase of the technology life cycle as well as

stating interesting variables that would affect the

timing of adoption. After reviewing those variables

and considering UNICEF’s current 4-year budget

plan, it is concluded that UNICEF should begin to

take actions towards adopting BGAN within the next

year and no later than 2017. With the right

implementation plan and the maintenance of

information assurance qualities, UNICEF could have

most of its facilities equipped with BGAN terminal

and be able to easily establish voice and data

communication networks to fit its needs.

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