IT Implementation for ProComm Technology Solutions - Business Plan Example

I.T Implementation Plan for ProComm Technology Solutions, an IT Consulting Company The Company’s Infrastructure and Information Systems Needs Information Technology Infrastructure The IT infrastructure of a Firm provides the foundation for serving customers, working with vendors, and managing the internal firms’ business processes (Laudon & Laudon 2012). ProComm Technology Company’s IT infrastructure includes investments in both hardware, software, and services—such as consulting, education, and training—that are apportioned over the full spectrum of the business units in the firm. ProComm Technology’s infrastructure services will consist of a computing platform that uses the client/server multi-tiered architecture model used to provide computing services that connect employees, customers, and suppliers into a coherent digital environment. The company will employ IBM, HP or Dell blade server configurations for internet, applications, emails, files, printing, database, etc. Servers are essential for the provision of computing power to facilitate the transfer of data across a network. The business will use Virtualization through the hyper-v technology to run multiple applications on the same server which will increase server capacity utilization to 50 percent or higher. This means fewer servers can be used to achieve the same amount of work. Virtualization helps the firm increase equipment utilization; conserve data center space and energy usage by providing the ability to host multiple systems on a single physical machine (Marshall). The servers will be running Windows Server 2012 network operating system with client computers running Windows 7 client operating systems. All users of the firm will have the latest applications for collaboration such as email, messaging, and productivity suites such as MS Office, SharePoint, etc. Telecommunications, Networking, Wireless Technologies For networking purposes, ProComm Technology Solutions will use Cisco Routers, Switches, Gateways, Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), Intrusion Detection System (IDS) firewalls and TCP/IP networking protocols. This is because of the value for money and efficiency that they avail. The mobile digital platform will consist of wireless devices for telecommuting such as Smartphones, wireless tablets, netbooks and laptops. This will be primarily used by the sales team and the knowledge experts in the consulting teams. The physical connection to the internet will consist of a Wide Area Network (WAN) Fiber connection to the physical building using a Digital Subscriber 3 (DS3) or Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) line (Horak, 2007). This will allow the firm to have a redundant, scalable and reliable backbone infrastructure for future expansion of voice, video and data services. It will also be essential for use with Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) protocols for telephony services and Unified Communications within the firm (Laudon & Laudon, 2012). Information Systems ProComm Technology Solutions have systems supporting processes for each of the major business functions—systems for sales and marketing, production and operations, finance and accounting, and human resources, etc. The business also has different systems supporting the decision-making needs of each of the main management groups within the firm. The information system used for Sales and marketing will be the Customer Relationship Management System (CRM). This will help manage and coordinate all their relationships with customers in sales and marketing. It will further assist to optimize revenue, customer satisfaction, and customer retention. The production and operations business function will use small teams of knowledge workers working as a cohesive unit to deliver services and expert technical knowledge to the customer. As such, this business unit would function better with the use of project management system software that can be used as a team collaboration and enterprise system software, whether hosted in-house or delivered as SaaS via the web cloud. An accounting information system (AIS) will be utilized for the collection, management, storage, retrieving and processing of the company’s financial data. A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) will be used for efficient management of company labor. All of the above functional information systems would be incorporated into an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application for a small business entity like ProComm Technology Solutions Enterprise Applications An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is a standard software system which provides functionality to integrate and automate the business practices associated with the Operations or production aspects of the company. The integration relies on a common data model for all system components and extends to more than one business sector. The current ERP systems consist of many software components which are related to each other. These components are administered on a central application server (Brehm & Jorge Marx Gómez, 2006). The supply chain management and customer relationship management systems of the firm can be instituted via an ERP system from a vendor in the marketplace. Business Value Chain and its Impact The business value chain model highlights specific activities in ProComm Technology Solutions where competitive strategies can best be applied (Porter, 1985) and where information systems are most likely to have a strategic impact. This model will identify specific, critical leverage points where the firm can use information technology most effectively to enhance its competitive position. The value chain model will view the firm as a series or chain of basic activities that add a margin of value to the firm’s products and or services (Laudon & Laudon 2012). Primary Activities Inbound logistics entails the warehousing, receiving and inventory