Company Background
Corporate Information
Live-cross is an Institute of Medical Sciences.
Physical Locations
This institute consists of a head office and 54 branch offices. There are 35 to 45 employees in each office. Most of the research employees enter research data by using a text-based terminal. Only the administrative staff uses desktops which have Windows installed. There are three administrative staff in each office. In order to make sure of providing round-the-clock service, they work during different shifts. Administrative users share computers.
Existing Environment
Existing IT Environment
The institution has installed Windows XP Professional on all desktops under OEM licenses. Under Retail Product/Full Package Product (FPP) licenses, all desktops require a memory upgrade to be compatible with Windows Vista. Each office is configured with a network server. All servers have a third-party operating system installed and run a third-party e-mail application. The Institution contains has a third-party accounting application which is used to store customer information and research data. The accounting application stores all data in a Microsoft Access database.
Business Requirements
Planned Changes
Live-cross wants to make the following changes to its network in the following year.
Implement one server which runs Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.
Implement a server which runs Windows Server 2008 at each office.
Upgrade all existing desktops to Windows Vista.
Make all desktops run Microsoft Office Small Business 2007.
Implement one server with a Quad-core processor which has Microsoft SQL Server 2008 installed.
Implement one server with a Quad-core processor which has Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 installed.
Problem Statements
Since there are two problems in Live-cross, Live-cross intends to solve the two problems:
The third-party accounting application is not compatible with Windows Vista.
The company is unable to purchase licenses upfront and pay additional changes any longer.
Business Goals
Live-cross aims to achieve the following business goals:
Own all software licenses.
Reduce licensing costs to the least.
Keep all software applications current.
Train administrative staff on new applications.
Within a single licensing program consolidate purchasing.
Question
Of the following payment methods, which one meets the company’s business goals?
A.
Upfront payments
B.
Microsoft Financing
C.
Spread payments
D.
Leasing