FREE ESSAY ON NETWORK RECOMMENDATION

NETWORK RECOMMENDATION

Table of Contents
Background………………………………………………………………………………..3
Executive
Summary……………………………………………………………………….3
Hardware
Requirements…………………………………………………………..3
Application
Software.……………………………………………………………..4
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..4
Information Technology
Team………...…………………………………………..4
Scope………………………………………………………………………………5
Action
Plan………………………………………………………………………………..5
Management
Plan…………………………………………………………………………6
Results…………………………………………………………………………………….6
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………..9
Appendices…………………………………………………………………………..9a-9d
Works
Cited……………………………………………………………………………..10
Information Technology Team
Curtis Johnson
Rie Eguchi
Pranav Dalal
Vinay Banerjee
Taun Nguyen
Dennis Cunningham
Sue Sellers
Background
Mr. Denavs the Chief Information Officer of Midwest Computing has put the brilliant
Information Technology department in charge of setting up a computer network for the
company. The I.T. department must research the different options to come up with the most
efficient decision for the network. The team must keep each system within the budget of
$2700 and $3400 per user platform. Some of the problems the team may run into are listed
below.
? Different departments will require different systems.
? The number of each different kind of system to purchase.
? Buy the individual computer components and assemble the machines or buy packaged
computers from a company
? What type of software applications will be needed and should they purchase licenses.
The I.T. team must research the prices of parts and packages from different companies and
also look into licensing agreements. When the final decisions have been made a proposal
is to be submitted to Mr. Denavs.
Executive Summary
First the I.T. department must decide what type of system will best fit the different
users. Then the number of users must be taken into consideration to figure out which
users will get desktop platforms or laptops. Also the proper amount of research must be
done to make an informed decision whether to build or buy each platform. Every corner cut
in research will result in unnecessary spending for the company. When purchasing the
platforms the hardware team must remember to leave enough money to purchase software for
each system so that the budget is met. Each type of system should comply with the minimum
requirements listed below.
Hardware Requirements - Minimum Requirements 
? Processor: Intel 600 MHz Pentium III Processor 
? Memory: 123 MB SDRAM 
? Monitor: 17 or 19 color monitor (15.9 viewable area) 
? Graphics Accelerator: 2 AGP 8 MG SGRAM Video Memory 
? Hard Drive: 10 GB IDE hard drive 
? Floppy Drive: 3.5 1.44 MB diskette drive 
? CD-ROM: 13X min. CD-ROM drive 
? Multimedia Package: Wavetable sound card and MicroMedia Speakers 
? Network Card: 3COM ISA Ethernet Combo or equivalent 
? IOMEGA Drive: IOMEGA Internal ZIP drive 
? APC uninterrupted power supply: APC UPS backup 650 or equivalent 
The teams must also research software applications and decide which systems will need
different software. The teams need to look into licensing and implementing services. If
the team chooses to buy the package rather than build, they need to consider which
applications will come with the package. Below is the application software required for
each system.
Application Software 
? Operating System/Windows 2000 Professional
? Microsoft Office 2000, Premium Edition 
? Visual Studio 
? Netscape 4.61 
? Internet Explorer 5.0 
Introduction
Information Technology Team
Hardware Information:
Curtis Johnson
Rie Eguchi
Software/Network Information:
Pranav Dalal
Tuan Nguyen
Proposal and Final Results:
Dennis Cunningham
Vinay Banerjee
Sue Sellers
Scope
1. To begin the process of setting up network we shall do individual research to acquire
a wide variety of information.
2. After preparing our individual research we will meet to compare information, research
methods, and ideas.
3. If enough information has been gathered to make a good decision, then we will move on
to our recommendation. Otherwise we will discuss our findings and decide what needs to be
done to finish the research process.
4. The I.T. department will then be broken into three different teams. The different
teams will consist of a hardware research team, a software networking team, and a team to
present the proposal.
5. The hardware team will choose three different systems, two desktop platforms and a
laptop. Once the information has been gathered they will present their findings to the
proposal team.
6. If the hardware team decides it will be cheaper to build each system rather than buy
the packaged systems, then they must give a detailed report explaining their decision.
7. The software team will find licenses for all of the necessary applications and present
their information to the proposal team.
8. This team is also responsible for finding any necessary networking information. 
9. When the proposal team has received all of the information the team will put together
the proposal. One team member will write the paper, another will put together the tables,
and the third will edit the final result. 
10. When the proposal is finished the results will be submitted.
Action Plan
The I.T. team has decided to purchase three different packaged systems. Although the
price of the building system option was close to the packaged systems the team chose to
buy the packaged systems. After weighing in the warranties and service packages that come
with the packaged computers compared to the cost of building each computer, the packaged
systems are far superior to the built systems. The three packages have been built for the
needs of the different users in the company. One system is a laptop that has been put
together for the traveling employees in the company. The second machine is a high-powered
desktop platform that will also include extra software to suit the needs of the
developers and I.T. people. The third machine is the most basic of the three, because of
the large quantity it has less features but is still well equipped. 
