Janco Associates, Inc.
Janco Associates, Inc. (founded in 1998) is a management consulting firm that focuses on Management Information Systems, and in particular on the strategic application of information technology to gain competitive business advantage. As part of our practice we create ELECTRONIC products that we create and sell via the internet. These include:
- IT Infrastructure
- Salary Surveys
- Job Descriptions
- Templates for Disaster Recovery and Security
- Polices and Procedures
You can reach Janco via
-
e-mail at: Contact Janco Associates, Inc.
-
phone at: 435 940-9300
-
Federal ID Number is: 91-2080545
We are a Nevada based corporation and have a sales offices in Utah. If you need more information please contact us via the e-mail address above or by phone.
Our Practice
Janco has a proven approach which results in actions which lead to significant operational improvements by focusing the organization to meet top management's needs. This is accomplished by looking at the total spectrum of the business function, the technologies utilized, and the overall steps and plans which will help the organization succeed.
Janco's principals and consultants bring to the practice strong backgrounds in data processing in a wide range of industries. The result is the ability to apply specific expertise to unique situations.
Janco has defined a matrix which shows how Information Technology needs are able to adapt to enterprise needs quickly in the ever-changing business environment. Five basic business requirements and the necessary IT capabilities and responses are:
Business Requirement |
IT Requirement |
|---|---|
Quick Time-to-Market |
Ability to roll our new applications and technology is expanded with the use of System-Oriented Architecture (SOA) |
Restructuring business due to merger, acquisition, or divestiture |
Ability to add, change and eliminate IT operations thru an effective design and implementation of a structured IT Infrastructure for both networks and data centers |
Integration of IT technology with business operations |
Ability to implement and operate on a 7 by 24 basis for all application, application support, network, and processing operations. This included having integrated Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans implemented |
Compliance with mandated security and financial reporting requirements |
Defined policies, procedures, and processes which quickly and efficiently support business operations without hindering to overall effectiveness of the processes that are put in place to support them |
Maintain an ROI which is supports the long-term objectives of the business |
Metrics that are tied to the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) the enterprise and are supported by defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs) |
Janco's principals have consulted since 1982. Our clients primarily consist of Fortune 500 corporations.
Specialized areas of Janco's practice include
- Electronic Books - Create network ready electronic books to eliminate paper.
Improve accuracy, ease of use, and turnaround time. Reduce infrastructure costs
and training.
- Outsourcing Reviews - Analyzing, planning, and managing the migration to
third party providers of operations, network and application services
- Information Systems Reporting - Developing and implementing methods
to focus management's attention on critical data processing operational issues.
- Information Systems for Competitive Advantage - Assisting organizations
in using computer systems and information delivery as tools to generate
business and capture market share.
- Information Systems Planning and Development - Defining direction for
the management of planning, developing, and implementing automated
business systems that complement a firm's strategic needs.
- Internet and Intranet Web Site Design, Implementation and Management -
Create Web sites for corporations and e-commerce.
- Data Network and Communication Planning - Developing architectures
to support the use of decentralized data processing structures, including
point-of-sale networks and multiple-site data entry and retrieval networks
- Competitive Compensation Analysis - Surveying the marketplace of
compensation for data processing professionals, and assessing the
alignment of compensation programs between competing organizations.
Projects have included:
- Salary Surveys
- Browser Market Share Studies
- Operating System Market Share Studies
- Strategic Technology Planning
- Competitive Advantage Definition
- Competitive Analysis
- User Procedures Development and Documentation
- Information Systems Assessment and Planning Disaster Recovery Planning
- MIS Performance Metrics and Reporting
- Compensation Analysis
- Telecommunication Cost Reduction/Containment Skills
- Requirements Definition Project Management
- Risk Assessment
- Systems Development
- Critical Success Factor Analysis
- Outsourcing Negotiations and Implementation
- Balanced Score Card
- Metrics Definition
- Metrics Implementation
- SLA Implementation
More About Janco
How companies protect laptops is an issue
More than 50% of organizations surveyed have indicated that they protected sensitive information with encryption software. A further 43% reported the use of asset tracking software. Simply knowing where all mobile computers are located is a powerful security measure, however, traditional IT asset management solutions are designed to track only those laptops that connect to a local area network (LAN) or virtual private network (VPN) connection. For a large proportion of laptop users, returning to head office is an intermittent event - allowing many laptop computers to remain below the radar of IT.
Encryption software is commonly referred to as the computer security fall back. In the event that a computer protected by organizational policy and physical deterrents is stolen, sensitive information on the laptop is made unreadable by encryption. For encryption software to be effective however, laptop users must consistently and accurately follow company encryption policy. Even more worrisome is the fact that more than 30% of companies believe employees are actively involved in the theft of company computers. Armed with the necessary passwords and encryption keys to access data, disgruntled or dishonest employees represent a threat that cannot be addressed by encryption alone.
