Final Project Scenarios

ENGL 295

Final Project Scenarios

Emily Donville

Choose one of the scenarios below and develop a report that provides solutions to the problem given. In all of the following scenarios, assume that one of the company's major priorities is to save money and lose as little productivity as possible. You should consider not only cost, but also training time. Every report should include a discussion of at least three possible solutions before one solution is recommended. For many of the following scenarios, you have two options. You can outsource a solution or you can choose an in-house hardware/software solution. For those scenarios, I will ask you to present in your report at least one in-house solution. For the structure of the project, follow the template that I will give out in class. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------Company "A" is looking for an alternative to standard long-distance telephone service. The CEO wants you to research Internet telephony and compile a written informational report to her which she will share with the company's board of directors. The company currently needs to be able to connect PC-to-PC, but the CEO would also like to know which solutions include the ability to connect PC-to-Phone in case that need arises in the future. The company's 38 worldwide sales reps carry 1.86 GHz notebook computers running Windows 2003 and equipped with wireless LAN cards. The four regional supervisors at the company's headquarters use 2.6 GHz desktop computers running Windows 2003 networked to a Windows 2003 Server. Internet access at the company's headquarters is via T-1 lines. All computers are equipped with sound cards and speakers, but none have microphones. Recommend an enterprise-level package and all relevant peripherals. Company "A" employs 240 people, the majority of whom work at headquarters. However, the company has three offices and the 38 sales reps travel constantly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Company "B" uses video for training and other in-house information. The CIO is looking for an alternative to its current method of requiring employees to fully download video clips before viewing them. The CIO wants you to research streaming video and compile a written report to him which he will share with the company's board of directors. The company uses a Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition network server. The company's Internet access is via ISDN lines.

1 Sources: http://www.ou.edu/class/bc2813/reports_topics.htm

ENGL 295

Final Project Scenarios

Emily Donville

The company employs over 900 people in two offices - one in Toronto and the other in Winnipeg. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Company "C" is looking for an alternative to telephone conference calls. The CIO wants you to research desktop video conferencing over the web and compile a written report to her which she will share with the company's board of directors. might be the solution. Computers used by the employees range from 1.8 GHz to 2.6 GHz desktop computers running Windows 2003. All computers have at least 1 GB of RAM, sound cards and speakers, and are networked to a Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition server. None of the computers have webcams or microphones. Internet access is via ISDN lines. The CIO wants to spend as little as possible perinstallation, but she is willing to lease server time from an outside provider on a monthly basis if necessary. However, funds do not exist to purchase additional computers nor to upgrade existing ones. The ability to simultaneously conference with at least three sites is a must. The CIO has also just heard about digital array microphones and wants to know more about them. The solution will need to be made available to the 100+ middle- and upper-management employees between offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Company "D" is looking for an alternative to its current system of communicating with its traveling sales force. The CIO wants you to research smart phones (eg. Blackberries) and compile a written report to her which she will share with the company's board of directors. The company's 25-person sales force must be able to send and receive standard voice telephone calls, browse the Internet, and send and receive e-mail messages (including email attachments) via the Internet -- all from inside their cars or from inside client's offices. The company's equipment budget will only allow $800 per user for equipment and any one-time start-up costs, but there is sufficient money in the budget to handle an additional monthly service fee of up to $95.00 per user. Each member of the sales force currently carries a voice-only cell phone and a 1.86GHz notebook computer running Windows 2003 and equipped with a 56k phone modem. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Company "E" is looking for an alternative to standard text-based e-mail for use within the company. The CIO wants you to research instant messaging and compile a written report to her which she will share with the company's board of directors. 2 Sources: http://www.ou.edu/class/bc2813/reports_topics.htm

ENGL 295

Final Project Scenarios

Emily Donville

Employees use personal computers ranging from 1.8 GHz to 2.6 GHz with at least 3072 MB of RAM. These computers run either Windows 2003 or Windows 2007. Each is equipped with a sound card and speakers, but none has a microphone. Internet access is via broadband LAN lines. The company needs file transfer capabilities as well as privacy features that will allow its employees to control who may contact them. The ability to connect to other IM services, to incorporate voice and video into a chat, and to interact with the company's E-mail system is also a necessity. The company employs just over 100 people, each with a workstation, in offices in Toronto and Halifax. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Company "F" is looking for an alternative to using the keyboard to operate programs on their PCs. The CIO wants you to research voice recognition software and compile a written report to him which he will share with the company's board of directors. The CIO is willing to spend some money to implement this technology, but he is not willing to upgrade the company's 1.8 GHz personal computers. Those computers are equipped with 1 GB of RAM and are running Windows 2003. Each computer is equipped with a sound card and speakers. None have microphones. The software must control MS Word 2003, MS Excel 2003, and MS Outlook 2003e-mail via voice command. Support for multiple users would be nice someday, but is currently not a necessity, so please mention in your report whether or not your recommended system accommodates this feature. The CIO has also just heard about digital array microphones and wants to know more about them. ---------------------Organization "G" is a not-for-profit organization designed to serve the needs of people with visual impairments. A substantial number of its employees also work with visual impairments. Organization "G" recently received a grant to purchase adaptive technologies for the organization's office. The director of the organization has $500 to spend on each of twelve workstations within the organization. Currently, the organization uses 1.8 GHz personal computers with 1 GB of RAM running Windows 2003. Employees use personal cellphones and organizational tools. The organization has experimented with using the Voice Recognition software available through Windows 2003, but it tends to slow the computers down substantially. The director would like you to research all of the available adaptive technology and recommend a combination that will work best for the organization while remaining within budget. 3 Sources: http://www.ou.edu/class/bc2813/reports_topics.htm

ENGL 295

Final Project Scenarios

Emily Donville

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Company "H" is looking to reduce its overhead by having a major portion of its employees telecommute. The CIO wants you to research VPN, remote desktop, and remote assistance technology and submit a report recommending a solution that she will present at the executive meeting next month. Assume that the company will use the money that it saves on electricity and internet at the office to reimburse employees for what they will use at home. That means that your cost/benefit analysis will be largely based on the costs involved in installing and maintaining a system that will allow employees to telecommute. The company currently employees 85 people and would like at least 50% of them to be able to work from home most of the time.

4 Sources: http://www.ou.edu/class/bc2813/reports_topics.htm