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IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack


Describes a new CIO trying to manage a denial of service (DOS) attack against his e-retailing business. The attack and its aftermath provide students an opportunity to discuss the business issues that are interwoven with computer security issues.

Authors :: Robert D. Austin, Larry Leibrock, Alan Murray

Topics :: Technology & Operations

Tags :: Internet, IT, Regulation, Security & privacy, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack" written by Robert D. Austin, Larry Leibrock, Alan Murray includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Attack Denial facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Internet, IT, Regulation, Security & privacy and Technology & Operations.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack casestudy better are - – increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing commodity prices, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, wage bills are increasing, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , geopolitical disruptions, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Attack Denial, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Attack Denial operates in.

According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.




SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix


SWOT analysis of IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Attack Denial
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Technology & Operations field.
4. Making a Technology & Operations topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Attack Denial




Strengths IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Attack Denial in IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack Harvard Business Review case study are -

Sustainable margins compare to other players in Technology & Operations industry

– IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Attack Denial to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Attack Denial to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field

– Attack Denial is one of the leading players in its industry. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in its segment but also across the whole industry. The ability to lead change has enabled Attack Denial in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Analytics focus

– Attack Denial is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Robert D. Austin, Larry Leibrock, Alan Murray can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Attack Denial are driving operational speed, building greater agility, and keeping the organization nimble to compete with new competitors. It helps are organization to ideate new ideas, and execute them swiftly in the marketplace.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Attack Denial has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Attack Denial has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Attack Denial has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.

Strong track record of project management

– Attack Denial is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

Operational resilience

– The operational resilience strategy in the IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack Harvard Business Review case study comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the industry, building diversified operations across different geographies so that disruption in one part of the world doesn’t impact the overall performance of the firm, and integrating the various business operations and processes through its digital transformation drive.

Innovation driven organization

– Attack Denial is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Attack Denial has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Attack Denial in the sector have low bargaining power. IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Attack Denial to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Diverse revenue streams

– Attack Denial is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.






Weaknesses IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack are -

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Attack Denial has created an environment where the organization is dominated by functional specialists rather than management generalist. This has resulted into product oriented approach rather than marketing oriented approach or consumers oriented approach.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack, in the dynamic environment Attack Denial has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Attack Denial has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Attack Denial has some of the most successful products in the industry, this business model has made each new product launch extremely critical for continuous financial growth of the organization. firm in the HBR case study - IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Attack Denial 's lucrative customers.

High dependence on star products

– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Attack Denial has relatively successful track record of launching new products.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack, is just above the industry average. Attack Denial needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack, it seems that the employees of Attack Denial don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.

Workers concerns about automation

– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Attack Denial needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Attack Denial has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.

Lack of clear differentiation of Attack Denial products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Attack Denial needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Attack Denial has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.




Opportunities IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack are -

Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions

– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Attack Denial in the consumer business. Now Attack Denial can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Attack Denial to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Attack Denial to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.

Identify volunteer opportunities

– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Attack Denial can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Attack Denial has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Attack Denial to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19

– Consumer behavior has changed in the Technology & Operations industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Attack Denial can take advantage of these changes in consumer behavior to build a far more efficient business model. For example consumer regular ordering of products can reduce both last mile delivery costs and market penetration costs. Attack Denial can further use this consumer data to build better customer loyalty, provide better products and service collection, and improve the value proposition in inflationary times.

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Attack Denial can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Attack Denial operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.

Leveraging digital technologies

– Attack Denial can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Attack Denial to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Attack Denial can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.

Low interest rates

– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Attack Denial can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Attack Denial in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Technology & Operations segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Attack Denial can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Attack Denial has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Attack Denial to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack case study. Attack Denial can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.




Threats IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack are -

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Attack Denial high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack, Attack Denial may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Technology & Operations .

Environmental challenges

– Attack Denial needs to have a robust strategy against the disruptions arising from climate change and energy requirements. EU has identified it as key priority area and spending 30% of its 880 billion Euros European post Covid-19 recovery funds on green technology. Attack Denial can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.

Aging population

– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Attack Denial has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Attack Denial needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Technology & Operations sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Attack Denial is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc

– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.

Increasing wage structure of Attack Denial

– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of Attack Denial.

Regulatory challenges

– Attack Denial needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Technology & Operations industry regulations.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Attack Denial in the Technology & Operations industry. The Technology & Operations industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.

New competition

– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Attack Denial in the Technology & Operations sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Attack Denial demand

– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.

Easy access to finance

– Easy access to finance in Technology & Operations field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Attack Denial can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack Template, Example


Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants. We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –

First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.

Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.

Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of IPremier Co. (A): Denial of Service Attack is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Attack Denial needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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