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lecture 3

The document discusses outsourcing and various sources of software available to organizations, including IT services firms, packaged software producers, and cloud computing. It outlines criteria for evaluating off-the-shelf software, such as cost, functionality, and vendor support. Additionally, it highlights the importance of software reuse in development, presenting different approaches to facilitate this practice.

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Alfred Machinya
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
2 views

lecture 3

The document discusses outsourcing and various sources of software available to organizations, including IT services firms, packaged software producers, and cloud computing. It outlines criteria for evaluating off-the-shelf software, such as cost, functionality, and vendor support. Additionally, it highlights the importance of software reuse in development, presenting different approaches to facilitate this practice.

Uploaded by

Alfred Machinya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction

 Various sources of software are available for organizations.

 Criteria exist to evaluate software from different sources.

Systems Acquisition: Outsourcing

 Outsourcing: Turning over responsibility of some or all of an


organization's information systems applications and operations to
an outside firm.

 Examples: Companies running payroll applications for clients or


hosting applications on-site.

Reasons to Outsource

 Cost-effectiveness

 Economies of scale

 Freeing up internal resources

 Reducing time to market

 Increasing process efficiencies

 System development as a non-core activity

Sources of Software

1. Information Technology (IT) Services Firms:

o Develop custom information systems for internal use.

o Host and run applications for customers.

o Provide other services.

2. Packaged Software Producers:

o Serve many market segments with broad-based and niche


packages.

o Software runs on all sizes of computers.

o Prepackaged software meets about 70% of organizations'


needs.

3. Enterprise Solutions Software:

o Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems integrate


business functions into modules for seamless transactions.

o Leading vendor: SAP AG.


4. Cloud Computing:

o Provision of computing resources over the Internet.

o Customers do not need to invest in computing infrastructure.

5. Open Source Software:

o Freely available, including source code.

o Developed by a community.

o Examples: Linux, mySQL, Firefox.

6. In-House Development:

o Systems developed by the organization's own staff if expertise


exists.

o Hybrid solutions with purchased and in-house components are


common.

Selecting Off-the-Shelf Software

 Cost: Compare in-house development vs. purchasing/licensing.

 Functionality: Tasks the software can perform and desired


features.

 Vendor Support: Level and cost of support provided.

 Viability of Vendor: Adaptability to changes in systems software


and hardware.

 Flexibility: Ease of customization.

 Documentation: Quality and currency of user and technical


documentation.

 Response Time: Speed of software response to user requests.

 Ease of Installation: Difficulty of loading and making software


operational.

Validating Purchased Software Information

 Use vendor proposals, software documentation, technical marketing


literature, and feedback from other users.

Request for Proposal (RFP)

 Document provided to vendors to propose hardware and system


software.
 Sometimes called Request for Quote (RFQ).

 Use various information sources to select the best candidates.

Reuse in Software Development

 Reuse: Using previously written software resources in new


applications.

 Object-Oriented Development: Reuse of object classes.

 Component-Based Development: Assembly of applications from


various components.

Approaches to Reuse

1. Ad-hoc: Individuals find or develop reusable assets on their own.

2. Facilitated: Developers are encouraged to practice reuse.

3. Managed: Development, sharing, and adoption of reusable assets


are mandated.

4. Designed: Assets are mandated for reuse as they are designed for
specific applications.

Summary

 Outsourcing and various software sources were discussed.

 Criteria for evaluating off-the-shelf software were explained.

 The role of reuse in software development was highlighted.

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