PINAMALAYAN MARITIME FOUNDATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.

Tri-Star Bldg. Mabini St. Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro

Tel
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION (OBE)

IT APP – IT APPLICATION TOOLS IN BUSINESS
1st Semester, A.Y. 2024-2025

E-COMMERCE SITE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Challenge: An online store experiences frequent website downtimes during high traffic periods,
leading to lost sales.
Task: Propose a solution using cloud-based hosting or load balancing strategies to handle peak
website traffic, ensuring the site remains operational during busy periods.

I. Problem Identification
The online store experiences frequent downtimes during periods of high traffic, leading to lost
sales. This is a common issue faced by e-commerce sites when traffic spikes due to promotional events or
peak shopping seasons. In simple terms, the problem that the business is facing is frequent website
crashes during high-traffic periods, especially when a large number of customers visit the site at the same
time. This is caused by the website being hosted on servers that cannot handle such heavy traffic. When
too many visitors access the site, the server becomes overloaded, leading to downtime or crashes. The
main cause is likely insufficient server capacity, making it unable to handle the sudden surge in visitors,
which ultimately affects the shopping experience and results in revenue loss.
Impact on the business
The problem affects not only the technical side of operations but also the business’s profitability. A
slow or crashing website can frustrate customers, who expect a smooth and seamless online shopping
experience. If a website is unavailable when customers want to browse or make a purchase, they may
abandon their carts or even shift to competitors who offer more reliable services. This results in lost sales
opportunities during the busiest and most profitable times. Additionally, customers who have a negative
experience may not return, leading to a long-term decrease in customer retention. Moreover, with today’s
high customer expectations for online businesses, website downtime can lead to a damaged reputation,
making the company appear unreliable and unprofessional. Therefore, addressing this problem is crucial
to ensuring smooth operations and protecting both the business’s revenue and reputation.
 PINAMALAYAN MARITIME FOUNDATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.
Tri-Star Bldg. Mabini St. Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Tel
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

II. Technology Solution Design

Google Cloud is a collection of public cloud services provided by Google. It offers various hosted
solutions for computing, storage, and application development, all running on Google’s infrastructure.
These services are accessible to software developers, cloud administrators, and enterprise IT professionals
via the internet or a dedicated network connection. Google Cloud provides tools for computing, storage,
networking, big data, machine learning, and IoT, along with cloud management, security, and
development resources.
To solve the problem of website crashes during high-traffic periods, we will use Google Cloud as
the technology solution. Google Cloud provides scalable cloud hosting and load balancing, which are
perfect for handling the large number of visitors to the website. By using Google Cloud, the website will
always have enough server power to handle any number of visitors. This innovative solution ensures that
the website stays online, improves the customer experience, and protects the business from losing sales
during high-traffic events.
Here’s how the solution works:
Cloud Hosting: Google Cloud will host the website on its servers. This means the website is not limited
to a single server but can use many servers around the world. When many people visit the site at the same
time, Google Cloud automatically uses more servers to handle the traffic.
Load Balancing: Google Cloud also has a tool called Load Balancer. This tool spreads the website traffic
across multiple servers. So, if one server is getting too many visitors, the Load Balancer will send some of
the traffic to other servers. This keeps the website running smoothly, even during peak traffic.
Auto-scaling: Google Cloud allows the website to auto-scale, meaning more servers are automatically
added during busy times and removed when traffic is low. This makes the website flexible and able to
handle traffic spikes without crashing.
 PINAMALAYAN MARITIME FOUNDATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.
Tri-Star Bldg. Mabini St. Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Tel
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

III. Implementation Plan

To address the issue of frequent website downtimes during high traffic periods, we propose
integrating Google Cloud solutions into the e-commerce site. The goal is to enhance the website’s
performance and reliability, ensuring it remains operational during peak traffic times. This
implementation plan outlines the steps required to deploy Google Cloud’s scalable hosting, load
balancing, and auto-scaling solutions. By following this plan, we aim to improve user experience, protect
revenue, and maintain a positive reputation for the business.