The common failing of these laptop security measures is the fact that they are heavily reliant on the diligent action of laptop-using employees to remain effective. If a cable lock is not used, an authentication password is taped to the keyboard for convenience or a regular encryption process not completed, organizations remain unnecessarily vulnerable to public data breach. By the same token, complex, expensive and ultimately productivity-dampening security measures may be effective but greatly reduce the benefits of laptop computers. Endpoint security solutions complement other security measures by providing a final, user-independent layer of protection.
--- more info
Data breaches continine to be CIO's concern
The FBI received a record number of complaints in 2008, and the associated direct cost of the frauds carried out with stolen data was $265 million versus $235million in 2007. Adding to this is the challenge of securing personal information and intellectual property data. Companies are granting access to more systems and information - bank customers access to account balances; workers maintain their own 401k and investment accounts; web shoppers place orders and make purchases with a single click; and business partners work on projects in a collaborative manner online.
To reduce the risk of a data breach or theft, organizations must adopt new tactics. In addition, companies must address e-mail and Web security along with employing a functional data loss and prevention strategy. The application of multiple security techniques is required to reduce risk. For example, there must be a way to control spam and block the downloading of malicious software from poisoned Web sites. In today's open Web 2.0 and social networking environments, companies need a way to defend against attacks and protect secret or sensitive data. At the same time, they must maintain a flexible and responsive infrastructure to support today's business working habits.
The Janco Security Manual Template has helped over 2,000 enterprises world-wide to meet these requirements.
--- more info
Pandemic Disaster Recovery Plans At Risk
Pandemic disaster recovery planning should consider the impact the H1N1 flu virus could have on the Internet if workers and students are forced to stay home because of the pandemic. Officials at the U.S. Government Accountability Office weighed in on the potential for clogged networks in a 71 page preport.
Although the issue has been raised before by various ISPs and network carriers, recent worries have focused on securities firms that depend on third parties to clear trades and process payments over the Internet, according to the GAO.
"Internet congestion during a severe pandemic that hampers teleworkers is anticipated, but responsible government agencies have not developed plans to to address such congestion and may lack clear authority to act," the GAO warned.
Internet backbone congestion from a pandemic is not a major concern. The larger problem may be with the network "edge" or "last mile" in the residential portion of the Internet. Janco says that work-at-home strategies for organization may not work as advertized as residential Internet access may not be sufficient. This is true both from a capacity and bandwidth at work at home sites.
Often many residential DSL users could share a single DSLAM connection at the carrier's switching office to reach the backbone, contributing to congestion problems. Last-mile DSL and cable modem networks are where remote access falls apart.
While the network edge impact would vary by neighborhood, the Centers for Disease Control planning guideline that assumes 40 percent of the workforce might not be in the workplace for an extended period of time during a pandemic.
--- more info
Best Practices for CIOs and IT Departments
Business continuity is not just a good business practice - it can mean success or failure if data and applications on a production server are lost. Disaster recovery planning ensures organizations have the capability to continue essential functions across a wide range of situations that could disrupt normal operations. High availability is the cornerstone for most business continuity plans and is one of the reasons for evaluating and deploying data protection solutions. However, traditional data protection strategies focus on just the data and not the application.
CIOs and IT departments design the organization's infrastructure with continuity of business operations in mind. However, most organizations are not doing enough to protect mission-critical data, applications and systems from unexpected disruption and potential loss -- volatilities, such as viruses, power outages, natural disasters, corruption, human error and media failures can't always be prevented. Environments today are characterized by rapid data growth, complexity, stringent business requirements and the increasing government regulations, making it difficult for organizations to get their arms around their data protection strategies. In many cases, the focus is on just protecting data - not necessarily on recovering it. And when there is a focus on recovery, it usually involves just making data available to an application.
--- more info
Audit Fatigue is Setting In for Some
(Internet Research Group) - Regulation is a part of business, regardless of company size, industry, or geography. In addition, for the most part, the larger the enterprise, the larger the potential for non-compliance risk. Non-compliance can mean a number of things - sanctions, fines, legal action, market value impact, and the cost of remediation may exceed the perceived cost of prevention. Audit program is required
The results are supportive of the term audit fatigue, that unmanaged IT Audit efforts within regulated organizations have a negative business impact on IT resources and reduce IT efficiency. However, respondents are largely aware of and interested in tools to automate audit processes and controls as a means of overcoming audit fatigue and freeing up IT budget and resources for innovation rather than compliance. This results in the following:
--- more info