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On The Spot

Courier Service

A detailed report on the needs for establishing a functioning system
for On the Spot Courier Service
Business
Letter

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ON THE SPOT COURIER SERVICES
BUSINESS REPORT
April 28, 2014




Table of contents
Introduction
Summary
o Tier 1 Design
o Tier 2 Design
o Tier 3 Design
Findings
Recommendations
Conclusion


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Introduction
The On the Spot Courier Service needs a system that allows
management to seamlessly provide service and support to customers.
Management should be able to have real-time communication and data
transfer between the businesss warehouse, drivers, and the home office.
Customers should also be able to be in direct contact with management,
the warehouse and the drivers. I have outlined the basic needs for
starting the business system, and provided options that leave room for
expansion. I have developed a basic outline that lists the bare minimum
needs that I will refer to as Tier 1. I have also drafted a more in-depth
network needs list that has more advanced options that I will refer to as
Tier 2. Finally, I have a proposition list that shows top-end options
that I will refer to as Tier 3



Summary

The Tier 1 setup has all of the basic needs for the company, and is
cost-efficient. It provides all elements required for management to be
able to satisfy customer requests, data transfer between the driver, the
customer and management. This system would allow the driver receive
orders, print labels, and be in direct contact with the customer. The
design of this system provides complete system backup in case of any
sort of system failure. The software needed for this system includes anti-
virus, voicemail, accounting and inventory management. With these
basic components, the system will be cost-efficient and fully functional.

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Tier 1 System Model
Item Description Quantity Cost
Workstation
DELL OptiPlex 462-3585
Desktop PC 1 $690.00
Laptop
DELL Inspiron i15RMT-
7566sLV 1 $750.00
Tablet
Samsung 32GB Galaxy
Note 10.1" 2 $1,100.00
Wireless Scanner
Wasp WWS550i
Freedom Cordless
Barcode Scanner 2 $612.00
Barcode Printer
XEROX WPL608 Thermal
Transfer and
DirectThermal Industrial
Barcode Printer 1 $690.00
Portable Printer
Datamax-O'Neil LP3
Portable Thermal Label
Printer 2 $1,810.00
Document Printer
HP LaserJet Pro 400
M475dn MFP 2 $1,000.00
Backup Device
NETGEAR ReadyNAS
314 RN31400 1 $600.00
Application Server DELL PowerEdge T620 1 $3,000.00
Server License
Microsoft Windows
Server 2012 (included) 1 $0.00
User CALs
Microsoft Windows
Server 2012 - 5 User
CALs - OEM (not
included) 5 $159.00
Antivirus Suite
Symantec Norton
Antivirus 2014 (up to 10
PCs) 1 $150.00
UPS
APC Back-UPS XS
1000VA UPS - 600 Watt
- Lead acid 2 $200.00
UPS Batteries
Dell XJ547 Controllers
Accessories Battery
Backup Unit 1 $75.00
Wireless Routers
Cisco Systems Cisco
Small Business RV180W
Wireless router 2 $500.00
Data Service
ComCast Business (per
month) 1 $70.00
Web Page Development
Basic Site w/graphics *
(estimated cost,
$50/month 1 $1,200.00

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maintenance)
Voicemail System
Google Voice (Free
edition) 1 $0.00
Accounting Suite
Intuit QuickBooks Pro
w/ Enhanced Payroll
2014 (up to 5 users) 1 $300.00
Inventory Management
Suite
Fishbowl Inventory and
Mobile (compatible
w/Quickbooks, up to 5
users) 1 $7,195.00
*
http://webdesign.about.com/
od/beforeyoustartawebsite/a
/how-much-should-a-web-
design-cost.htm TOTAL $20,101.00




The Tier 2 setup adds a few features to the Tier 1 setup that
make the system easier to manage, and adds more functionality for
management. By adding a server cabinet, and a network switch it
allows the hardware to be more easily managed, and adds room for
future expansion. Adding the Microsoft Office Suite software it
would make it possible to make business documents, spreadsheets,
diagrams, and other helpful resources.

Tier 2 Additions
Server Cabinet Norco C-24U 24U Rack Cabinet 1 $550.00
Switch Cisco Small Business 200 Series SLM2024T-NA Smart Gigabit Switch SG200-26 1 $245.00
Microsoft Office Suite Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010 - PC - DVD-ROM 1 $160.00

Additional cost $955.00
Total System Cost
After Tier 2 additions
$25,994.00



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The Tier 3 system is a drastic change from Tier 1 and Tier 2,
in that it adds an application development team that would create
applications to replace purchased software. This would initially be
rather expensive, but would save the company money in the future,
and it would provide applications that are specifically designed for
the companys unique needs. Added to this system design is a NAS
(Network-attached storage) server that will provide localized file
storage. Additionally a Firewall is implemented to protect local
files, and any new application developments. The last new feature
of the Tier 3 system is having network cable and connections
installed to accommodate expansion and new employees.

Tier 3 additions
NAS Server
SANS DIGITAL EliteNAS
EN208L+BXE Server 1 $2,870.00
Firewall
SONICWALL 01-SSC-
3851 NSA 3600 1 $2,095.00
Computer Network
Wiring Installation
HomeWyse network
installation 5 $795.00
Application
Development
Application
development cost
(small project, $40K -
$90K - 2-3 months
work) 1 $40,000.00

Additional Cost $45,760
Total Cost after Tier 3
Additions $70,272.00




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Findings

Upon reviewing the needs of the business compared to the three
system designs that I have provided, it is obvious to me that any of
the three systems would fully benefit the company. The main issue
is the cost of the Tier 3 system which may seem a little steep for a
new business, such as ours. Given the needs of this business,
making a choice on which system to implement relies solely on the
opinion of the management. Choosing the Tier 1 model would be a
cost-friendly low-risk choice to get the business running.
Implementing the Tier 2 model would be slightly more expensive,
but would add a few elements of functionality and also yield low-
risk. The Tier 3 model would hold a high-risk factor due to the
price.



Recommendations
As a Systems Analyst, I believe that it would be in the
businesss best interest to implement the Tier 1 system model. I
believe this is the best choice because it provides all of the basic
needs of the company, and its price is ideal for a new business. The
Tier 2 and Tier 3 models are good choices in my opinion, but I
think that some of their functions arent completely necessary at
this moment. I believe that they would be a plausible choice only
after waiting to see how the business has grown after a few years.






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Conclusion

Choosing a systems design layout is one of the most important
factors to be considered when starting a new business. Every single
factor of the organization must be considered. I feel that any of the
three choices would be a good fit for the business. Each one of the
designs cover all of the basic needs that On the Spot Courier
Service requires. The cost and timing of each system are the two
most volatile dynamics to consider when making your choice on
which system to implement. If you have any further questions or
comments, feel free to contact me. Thank you for your
consideration.


Ethan Jones
(205)-559-0065
Ethandjones88@gmail.com

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