1 - Intro csc301 Computer Center Management
1 - Intro csc301 Computer Center Management
MANAGEMENT
CSC 301
• The essential objective of this course is to explore those technological and
management tools which can help computer center managers to optimize
computer systems performance.
• The course is devoted to the study of analytical and empirical tools for
arriving at decisions and guidelines to improve the administration of
computer center functions.
• Course materials
– no specific textbooks
– Notes, online materials and publications.
• In addition to the available materials, you are expected to read extensively
from current literature and embark on field trips if necessary to complete
your assignments and projects.
• Registration page
– http://teaching.yfolajimi.com/register.html
• Course page:
– http://teaching.yfolajimi.com/csc301.html
Course outline
• 1. Introduction to Computer Centre
• 2. Overview of Computer Centre Management
• 3. Administration and functions of computer center.
• 4. Planning and organizing computer operations
• 5. Computer Center Staffing and personnel management
• 6. Computer selection and performance evaluation
• 7. Software evaluation and management
• MID SEMESTER EVALUATION
• 8. Microcomputer and office automation management
• 9. Data Centre structure and administration
• 10. Data centre network architecture, management and security
• 11. Introduction to IT Service Management
• 12. IT service management metrics
• 13. Case study and Project
Topic 1: Introduction to computer
center
• Computer Center
– an enterprise designed to perform complex and labor-consuming
computational work using electronic computers
• general-purpose computer centers,
• computer centers for processing economic information,
• computer centers for controlling manufacturing processes.
• A general-purpose computer center
– performs mathematical, scientific-technical, and economic
calculations, as well as operations dealing with the programming of
problems.
– assists in formulating and preparing problems and carries on
consultations on questions of the organization of users’ own computer
centers or laboratories.
– conducts scientific research work in the field of automation of
programming and numerical methods of mathematical and technical
digital computer operation.
Computer Center
• Computer centers for processing economic information
– are usually the central elements of automated control systems for enterprises
or sectors of the national economy and are administratively subordinate to
the corresponding control bodies (ministries, central boards, plant
managements, and so on).
– They perform regulated work on plan calculations, processing of reports,
financial and book-keeping calculations, and also single technical and
economic calculations. To perform this work, such computer centers
constantly store large volumes of normative and reference data (in the form of
machine archives).
• Computer centers for controlling production processes
– work in real time, automatically receiving raw data from a large number of
sensors of the parameters of processes and issuing control instructions (in a
rigidly assigned cycle) to the operating members (propulsion, heating, and
other units).
– Special requirements for speed and reliability of operation are demanded of
these computer centers.
Computer Center
• Depending on the volume of work, the three types of computer centers
may have various equipment and may be distinguished according to their
productivity.
– 1. centers that have six to eight large digital computers with speeds of 20,000-
50,000 operations per second (the Minsk-32, M-220, BESM-4, and so on) or
two to three computers with speeds of 600,000-800,000 operations per
second (the BESM-6). In addition, these computer centers have six to eight
systems of punched card equipment, keyboard computers, document
duplicating equipment, and communications equipment. A computer center
of the first category has 50-100 scientific workers, 100-200 engineers, and
200-300 technicians, laboratory workers, and auxiliary workers.
– 2. centers that have approximately one-half of the equipment and personnel
of the first-category center,
– 3. The third-category computer center has about one-third.
• In certain cases the equipment of the computer center includes analog
computers, which are designed primarily to solve problems of modeling
dynamic processes (rocket flights, the operation of power systems, and so
on).
Computer Center
• computer centers are distinguished according to structure.
• The general-purpose computer center has three primary subdivisions: a sector for
mathematical preparation of problems and programming; a sector for the
technical operation of electronic computers; and a sector for auxiliary operations
(punching, duplication, power supply, and material support).
• A computer center for processing economic information has subdivisions that are
specialized according to the types of economic problems (planning of production,
material-technical supply, financial and bookkeeping service, and so on), as well as
subdivisions for receiving all input information and for sorting results. In addition,
these computer centers usually have specialized subdivisions for product
classifiers, for managing the norm system, and for collecting and processing
operational information arriving through communications channels (the so-called
automated data control point).
• Computer centers for controlling production processes do not have large
subdivisions of programmers or economists, since the sets of problems and
programs of these centers are predetermined and do not change during the
process of operation. Here most of the employees are engineers and technicians
who run the computers and equipment for automatic communications with the
controlled systems.
