A blueprint architectural design for the City of Weslaco's Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPSL) Fiber Network. A jjoint team project between the City of Weslaco Information Technology Department and SmartCom Internet of McAllen, TX. / PAFF Management of Government Information Systems

1. Building an Enterprise
Fiber Network
for a Local Government
THE FIVE ELEMENTS OF ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE
By E. Rey Garcia, MPA Candidate, UTRGV / PAFF 6315 Management of Government Information Systems, Fall 2015, Module 1
September 20, 2015

2. Background
Undertaking a mission of building a fiber network, requires careful planning,
design, and execution. Such a project connects all employees from all remote
locations and allows for a fully secured user experience to information stored on
the main servers of the organization’s data center. It requires a knowledgeable
research and design team that is well-informed of all technical aspects of the
project and have studied all literature, methodology, and all relationships between
variables to encompass a network that is fully operational, secured via encrypted
firewall(s), and compliant with the organization’s infrastructure. It must also meet
the industry’s demands, the users’ needs, and is within the organization’s
apportioned budget. Finally, in order for such a Public Management Information
Systems (PMIS) to succeed, the design team must address the five stages of
maturity as outlined by the Government Accountability Office (2003).
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3. What is a Public Management Information
System (PMIS)?
Public Management Information Systems (PMIS) store, analyze,
collect, and display information for public sector organizations and
provide public administrators with a map of the key players and
processes they need to be aware of if they are to be successful in
making IT decisions in the public sector. Such systems must be
responsive to a multitude of stakeholders, such as elected officials,
citizens, business, and interest groups.
Most local governments don’t have the budgets to hire full-time
programmers to develop and maintain a PMIS, but rather look to
government vendors who sell or lease such information systems, along
with maintenance contracts that include training, support, and updates.
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4. What is an MPLS Fiber Network?
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Fiber Network is a protocol or special
set of rules that end points in a telecommunication connection use when they
communicate. Protocols specify interactions between the communicating entities
and are used for network acceleration and regulation of traffic flows or data transfer
to assure a certain level of performance and quality of service.
MPLS Networks use IP addresses, either (IPv4 or IPv6), to identify end points and
intermediate switches and routers. This makes MPLS networks IP-compatible and
easily integrated with traditional IP networks.
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5. Data Routing Processes
of an MPLS Fiber Network
Fiber Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Network allows most packets
(units of data) to be routed between an origin and a destination on the Internet or
any other packet-switched network and forwarded at Layer 2 (the switching level)
rather than having to be transmitted to Layer 3 (the routing level). Each packet gets
labeled on entry into the service provider's network by the ingress router, through
which data enters a network from another network. All the subsequent routing
switches perform packet forwarding based only on those labels—they never appear
as far as the IP header, which enables the delivery of electronic data. Finally, the
egress router, through which data leaves a network for another network, removes
the label(s) and forwards the original IP packet toward its final destination.
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6. MPLS Fiber Network - Simple Layout
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7. Why a Fiber Network?
An MPLS Fiber Network will serve as a Public Management Information System
(PMIS), used to transmit data to and from remote locations allowing employees to
securely access, store, analyze, collect, and display information from a central
location, from the primary servers, from the central data center of the organization.
Financial Benefits: The fiber project eliminates wasteful spending on legacy
wireless networks that are both unreliable and lack the ability for redundancy of
data. The new fiber network costs approximately half of what is currently being
spent on the dated legacy wireless connection(s).
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): The fiber project will use an ERP vendor
who provides a system that is flexible and integrates across the existing
infrastructure, has scalable options of 1.5Mbps to 1Gbps and the intelligence to
deliver high performance, Layer 3 routing over a fiber backbone.
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8. Fiber = Cloud Computing
The fiber network will allow the primary servers at the central data center to serve
as an internal cloud; thus, allowing for cloud computing, where all users share
interoperable data from a centralized location.
All users, both internal and remote, will work from thin client computers over a
virtual cloud network. All data will be accessed and stored in the main servers at the
main data center.
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9. The Four Layers to Enterprise Architecture
There are four layers to enterprise architecture in government that must be met in
order to develop a five element enterprise fiber network.
