| Computer System Platforms |
|
| May 2008 | |
|
Compucon New Zealand provides consulting advice on the system configuration of computer platforms for achieving 2 major business criteria: Fitness for Purpose (FFP) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Fitness for Purpose refers to the cost effectiveness of the chosen system configuration in delivering stability, performance and scalability to you as the customer for the immediate and planned requirements. Total Cost of Ownership refers to not ONLY the computer to purchase but its relationship with the existing portfolio of computer assets in the organization. The simple explanation is that the cost of maintenance will be more than the cost of acquisition of the hardware and operating system. While the above terms of FFP and TCO may be seen as vague and thus not practical, we would like to give you the following guidelines which are the practical factors for achieving FFP and TCO. (a) Computer system roadmap- this affects the consistency of computer platforms in the organisation. Ask the vendor to explain their roadmap to you over the past 2 years and the next 12 months as evidence of their capability to help (b) System stablility- this relates to how stable the computer will perform under various conditions. Ask the vendor to explain their system for assuring system stability on a certain operating system such as Microsoft Windows or Linux. (c) Component quality control- this refers to how often compoents fail as we know that PC components do fail. Ask the vendor for statistical information collected over the last 2 years and do not refer to theoretical data published without support. Ask the vendor how they reduce the failure rate. (d) System workmanship- this relates to how well the computer systems are put together and this affects the out-of-box experience of the customer. Ask the vendor for information on how they put together a system that contains specific or customized components. ISO-9001 certification is not a final proof because the certification does not specify any quality standard. Ask the vendor to explain the level imposed by their ISO-9001 system if any. (e) System hardware cost- many people have the perception that an engineered computer is too expensive and that an off-the-shelf PC is fine. Both perceptions are not true. You will find that an engineered computer is far cheaper than a retail computer. The above covers the key points but not all issues or every situation. Treat the above as conceptual guidance. Contact Compucon New Zealand or an authorised Compucon channel partner for advice. |