Essay On Current Technology And Security Status In The Organization

Information Technology Strategic Plan

Introduction
Pandora Media is a music sharing and discovery company based in the US. The company is located in Oakland California United States. It is available to users in United State, Australia and New Zealand. The service allow users to choose a list of artist and automatically decides on the genre of music too play. The user inputs its feedback be it positive or negative depending on the chosen service and the system takes into consideration users review and preferences in selecting future songs. Additionally, the company provides listeners with the ability to buy the songs they listen to from a wide range of online retailers. The system decides on the next song to play to a user based on a number of attributes totaling 400 or above. The 400 attributes are pooled into larger groups referred as focus traits. There are numerous focus traits in the tune of 2,000 and their examples include vocal harmonies, instrumental proficiency, rhythm syncopation and key tonality.
The goal of the company is provide satisfaction to every user by playing music that enjoyed irrespective of time and place. The mission statement of Pandora highlight an urge to enrich people’s lives by playing music that is enjoyable and likable and eliminating all the other least preferred music at any instance. This means that every person has a preferred playlist or music station too enjoy their genre of music. Customer satisfaction is the key to Pandora’s business model because they belief that music should be enjoyed on a personal and deeply emotional level. Whether a person has heard a song a million times or has just discovered, Pandora provides the platform to connect to the song and create an instant and life-long bond. The company value its customers but also emphasize great respect for music authors whether they are megastars or emerging artists.

Pandora allows its users to define 100 personalized radio stations to listen to on their own personal preferences. The songs played at each of the stations are selected using analysis criteria based on certain similarities. The selection is based on the Music Genome Project. For a free user, Pandora offer 320 hours per month but if exceeded, the user will be charged $0.99 if using a laptop or desktop computer. Those using Pandora on mobile devices and other medium are offered unlimited service. Another additional service is Pandora One where users are charged $36 a year or $4 per month. This service is advert free and its quality is higher compared to free users. Pandora One makes 13% of total revenue of the company.
Pandera is available on a number of media including desktops, laptops, and emerging application platforms such as smartphone’s and Ipods. It is also available on gaming system such as X-box and on automobiles as an add-on or pre-installed feature. Currently, the application is available in three locations, United States, New Zealand and Australia. There are current plans for globalization but the company has no conglomerization, integration or media synergy plans in its strategic plans.
The technology utilized by the organization is the OpenLaszlo media player. This allows access over a number of platforms. The service can be accessed via media streaming devices such as Roku, Reciva-based stations such as Sanyo, Digital and Grace, Slim devices, and HEOS. Pandora has launched a software version of their application for iPhones, Android and Windows phones and also via webOS and Blackberry OS. Modified version of the service is available on Comcast, Sprint Nextel, and frontier Silicon-based connected audio systems. The technology employed in the business is the OpenLaszlo media player. This allows access over a number of platforms. The service can be accessed via media streaming devices such as Roku, Reciva-based stations such as Sanyo, Digital and Grace, Slim devices, and HEOS. Pandora has launched a software version of their application for iPhones, Android and Windows phones and also via webOS and Blackberry OS.
With matter security, Pandora systems are not well protected. Pandora carries numerous volumes of users personal data in their system and speculations are emerging on the security measures provided by the company. Users passwords in Pandora are not only stored properly, they are not well encrypted. According to technical experts and Bevands test results, user passwords are obfuscated using a single encryption key for all users and can easily be hacked. The vulnerability allows theft of information as well as user ID’s and email addresses associated with their website. Though reports emerged that Pandora has sealed the vulnerability by removing passwords from local storage, the solution only applies as much as the user explicitly logs off. Users who simply close the browser without logging off are affected.
This security analysis explains the depth unto which user’s information in Pandora is rendered at risk. The consequences of this security vulnerability is termed minimal because an attacker has to have physical access to a computer but the risk is inflated in cases of shared computers such as in cyber cafes, work or public libraries. It also raises the question that if Pandora is not doing their best to protect their user information, how then are they protecting their own organization and business and how is information in their own servers protected? If an appropriate encryption method is not applied to protect information, then a dedicated large scale attack is likely to succeed and put user data at risk. This is an aspect that will degrade user satisfaction and loyalty to a higher degree.

Information technology personnel/roles

Pandora is seeking to gain a better traction in customer satisfaction and loyalty. The management of the company feels that the annual revenue should be over $20 million with the infusion of new technology. As it is, the company is receiving $5 million annually as revenue and gauging by its fan base and content, it has huge potential to attain or surpass the stated target. Pandora has 800,000 music tracks from over 80,000 artists as at 2012. It also reported that the company has over 150 million users and if the company’s plans of improving customer satisfaction and customer loyalty go as planned; a larger proportion of these subscribers would be converted to active users.

