BASEMENT, p — ^ LiBHATOS) ^ _, T^CIf" o/ I >^. \ji..'<t^L^\ HD28 .M414 3^35- -no. CASE STUDY JCPenney: Developing Seamless Operations in a Multi-Platform Environment Jeanne W. Ross November 1996 WP CISR No. 296 WP Sloan No. 3933 ©1996 Massachusetts InstituteofTechnology Centerfor InformationSystemsResearch Sloan School ofManagement Massachusetts InstituteofTechnology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, E40-193 Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 DEf: JCPenney: Developing Seamless Operations in a Multi-Platform Environment Jeanne W. Ross MIT Sloan School of Management Abstract JCPenney must operate a highly reliable, flexible, and cost effective computing and networking environment in orderto support the needs ofits 1,250 retail stores and catalogue sales business. This case study describes the operations infrastructure that the firm has developed in order to address these requirements. JCPenney is attempting to develop a single network and systems management process for its mainframe and client-server environments. IT management has articulated a clear architecture for accomplishing a seamless operating environment that centralizes and automates as much of the operations work as possible. The case is intended to help readers understand the complexities of current network and systems management, and identify issues important to the development ofreliable, cost effective, and secure computing operations. This isone in a seriesofcasestudiesdevelopedforMIT's executive education course on "Managing the ITNetworkfor Global Competitiveness. " The case study andaccompanying teaching note are intended to describe and analyze one company's experiences in building and managing its IT infrastructure. DocumentLength: 19 pages