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1、1 / 8Current Technology AssessmentHD VESTs current technology platform, while relatively stable and supporting the firms business today, does not meet the organizations overallgoal of becoming a premiere financial services firm. Due to the growth that VEST has enjoyed, an overall systems strategy ha

2、s not been developedto support existing business or anticipated growth. A brief description of the hardware is as follows: three (3) network servers provide file services tothe firm; dedicated workstations provide fax and internal/external electronic-mail services.; the cabling is level 5 UTP; both

3、10 and 16 mbps TokenRing are employed; a100mbps fiber backbone between floors has been installed; the telecommunications system is composed of several of localand long distance carriers; the main switch is a Siemens product; voice mail is supported by the Octel system. Arthur Andersen made the follo

4、wingobservations regarding HD VESTs current hardware environment:Communications (electronically) with the reps is limited by the hardware and communication software tools utilized today. Rep to repelectronic communications does not exist.Network and workstation technology implemented throughout VEST

5、 (i.e., applications running centralized on the file server withdiskless workstations) is not the standard architecture utilized across a majority of industries, and does not lend itself to high-endprocessing and increased user system demands.The historical technical direction of the IS department h

6、as resulted in systems that are not technologically current and which differ fromwhere the marketplace is generally heading.Technology advances that could significantly contribute to HD VESTs business and success have not been evaluated or implemented.2 / 8Current Technology Assessment, ContinuedVES

7、T technology infrastructure (network capacity) is not adequate to support the existing workstations.VEST network has high traffic over non-standardized bandwidths (10, 16, and 100 mbps).The typical PC has no hard drive which places more stress on the file server making the network slow and causing e

8、rrors.The move to Windows-based desktops will require placing hard disks in each workstation (to provide adequate response times). Someworkstations access and are served by the network at a slower speed than others. This is due to some workstations sending/receivingdata at 10mbps versus others sendi

9、ng/receiving at 16mbps. Thirty (30) ports remain in the telecommunications system, which isinsufficient for future growth. The switching technology and telecommunications software employed is insufficient to support firminitiatives. For example, the Customer Service/National Sales Premium Service Te

10、am initiative will require more sophisticated callrouting than currently available. An AT&T system is being considered to replace the existing one. Maintenance contracts to supportdesktop workstations or file servers do not exist.No integration between the telecommunications and information syst

11、ems has been addressed.3 / 8Technology AssessmentCurre nt Hardware In frastructureOverviewpplications & Data揌DV 3?IBM Compatible9.6 kbpsModemIBM CompatibleMOD EM ServerModemModemM od emAShark Ded icated LineModemApplicatio ns & Data揌DV 2?IRMA 3270 LAN EmulationN atio nal Fin ancialSybase RDB

12、M S & Data揝BA SE?Novell 3 .11N ovell 3.11U ser Desktop PersonalCom p utersIBM Com patible x156predom inantly diskless booted from floppyN etw ork Laser pr in ter x1810, 16mbps Toke n Ri ng100mbps fibre backb one to 2ndand 8th floorsFax ServerN ovell 3.12Novell M H S M ail ServerodemUser Desktop

13、PCV estLin k C ustom Em ail Server2 I BM Compatib les7 L ines, 3 in ,3 out, 1 in / outIBM CompatibleIBM Compatib leRem ote D ial- In ServerPCA nyw hM od emModemIBM CompatibleIBMCompatibleNon-netw orked Nid enIBM14.4 kbpsCom patib leM od em9.6 kbpsM od emTypical Rep Workstati on:1040 Analy stPortfoli

14、o AnalystD atam ax1040 EZV estLi nk4 / 8Current Technology AssessmentHardware ReviewSuggestedHardwareDate InstalledAssessme ntReplaceme nt or UpgradeHDV 29/92Processor is a 486/33 with 64 megabytes of RAM. System has an old disksub-system, 20 megabytes un der recomme nded RAM and no disk space avail

