Networking report due Sunday 11am PST (No lateness, no gambling with this)
Stage 1 Genevieve Strobel
Genevieve Strobel
IFSM 310
Stage 1
UMUC
df
Stage 1
Marks 3D printing
Background – briefly describe the business to be supported by the new infrastructure.
The business to be supported by the new infrastructure is Marks 3D printing company. Currently one heavy duty 3D printer, 2 wireless 3D printers, a PC and Verizon FIOS with a modem and wireless router. Mark will be expanding his business and will have an additional 7 3D printers to support. Along with his 2 current part time assistants Mark will be adding 5 new full time employees. The business needs a 3D scanner and a document scanner. Cloud storage along with local storage will be added for Marks training videos and his 3D designs and production files. An ERP system will be added to keep track of orders. More systems will be added and they must have flexibility to access all the printers. All the employees will need to have mobile access to the ERP and all the 3D printers and design files.
Current IT infrastructure – List the hardware, software, and network components that Mark currently has in place (not what he wants to add with his "Expansion Plan"). Note that you may need to make some assumptions about the components based on what is provided in the Case Study.
Mark currently has one heavy duty 3D printer, 2 wireless 3D printers, one PC, and his company is using Verizon FiOS. With the Verizon FiOS, Mark has FiOS modem which has a wireless router.
Requirements - List five requirements Mark has identified that the systems will have to perform or support as he expands his business. These can be "business" needs or part of the 3D printing operation.
1. Enterprise resource management (ERP) information system in his facility.
2. Document scanner.
3. Mobile access to ERP and 3D design files and 3D printers.
4. Flexibility on all computers, each computers must be able to access all the 3D printers.
5. Cloud storage for back up and local storage for 3D print files and training videos for Marks new employees.
How requirements will be met - Briefly explain to Mark what system components will be needed to meet each of the five requirements listed above. These may be components he already has or new components to be added.
1. Mark will need software for ERP, Oracle + NetSuite is one he can use. It is cost efficient and effective software for his company. (Harris)
2. Marks 3D printing will need a document scanner, Brother makes affordable and well-made scanners for small businesses. Brother Image Center ADS-2800W or Brother Image Center ADS-2000e are two good options for this small business.
3. Windows Surface tablet and laptops would work great for employees to access ERP and 3D printing files and 3D printers all around the facility. Mark could choose from Surface 3 or Surface Pro 4. These devices will give employees the ability to aces the necessary documents and help customers while being mobile as Mark said is a requirement. (Microsoft)
4. The 3D printers have to be networked and then all the computers can access and printer from them. For what Mark wants his current infrastructure should support this.
5. Mark can save his 3D production files and his business management locally on hi current PC, in addition he can add an external drive. When Mark saves his backups locally and to his external drive he should also back them up to the Cloud. Mark can purchase Cloud storage from Microsoft. Microsoft OneDrive can be used as Cloud storage and all work done on the Surfaces can be saved to the OneDrive as well and accessed from there. (Microsoft)
Data representation and storage - Finally, Mark needs to store and use several types of data: digital and numerical, audio, video and graphics data. Explain to him how each of these types of data are represented in digital form, how they are stored, and on which device(s) (either in place or something he needs to add) each type of data will be stored. Include each of the following:
Digital and numerical data will be stored in the ERP.
Digital and numerical data is input into computers as binary code. Binary code is a systems of 1’s and 0’s. Each 1 or 0 is a bit and bits are the smallest unit of data that a binary computer can recognize. Digital data representation is how the computer interprets data. The computer understands coding systems instead of letters or phrases that the computer user views. So Mark will see letters that he is saving and the data is stored to the computer is binary code.
Audio data can be stored on his PC and the Surfaces and OneDrive.
Audio data is understood in pieces. Audio data is recorded with an input device such as a microphone Audio data uses samples. Samples are taken from the recording thousands of times every second and when they are played back in the same order they will then create the original audio file. Files are often compressed into formats like MP3 so that they take up less storage space. This also makes them easier to download or send also well as store on a MP3 player.
Video data can be stored on his PC, the Surfaces and OneDrive.
Video data is recorded with the use of frames. Frames are still images that are taken numerous times per second and when they are played simultaneously they create a video. Video data contains a lot of information and the files can be compressed. Compressing it makes it possible for full length movies containing thousands of frames to be stored on optical discs.(Needleman; Staff ,2016)
Graphics data can be stored on his PC, the Surfaces and the OneDrive.
Graphics are multimedia data, these types of data are images and can be stored in the form of a bitmap image file. Bitmap image contains pixels or a picture element, and they are arranged in a grid like pattern. Every pixel is made up of a specific group of numbers, which corresponds to the color and its intensity. Pixels play an important role in the quality of an image. An image with many pixels will most likely be a higher quality image. (Introduction to Computer Information Systems, 2.2.1-2.2.5)
References:
Harris, D. (n.d.). ERP Software. Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.softwareadvice.com/erp/
Introduction to Computer Information Systems. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://learn.umuc.edu/d2l/le/content/198525/viewContent/8064066/View
Chapter 2.2.1-2.25
Needleman, T. (2016, March 28). A Small Business Guide to Document Scanners. Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/buyersguide/a-small-business-guide-to-document-scanners.html
Staff, T. T. (2016, December 22). Brother ImageCenter Review 2017 | Best Scanner. Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.toptenreviews.com/computers/scanners/best-document-scanners/brother-imagecenter-review/
Welcome to Microsoft OneDrive. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from https://onedrive.live.com/about/en-us/
Xbox, Surface 3 Tablet, PC, Office, Windows Phone. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/home
