As you get ready to purchase your new space-saving PCs, you should have
a collection of information in hand:
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A list of the general hardware requirements (processor
speed, RAM, LAN connectivity, etc.) for your systems |
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A diagram of your office space with your preferred
workspace configuration |
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A list of devices your new hardware needs to support |
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Other devices you want to purchase to work with your
new hardware, such as keyboards and mice, monitors, and other
peripherals |
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Armed with this information, you can shop online for your new systems
or work with a certified reseller to be sure your technology purchase
meets all of your needs.
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Tip: To locate
a certified HP reseller near you, follow the Find a Local Reseller
link at right. |
As you begin to think about your own technology purchase, consider the
choices the Re-Fi Group and Widgets Inc. made to meet their needs.
The Re-Fi Group and the d510 ultra-slim
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Remember that the Re-Fi Group needs to support two call centers with different
staffing approaches. The incoming call center utilizes three shifts of
employees, all of whom share workstations. The outgoing call center has
one set of employees and each has his or her own workstation. Both centers
need to accommodate more staff in less space.
Although the outgoing call center representatives need to work with Microsoft
Office documents and printing software, these applications aren't so processor-intensive
that they require more significant hardware than what will serve the incoming
call center staff. The company decides to standardize on HP Compaq d510
ultra-slim desktops for all incoming and outgoing call center representatives.
The space these desktops save allows the company to add one new workspace
for every four existing workspaces -- this means they can add 10 new incoming
call center workspaces and three new outgoing call center workspaces without
leasing additional office space. This gives them the ability to bring
on 33 new employees (10 in the incoming call center and three in the outgoing
call center) before they have to consider expanding their offices.
The incoming call center systems have 256 MB of RAM and a 20 GB hard drive,
while the outgoing call center systems have 512 MB of RAM and an 80 GB
hard drive to support the representatives' document archives and spreadsheets.
The company purchases USB Smart Card keyboards for all of the systems
and institutes a company-wide Smart Card security program so only authorized
employees can have access to any call center workstation. This increases
security and reduces the company's liability.
In addition to a new hardware standard for their call centers, the company
makes two other technology choices to complement their space-saving hardware:>
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All of the outgoing call center printers are moved
onto the company network with JetDirect print servers so they
are easier to maintain and accessible to everyone. If one outgoing
call center representative has several documentation packets to
print, she can utilize other representatives' printers that would
otherwise be idle. This approach to printer sharing makes printer
placement more flexible; now the company can set up printer stations
that fit the call center workspace, instead of tying individual
printers to individual representatives' stations. |
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Because the company expects more growth and changes,
they opt to move from a wired LAN environment to a wireless LAN
environment. They purchase the optional MultiPort Module for each
d510 ultra-slim desktop to support both wireless LAN (802.11b)
and Bluetooth connectivity. When the company is ready to reorganize
their call centers again, they won't have to change their LAN
configuration. |
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Note: Follow
the Wireless LAN Solutions link at right to learn more about taking
your network wireless. |
The Re-Fi group has made a conscious choice to design a more compact and
flexible working environment that lets them respond more quickly to changes
in their business and staffing requirements.
Widgets Inc. and the d530 ultra-slim
desktop |
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Widgets Inc. needs to create a new lab in their existing office space
to accommodate increasing client training requests. The lab needs to facilitate
as many people as possible in about 300 square feet of space. In addition,
the company wants the training lab to make a good impression on clients
with its professional design and extensive capabilities.
The company initially tried to repurpose some existing desktop PCs for
the training lab, but could only comfortably fit eight stations in the
lab, as shown below.
When they put the towers below the training lab desks, they found that
while there was more tabletop room to work, workspaces were crowded around
the legs and feet; adding additional stations just made things worse.
It wasn't an environment conducive to day-long training or to conveying
a professional image.
When the company chose the HP Compaq d530 ultra-slim desktop instead,
they found they could comfortably fit 12 users in the lab at once, as
shown here.
Each d530 in the lab has a 3 GB Intel® Pentium® processor, 1 GB of RAM,
and an 80 GB hard drive to support even the most technical training sessions.
The systems all include a MultiBay so lab personnel can install software
from both CD-ROM and DVD as well as from a 1.44MB diskette drive if necessary.
Because the company wants the lab configuration to be as flexible as possible,
and wants to reduce the number of visible wires that both clutter the
room and make it look less professional, the entire lab runs on an 802.11b
wireless LAN. The company purchased an 802.11b wireless NIC card for the
single PCI slot in each system, and also invested in wireless mice and
keyboards. If the company needs to repurpose or reuse the training room,
breaking down the stations and putting them back up again is quick and
simple.
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Innovative
PC designs |
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Related
links |
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