From this a planning matrix is created that guides the installers in getting the departmental Local Area Networks (LANs) connected to the servers. 12b bit encryption and firewalls are installed and tested prior to any servers going online internally. Laptop docking stations and special-use systems are next installed by department.

Servers and PCs go through a series of network compatibility test to ensure they are running correctly.

The departments become operational again.

Transnational IT Continuity Milestones for Year One

Migration of data from hosting services to company servers.

Definition of a new contingency and risk assessment strategy for the new location including costing for replacement of systems.

Integration of purchasing, procurement and logistics systems with manufacturing.

Transnational IT Continuity Milestones for Year Three

Integration of buyer and supplier relationship management systems with the ERP systems to gain greater cost efficiencies over having disconnected systems. According to AMR Research (2002) when there are five or more systems integrated together there is a significantly higher level of Return on Investment generated.

Hosted CRM, ERP and supply chain systems with real-time integration links to buyers and suppliers piloting phases begin. This is to get away from the high software licensing and maintenance fees the company is paying...

EDI has been discontinued by this point and Internet-based transactions are commonplace in real-time.
Analytics and Business Intelligence lead to real-time dashboards of the key performance indicators of performance for the entire company.

Summary

The uneasy alliance of divergent cultures has become more visible and acute than ever due to the widespread globalization occurring today. These divergences in cultures are not directly attributable to global corporations' pursuit of low cost manufacturing, raw materials, more efficient supply chains, or any other strategy to increase the value of the products they deliver. It's much more fundamental than that, and resides more in the clash of cultures at a personal level, multiplied many times over, until the differences between two nations' or regions cultures becomes obvious to anyone. Corporations enable people from one divergent culture to access another, and if the culture they are visiting is widely different from their