Business Dilemma

Components of a solid enterprise architecture include everything from documentation to business concepts to software and hardware. Deciding which components to implement and how to implement them can be a challenge. New IT components are released daily, and business needs continually change. An enterprise architecture that meets the cafe’s needs today may not meet those needs tomorrow. Building an enterprise architecture that is scalable, flexible, available, accessible, and reliable is key to the cafe’s success.

The cafe has a limited budget for computer equipment.  One of your most valued employees, Nick Zele, is highly technical and always insisting that the cafe is outdated and needs to upgrade its equipment.  Nick’s latest push is for dishwasher safe keyboards and mice for the cafe’s kiosks.  The spill proof equipment would last longer and could be washed daily to remove germs and bacteria. The cost of the new hardware is around $1,000 for a keyboard and a mouse. 

PROJECT FOCUS:

You understand the need to bring the cafe into the 21st century, however you have many equipment requirements and a limited budget.

If you could determine the return on investment (ROI) of the new computer equipment it would be easy to make a decision, unfortunately, this is a difficult task.  For example, what is the ROI of a fire extinguisher? If you never use the fire extinguisher your return on the investment is low. If the first extinguisher puts out a fire that could destroy the entire building then its ROI is very high.

• Why is it so difficult to determine the ROI of the components in your enterprise architecture?
• What can you do to determine the cost/benefit or ROI of the proposed dishwasher safe keyboard and mice?