control of hardware devices. ProComm Technology Solutions receive products from suppliers and resellers for future customer jobs. Although the products that are needed for a job site can be ordered to be drop-shipped directly to the customer; for example: routers, switches, racks, servers, computers, etc.; It is always prudent to have some extra material in inventory for those occasions where time-constraints are at a premium. ProComm Technology Solutions will have a minor inventory of the most basic products on hand. ProComm Technology Solutions being a consulting firm does not use or need unfinished raw materials to produce a product. The majority of the products it uses are finished products from manufacturers/resellers. The actual job implementation of the knowledge team of consultants would be considered the operations of the business. Outbound logistics refer to activities that deal with getting the finished goods and services to the customer. ProComm Technology Solutions will try to drop-ship the materials for the job to the customer site therefore avoiding the outbound logistics issue. This will enable the company to meet customer demand and execute the job plan at a high level of expectation. In occasions where the job calls for an item that is needed and that item is in inventory at our warehouse the business will have small delivery trucks capable of delivery such goods Marketing and Sales is essentially an information activity – informing buyers and consumers about the benefits, use, and price of the products and services of the company. ProComm Technology Solutions will have a strong and knowledgeable sales team. This team will be knowledgeable in all facets of the business. The team will also receive training in current market technologies in existence, sales training, and in how to maximize sales by delivering outstanding customer service. Your sales performance is a function of how well you create value for the client or customer, enticing them to commit their expenditure with you. Unless you are prepared to sacrifice profit, service becomes the critical ingredient to create meaningful value for your customers (iperform.com.au) Service activities refer to the maintenance and enhancement of the products value such as Customer support, equipment maintenance service, etc. ProComm Technology Solutions’ service activities encompass excellent customer support during and after installation of a product or service. It also includes warranty services and equipment maintenance services as part of the service level agreement signed with the customer. The company will also offer extended service level agreements when the basic agreement expires in order to fully extend the service and maintenance of the equipment. Support Activities Organizational Infrastructure deals with administration and managements systems. ProComm Technology Solutions will have at their disposal executive support systems in place to help senior management address decisions requiring judgment, evaluation, and insight into the business. Middle management will have a management information system that will provide reports on the organizations current performance and monitor and control the business and predict future performance. They can also count on having a decision support system that focuses on problems that are unique and rapidly changing in the industry and that concentrates solutions for procedures that may not be fully predefined in advance. Human resources management deals with employee recruiting, hiring, training, development and compensation. ProComm Technology Solutions will have a small staff of human resources specialist to deal with each and every one of these subunits. They will use a human resources information system module to coordinate all the activities dealing with these activities. If the company grows exponentially like it should then some of these activities can be outsourced to a third-party vendor such as ADP for payroll processing, and to vendors like Global Knowledge for business and IT training. Technology development deals with the use of technology to obtain a competitive advantage are very important in today’s technological driven environment. Technology can be used in many ways including production to reduce cost thus adding value, research and development to develop new products and the internet so customers have 24/7 access to the firm. ProComm Technology Solutions will research new trends in the Technology industry that can be used and implemented to customers. By doing so, we can be derive a first to market posture and reap the rewards of customer satisfaction and excellence in implementation. The company will also have an Internet Web Site detailing all it services and technologies for the public. Procurement: This business unit must source materials for the business and obtain the best price for doing so. ProComm Technology Solutions will have a procurement unit that is attached to the Operations department. The challenge for procurement is to obtain the best possible price and quality available on the market for their budget. The firm will deal with a number of vendors in the industry such as Cisco Systems, Oracle, Microsoft, any a number of other small IT vendors (LearnMarketing.net). Through the implementation of advanced technological improvements in our own business, the firm can achieve competitive advantage by attaining operational excellence, lowering costs, improving profit margins, and forging a closer relationship with customers and suppliers (Laudon & Laudon 2012). References Brehm, N., & Jorge Marx Gómez. (2006). SAP/R3 as Part of a Federated ERP System Environment. IDEA GROUP PUBLISHING. 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Retrieved from http://www.enterpriseappstoday.com/crm/crm-buyers-guide-which-enterprise-crm-tool-is-right-for-you-1.html 2013 Best Online Project Management Comparisons. (2013). Tech Media Network. Retrieved from http://online-project-management-review.toptenreviews.com/index.html Read More