ITARALDE, MARK DEAN D. DLSU MBA- JD CASE #1: UPS GLOBAL OPERATIONS WITH THE DIAD IV 1.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT MR. RAYMUND GANOTICE

What are the UPS Smart Labels? What role do they play in the UPS operations?

UPS is using Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD), ensuring maximum flexibility in field transmission capabilities of UPSs package delivery operations. Currently, UPS has already upgraded to DIAD IV described as the most comprehensive tracking device in the delivery industry, combining data collection and transmission technologies and digital signature capture. The DIAD transformed, revolutionized and drove the growth of the package delivery business of UPS. It helped capacitated UPS to deliver over 14 million packages daily to 200 countries and territories worldwide. The UPS technology infrastructure likewise enabled UPS to offer its customers many services from package tracking, freight planning, and freight truck packing optimization, in addition to the basic shipment of packages. 2. Write out the steps a package takes from pick-up by a US driver to delivery including the role of DIAD, the UPS Data Center, and the UPS Package Center? The UPS drivers start their day by logging-in through the On-Demand Services (ODS), to enable the communication between the dispatchers and center management to have access to the driver via his/her DIAD Virtually, all drivers start their day with a list of predefined customer pickup locations for that day. Upon pick up, drivers set up the usual encoding of the package, provides a bar code so that the DIAD can virtually track the package delivery. Then, the DIAD IV sends delivery information to the UPS data repository as soon as the delivery information is entered. Drivers simply scan the package bar code, collect the receivers signature electronically, type in the last name of the receiver and push a single key to complete the transaction and send the data. There is no need to activate a cell phone or return to the vehicle. The wireless, seamless data transmission is made possible through the management of the flow of data via the UPS Data Centers which UPS has established in 17 locations worldwide. 3. What role does wireless communication play in the UPS systems? UPS was able to quantify to save 59 million sheets of paper per year, a cost-saving measure that wireless communication enabled UPS to accomplish. More importantly, wireless communication allowed greater mobility and most flexibility in the package delivery operations of UPS, It saves time in transportation, while drivers administration and documentation functions can be done in mobility. UPS Package Centers need not personally see the Drivers to track the package delivery process. In effect, wireless communication has made possible the seamless, instant, and up-to-date delivery tracking of packages, and has further made efficient the operations process of UPS. 4. How has information technology transformed the package delivery business? Information technology definitely revolutionized the business of UPS. It enabled UPS to reach out to more countries and territories and expand their business. UPS operations has become more efficient, expedient and more up-to-date.

5. How does UPSs investment in IT help it achieve the strategic business objectives described in Chapter 1? By putting investment in improving IT facility, the company was able to optimally drive the growth and effectiveness of the operations of the company. It further enhanced its customer representation and relations and expand its business portfolio. CASE #2: GOOGLE DATA CENTER EFFICIENCY BEST PRACTICES 1. What is PUE, and why is it an important place to start when considering how to reduce data center power consumption? What value of PUE should data center managers strive for? PUE stands for Power Usage Effectiveness. It is the ratio of total facility energy over IT equipment energy. The purpose of measuring PUE is to determine how effectively you deliver power and cooling to the IT equipment. It is important to start first with measuring PUE in reducing data center power consumption because it actually measures how well and effective your data center is operating. But measuring PUE must be done on a regular basis and periods in order to effectively analyse the operations of the data center. While most data centers are operating on about 2.00W PUE, Google is suggesting, those with large data centers to strive to get 1.00W of PUE in operating data centers. 2. Describe the five methods recommended by Google for reducing power consumption. The five methods recommended by Google for reducing power consumption includes: One, measuring PUE which determines how effectively data center is delivering power and cooling to the IT equipment by computing the ratio of the total facility energy over the IT equipment energy; Two, managing airflow, by eliminating the mixing of the hot and cold air produced by the operations of the servers one way is through the analysis of the computational fluid dynamics to see where are your hot spots and how is the airflow going to be directed in the data center ; Three, adjusting thermostat, by increasing the temperature of your cold aisle area within the data center given the recommendation of American Society of Heating and Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers ( ASHRAE) to increase the temperature to 80o Fahrenheit; Four, is Utilize free cooling, by transferring data centers to more ambient location or using evaporation cooling ,and Five, optimizing power distribution by effectively cutting short some redundancies in the providing power to the IT equipment. 3. How much of the worlds global greenhouse gases are the result of computing? List several factors that will tend to retard or accelerate data center power consumption both globally and in the United States. Computing generates 2% of the global greenhouse gases emission. Of this, 15% is attributed to the emissions by the data centers, while of the 15%, 5% alone is provided by large data centers. The proliferation of the new and advanced devices will definitely accelerate data center power consumption, as more and more computing devices are put in the market and are being used by the consumers. While I do not personally expect that data center power consumption will degenerate, I expect that more and more socially responsible producers will try to mitigate or lessen the greenhouse gases emissions by making their systems more effective.

4. Where do you suspect that data center power consumption will be greatest: developing and emerging economies or already-developed economies. Why? Developing and emerging economies will surely catch-up with the developed economies in the data center power consumption. While understandably, the already developed economies have the tendency to make use of advanced technology while more likely will greatly consume data center power, the responsibility should be for these already developed economies to already test, try and put in place measures to effectively manage data centers and to mitigate the data center power consumption 5. Imagine that a company has developed an advanced technology that allows it to reduce its data center requirements by an unprecedented amount, and creates a competitive advantage for the company in the data center market. Why should it share that technology with other data center firms? If this firm does not share its techniques, the rest of the industry will continue to operate less efficient centers, and increase global emissions of green house gases above what they would otherwise be. As we try to understand the dangerous effects of the greenhouse gases emissions, everyone has the responsibility to share best practices and improve systems that will try to mitigate further emissions of greenhouse gases. Given this, I expect that the company who may be able to develop a technology that would allow reduction in the data center requirements should share this system for the rest of the firms to follow. Of course, while it may defy the purpose of creating competitive advantage for the company, they may actually create a business model out of that new technology to also earn them profit and advantage for developing the technology. 6. Should the government or an industry association regulate the carbon emissions of the data center industry as they do the airline industry? Or the automobile industry? Or is it sufficient to rely on the competitive market place to drive down energy consumption in data centers? I would prefer that an international industry association along with the respective governments of each country, should regulate the carbon emission of the data center industry. After all, the communication and the applications of the data center transcends each territory is actually practice across the globe. We cannot rely on the competitive market place to drive down energy consumption, considering that not all firms have the same prioritization of goals.