MIS 3406 Flash Research Assignments
Four Flash Research Assignments
Flash Research Paper # 1
Data Centers and Networking
I recommend that we upgrade to the Tier III data center, because with our current Tier I data center, we have lost over $25 million in downtime cost over the last year. With Tier III’s redundant components and concurrent maintainability we can greatly reduce our downtime. We also can generate $13 million in net benefit over the next 3-year period.
The key capabilities of a Tier III data center are redundancy and concurrent maintainability. When we do maintenance on our data center, each component can be shut down without affecting the system as redundant components would take over. Compared to the Tier I data center’s downtime of 1,734 minutes per year, the Tier III data center would reduce our downtime to 105 minutes per year. This reduction of downtime means our company can save a lot on downtime cost.
The construction cost over a 3-year period of a Tier III data center is $35 million which will generate a benefit of $48 million over a 3-year period by reducing the downtime. Our net benefit over a 3-year period is $13 million which includes reductions in downtime cost.
Resources
Uptime Institute, LLC. “Data Center Site Infrastructure Tier Standard: Topology.” New York, NY: Uptime Institute, LLC, 2010.
Tier 3 data center specifications checklist. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.computerweekly.com/tip/Tier-3-data-center-specifications-checklist
How are data center tiers classified and why are they important? (2017, March 17). Retrieved from https://www.zenlayer.com/data-center-tiers-classified-important/
Tables
| Min/Year | Availability | Downtime | Downtime Min | Downtime cost | |
| Tier I | 525600 | 99.67% | 0.33% | 1734.48 | $ 25,670,304 |
| Tier III | 525600 | 99.98% | 0.02% | 105.12 | $ 1,555,776 |
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total | ||
| Cost | $ 35,000,000 | $ – | $ – | $ 35,000,000 | |
| Benefit | $ – | $ 24,114,528 | $ 24,114,528 | $ 48,229,056 | |
| 3-Year Net Benefit | $ 13,229,056 |
Flash Research Paper #2
Virtualization and Cloud Computing
We can achieve $9,200,000 in net benefit over the next 3 years by integrating VMWare server virtualization instead of the current physical servers. With the server consolidation, we can reduce our 1000 physical servers to 200 physical servers and 80 virtual machine servers.
With each of the virtual machine servers, we can divide the unused processing power into 10 parts, and each part can act as a regular physical server would. Server virtualization solves physical servers’ problem with under-utilization of server space by only setting aside the amount of processing power that each server required. Although each of the virtual machine servers cost more in initial investment and maintenance, consolidation of servers would reduce 66% of total purchasing and maintenance cost over 3 years. – reduce to 280 servers
With the consolidation of servers, we will save $14,000,000 over a 3-year period by reducing the number of physical servers. But, our total cost over a 3-year period, which includes initial purchased cost and maintenance cost, is $4,800,000. Our net benefit over 3-year period is $9,200,000.
Work Cited
“Virtualization Technology & Virtual Machine Software: What Is Virtualization?” VMWare, 28 Sept. 2018, www.vmware.com/solutions/virtualization.html.
“VMware Server Virtualization Benefits.” Giant Stride, www.giantstride.gr/vmware-server-virtualization-benefits/.
Marshall, David. “Top 10 Ways Server Virtualization Changed the Data Center.” Network World, Network World, 2 Nov. 2011, www.networkworld.com/article/3263399/virtualization/top-10-ways-server-virtualization-improves-the-data-center.html.
Table
| Physical Servers | Consolidated Servers | ||
| Years | Cost of (100%) Physical Servers | Cost of (20%) Physical servers and (80%) Virtual servers | Net Benefit |
| 1 | $10,000,000.00 | $3,520,000.00 | $6,480,000.00 |
| 2 | $2,000,000.00 | $640,000.00 | $1,360,000.00 |
| 3 | $2,000,000.00 | $640,000.00 | $1,360,000.00 |
| Total Cost | $14,000,000.00 | $4,800,000.00 | $9,200,000.00 |
| Physical Servers | 1000 | Net Benefit | |
| Consolidated Servers | 80 | Total Benefits | $9,200,000.00 |
| 200 | Cost Reduction | 66% |
Flash Research # 3
SharePoint
By integrating SharePoint into our company, we can increase our net benefits by $1,846,250 over three years. SharePoint provides a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information which decreases the amount of time that our PMPs manage their documents and increase their total billable hours by 3810 hours annually.