Preparation Phase
a. Assessment and Planning
Steps:
 Evaluate current system
We will check how the website is currently hosted and how much traffic it gets. This
helps determine what improvements are needed.
 Define Needs:
We will decide how many users the site needs to handle at once. And;
Choosing Google Cloud services: Compute Engine for cloud hosting, Load Balancer for
traffic distribution, Auto-scaling for adjusting server numbers.
 Selecting Services:
1. Compute Engine: For running your website on virtual servers. This will
prepare us if a lot of people visit the site at once. It will automatically use more
servers to handle the traffic.
2. Load Balancer: For spreading traffic across servers. If a lot of people visit at
one server, the load balancer will transfer other person to another server to
avoid crashing of the site.
3. Auto-scaling: For adding or removing servers based on traffic. If a lot o people
visit the site, the server will increase, but if there are only few visitors, the
server will decrease.
Resources Needed: Stable internet connection, Information about current setup and Google
Cloud documentation.
b. Budget and Approval
Steps:
 Estimate the Cost
We are going to calculate the costs of Google Cloud services based on our needs. We are
going to calculate how much the Google Cloud services will cost based on our needs to
prepare a budget.
 Get Approval
 PINAMALAYAN MARITIME FOUNDATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.
Tri-Star Bldg. Mabini St. Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Tel
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

We will prepare a budget and get approval to avail the services needed from the Google
cloud, and to be approved by the stakeholders. Obtain necessary permissions and budget
approval from decision-makers to proceed with the integration.
Resources Needed: Cost estimates, budget, and approval from stakeholders.
Setup Phase
a. Google Account Setup
 Create Account:
Sign up for a Google Cloud account to start using its services.
 Set Up Billing:
Enter payment details and set up budget alerts to manage and monitor your spending.

Resources Needed: Google Cloud account and payment details.

b. Infrastructure Setup
 Set Up Cloud Hosting:
Create and deploy virtual servers (Compute Engine) for the website. This ensures
that the website can run on Google Cloud’s infrastructure.
 Set Up Load Balancer:
Configure Google Cloud Load Balancer to distribute traffic evenly across servers.
This helps prevent any single server from becoming overloaded.
 Set Up Auto-Scaling:
Set rules for automatically adding or removing servers based on traffic. This
ensures your website can handle varying traffic loads without manual
intervention.

Resources Needed: Google Cloud setup tools, IT team.

Migration Phase
a. Data Migration
 Backup Data:
Ensure all the website data is safely backed up before transferring it to prevent
data loss. We can use Google Cloud storage for the back up files.
 Transfer Data:
Move your website files and database to Google Cloud to make them available on
the new platform.
Resources Needed: Backup tools, Google Cloud data transfer tools (Google Cloud
Storage)

b. Testing
 PINAMALAYAN MARITIME FOUNDATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.
Tri-Star Bldg. Mabini St. Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Tel
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

 Test Performance:
Simulate high traffic to check if the setup handles the load and performs well
under stress.
 Check for Issues:
Identify and fix any problems that arise during testing to ensure smooth operation.
Resources Needed: Testing tools, IT team.

Launch Phase
a. Go Live
 Switch to Google Cloud:
Update domain settings to point to Google Cloud and make the site live. This
transitions your website to the new hosting environment.
 Monitor:
Keep an eye on the website’s performance and fix any issues that come up
immediately.

Resources Needed: Domain settings, monitoring tools.

b. Post-Launch Support
 Provide Support:
Address any user-reported issues and make adjustments to optimize performance.
 Collect Feedback:
Gather feedback from users and stakeholders to identify areas for improvement.
Resources Needed: Support team, feedback channels.
Maintenance
a. Regular Monitoring
 Monitor Site:
Continuously check traffic and server performance to ensure the site runs
smoothly.
 Adjust Resources:
Modify server capacity based on current traffic needs to maintain performance
and cost-efficiency.
Resources Needed: Monitoring tools, IT team.
b. Review and Optimize
 Review Performance:
Evaluate how well the site is performing and the costs involved.
 PINAMALAYAN MARITIME FOUNDATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.
Tri-Star Bldg. Mabini St. Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Tel
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

 Optimize:
Make improvements based on performance data to enhance efficiency and user
experience.

Resources Needed: Performance reports, IT team.

TIMELINE
 PINAMALAYAN MARITIME FOUNDATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.
Tri-Star Bldg. Mabini St. Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Tel
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

IV. Impact on Business Efficiencies

a. Cost Savings

Current Situation
 Downtime Costs: Frequent downtimes during peak periods lead to lost sales and
missed revenue opportunities. Additionally, recovery from downtime may require
urgent technical support, increasing costs.
 Over-Provisioning Costs: Without a dynamic solution, businesses may
overprovision their infrastructure to handle the highest traffic spikes, resulting in
higher costs during non-peak periods.