1) Access Layer – is used to allow all remote users (city employees), to have access
to the main servers via secure fiber network; thus allowing for all data to be
interoperable.
2) E-Government Layer – provides a one-stop shop for government services,
allowing city employees access to public information for all citizen requests.
3) E-Business Layer – identifies the IT tools used through existing applications
and their integration with the existing infrastructure.
4) Infrastructure Layer – identifies the technologies used to operate and manage
the fiber network and lays out the foundation for all other layers to function.
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10. Element/Stage One: Culture
Element or Stage One creates an awareness via discussion of the enterprise
architecture within the organization. It addresses the values, management type, and
employee attitudes.
The proposed design team evaluates the current infrastructure. How do remote users
access data from the main servers? Is the data current? What type connection do
users use? Will a new fiber connection benefit and compliant with the values and
standards of the organization’s culture? Who are the stakeholders? Will management
support, adapt, and enforce the use of a fiber network? What are the costs? Solicit
input from staff, listen and be receptive for suggestions and recommendations.
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11. Element/Stage Two: Competencies
Element or Stage Two builds the enterprise architecture foundation, and the
organization recognizes that enterprise architecture is an asset for the organization.
In stage two, skills and aptitudes are assessed, responsibilities are measured. The
Information Technology Department will serve as the conceptual design team.
SmartCom Internet of McAllen, Texas will serve as the development team.
Together both will serve as the design and development team, to lay the
framework and methodology that the project entails, identify all users and locations
affected, all software, hardware, and licensing needed, the estimated costs of the
project, and time allotted to develop the fiber network.
An awareness campaign with the support of management is launched to inform
employees and the public that the fiber network architecture is essential for the daily
operations of all city-wide employees and that it will streamline all information to a
central location.
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12. Element/Stage Three: Process
Element or Stage Three development and scope of the architecture product is
defined according to Enterprise Architecture Framework (EAF), which outlines
the five stages of maturity.
Management and its continual support are used to measure performance,
information/data, service application, and technology aspects of the design and
development team and the layout of the fiber network.
Operational aspects are used to measure progress of the fiber layout against the
plans of the design and development team, while addressing any variances from the
plan.
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13. Element/Stage Four: Technology
Element or Stage Four is the stage of completion of the enterprise architecture
and the support and approval of the product.
As the completion of the fiber network reaches the final stage, the design and
development team must work to identify what buildings and workplace facilities will
be networked and what equipment (both software and hardware) will be needed to
connect the remote users to the primary servers at the central data center.
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14. Element/Stage Five: Framework
Element/Stage Five the leveraging and measurement of change in the organization. The
role of management through every stage must be evident to identify and propose
investments, in accordance to EAF.
Power relationships must be overcome and a single authority must be identified to manage
the fiber network. The IT Department will be the single authority.
Formal communication channels must follow the organization’s policies and hierarchical
chain of command. Allowing for the IT Department to be the primary liaison with the
vendor.
Informal networks may be established once a partnership relationship has been established
between the IT Department and SmartCom Internet.
Trust and credibility must be earned by both the IT Department and SmartCom Internet.
Communication must be kept exposed between all users, the IT Department and SmartCom
Internet.
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15. The Benefits of an MPSL Fiber Network
Allows state-of-the art fiber connection and replaces dated legacy systems.
Allows the organization to covert at half the cost of a legacy system.
Allows for internal cloud computing and streamlines workflow
Allow for Interoperable data in a centralized location.
Allows for server redundancy during disaster recovery phases.
Allows for easy management and inventory of infrastructure for IT staff.
Allows little to no downtime for all users.
Allows the flexibility to scale and customize according to the needs of the
organization.
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16. References
MPLS IP VPN - SmartCom Telephone, LLC. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2015, from
http://smartcomtelephone.com/business/networking-services/mpls-ip-vpn/
What is MPLS and GMPLS? (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2015, from
http://www.metaswitch.com/resources/what-is-mpls-and-gmpls
What is Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)? - Definition from WhatIs.com. (n.d.). Retrieved
September 19, 2015, from http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/definition/Multiprotocol-
Label-Switching
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