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POSSIBLE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

Kingo started to explore possible solutions to his business problem. He knew the company needed a central database, and that internal information should no longer be transmitted by e-mail. The database

should be accessible remotely since everybody would be working on it simultaneously from different locations. He also wanted e-mails to customers to be sent automatically from the system in order to avoid mistakes and the resulting delays. He reflected further on his needs. The business was too small to justify hiring a dedicated IT worker, and since Kingo did not personally have an IT background, the solution had to be easy to implement and operate. Ease of use was also critical since his staff did not possess very high IT skills, yet they would have to rely heavily on the system on a daily basis. The solution also had to be flexible and robust enough to handle evolutionary changes in the market or the business. Vendor support was essential; Kingo wanted to have someone to rely on for as long as the company used the system. Finally, time was of theessence.

From Kingo's preliminary research, five options were apparent.

Microsoft Access Database

Upgrading from MS-Works" to MS-Access" could be done within a relatively short time and on a small budget. Access could be installed locally on multiple computers, or it could also be installed on a centralized server to be accessed remotely through the Internet and a secure virtual private network(VPN). Local installations in several computers had an advantage in that King could easily perform the installations himself. Licenses were priced at $179 per computer. Kingo believed he could find time during evenings or weekends to create the new database, and that it could be ready in a couple of weeks. However, this option would not allow for remote access, and so each instance of the database would have to be updated manually, every day. MS-Access could apparently be installed on a shared server so as to provide remote access to multiple users, but Kingo did not know how to implement this. Choosing this option would require him to delve into a significant amount of technical information, and he could not rule out the possibly of needing to hire some extra help in order to get it right. In this case, the number of required user licenses would depend on how many people would be working on the program concurrently. Kingo would also need to consider the costs or hosting the shared server, as well as any required professional development assistance.

Custom Application

Another alternative was to have someone build a completely customized application for the business. Kingo received several quotes for a web-based system, which would meet the requirements of a central database and provide remote access, and the system would also have some very basic functionality included. The initial build time was estimated to be four weeks, and the upfront price was about $2,000. However, this did not provide for any changes or adjustments that might be required. Maintenance was charged at about $60 per hour per developer, and there was no way to predict how much maintenance would be needed.There were other questions related to this alternative. First, the quotes did not include data migration, so Kingo imagined he would end up paying some extra money for this service. Second, custom-made software simply could not be seen beforehand. He could tell the programmer what he needed and explain that he wanted a user-friendly solution, but until he actually saw the final product, he could not know whether his needs were being understood or whether the software would be easy to use. By that time, a certain amount of time and money would already have been invested. What if a lack of understanding led to higher costs and longer programming times? As for post-implementation support, Kingo learned that"with a custom application, support is billed by the hour.

Google Docs

Kingo happened upon Google Docs while surfing the Internet, and he opened a free account to explore its possibilities. Basically, Google Docs offered online applications that could be used to create text documents, spreadsheets, slide-based presentations and forms. The forms application was particularly intriguing, as forms could be quickly created and shared with employees. Users could work simultaneously on the same file, in a collaborative system environment. It was also possible to set different user profiles, for example, one providing full access to files, another for editing forms, and a third limited to reading information. E-mail distribution was also supported (e.g., customers could be sent an e-mail with a link to a form, which they could then complete and return online).

From a non-functional perspective, Google Docs had some advantages. It was free for up to 10 user accounts, and for small businesses there was a fee of S5 per user per month, or $50 per user per year. It could be implemented quickly and it was easy to use. As with the MS-Access option, Kingo believed he could migrate to a Google Docs system in a matter of a couple of weeks .However, with this option, all data would be input into an online spreadsheet, and could not be cross- referenced in the way it usually is in relational databases.* This would result in all of the data showing in (Page 7 9B11E025)a single, very large form, which was not ideal (e.g., the call centre operators would see fields they did not need, such as those to be filled in by the drivers). Another downside was Google Docs' lack of formal customer support; the only available assistance was through online blogs and forums. Kingo had heard some of his friends say they were afraid to rely on cloud computing." A common concern was that users did not own the tools and resources used to store sensitive company data, which raised some confidentiality issues, and made people wonder what would happen if Google decided to suspend or even cancel the service with one month notice.

Platform as a Service

Another option called Platform as a Service (PaS) was similar to Google Docs in that it was delivered on a cloud-computing infrastructure. PaaS was defined as the provision of computational resources namely hardware, storage, network capacity and some basic software functionality on demand and through the Internet. PaaS differentiated itself through the fact that users could utilize common applications, as well as build their own unique applications, using a shared computing platform that wasprovided and hosted by a third party. The available information suggested PaaS was starting to be appreciated mainly by software developers, and Kingo was not sure he possessed the necessary IT skills to take advantage of the independence PaaS seemed to offer. To explore the option further, he restricted his search to PaaS providers operating in North America, and found a handful of them. Based on the information available online, differentproviders had slightly different offers. He contacted four providers. Two of them did not reply to Kingo's request for a quote. One of the vendors offered an on-site trial, which Kingo accepted. During the trial, he watched as the sales representative easily built forms and connected tables. King thought he could perform this task by himself. Service package costs ranged from $300 to $600 per month, depending on how much storage space and how many user licenses and applications were needed. Implementation, including data migration, would take approximately three days. If customization was required, more time and money would be needed, asthis option was charged extra on an hourly basis, at about $180. Before making up his mind, Kingo would also have to understand "how much' of a platform he would want, or how much he was willing to pay. Fortunately, long-term contracts were not required; he could scale the service up or down at any point, or cancel the service with one month's notice.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System

ERP systems were built around a central database. They were designed to be accessible remotely, and claimed to integrate business processes by covering every aspect of the business, from purchasing, sales, and customer service, to finance, human resources and e-commerce.

Several ERP packages were targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises. Before asking for quotes, Kingo tried to gather as much information as he could through online searches. The packages with the most available information were SAP Business One", Microsoft Dynamics"and Sage ERp In spite of their focus on small firms, these options seemed very costly. An average "small firm" implementation was expected to have 20 to 25 users, and the cost for licences would be about $2,500 per user per year. In terms of up-front implementation cost, IT blogs suggested that companies should budget one dollar for each dollar of software licences.

Kingo found it difficult to extrapolate these estimates to his business. First, it was likely that licence prices would be higher for companies with fewer users in tact, he had read somewhere that a business.One "starting pack" consisting of four licences was priced at $12,000. Second, these estimates included modules that Kingo was not interested in purchasing (e.g., finance and manufacturing). Kingo was also uncertain as to how well an ERP system would fit with or could be adapted to his specific business needs.These systems appeared static, and focused mainly on production and finance modules, which were not top priorities for his company.

DECISION

So there sat Kingo, tired after a long night sitting in front of a computer helping fix the database, trying to sort out which solution would best serve his business. He did not have all the information he wanted about the possible solutions, and he knew his business would change over time. At the same time, he knew a solution was needed, urgently.

Select the best technology solution (out of the 5) to meet those requirements and justify why your selection is better than each of the other solutions.