Management Plan
We are recommending the three systems presented below in the results section. While
researching the options of building or buying packaged systems our decision went back and
forth as we found better deals on each alternative. There are pros and cons with each
alternative, but we feel we have made the best decision. The pros of buying the packaged
system would be that it is purchased through one company, which means a good warranty and
customer service. One of the problems with the built system is there is a separate
warranty for each piece and the cost of building each system. In the end we decided the
packaged systems will be a better return on investment.
The first system presented below is the high-powered desktop system that will be used by
the developers. We will purchase 22 of this particular system at the price of $2,786 per
system. The two extra systems will be held onto for maintenance purposes. The second
system listed below has less memory and is a more average system because of the large
quantity that will be purchased. This package will cost $2409 per system and we recommend
purchasing 1455 systems. This machine will be suitable for all of the different users.
The third and final system listed below is a laptop that will be used by the salespeople,
the I.T. department, and corporate.
For the Application Software we found a license through for 25 licenses of Visual Studio
and 1500 licenses of Office 2000 premium. Visual Studio costs $1,176 per license and
Office 2000 costs $549 per license. The total cost for all 1525 licenses is $852,900,
which is an average of $567 per machine.
Results
Building System Option
Processor Pentium III 600Mhz $ 626.00 
Pentium III Ball Bearing Cooling Fan $ 15.00 
Motherboard/Cable Abit BH6 440BX 100Mhz $ 82.00 
Hard Drive IBM Deskstar 13.5GB 7200RPM $ 199.00 
Memory 128 MB 168 Pin PC100 16X64 (2 Quanity) $ 237.90 
Graphic Accelerator Rage Fury AGP2X 32MB $ 92.00 
Case/Power Supply ATX Style Mid Tower Case/250 W Power Supply $ 55.00 
Floppy Drive 1.44 Internal Floppy Disk Drive $ 15.53 
IOMEGA Drive Zip 250 Parallel Port Drive $ 109.00 
CD-ROM TOSHIBA 40X ATAPI CD-ROM Drive $ 55.00 
Network Card Linksys PCI 10/100 MBS $ 25.06 
Sound Card Sound Blaster Live! $ 46.00 
Speakers ACS251 PWR Subwoof DT 40W $ 69.56 
Monitor Samsun 19IN 26MM 1600X1200 85HZ Syncmaster 900P $ 353.95 
Keyboard Natural Keyboard $ 27.90 
Mouse Microsoft Serial Intellimouse $ 29.00 
Power Protection APC UPS BK650M $ 179.00 
Operating System Windows NT Workstation (10 Licenses @ 1687.10) $ 168.71 
Sub Total $2,385.61 
Shipping Estimated 9% of Sub Total for Shipping $ 214.70 
Building Cost $100.00 per System $ 100.00 
Total Cost $2,700.31 
Conclusion
The I.T. team has decided to present Mr. Denavs with three different well equipped
systems to suit the different users needs. A lot of time and research has been put into
building these systems so everything should run smoothly in setting up the network. The
systems meet all the requirements and most importantly the budget. Each system meets all
of the requirements of those who will be using the systems. The computers will be of the
highest quality for the budget given. The final cost analysis for the built system is on
pages 6-7 in the results. The websites that were used for research are listed in the
Works Cited page.
The personal computer support staff members team has decided to build the network of ten
computers for the networking department. A lot of time and research has been put into
this user analysis so Sarah Smith should be satisfied with the end results. The system
meets all of the requirements and then some. The computers will be of the highest quality
for the budget given. All of the components for the build option have been cited in the
appendices. 
Appendices
The next 4 pages consist of the printouts that were pulled from the websites listed on
the work-cited page. The information is necessary in the completion of this project.
Bibliography
Work Cited
www.Accubyte.com, accessed site February 5, 2000 - February 23, 2000.
www.buy.com, accessed site February 5, 2000 - February 23, 2000.
www.computershopper.com, accessed site February 5, 2000 - February 23, 2000.
www.Dell.com, accessed site February 5, 2000 - February 23, 2000.
www.gateway.com, accessed site February 5, 2000 - February 23, 2000.
www.licenseonline.com, accessed site February 5, 2000 - February 23, 2000.
www.microsoft.com, accessed site February 5, 2000 - February 23, 2000.
www.pricewatch.com, accessed site February 5, 2000 - February 23, 2000.
www.r-tech.com, accessed site February 5, 2000 - February 23, 2000.