FACTORS IN
SOURCING HARDWARE
Each project within each organisation
will bring its own unique issues concerning hardware. There are already some
lessons learned, however, from earlier implementations which can inform the
planning process.
- Costs of existing processes have to be established, and the business case proven, on the basis of hardware and systems which will support the business as it will be in the medium term. This requires fine planning techniques and informed decision making about supply, installation, servicing, durability, upgrading, maintenance and future provision.
- Existing IT needs to be mapped and audited. Decisions around compatibility have to be made in the light of true assessments of the current position. Increased sophistication may put heavy strains on the present capacity and hardware parameters.
- Compatibility. Most Teleworking projects to date have been in the nature of pilot or trial activities. This nearly always risks compromising some benefits, as the smaller Project requirements have to comply with the critical host systems. Maximising technical compatibility is a project must.
- Communications. Early decisions need to be taken on the key questions of communications ; what kind of information is to be transmitted, at what frequency, over how many sites, what level of security, what are the speed requirements, accuracy needs, etc. The answers to these questions will point to the appropriate technical solutions. Whether ISDN will be necessary, whether Internet or Intranet will be suitable, and the kind of software solutions that will be favourable.
There are many providers out there
willing to source their various solutions. It is clearly not in their interests
to provide unsuitable products and services, However, many organisations remain
wary, if not cynical, about the capacity of the providers to give totally
unbiased advice. This is a hangover from previous projects where the benefits
of IT investment have not matched the sales pitch.
This reticence may partly explain the
timidity with which UK organisations are approaching Telework, in comparison
with USA and Scandinavian analogs. A growth in dedicated Consultancy, along
with the establishing of a mature market, bringing together the purchasers and
providers, should improve this position.
Last Updated on 11 December 2002 by COLIN TIERNEY