Overview
For the purposes of this assignment, imagine that you are a systems architect at a medium-sized publishing company with 130 employees. The company primarily publishes books, both in print and online. It also produces other kinds of content, such as audiobooks, interactive reading material, and magazines. Your leadership has decided that it is time to either upgrade the current OS or adopt a new one (e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS).
As the systems architect, you have the responsibility to determine which OS the company should implement for each department. There are many aspects to consider when making this decision, including what existing applications are used by employees on a frequent basis, cost, functionality provided, performance, vendor support, and so on. To determine which OS should be implemented, you need to complete a site survey first. Later, the site survey can be used to help you make a decision as to which operating systems to implement based on what is currently used in the department. For this activity, you will conduct a site survey. This is also a step that you will need to take when you submit Project One in Module Four. The feedback that you receive after submitting this activity should be implemented as you craft your Project One submission.
Prompt
Complete a Site Survey: A site survey compares the three different operating systems that the company is planning to implement. To complete this task, use the Project One Site Survey Template linked in the Supporting Materials area. Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
Operating Systems: Acknowledge what OSes are already used in your site survey. The type of OS already used and how many employees are using it can influence your decision making.
Server: Determine whether the desktops are on a hardware or cloud-based server.
Although not required in this portion of the project, you may want to think about whether or not the server should be changed. This change could be recommended in your proposal.
Standard Hardware for Operating System Types: Determine the minimum required hardware. This could include desktop and server.
Network Connection: Determine whether the network is wired or wireless.
You will want to think about whether or not the network connection should be changed. This change could be recommended in your proposal.
Applications: Identify what software applications need to be supported by the OS. Your survey of what applications desktop users use most frequently will influence your decision making, as some applications are not supported by certain OSes.
Supporting Materials
The following resources support your work on the project:
Reading: Organizational Needs
This document will provide you with context on the company’s needs and industry best practices. As you review this document, you will learn about what the company currently uses when it comes to hardware and software. Learning about the organization’s needs can help you make an informed decision on which OS to implement.
Template: Site Survey Template
Use this template to compare the operating systems that the company can implement for its employees who use desktops. For this activity, do not complete the portion of this template that includes the proposal.
What to Submit
Site Survey: Your submission for this milestone should be the completed first six sections of the Site Survey Template in Word (.docx) format. Do not complete the last two sections of this template; you will complete these for Project One.