Computer Center Planning
• the development of information processing resources over a specified period of time in a manner
that supports organizational growth and development
• must include :
– an objective
– an estimate the information processing requirements over the plan period.
– An estimate of the computing resources requirements over the same period, as well as alternatives and
trade-offs and recommendations for the cost of the acquisition of these resources.
– criteria and milestones to evaluate the execution of the plan.
• Organizations require Strategic, Tactical and Operational plans
• Planning:
– shapes the objectives and goals of the organization.
– seldom changes over time.
– It should identify the general path, or intents, of the organization.
– Each department should have its own strategic plan which satisfy and support the organization's.
– A system plan must fit the business plan. This is one of the most important concepts in a Computer Center.
Without full knowledge of the expected long range changes in the organization, no computer center can
effectively and efficiently satisfy the computational needs.
– E.g:
• Commitment to utilize latest technological offering
• commitment to reach a paperless organization.
• Each plan must consider three major items: Software, Hardware and Manpower Requirements
Issues to be included in a plan
• 1) Evaluate the current system's performance and
capability.
• 2) Determine the current workload and resource
utilization.
• 3) Develop a current workload profile.
• 4) Estimate future data processing requirements.
• 5) Identify resources expected to be available in future.
• 6) Develop a plan to cost/effectively meet the
requirements.
• 7) Document and communicate the planning results.
The planning process
• 1) Survey the work processed by time of day,
week, and month.
• 2) Determine resource utilization.
• 3) Identify peak and non-peak periods.
• 4) Choose periods for workload profile
preparation.
organization of the Computer Center
• Computer Center is divided into three main groups
– Operations, User Services, and Systems Support
• Operations
– responsible for all processing services and the efficient
operation of the equipment
• The user services Group
– staffed by professional programmers who are responsible for
providing technical assistance to the Center's users
• E.g. Consulting, Program Libraries, Documentation, Programming
Assistance, Educational Services, and Microcomputer Support &
Services.
• The Systems Support Group,
– responsible for providing technical assistance and maintenance
of system software
COST JUSTIFICATION OF CURRENT AND
FUTURE COMPUTER RESOURCES
• justification methodologies have concentrated of
labor cost savings, i.e., manpower reduction
– This type of argument is no longer relevant
• the Information Systems improve the productivity of
employees instead of reducing the manpower
• Cost justification method:
– classify employees into categories,
• e.g., Managers, Senior Professionals, Junior Professionals,
Administrators, and Secretaries.
• Identify the type of activities each category
executes
Cost justification method
• Work Profile without New Office Automation System
• acquisition procedure
– 1. Preparatory steps: forming an evaluation team.
– 2. Obtaining proposals: including (a) Prepare if
necessary, request for information, (b) prepare
request for proposals, (c) conduct bidders conference.
Evaluating proposals: how to select vendor?
– 4. Financing the acquisition.
– 5. Negotiating the contract pocedure
• In actual practice, financing and contract
agreements affect evaluation and selection
SELECTION PROCEDURES
(Acquisition)
1. Preparatory Steps
– Selecting computing equipment is a process of
matching the desired functions to be performed
against the capabilities of alternate configurations:
• Identify users’ neds
• study what vendors offer.
• state your needs to vendors.
2. Obtaining Proposals
• requests for proposals (RFPs) are prepared by
users and submitted to vendors
SELECTION PROCEDURES
(Acquisition)
• 2. Obtaining Proposals (Contd)
– Some vendors are likely to be eliminated due to:
• doubts about their reliability or
• their inability to provide services wanted.
– Other vendors are eliminated by considering their ability to meet
mandatory requirements
• RFPs must include:
1. Statement of purpose.
5. Desirable requirements.
2. Deadline for proposals.
6. Request for proposal specifics.
3. Date for the bidders conference. 7. Request for user-support
4. Mandatory requirements. requirements
• If too many vendors still qualify, they can be narrowed further
by obtaining more information by issuing a request for
information.
SELECTION PROCEDURES
(Acquisition)
3. State Your Needs to Vendors
– Ensure that vendor proposals in response to the
procurement specification serve as the basis for sound
decisions.
– The specification must be as clear as possible
– spell out clear procurement specifications to give bid
guidance to suppliers, making sure to include
coverage of areas of usage, job schedules, hardware,
software communications, maintenance support,
education/training and bid terms.
HOW TO EVALUATE VENDOR PROPOSALS