SharePoint is a collaborative platform from Microsoft that allow team members to effectively manage and share documents. As it is a product of Microsoft, we can seamlessly work with another Microsoft Office software. Its optimum ease of use and unrequired deep knowledge of coding make it an ideal platform to switch to with minimal training time. One key capability of SharePoint is that it allows members and clients to collaborate and communicate meaningfully in a project which reduces the time that our PMPs need to work on the documents.
SharePoint allows our PMPs to increase their billing hours which will allow us to gain $2,100,000 in gross benefit over three years. Total cost is minimal, as hardware, maintenance and 10% of one PMP’s billing hours will only cost $253,750 over three years. This give us a net benefit of $1,846,250 over three years because of the increase in billing hours.
Resources
6 Benefits of Using Microsoft SharePoint. (2016, November 23). Retrieved from https://phoenixts.com/blog/benefits-of-microsoft-sharepoint/
Banks, D. (2018). Top 10 Benefits of SharePoint Online. [online] Storm ID Blog. Available at: https://blog.stormid.com/top-10-benefits-of-sharepoint-online
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.manektech.com/blog/what-is-sharepoint-what-are-the-benefits-of-using-microsoft-sharepoint-in-software-development
Table
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total | |
| Cost | ||||
| Hardware/software | $ 100,000 | $ – | $ – | $ 100,000 |
| Maintainance | $ 18,000 | $ 18,000 | $ 18,000 | $ 54,000 |
| 10% of one person | $ 33,250 | $ 33,250 | $ 33,250 | $ 99,750 |
| Total Costs | $ 151,250 | $ 51,250 | $ 51,250 | $ 253,750 |
| Benefits | ||||
| Increased Revenue | $ 700,000 | $ 700,000 | $ 700,000 | $ 2,100,000 |
| Total Benefits | $ 700,000 | $ 700,000 | $ 700,000 | $ 2,100,000 |
| Net Benefits | $ 548,750 | $ 648,750 | $ 648,750 | $ 1,846,250 |
Flash Research # 4
WordPress
By integrating WordPress into our company, we can cut costs and achieve a net benefit of $2,451,000 over three years. WordPress provides a platform for our developers to complete their work with fewer people at a fraction of the time. This efficiency allows us to make a headcount reduction of seven developers.
WordPress is an open source website creation tool written in PHP. One key capability of WordPress is that developers can choose existing themes and plugins to customize websites with the needed looks and functions. These themes and plugins are pre-written codes that developers can play with to finish their work in a fraction of the time of traditional methods. Beside the efficiency in the website’s creation, WordPress is also more efficient in updating the websites as the traditional approach would require writing the codes from scratch.
WordPress would allow our company to make a headcount reduction of seven developers which allow us to gain $2,625,000 in gross benefit over three years. Total cost is minimal, as hardware/software, maintenance and training will only cost $174,000 over three years. This give us a net benefit of $2,451,000 over three years because of the headcount reductions.
Resources
Advantages and Disadvantages of using WordPress. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.iblogzone.com/2016/12/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-wordpress.html
What Is WordPress? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ithemes.com/tutorials/what-is-wordpress/
Wolfe, L. (n.d.). Learn About the Five Key Benefits of Using WordPress for Your Website. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/five-key-benefits-of-using-wordpress-for-your-website-3515362
Table
| Original Team Members | 12 | Costs | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total | |
| Hardware/Software | $100,000 | $0 | $0 | $100,000 | |||
| New Traditional Team | 3 | Maintenance | $18,000 | $18,000 | $18,000 | $54,000 | |
| Remaining developers | 9 | Training (2 people) | $20,000 | $0 | $0 | $20,000 | |
| Increase in Efficiency | 77.80% | Total Cost | $138,000 | $18,000 | $18,000 | $174,000 | |
| New WordPress Team | 2 | Benefits | |||||
| Headcount Reduction | 7 | Headcount Reduction | $875,000 | $875,000 | $875,000 | $2,625,000 | |
| Total Benefits | $875,000 | $875,000 | $875,000 | $2,625,000 | |||
| 3-year Net Benefits | $2,451,000 | ||||||