February 2002 — Industry Perspective
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A 21st Century Model for Maximizing Technology Purchases
Over the last decade, schools and campuses have made significant investments in technology, purchasing computers, networking tools and other components that are necessary to stay current and be more effective in integrating technology into teaching and learning. Making budget trade-offs, measuring relative values of competing products and trying to get the most value for the investment is a daunting challenge for school administrators and departmental IT managers responsible for making technology purchases for school districts or campuses.
Decision-makers have to deal with a number of challenges in pursuit of their goal of effectively investing in technology for their schools and campuses. Some of these considerations include system performance, technology support staff, justifying the cost of new systems and providing support services to students, teachers and other administrators. Important cost factors can be overlooked or inadequately budgeted, which limits the effectiveness of these crucial purchases. Making effective and efficient technology purchases requires a vision, a long-term strategy and improved financial planning.
A Universal Challenge
Businesses face similar challenges. In the past decade, many companies have used total cost of ownership (TCO) methodology to analyze and manage technology investments and account for the value of these investments. TCO is a model that helps companies understand the direct and indirect costs associated with owning and using information technology hardware and software. This model may be replicated within school districts and higher education institutions to guide long-term technology investment decisions. It provides a way to account for all the "little costs" that go into acquiring, installing and managing computers, networks and applications. It also includes the costs involved in operating networks and computers, whether leased or owned.
In the education environment, a better understanding of the TCO model will help school officials plan realistic budgets and make smarter choices when they deploy a network. Using this model, the outline below discusses a model and process for administrators to follow while gathering information for these important and costly decisions.
Assessing Current and Future Needs and Goals
To form a basis for a platform choice, schools should first assess the district's or department's current technology level by gathering the following data about the current configuration:
- Number of users;
- Number and age of computers and peripherals;
- Number and type of networks;
- Technical support staffing levels and availability;
- Technology knowledge and training of staff and students;
- Platform(s) currently used;
- Platform preference of staff, students and administrators; and
- Degree of conformity to a current district technology plan.
After this has been ascertained, the district's or department's future needs and goals should be assessed. In particular, the following are important factors to consider:
