Vendor's Solution And Additional Costs example essay topic

ZDNet Make the Case Series: IT Business Case Template: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Solutions General Introduction Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is one benefit of the convergence between data and telecommunications. Companies today are seeing the value of transporting voice over IP networks to reduce telephone and facsimile costs and to set the stage for advanced multimedia applications and services such as unified messaging, in which voice, fax, and e-mail are all combined. [Include description of selected VoIP product (s) or solution (s) here, including features, benefits, etc.] This business case explores the opportunities and benefits that can be realized in the deployment of VoIP product (s) or solution (s), as well as the costs and associated risks involved. However, the template may need customization. Each organization is likely to have unique challenges and opportunities that the business case should address. I. Need / Opportunity Key technical and business objectives for VoIP: A. Tangible goals or objective so Lower recurring transmission charge so Deploy integrated voice-and-data application so Reduce operating cost so Consolidate accounting system so Reduce cost of owning two separate network so Enable new features, services, and capabilities o Reduce customer chur no Reach new customers. Scope Impact and benefits from deploying VoIPo Determine number of employees who send and receive voice and data service so Provide expanded set of services with new and higher-value offering so Identify risk factor so Systems affected upon deployment of VoIPo Define project size and market opportunity o Manage complexity of technology o Increase bandwidth allocation o Select proper standard so Interoperate with other vendor system so Improve latency II.

StakeholdersA. Primary Executives looking to expand market opportunities o Managers who want to maintain high level of customer satisfaction and reduce customer churn B. Secondary End-users like employees that communicate with co-workers, business partners, and customers. AlternativesA. No change No change may be the best option if there is no strong demand for voice and data convergence services. 1. Cost While the cost for the VoIP service is eschewed, other costs may be incurred: o Inability to deliver expanded services to customer so Lost productivity of employees 2.

Return on savings Savings can be derived from the following: o Based on the costs, the potential return on investment for not implementing VoIP may be zero or a negative number 3. Risko Risks include those mentioned in the "cost" section Higher cost of phone call charges in the future. Delay Procurement / Implementation 1. Cost While the cost of VoIP is postponed, other costs may be incurred: o Costs may be similar to a No Change alternative. However, these costs will decrease once the service is implemented at a latter time 2. ROIThe short-term savings of not implementing VoIP are weighed against the costs of waiting and avoiding other costs to determine length of time to break even and see a return on the initial expenses. o Several implementation timelines may be used to show the incremental costs of waiting shorter or longer periods 3.

Riskso Future VoIP services may have higher costs if implemented o Future VoIP technology may not be compatible with current hardware therefore purchase of hardware will be necessary. Outsourcing List possible vendors for outsourcing services. Solutions may be layered and come from multiple vendors, or may be a single solution from one vendor. For each vendor, consider: 1. Costs Initial and monthly / annual costs paid directly to the service provider for proposed solution so Cost of ongoing maintenance o Costs related to make existing hardware or software compatible, such as upgrades, replacements, reconfigurations, and additional telecommunications tools / facilities o Labor costs for installing and / or implementing VoIPo Issues with associating costs with operational budget rather than capital budge to Cost of additional bandwidth 2.

Roi Short-term savings of outsourcing over buying Short-term savings of not implementing the VoIP service are weighed against the costs of outsourcing to conclude the length of time to break even and to see a return on initial expense so Weigh the trade off spending operational budget versus capital budget 3. Risko Quality of Service (QoS) may not be reliable o Less control over the technology o Interoperability issues with other vendor system so Lack of expertise and experience in convergence technologies o Inability to finish the proposed solution at specified timeD. Build 1. Costo Cost of IT Department to evaluate, design and build a VoIP service. Costs cover both employees's alarmed times and returns not being recognized by other IT projects because resources are diverted; may also include the cost of consultants and contract programmers. o Cost of training and education for VoIP technical staff Issues with associating costs with capital budget rather than operating budge to Costs related to make existing hardware or software compatible, such as upgrades, replacements, reconfigurations and additional telecommunications tools / facilities o Cost of maintenance o Cost of additional bandwidth 2. ROIThe cost of using in-house resources to build and maintain VoIP plus initial investments are weighed against the savings found in: o No Changeo Waitingo Outsourcingo Buying 3.

