Optimizing IT Infrastructure for Expansion: A Budgeted Approach

Essay, Pages 5 (1118 words)

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Introduction

In the scenario given, I have been picked as an IT manager for a company which is based in the UK.

My task is to create an IT system to link the head office, factory and warehouses which will need to deal with demand of from shops who sell the clothes, stock control for warehouses and staff data.

This report was written to outline how the IT system which could be expanded in the future, additional warehouses and an expansion of the factory under the given budget of ?30,000.

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1.Plan

I would look for the issue that may emerge while doing the arrangement to tackle the errand. My main aim is to cover success criteria in the process of creating the best system, I would figure the possibility of the framework from the success criteria, after that pick the best option with the best ranking arrangement.

I will divide the financial plan in various required areas. I will mainly concentrate on the quality and not quantity.

If a portion of amount remains, it would be used to purchase any other necessary equipments such as furniture etc.

2. Description of problem solving process

Problem definition

For this situation, I have been chosen as an IT manager for a company which is based in the UK which makes and distributes clothes nationwide. The company currently has one head office, one factory, and four warehouses and are planning to expand in the future including additional warehouses and the expansion of the factory.

Dealing as an IT manager, there are several issues to be tackled.

Number of various types of hardware to be purchased e.g. pc/laptops, Routers (internet facility and database storage)

Might also need a number of staff to manage the system

Hire IT experts who are familiar with the system to train our staff on how to use it

Identifying Selection Criteria

The following is a list of success criteria to give the best result

Materials- for the new IT system we need to choose good quality and branded hardware which will be able to last for a longer period of time

Cost- the budget provided is ?30,000 in which I have to complete the project with the given range

Speed of internet- since the main method of communication for orders will be done online which will require reliable internet connection e.g. zoom (held video conferencing meetings), skype etc.

Configuration- in the setup, we need to think about the arrangement because of the fact that if the design is not done appropriately then the outcome will not be what we had expected

Storage- require a high storage to store all the necessary information

Easy to operate- the system should be easy to use which means the staff should be able to use it without any hassle

Website-The goal of the website is to allow customers to view products online, check stocks, submit orders, book or arrange collection in-store and make secure payments. Customers don't need to physically go to one of the branches. Hence the website is a very vital tool for the expansion which should not be overlooked.Process of selection

To solve the problem stated above and achieve the plans of this project, the solutions below will clearly outline how the budgeted amount will be used to achieve the best results:

Solution 1:

Firstly, is the purchasing of materials: 20 laptops with at least 8 O.S, 10 printers and 6 routers. Each laptop will cost about ?250, the total of purchasing will be ?5000. A printer will cost about ?150 each which will give us a total of ?1500. Lastly a router costs ?120 will bring us to the total of ?720. Hence the total for purchasing the materials will cost us ?7720

Secondly, configuration will cost us to ?2000 approximately

The creation of the website will cost us ?3000

Buy servers to host the website. 13 servers will be needed as they will not only host the website but also provide database services as they will save the details of customers visiting the website. One will cost ?210 thus total cost will be ?2730

These items will be bought in the UK and will have to be transported to other arts from which the company operates from. One flight will cost ?80 and perhaps an additional ?25 for logistics of the goods. So to get all the IT components from UK to Germany will cost ?95. Then a truck will be hired to deliver the components. This will cost ?3500, hence total transport used will cost ?3595

We also need to hire IT professionals to train our staff on how to use the system. Let's say we need about 50 experts each charging us ?60 so that will be ?3000.

The total amount used for this solution is ?22045 leaving a surplus of ?7955

Solution 2:

A new website to be created from scratch costing us about ?3700

Acquire IT components namely 40 desktops computers with 40 mice and 40 keyboards. Each desktop costs ?200, so for desktop will need to spend about ?8000. A mouse costs about ?65 which will be ?2600 and lastly a keyboard costing us ?92 which sums up to ?3680 giving us a total of ?14,280 for the materials

We can also purchase webcams for each desktop which will cost about ?50 bringing us to a total of ?2000

Transportation of hardware is ?3595

Training as mentioned in solution 1 will be ?3,000

The total amount used for this solution is ?26575 leaving a surplus of ?3425

The following pie chat shows how the budgeted money will be spent in solution 1

The following pie chat shows how the budgeted money will be spent in solution 2:

Details of recommended solution

Both solutions presented to solve the problem at hand are good in one way or the other. But as it is only one solution can be used. I will therefore recommend the implementation of solution 1.

From the evaluation of the solutions we have seen that solution is cheaper than solution 2. However the main reason why I would go for solution 1 is that as opposed to desktop computers solution 2 uses laptops. Laptops are way easier to use than desktops. Laptops are portable which means they can be carried around unlike desktops which are situated in one place only. Laptops also have in built webcams which means you do not have to purchase them separately. The most obvious to reason to buy laptops is that they are preferable to desktop computers due to their size and construction. Laptops, by design are smaller and more compact, that's what makes it easily portable. Another reason could be they cheaper as can be seen from our perspective above. The remaining amount will be used for other equipment or perhaps even expansion itself

Conclusion

This report shows the problems faced, and also how the ?30,000 will be used to get the best results. If the recommended solution 1 is used, it will be a success.