15、able.Curre ntly HDV2 does not meet VESTs n eeds, and has no upgrade capability.ReplaceAs Soon As PossibleHDV 33/93Processor is a 486/66 with 128 megabytes of RAM. System is currently at 4050%processor capacity, 20 megabytes un der recomme nded RAM and no disk spaceavailable. Curre ntly HDV3 meets n

16、eeds, but will not meet VEST future n eeds.Upgrade/Replace 1996sSBASE4/94Processor is a 486/33 with 64 megabytes of RAM. System has 40 megabytes un derrecomme nded RAM and no disk space available. Curre ntly SBASE meets needs, butwill not meet VESTs future needs.ReplaceAs Soon As PossiblePers onalCo

17、mputersWide variety of processors, primarily diskless workstati ons, DOS versi ons andcapabilities with limited Windows implementation. Diskless workstati ons are not idealfor worki ng in new tech no logy and Win dows en vir onmen ts.ReplaceAs Soon As PossibleNetworkTopologyThe n etwork comp onents

18、have bee n prove n to work together. However, there is nocom mon shared ban dwidth that allows each user to send & receive data at the samethe speed (e.g., 16/4 vs. 10 vs. 100).UpgradeAs Soon As PossibleHardware Considerations in Forming Recommendations5 / 8HD VESTS CURRENT POSITIONCen tralized

19、process in g, limited intercomputer cooperative process ingLimited n etwork device recoverycapabilityMini mal n etwork man agement capabilityINDUSTRY TRENDSDecen tralized clie nt-server process ing envir onmen t, impleme nted using highspeed network ing tech no logiesHigh availability n etwork devic

20、es implemented, for example on servers, usingredundant arrays of in expe nsive disks(RAID), hot swapable drives and other techno logiesActive n etwork man ageme nt of multiple vendor devices, remotely, from the administrators desktop.ADVANTAGES OF NEWTECHNOLOGY-Improved user performa nee-Better over

21、all in formati on deliver-Lower overall process ing cost-“ Fault tolerant”network devices-Less system dow ntimeLack of remote comput ing capabilitiesMobile computing (“locationindependence”) accomplished usingno tebook computers, pers onal digitalassista nts, cellular phon es, etc. to communi cate w

22、ith the home office, spon sors,and repsFaster resp onse time to userhardware issues-Less system dow ntime-Track compa ny hardware andsoftware assets-Any time, any where computing6 / 8Future Recommended Technology DirectionIn order for HD VESTs information systems to support the firms future needs as

23、 VEST becomes a premiere fifniramnctihael rseearvriecesseveral improvement areas. Increased system performance and reliability will be required in order to support the technological direction of VEST. Arthur Andersen makesthe following recommendations to HD VEST regarding future hardware environment

24、:VEST should consider implementing a decentralized processing environment. By doing this VEST will align with industry trends thus positioning VEST to takeadvantage of packaged technology, increased user performance and lower overall processing costs.Increased network device recovery capability shou

25、ld be implemented. This will create a“Farounltmtoelenrtaanntd”newill result in less system downtime.Network management capability should be implemented to allow administration of multiple vendor devices from remote locations. This will increase responsetimes, decrease downtime and enable IS personne

26、l to track company hardware and software.Remote computing capabilities should be implemented to allow“location independence”for communications to the homsponsors and Reps.VEST should negotiate hardware pricing for the Reps to receive discounts in order to provide cost advantages and entice Reps to b

27、uy hardware adequate tomeet the Rep desktop needs.To maintain a stable technical environment VEST should consider:- Upgrading/replacing network servers- Upgrade workstations- Replace ProNet - 10 Token Ring (proprietary)- Build fibre optic backbone between servers (100 mbps)- Use an external router to relieve the servers7 / 8Tech ni cal Architecture Visio n -NetworkVest Integrated Back Office Sy stemDatabase-Platform TBD匚Rep Desktop PCModem bankLotusN otesServerT okenRingLevel OneSponso