Analysis and design of an information systems network in the former Soviet Union

Abstract

In an effort to facilitate democratic reforms in the Former Soviet Union (FSU), the President of the United States authorized the establishment of American Business Centers (ABCs) through the Freedom Support Act of 1992. The Act promotes U.S. economic interests by establishing commercial partnerships between the United States and the FSU. Integral to this transition is the role of information technology. The purpose of this thesis is to assist the ABCs in defining their information system needs by producing a network model that takes into account the unique operating environment within the FSU. The essential elements of this model are range, reach, and responsiveness. They characterize the utility of an information system to an organization. The model is applied to the ABCs to form a baseline assessment that provides a point of reference from which a target architecture can be formulated. It is this target architecture that is intended to serve as a baseline configuration for local/wide area enterprise networks to be used by the ABCs within the FSU. The thesis concludes with a discussion of those drivers that could significantly affect the visibility of the American Business Centers.