Project2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project2 - Essay Example After site visits to the corporate headquarters and one manufacturing plant, along with interviews of both key personnel and employees alike, careful consideration have been made of the many situations facing MPC. We have decided the following problems need to be fixed in the order they are referenced. The eighteen month time period that the company projects for modernization is realistic, provided they continue to use outsourcing for most of the projects. The first problem that needs to be addressed is the issue of the mainframe computer. ANDC agrees with Ms Hsu that the mainframe is a money pit and will only get worse as the machine gets older. Bradley University converted in the same fashion in the late 1990’s, an old report in the field of technology but relevant to this situation nonetheless (Bradley 1997). Their report is honest, listing both benefits (Same as MPC; cost and maintenance) and realized disadvantages. One was that they also experimented with environments oth er than Windows (including DOS and MAC) and eventually had to revert to a strictly PC based environment. Not only would that be standardized but since most users are familiar with Windows, new system training was mineralized. The first benefit realized would therefore be the costs. One thing Bradley stated they would do different was purchasing network ready servers and buying them as identical systems from one vendor. A check with Dell (2012), shows that a new computer to be used as a rack server would cost around $6,000 apiece. Since MPC would require three servers, database, web, and internal (intranet), the initial cost would be around $20,000, since Dell would also send the servers preloaded with Microsoft Server 2012 for a predetermined cost (based upon number of clients per machine). A vendor such as Dell would also be able to provide an answer to another of the customer’s questions. Long term maintenance agreements can be purchased for a nominal fee and the company ev en offers lease arrangements. In order to keep the mainframe functioning until shutoff time, with minimal service interruption, it is recommended that both environments function side-by-side. The Intranet can be transitioned first, in conjunction with the database server. One advantage of the Intranet system is the fact that the internationally remote manufacturing plants can also be connected securely, so that redundant systems would not be necessary; a simple internet connection is all that is required. Then the web server can be up and running well before the eighteen month deadline. During the changeover and for six months thereafter ANDC personnel will be at company headquarters to ensure a smooth transition, during which time ANDC will assume full responsibility for changeover. Another financial consideration MPC should consider is upgrading their cabling to T-1 throughout. The increased traffic would probably soon result in overloading their current system (Mitchell 2012). Th e second problem is the relatively antiquated call center system with a non-functioning web ordering system. One of the major customer complaints are long waiting times for customer service (Your call is important to us) and is the main reason more customers are turning to the internet for ordering and service. MPC is correct in that some customers will continue to want to call but that call volume will probably be less than ten per cent of what it is now (Bleuell 2009). Fujitsu (2012) presents the case of a Japanese optical