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..."

Comments

My criteria....

[dark404]

Well, first of all it depends on what machines you have now and what they are being used for. I'm going to assume you have PII 233-400ish systems as I seem to remember those being the mid range back then.

Assuming the systems are not optimal for what they're needed for, I would:
1. Replace any broken machines.
2. Before replacing machines, determine if you need MORE machines than you have. In that case I would buy new machines but not use them to replace anything. I would just add them to the network.
3. If you have enough machines, and no desire/space for extra ones I would phase out the slowest systems and replace them.
4. I would either put the slowest systems in the children's wing (if they break them, who cares) or as word processors. Or, if you have no desire/space for that, wipe the old systems and either give them to needy families or sell them at your book auctions (most public libs do those).

Some questions:

[jbarr]

1. What are the computers being used for?
If they are Public Access, you pretty much only need a web browser and possibly an office suite. As long as they are physically robust enough and can be effectivly secured, you don't necessarily need the latest and greatest hardware.

If they are Internal use, you need to consider what you will be running. For most offices, it means an office suite, a web browser, and maybe some proprietary software. Again, the latest and greatest may not be needed.

2. What are the current conditions?
If you have broken computers, then these should be at the top of the list to be fixed or replaced. If you have computers that are working fine and doing the job, then you may not need to replace them.

3. Do you have specific OS requriements?
Are you running any proprietary software that is OS or OS-version specific? For example, if you have an accounting package that only runs on Windows 95, your hands may be tied for some of the computers. Can you reduce the cost by moving to Open Source solutions like Linux? Again, if they are publically accessible computers, you need to assess what access and features they will provide.

4. Are all your OS's the same?
Can you standardize on one OS and one OS version? It certainly makes management easier if you can keep your OS's to one single type or version. Try to get away from having many "specialized" OS's for different purposes. It'll drive up maintenance costs