Analyse the Whole I T Configuration of a Big Company

ANALYSE THE WHOLE I T CONFIGURATION OF A BIG COMPANY

1. Introduction

In today's competitive market the firms are bound to reduce their costs and also maximize their profits. The only solution to achieve this objective is the usage of the Computer Systems, which are far more than computational and text processing tools.

With their rapid expansion, and certainly via the Networks people can exchange and also sharing a variety of information, regardless of how far they are each other. The introduction of a new technology into a work environment has effectively increased the firm's investment and also its productivity. Computers are not truly capable of intelligence and independent problem solving, but they become, as they are programmable from the human workers. Nevertheless, the new technology does not necessarily need to replace the workers in a workplace, but to help them to increase their productivity.

Despite of these technological advantages, the Information Technology creates a gap between the rich people and poor, as the habitation of a computer system in our days, requires certain skills and money to spent.

The company that it was selected for further analysis, as it concerns the current Information Technology configuration, is the P.P.C of Greece.

2. Description of the current configuration of P.P.C

2.1 The Mainframe

In the early 1950s , the mid size and large companies were using the mainframes, which they occupy entire rooms for their existence. They are large and powerful computers and also very expensive. A professional staff is needed for the operation of those systems and also some special environmental conditions must be carefully set, such temperature and humidity in order that such a machine will functioning properly.

Since 1990, the P.P.C's Computer Center has one IBM's mainframe R42 - 9672, with 512MB Real Memory and it is consisted of four processors with total speed 72,8Mips each. All these processors are connected, via 20 Escon technology parallel channels. There are also three large ranges RAMAC -RAID5, with 152 (DASDY) volumes in total, where each of them has a 1,89GB capacity. So the total capacity is 287.28GB. The current protocol that it is used is the Standard Network Architecture, with local controllers IBM-3174 and its duty is to set up certain rules for formatting and regulating the speed of the data, that they are transmitted via EDP (Electronic Data Processing) and its 170 branches that are exist, all around the Greece.

For backup purposes, the P.P.C uses a Tape Library Data Server, that has 2375 slots and 12 tape drives, with total capacity 800MB each. The backup procedure is vital for every company and for every individual who utilize the Computers.

There are 3000 active terminals and 1000 remote printers, all around Greece, connected to this mainframe, via dedicated lines and modems. The current Operating System for this mainframe is the MVS 5.2.1, which has been configured from IBM with certain specifications that P.P.C had provided to them.

Finally the current database management system is the CA - IDMS, which is a Network Database with 200GB total capacity, as the P.P.C's customers are approximately 6,700,000. There are also installed some communication software packages (Condir, Ndm), which they are responsible for the file transfers between the branches and the mainframe. A Front-end processor IBM 3745 also exists, supporting the P.P.C's network. The chart in the following page represents the current configuration of the P.P.C's mainframe.

2.2 The Customer Service Department

Every branch is connected with the mainframe (Host) with the support of an IBM 3174 remote controller and a modem. The main purpose of these departments is to serve the P.P.C's customer requests and also to provide certain information when it is needed. Each of this department is consisted of three to thirty terminals, depending on the number of the customers that they are obliged to serve. The employees of those departments are representing P.P.C, to the customers, so their good operation is crucial for the whole corporation.

As it concerns the internal I.T configuration of those departments, it must also be noted that they are all connected with the receipt system and the measuring system, via an IBM 3174 controller. Usually their main accoutrement is consisted of 3270 terminals and OKI395 printers. There is also a standard software application, that is running and P.P.C called it "ERMHS". This application is written in Cobol language.

Via this application the terminal-users can produce printouts and transfer certain files from mainframe and back. The following chart, presents the current I.T configuration of those branches.

2.2.1 The Measuring System

As we mention above every branch has its own Measuring System department, which is connected with the mainframe (Host) via an IBM 3174 remote controller and a modem. The main purpose of this subsystem is to measure the Kilowatts that every household or firm had burnt during a specific period of time. So it is obvious that, this subsystem determines the P.P.C revenue. Each of this department is consisted of one Pentium PC, a printer, and a terminal base that is used for the particular hand held terminals. These hand held terminals are pre-installed with a special program, that it is downloaded to them from the PC. They had a lot of capabilities and they are used from many companies, as they are very practical and very easy to use them. Again the number of the hand held terminals depends on the number of the customers that this particular branch is obliged to serve.

The operating system of those PC's is the Ms-Windows 3.1 and the active application is an Access database. Via this application the terminal users can produce useful printouts and transfer certain files to the mainframe and back.

The chart in the next page, presents the current I.T configuration of this subsystem.

2.2.2 The Point of Sales System

Likewise every branch has its own Point of Sales subsystem, which main purpose is to serve the P.P.C's customers, in the sense that these are