The information technology personnel/roles that are instrumental in a project to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty include:

Project manager
The project manager is tasked with marshalling resources, energies and capabilities to execute and bring to successful completion a certain project. The roles of the project manager in this case is to oversee the execution of a project to enhance customer satisfaction and increase customer loyalty in Pandora. Project managers are the leaders in execution of projects and their skills, capabilities and attitudes determines the success of the project. The project manager is answerable to the executive management and work in liaison with internal and external personnel such as employees and consultants to bring a project to the end. The project manager is answerable to the executive management and work in liaison with internal and external personnel such as employees and consultants to bring a project to the end.

Executive management

Executive management plays a role in approving the project and assigning resources that facilitate its execution. Executive managers are the leaders in the company and await decision from field managers on the feasibility and viability of a project. In this case, executive management is required to approve the information technology strategic plan that will enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty and catapult the company to profitability and sustained growth.

Chief information officer

Chief information officer is a role established in an organization to deal with all matters of information needs. CIO needs to work closely with chief technology officer and chief financial officer to ensure that resources allocated to information technology projects are used appropriately and meaningfully.

Regulatory agencies

The kind of business undertaken by Pandora is restricted by rules and regulations that set by state, federal or organizational parties. The roles of regulatory agencies come up in its business structure and affects royalty development and revenue generation.

System administrators

Prior to and after implementation of the business strategy tailored towards delivering more traction of customer satisfaction and loyalty, system administration role comes in handy. In order to secure customer safety and gain their confidence, system administrators must ensure that all their technical, operational and privacy concerns are addressed and put to rest.

SWOT analysis

Strengths
The company has a segmented market serving the needs of particular users. It has a Spanish listener segment and English segment. The two segments provide personalized advertising to its users in each of the market segments. The personalization and segmentation was achieved by cross-referencing its registered users with US census data. This allowed them to identify user locations with high percentage of Hispanic and Spanish speaker s. This is a strength since the company already knows the listeners that fit to a particular bucket.
Pandora relies on Music Genome Project and has more than 450 attributes defining each song in their database. This feature gives them a competitive advantage over others in the market.

Weaknesses

Pandora is facing decreased usage on desktop platform that translates to low sales. Mobile usage is increasing but does not add to money generated from desktop usage.
There are restrictions based on countries of coverage. Actually, Pandora is available in three countries only and licensing controls limit its availability in other countries. There is also the flexibility of users skipping songs in other countries.
Pandora has engaged in limited marketing of their brand and this is replicated in low number of users as compared to similar services offered by competitors such as spotify
There are persistent problems in courts of law concerning Pandora licensing and royalties. This is threat to its financial stability and geographically growth.
There are restrictions based on countries of coverage. Actually, Pandora is available in three countries only and licensing controls limit its availability in other countries. There is also the flexibility of users skipping songs in other countries.

Opportunities

Pandora is the leader in US internet radio. Currently, it has 78% control of internet radio and another 9.3% share of stat public radio. It can leverage this wide coverage and dominance to increase service offering and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Also, it banks on two service offering models; paid and free service. For special audience, it provides ad-free and interrupted music play for a fee. Free users are gathered for their needs while listening to adverts.
Rhapsody and Spotify are introducing the on-demand music access, a feature that Pandora do not have and are not planning of implementing.

Threats

Competition from internet online companies is a real threat to Pandora. Spotify, for instance, launched in 2008 and entered the US market in 2011 with a music library of 15 million songs compared to Pandora’s 800,000.
The company also faces threats from established internet radio providers with large fan base. For instance, iHeartRadio has over 237 million registered listeners and 800 stations in 150 markets. The war on internet streaming is expected to get a notch higher as new entrants such as Apple plan to enter the market with their Beat Music brand.
Another threat faced by Pandora is music sharing restriction. Establishments such as Spotify allow users to share their music and upload their songs to online library. Pandora only allows connection to social media to see what colleagues and friends are listening to. Rhapsody and Spotify are introducing the on-demand music access, a feature that Pandora do not have and are not planning of implementing.

Goals of information technology strategic plan

With respect to Pandora, the major goals of strategic plans are to:
The new framework provided by mobile computing is a strategic goal for Pandora. Pandora seeks to leverage the mobile devices market by increasing its presence on the mobile network while at the same time maintaining current customers. Mobile computing has infiltrated global markets and is the lead strategy for making sales. If Pandora can capitalize its sales in the mobile frameworks without impacting on the desktop sales, the organization stands to gain immensely. Mobile listener’s hours have surged tremendously in the past few years resulting in a mobile inventory. Close to 80% of the total customer base comes from mobile users and hence there is need to promote mobile usage. As the situation is at the moment, the company does not have sufficient mobile footprint to make an impact and establish a stronger sustenance. Over time as mobile client increase, there is need to increase mobile sales and generate enough revenues to complement the decreasing desktop sales.

Positive impacts of implementing the strategic plan

Many organizations are choosing formal information technology strategic plans to stress its importance in the overall organizational strategy. Generally, the plans should be dynamic to gather for changing business priorities, budgetary limitations, organizational skills set and core competencies and emerging technologies.
The personalization of services and strategic planning will ultimately increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. The satisfied customers will lead to more retention rates and conversion of prospective to real and loyal customers. This will lead to higher revenue and sound financial overview.

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