1. Explain the costs and benefits of technology maintenance strategies.
2. You decide you need to update your understanding and knowledge of business technology. What avenues are available to you?
3. Describe a situation where an organisation could benefit from the application of new technology
4. How can you validate, and evaluate information gathered to monitor the application of technology in an organisation?
5. Explain the importance of procedures in relation to:
- backup
- security
- maintenance
- purchasing, licensing, and installation
6. Identify a resource in an organisation that requires updating. This might involve replacement of a current piece of IT equipment or suggestions for a totally new type of system. Prepare a resource proposal that would comply with the organisation's expectations in terms of information provided to support the proposal.
While it may not be possible to identify all the costs in dollar terms accurately, you must include a reasonable estimate of those costs or types of costs and describe how they would be obtained, calculated and presented.
Start with a title that describes the proposal and its intentions. Include a brief overview (executive summary) and introductory description. This must be direct and compelling so that the reader will continue to read.
Then provide the necessary detail:
- key aims, objectives and benefits to be gained/ problems to be solved (proposal statement and rationale)
- research undertaken-methods, sources, verification
- data collected to support forecast
- capital and other resource requirements
- proposed timelines
- alternatives considered (lease, purchase options, new vs second-hand repairs vs new equipment-other methods of solving the problem or exploiting the opportunity)
- financial calculations, assumptions underlying calculations
- capital sources, viability of sources and return on investment time frames
- risk analysis including the impact of not making the CAPEX
- evaluations in quantitative and qualitative terms, impact on other sections/ divisions
- rationale and methods used to make the proposed choice
- bona fides of people preparing the proposal
- summary, recommendations and conclusions
- environmental considerations including sustainability
Create a maintenance schedule for the new resource. The program should be able to monitor the system and provide a guide for evaluating performance. Describe the tools used to perform the monitoring and routine maintenance.
There should be a second appendix, describing the processes used for systems administration in relation to the resource. Describe how software related to the resource will be backed up, how security will be managed, and the resource protected from malware or viruses.
Briefly summarise the necessary information in the following table, then format your proposal.
What is required?
Why is it required?
How much will it cost: direct/ indirect-long/ short-term?
Who will support it?
What are the options: buy/ lease/ hire?
Where will the capital come from?
What evidence do you have to support the proposal? (including maintenance and system administration)?
What benefits will it have with regard to customer needs, health and safety, productivity etc?
What will the impact be should the CAPEX not be approved, direct/ indirect-long/ short-term?