Post-Solution
 Dynamic Autoscaling: With cloud-based hosting and autoscaling, server
resources are automatically scaled up during high-traffic periods and scaled
down during low-traffic periods. This optimizes resource usage and reduces
the need for over-provisioning, cutting down unnecessary costs.
 Reduction in Downtime-Related Losses: Load balancing ensures that the
website remains accessible even during peak periods, reducing downtime and
thus decreasing losses due to missed transactions.
 Cost-Effective Pay-as-You-Go Model: Cloud platforms typically offer a pay-
as-you-go pricing model, which means the business only pays for the
resources it actually uses, further optimizing cost savings.

Metric
Reduction in Downtime: The site’s uptime can be measured using tools like Google
Cloud Monitoring to track the reduction in downtime. A key performance indicator
 PINAMALAYAN MARITIME FOUNDATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.
Tri-Star Bldg. Mabini St. Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Tel
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

(KPI) would be maintaining 99.9% uptime or higher, minimizing downtime-related

losses.
Savings from Autoscaling: Compare the cost of running a fixed infrastructure versus a
cloud-based, autoscaling model. Savings should become evident as unnecessary
spending during low-traffic periods is reduced.

b. Increased Productivity

Current Situation
 Manual Interventions: In cases of high traffic, IT teams are often required to
intervene to bring the site back online or optimize server performance. This
manual intervention can take time and resources away from other critical
business functions.

Post-Solution
 Automated Resource Management: The load-balancing and autoscaling
capabilities of cloud-based solutions significantly reduce the need for manual
interventions by IT teams, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks
rather than reactive server management.

 Faster Response Times: By distributing the load across multiple servers and
regions, the website can respond more quickly to customer requests, leading
to faster page load times and improved overall site performance.

Metric
Time Savings: Track the time spent by IT teams on reactive interventions pre- and
post-implementation. The expected outcome would be a noticeable reduction in time
spent resolving traffic-related issues.

Response Time Improvement: Monitor website response time metrics using tools like
Google Lighthouse or Google Cloud Monitoring. A target KPI would be reducing
response time during peak traffic.
 PINAMALAYAN MARITIME FOUNDATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.
Tri-Star Bldg. Mabini St. Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Tel
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

c. Improved Customer Satisfaction

Current Situation
 Frustration with Downtime: Customers attempting to access the website
during high-traffic periods may encounter slow loading times or complete
unavailability, leading to frustration and potential abandonment.
 Lost Revenue: During busy periods like sales events, customers who cannot
complete their purchases may take their business elsewhere, leading to
significant revenue loss.

Post-Solution
 Higher Availability and Reliability: Cloud-based hosting ensures that the site
remains available even during peak traffic periods. This leads to a more
consistent, reliable customer experience, improving satisfaction and brand
loyalty.
 Faster Page Loads: With load balancing and Content Delivery Networks
(CDNs) in place, page load times are reduced, which enhances user
experience and increases the likelihood of completing transactions.

Metric
Customer Satisfaction: Measure customer satisfaction through post-transaction
surveys or Net Promoter Scores (NPS). Look for improvements in feedback related to
website reliability and performance during peak periods.

Bounce Rate Reduction: Monitor bounce rate and cart abandonment during high-
traffic periods before and after the solution is implemented. A KPI could be reducing
bounce rates and cart abandonment by a similar percentage.

d. Enhanced Scalability for Future Growth

Current Situation
 Limited Scalability: Traditional hosting solutions may struggle to
accommodate unexpected spikes in traffic, limiting the business’s ability to
scale up efficiently during periods of growth or marketing campaigns.

Post-Solution
 PINAMALAYAN MARITIME FOUNDATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.
Tri-Star Bldg. Mabini St. Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Tel
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

 Seamless Scalability: Cloud-based solutions provide elastic scalability,

allowing the business to handle not only current peak traffic but also future
growth without needing to overhaul its infrastructure.
 Support for Global Expansion: With cloud providers like Google Cloud,
businesses can easily scale and serve customers globally by utilizing geo-
redundant load balancing.

Metric
Capacity to Handle More Users: Measure the increase in the number of concurrent
users or transactions the site can handle after implementing load balancing and
autoscaling. This can be done using load testing tools.

Sales Growth During Peak Events: Analyze sales growth during high-traffic periods
like promotions or holidays, looking for improvements in revenue due to the
increased ability to handle peak traffic without downtime.