Wireless_Technologies_Proposal_Week_6

Wireless Technologies Proposal Deborah Stone XBIS/220 Introduction to Computer Applications and Systems June 30, 2013 Jayson Sayers Party Plates is a very proud manufacturer of colorful, decorative paper plates and napkins. Our products are sold for a variety of special events. We have found that going forward it is essential that we move toward wireless technology to keep up with the growing demands of our company and new technology that is available to our employees. At this time we are using a fully wired computer network with all the benefits of Microsoft Office and an Access based database to keep track of orders and sales throughout the company. Many of our customers are ordering through the Internet with our company’s website which offers them all our products through an online catalog. Our employees are able to create reports or download data to Excel, which helps in tracking sales, manage our inventory, as well as tracking employee data. The research conducted will identify wireless technologies that will not only replace old technologies but also will help with our efficiency and productivity as it is implemented throughout our company. We are aware that employees must stay connected to the Internet to receive sales orders, inventory availability and they need to be able be connected to other employees. This proposal suggests that with the use of wireless technologies our workers will be more mobilized. The introduction of smart phones and laptops will give our employees the mobility that will help them maximize productivity. Smart Phones [pic] One product that is strongly suggested is the smart phone. The majority of Party Plates orders come through e-commerce. This includes our direct sales through our online catalog, and also credit card interface. As we look at our sales forecast, we are projecting an increase of 15%-20% each year. Our sales representatives are assigned territories and as they fill orders they need the ability to insure there is inventory to fill them. Our sales representatives are also expected to follow up with customers and respond to any problems as well as keeping track of the order status. The sales representatives will be able to keep in touch with the warehouse and factory workers by sending e-mails and reports to let them know of upcoming orders. By using smart phones through out the company employees will receive messages from the online e-commerce system on the website so that the work will begin in all areas quickly and efficiently. Employees will be in touch no matter where they are and they will have access to e-mail, inventory reports, calendars, as well as customer and employee lists with contact information available. With smart phone technology the IT department can develop applications that can support individual department functions and they will also be able to set up applications for customers to use so they can view our catalog and buy products using their own smart phones. Wireless Laptops [pic] Wireless laptops will be the second wireless technology that could be implemented. Laptops have Wi-Fi built into them and it would make it easy for employees to connect from any location that offers Wi-Fi. All the functions that can be done on a wired computer can now be done on a wireless laptop. Laptops can be taken to meetings with customers, e-mail can be accessed, scheduling, invoicing, processing orders, and checking inventory availability can all be done on a wireless laptop. Risks Involved We have covered the many pros of going wireless, but there are also cons that we haven’t discussed. There are basically three factors that we need to address. The first one is roaming. If a sales representative is traveling they will need to be able to have access to Wi-Fi. Many hotels, coffee shops and bookstores offer this service free, but if it isn’t available then we may have to look at what fees would cost and there can be separate charges for each service available. Security is the second issue that needs to be addressed. Radio waves are used in Wi-Fi connections and it can be difficult to protect the wireless laptops from people trying to hack into the system. There are four major threats that can hurt wireless networks. They include “rogue access points, war driving, eavesdropping, and RF jamming” (Rainer & Cegielski, 2011). If needed we can discuss these issues further with our IT group and try to determine what the best practices should be to protect our wireless network. The third issue is the cost. Wi-Fi services can be inexpensive, but when we look at turning the company completely to wireless we are looking at an initial cost and then possibly the cost of some sales representatives needing to pay for service. The following chart shows a breakdown of the cost. If we decide to go with the laptops there could also be an extra charge for Wi-Fi away from the office. We may also be able to get better pricing from other smart phone providers. |6/30/2013 | | | | | | |Number of employees |54 |  |  |  |  | |Wireless Technology |Cost |Initial cost |monthly fee per phone |Monthly fee per laptop |Total monthly | |Smart Phones |$150.00 |$8,100.00 |$106.54 |  |$5,753.16 | |Lap Tops |$350.00 |$18,900.00 |  |$25.00 |$1,350.00 | |  |  |  |  |  |  | References Rainer, R. K. & Cegielski, C. G. (2011). Introduction to information systems: Supporting and transforming business (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.