Software and Hardware Recommendations

The office automation project for the cereal-making factory will require a number of software and hardware additions to the work environment as it stands right now. Before attempting to select specific software and hardware, however, it is important for the company to evaluate what needs to be automated and develop an automation plan that incorporates automation into "their whole way of doing business" rather than just automating discrete activities without the synergy to provide value-added efficiency (Goettling). It is possible to automate processes without actually gaining anything in terms of efficiency or costs (Goettling). Therefore, it is recommended that an analysis of the workplace processes and data be performed and an automation plan be drawn up that will provide the best overall automation capabilities for the tasks at hand. Above all, it is essential that any hardware purchased be compatible with the software it is intended to run and any hardware that it must interface with.

Among the hardware and software that will undoubtedly be required are networked PCs for all managers and their administrative assistants. This will require the purchase of new PCs and a network at minimum. The PCs should have the capacity to handle multi-tasking, so that users can monitor industrial processes in one window, send e-mail in another, and engage in collaborative group chats in another. PCs with high megahertz and ample hard drive spac