Riskso Lack of expertise and experience in convergence technologies o Interoperability issues with other vendor system so Unforeseen maintenance cost may lower ROI. Buy Possible vendors of VoIP products and solutions: 1. Costo Initial and monthly / annual costs paid directly to vendors for proposed solution so Costs related to make existing hardware or software compatible, such as upgrades, replacements, reconfigurations and additional telecommunications tools / facilities o Cost of additional bandwidth o Labor cost for implementing the service Cost for Technical staff or system administrator o Time for stakeholders to install or configure new solutions on their desktops 2. ROIThe cost of buying are weighed against the relative savings of: o No Changeo Waitingo Outsourcingo Building 3.

Risko Inability to deal with system level challenge so Being pre-maturely "locked-in" to a given vendor's architecture o Instability of the VoIP solution Quality of Service (QoS) may not be reliable o Interoperability issues with other vendor systems. o Structure of corporate technology staff IV. Business values for the alternativesA. ROI Costs / Savings in terms of: 1. Tangible return so Weigh the alternatives to discover which best meets the objectives specified in the alternatives section. 2. Incremental revenue The increase in revenue likely to be seen from each alternative o The actual time period for the company to receive the additional revenue stemming from alternatives 3.

Return on capital Aside from the VoIP returns projected from the capital investment, other benefits may be realized as a result of the investment. This will increase productivity thereby yielding more profit for the company 4. Cost of capital Short-term costs may include: o Hardware (if necessary) and operation system so Training for employees and technical staff Long-term costs include Depreciation of capital investments o Cost of maintenance including monthly / annual charges, if any. Customer satisfaction The criteria for customer satisfaction for the stakeholders include: o Overall response of employees within the organization Reduced customer chur no Reduced long-term network ownership costsC. Resources and role so In-house resources involved in each solution, if applicable o Outsourced resources involved in implementing each solution, if applicableD. Timetable / Time to market The timeline specified in the project nation to fulfill the solutions in the company.

Recommendation Weigh recommendation against the business values of the alternatives based on: A. ROI Costs / Savings in terms of: 1. Tangible return so Explanation of how the recommended solution meets the objectives specified in Section I 2. Incremental revenue The additional revenue is likely to be seen from each alternative, if any The time period in which the organization will see additional revenue from each alternative 3. Return on capital In addition to the returns expected from capital investments, other benefits may be realized as a result of the investment 4. Cost of capital Short-term costs may include: o Hardware (if necessary) and operation systems. o Training for employee so Long-term costs include: o Maintenance costo Depreciation of capital investment. Resources and role so In-house resources involved in the implementation, if applicable o Outsourced resources involved in the implementation, if applicableD.

Timetable / Time to market The timeline specified in the project implementation to fulfill the solutions in the company Product Description [product or system image and specs] Glossary Introductory paragraph The introduction gives a brief background or overview of the product / service being evaluated. I. Need Opportunity This section explains why the product or service is needed, including productivity and cost issues. A. Tangible goals or objectives The purpose or desired end-result. In the business case this section identifies what company needs, problems or issues the proposed product or service can address. B. Scope This defines the reach or extent of the topic or idea being discussed. In the business case, this section identifies the potential impact of the proposed product or service on existing systems and staff. Potential benefits and risks associated with project deployment are also identified.

II. Stakeholders Those individuals who have a share or interest in a particular endeavor or organization. In the business case, this section identifies those individuals and departments within the organization that will be directly and indirectly affected by the product or solution being discussed in the business case. A. Primary The stakeholders who directly realize efficiencies, revenues and / or a competitive advantage are considered Primary stakeholders. Those departments or individuals implementing the new systems and services are also Primary stakeholders. B. Secondary The Secondary stakeholders are those who depend on, or will be affected by, the actions of the Primary stakeholders.. Alternatives The Alternatives section weighs the various routes to reaching the specified goals and fulfilling the needs of the stakeholdersA. No Change This section observes the costs and benefits of not addressing the issue (s) outlined in the Needs / Opportunity section.

