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As you get ready to purchase your new space-saving PCs, you should have a collection of information in hand: - A list of the general hardware requirements (processor speed, RAM, LAN connectivity, etc.) for your systems
- A diagram of your office space with your preferred workspace configuration
- A list of devices your new hardware needs to support
- Other devices you want to purchase to work with your new hardware, such as keyboards and mice, monitors, and other peripherals
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.
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.
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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: - 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.
- 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.
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. |
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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, the 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 choose the HP Compaq d530 ultra-slim desktop instead, they found they could comfortably fit 12 users in the lab at once, as shown here. |
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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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