Technology

LensCrafters uses the top-down silo approach of IT organization. In this approach, your organization would create a department or IT function devoted exclusively related to technology budgeting, project management, capacity, processing, and so on. This exhibits a strong “command and control” management style. All other functions must go through the IT department for approvals of new projects, the generation of add hoc reports, and the like. The philosophical approach that LensCrafters use is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. This is a collection of integrated software for business management, accounting, finance, human resource management, project management, and e-collaboration. The main concept of and ERP system is that it includes all technology systems and software in an organization. 

E-commerce is commerce accelerated by enhanced IT, in particular the internet. Because LensCrafters is in the medical industry, it really does not use e-Commerce and you cannot purchase products online. Although, they do allow you to look at all the eyeglass frames, find locations, and find doctors. In Chapter 5, there are nine different e-Commerce business models. And again, because LensCrafters is in the medical industry, it really does not use a e-Commerce business model. Since you are able to look at the frames of glasses but are unable to purchase them online, the closest business model would be the business to consumer model. LensCrafters does not have a payment method online because you cannot make a purchase online. In stores, you can pay using cash, credit card, check, and the store card (see now, pay later). In conclusion, most companies in the medical industry do not allow customers to purchase products online. Once there is a more secure and reliable way, LensCrafters may decide to allow online purchasing. Some business to consumer payment systems include credit cards, financial cybermediaries, electronic checks, Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP), and smart cards. A financial cybermediary is an internet based company that makes it easy for one person to pay another person of organization over the internet. PayPal is a great example. An electronic check is a mechanism for sending money from your checking account or savings account to another person or organization. An EBPP is a system that sends bills over the internet and provides an easy to use mechanism to pay for them if the amount looks correct. An finally, a smart card is a plastic card the size of a credit card that contains an embedded chip on which digital information can be stored and updated.

What type of network do they have?

They have a wired network which uses Cat 5 cable which plugs into the Ethernet card in the computers. A Cat 5 cable is a better constructed version of a phone twisted-pair cable. At the end of an Ethernet cable is a RJ-45 connector.

What kind of interface do they use?

An interface is an expansion card for a desktop computer or a PC card for a notebook computer that connects your computer to a network and provides the doorway for information to flow in and out. They have Ethernet cards in their computers. This has a jack, usually an RJ-45 that looks like a phone jack, only a little larger. You run a network cable from your Ethernet card to a hub or switch, or you can use a cable with a different wiring called a crossover cable to plug straight into another computer or printer if you have only two devices to connect.

What kind of media?

Since they use a wired network, the media that is used is twisted-pair. This is a bundle of copper wires used for transmitting voice or data communications and comes in several varieties. Cat provides a slow, fairly reliable path for information at up to 64 Kbps. Cat 3 provides up to 10 Mbps and Cat 5 provides a much better bandwidth than ordinary phone cable, meaning it carries more information in a given time period. Cat 5 provides up to 100 Mbps.

What kind of communications software?

Communication software is used to provide remote access to systems and exchange files and messages in text, audio, and/or video formats between different computers or user ID's. LensCrafters uses hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to exchange files. HTTP is a network protocol for distributed, collaborated, hypermedia information systems.

What kind of connecting devices or components?

The connecting devices that they use are credit card terminals, and printers. The component they use is a hub. This is a device that connects computers together and passes messages by repeating all network transmissions to all other computers. Another name for this is a shared network.

How do they connect to the internet and at what speeds?

They connect to the internet through a digital subscriber line (DSL). A DSL is a high speed internet connection using phone lines, which allows you to use your telephone for voice communication at the same time. They connect to the internet at 100 Mbps.

Do they use Voice over IP?

Voice of IP allows you to send voice communications over the internet and avoid toll charges that you would normally receive from your long distance carrier. They do not use this.

How do they apply the four principles of network security?

The four principles of network security are; 1) confidentiality 2) authenticity 3) integrity 4) availability. They use a firewall which is software and/or hardware that protects a computer or a network from intruders. Firewalls provide protection against threats to confidentiality, authenticity, integrity, and availability.

What is their domain name?

Their domain name is www.lenscrafters.com. A domain name is a meaningful easy to remember name for addressing computers and information on the internet.