IT Infrastructure Strategy

Background: The technology infrastructure of an organization $-$ especially computer equipment and IT budgeting $-$ should align with broader strategic priorities, performance needs and financial realities.

Assignment: Consider you are the IT Manager at two firms:

Helping Hands $-$ A $15-$person local non$-$profit dedicated to family services with limited donor funding

Foster Finance $-$ A $100-$person financial consulting services firm running intensive investment analysis software

First, contrast the technology infrastructure requirements between these two firms. How might Helping Hands differ from Foster Finance in required computing speed, capacity, system availability and IT support levels?

Next, visit a build$-$your$-$own$-$PC site and recommend appropriate computers for each company, balancing price and overall capability. How much should Helping Hands invest compared to Foster Finance? Analyze component decisions like CPU speed, RAM, storage, etc.

Evaluate the technology investments recommended above in context of IT strategy for the two organizations. For example, where could limited funding pose risks for Helping Hands? Is Foster Finance over or under investing in computer systems given their reliance on intensive analysis software?

Finally outline "good enough" versus "leading edge" infrastructure approaches. Given analysis, what IT hardware investments would you advise for Helping Hands and Foster Finance respectively?