1. Cost The price to be paid or resources to be expended. Measured by identifying and quantifying the price or resource expended (example is time consumed or money spent). 2. Return on Savings Measure of income the company is able to earn from money not spent or expended. In this particular section, the savings realized by not implementing the product or service is weighed against: o Whether the issue to be addressed is expected to become a larger or smaller problem The length of time it would take to break even or to see a positive return with the No Change alternative.

3. Risks Expected loss. Risks may include issues detailed in the Cost section as well as intangible risks, such as employee annoyance with current system or morale issues. B. Delay Procurement / Implementation This option explores the costs and benefits of implementing a solution at a future date, rather than as soon as possible. 1. Costs While there are no direct purchasing costs in the short-term, deferring implementation can potentially create similar issues found in the Cost section for the No Change alternative. 2.

ROI Income earned from company assets. In this section, the short-term savings of not implementing the product or service are weighed against the cost of waiting to determine the break-even point and length of time to see a return on investment. 3. Risks This section explores the likelihood that serious problems would arise while waiting to implement the new product or service and cost the firm would need to absorb if problems did occur. C. Outsourcing Have the work done by an outside service provider or manufacturer usually to cut costs or realize greater efficiencies.

1. Costs For this section examples would include upfront and monthly / annual costs to be paid to vendors, the cost of making existing systems and / or processes compatible and the cost of the company's implementation time. 2. ROI To evaluate the ROI for this alternative costs and benefits of the other alternatives must be examined and compared with Outsourcing's costs and benefits. 3.

Risk The potential weaknesses of the service provider / vendor's solution and additional costs that may be incurred because of those weaknesses are examined in this section. D. Build Developing the product or service in-house. 1. Costs The costs in developing include the organization's time to evaluate, design, build and operate the product or service. 2. ROIThe ROI result weighs the cost of using in-house resources to build and maintain the product / service plus the initial capital cost against the savings realized from the other alternatives. 3.

Risks This includes the quantifiable likelihood of loss, the possibility that the project will go unfinished or take extra time because of unforeseen or competing priorities. E. Buy To purchase outright and have the company manage the product or service on their own. 1. Cost The charges in buying a product / service, such as upfront monthly / annual costs paid to the vendor, the cost of implementation time and others. 2. ROIThe ROI is the cost of buying weighed against the relative savings from other alternatives.

3. Risks Risks may include the possible losses that may be incurred from the purchased product or service and unforeseen maintenance and upgrade costs. IV. ROI 1. Tangible returns These are the measurable or quantifiable benefits from each alternative. 2.

Incremental revenue The additional revenue or income that may be earned from each alternative is discussed in this section. 3. Return on Capital The income that may be earned or savings that may be realized from the investment (in this case the proposed product or service). 4.

Cost of Capital The cost of the funds used to finance the company's investment (such as interest). The goal is to invest in assets that offer a higher return than the cost that may be incurred to finance those assets. B. Customer Satisfaction Measure of how the company is able to meet or exceed customer's and / or stakeholders needs and expectations. C. Resources and Roles Defines the in-house and / or outsourced resources needed for each alternative. D. Timetable / Time to market Based on each alternative, the time line to launch the product or service is planned. V. Recommendation. ROI This section includes the Costs and savings in terms of tangible return so Incremental revenue Return on Capital Short-term cost so Long-term costs. Customer Satisfaction Criteria to determine customer satisfaction may speak to the needs of Company's internal stakeholders as well as external customers. However, the criteria may be unique to each business case. C. Resources and Roles This section designates the in-house and the outsourced resources needed for each alternative, if applicable. D. Timetable / Time to market Based on each alternative, the time line to launch the product or service is outlined.