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Prioritizing Computer Replacements?
cuzality asks: "The public library I work for is (hopefully) going to get some money in the coming months to replace some of our computers. Since we can't replace all of them at the same time, we need to decide which machines to replace first. We have begun working on a survey instrument to help us accomplish this, but since this is the first time we are replacing computers (most were bought in 1999), this is also the first time we have tried to put together a survey for this purpose. What kind of criteria have you used to prioritize replacement of computers? Examples of surveys you have used would also be very helpful..."
Is it for the general public using the computers? Or workers for the library?
If it's for the public, perhaps leave some photocopies with a few simple questions.
"What are you using this system for"
"What software would you like to see offered"
Etc..
a public library with computers built in 1999? i thought all libraries had to have a minimum of 15 year-old technology. count your blessings.
Now quite frankly.. what kind of stupid question is that?
1. Are there broken computers or computers which are beginning to show critical signs of wear?
2. Are the computers sufficiently fast for the tasks assigned to them?
If you ask the public, they'll probably want Dual-64bit processors and the latest GFX card or something else they don't need.
Please note that you need not just "replace" but you could also move old computers to less demanding tasks.
Ideally your survey would end with a number of scores; the suitability for the task it is used for and the importance of that particular system to the library.
I assume you have some sort of server in the library, if so then you should consider how the CPU power, files and other "resources" are distributed across your network.
You might want to ask around what the problems are that the users are facing, perhaps they'll tell you that they want more than 16 colors; get better graphics hardware. Perhaps they'll complain they can't fit their files on a floppy; get a bigger harddisk. At the very least it'll give you some indication of the factors involved in making the decision.
Also try planning for the future a bit, whether this means buying overpowered systems or buying systems which barely do the task depends on things as expected future budget, the ability to move around systems, etc.
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- Figure out what you are doing or want to do with the computers. Is that what the survey is for?
- Figure out what you would replace them with (including networking, licenses for proprietary software, etc.) and figure out what it will cost and thus how many you can buy.
- Figure out which of your current machines are serving you the least in this capacity. If you have a bunch of unstable Win95 or Win98 machines that crash a lot, I'd say those are good candidates. If you have older machines that are stable, consider leaving them alone if it will allow you to replace more of the unstable ones.
- Go over the list you make, poke holes in it, and start again. When you're done, show it to others and don't look at it for a week, then come back to it and see what you think of your logic.
There. Any other part of your job you'd like us to do for you? I mean, how hard was that?While some machines are broken, or so slow that they need replacing, the time taken to replace other machines is often non-trivial for a benefit that is minimal. Sometimes, simple upgrades have much more effect for the amount of time and money spent. A common one is more RAM, but a lot of users would benefit a lot from a new monitor or a flat screen - or a second screen even. Little things, like replacing ball mice with optical ones go down well.
You might also look at some the infrastructure. If everything is slow because the network is overloaded, replacing machines won't make any difference.
In a lot of firms, the top people get new kit regularly (which they don't need), and the bottom people suffer with old cast-offs. Look at the entire setup, and see where people are needing upgrades the most, then replace those parts.
-- Steve
FWIW, I used to be automation consultant for a regional library system, and we generally recommended folks look at things in this order:
:)
...brig
PUBLIC machines first
As much for PR reasons as any.
SHARED STAFF MACHINES second
Usually most cost-effective distribution.
DEDICATED STAFF MACHINES third
Meaning the director's desktop usually gets upgraded last!
Within each category, we then looked at how old the BIOS was and how much RAM each machine had. Then we looked at budget issues.
These are, of course, general guidelines... sometimes things are done differently because you either have a funding source wanting to push a particular program or service... sometimes you have a machine which fails or is unreliable. Common sense should always override a plan, if it hasn't already been incorporated within the plan.
-- When I grow up I'd like to be a systems defenestrator.
That's understandable, but you'd still want to test each one, that way you can get the parts replaced before you have to deploy. Obviously you can do this before the install, but depending on how you put the machines together (piece by piece, or complete machines ala dell?) it may be a pain....
Also, you might find that even if you can get the prices in bulk to come down, it may be cheaper still to wait one year and buy then. At that point, you'll get more for your money. I know the library probably won't be worried about things like high end video cards and the like, but hard drives and memory and CPU are usually a moving target. As well, motherboards with more functionality will be out at the same pricepoint.
Karnal
IMHO, 90% of the operations office staff and library patrons perform do not require specialized, personal PC's. Diskless "thin" clients are by far the least problematic with respect to hardware failure or OS maintenance.
Unless you absolutely require Windows clients, which I highly doubt given that most Library databases are searchable via Internet or Intranet sites, stay away from them. If the recent IE exploits hadn't scared you away yet, nothing will.
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Excellent starting point.
I might add that computers which, by nature of their hardware configuration, are more difficult to maintain (trouble incidents per hour of use) should be ripe candidates for replacement.
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