Week Six - Hardware Quotations

Hardware Quotations

My goal this week was to find some overall quotations and costings for Mrs. Carter, because she had now hardware whats so ever I had to get costings for three computers, monitors, mice, keyboards, printer and any further accessories, the main focus of this was the costings for hardware.

Computer: Stone Desktop i3-4130 3.40GHZ, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD

Monitor: Iiyama ProLite E2083HSD-81 20" LED DVI Monitor 

Printer: HP DeskJet 2620 All-in-One Wireless Inkjet Printer

Keyboard & Mouse: Advent C112 Keyboard & Mouse Set

Wireless Adapter: TP-Link Archer T1U USB Wireless Adapter AC 450, Single-band

So after finding out the quotes for the hardware we will need to carry out this project, I sent me results back to Mrs. Carter and then she chose the following...

Computer: Stone Desktop i3-4130 3.40GHZ, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD - She was happy with the RAM, Storage and Processor compared to the other two machines I had recommended.

Monitor: Iiyama ProLite E2083HSD-81 20" LED DVI Monitor - Mrs. Carter was impressed with the pricing, she wasn't really interested in the size or output of the display.

Printer: HP DeskJet 2620 All-in-One Wireless Inkjet Printer - After looking at the spec of all three printers, Mrs. Carter was happy that the all in one was ideal, it wasn't really going to be heavily used anyway and was impressed with price and compatibility.

 Keyboard & Mouse: Advent C112 Keyboard & Mouse Set - With the Keyboard and mouse, she told me to source the cheapest and most user friendly devices. I found a cheap set from Currys which I has used before.

Wireless Adapter: TP-Link Archer T1U USB Wireless Adapter AC 450, Single-band - Since we only plan to have a small layout I felt that going down a wireless route was important, I told her my intentions and was happy to proceed, with this item again she told me to recommend one and go with it.

So after a week or so of finding the hardware, sending the details to Mrs. Carter and receiving her feedback. We now have a foundation of hardware I can work with, next week I will be looking into and pricing of software.

email sent from R. Carter -> 23/11/17

Week Five - Floor Plan

Floor Plan

So into week five, Mrs. Carter has forwarded me the floor plan for the implementation of the network.

So from the floor plan above, I can now really start to plan the project. You can see that as I enter the room, to the left of me will be the first desktop PC, straight ahead will be the shared printer and behind that is the desk with the second and third desktop PC's. Its a very basic, small layout which will be workable, I will need to confirm with Mrs. Carter about the power outlets in the room and if extension leads will be required.

This weeks plan now will be to start finding some actual hardware to put in this room, I will be going to numerous suppliers and checking prices, specification and usability. From the information I receive from my sources regarding quotes and findings, I will send them to Mrs. Carter and await her feedback.

email sent from R. Carter -> 9/9/17

Week Four - What the Customer Wants

What the Customer Wants

On Sunday the 29th of October I met with Mrs. Carter (the owner of Rosie's Piano School) to discuss what direction she wants her business network to head in, she had some clear ideas and knew exactly what she was after which made this meeting go very smoothly.

Mrs. Carter was a little tight for time so we got straight to business, I went over the topics to discuss: hardware, software, security, plan, costings and installation time. 

Hardware: Mrs. Carter was very keen on having three brand new computers (not laptops), she was adamant on this as she didn't want to risk damage costs. She also wants a shared printer that her employees can have access too.

Software: Mrs. Carter was just interested in making sure her employees have internet access (as that is how her website and business is managed, it is also key to have the Microsoft Office suit installed. One more point she mentioned was having an shared email address they can all have access too, I mentioned that we could have Office 365 which would take care of the Office software and also email.

Security: Mrs. Carter did not know much about security, she was just keen on having an antivirus software implemented to her system. I went over the idea of having shared folders and and security on who can access certain files and resources, she liked the idea but as all employees need access to the same resources, this was not required.

Plan: We went over which room would suit this installation and how the layout could look, she said on this matter "I will have a think and let you know by next week".

Costings: We then talked about the costings and I made it clear with the cost of hardware that the higher spec the model, the higher the cost. Mrs. Carter said that she was looking at spending around £300 to £400 per PC and £50 for the printer. As for my time, I told her that this was for my degree and was happy to charge nothing for the labour.

Installation Time: We talked about when she was happy that the project and the hardware will be installed, I said that I would take me a little time to source the hardware for the best price and software. We agreed that the installation will take place sometime after Christmas.

So after me meet with Mrs. Carter, I now have a clearer idea of what she wants and what direction we can move in, I will now wait on her plan ideas and from that we can begin to move forward with the project.