Chapter 11

Information Systems Planning

The process of planning, both for the entire information infrastructure and for specific applications, is the topic of Chapter 11. The chapter introduces some important planning models and deals with the important issue of information systems payoffs and justification.

[ Update | Exercises | IT@Work ]

Update

The true cost of desktop computing..? Who knows..?

How much does a PC cost? If you check the latest newspaper specials, it seems like you can get a pretty decent machine for less than two grand. Check again! It turns out that the true cost of the typical PC for most large organizations is many times the cost of the hardware alone. According to the Economist (Weighing the case for the network computer), hardware is only one-fifth of the nearly $40,000 price tag (over three years) for the average desktop system. Datamation’s David Simpson acknowledges that while calculating desktop management costs is difficult, many corporations think it’s essential to Cut desktop management costs!

The Network Computer (see Chapter 10 – update) is seen by many as a panacea to the spiraling maintenance costs, mainly because NCs have fewer "moving parts" to maintain. To understand more, read Business Week’ explanation of Why Corporate America Is Leading The Charge to the NC.

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Exercises

Visit IBM’s Web site and find information about BSP. Find if there is a related newsgroup or EBB group.
Prepare a report on the role of CSF in IT. Base your report on material collected from the Internet.
Justifying IT investment is a difficult task. One aspect of it is the productivity paradox. Surf the Internet and find material on both sides of the debate. Also, find an appropriate newsgroup and discuss the topic of "justifying the investment in Internet."

IT@Work

ARKLA - NorAm

National - Emerald Club

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