DUE DATE:  Last Day of Class

WORTH:  12 points

Choose one of the following topic options and write 4-5 page single-spaced paper on the topic.  The paper is to be submitted as a formal paper formatted in print-ready format. (PDF, docx, doc, formats are acceptable)

OPTION A:  Ideally, it is feasible to write on the installation and use of Enterprise Software at your place of employment or a former place of employment. Identify the computer platforms and systems software (mainframe, LANs, WANs. PCs, Linux, ORACLE, SQL Server, Windows Server). Identify enterprise software components and vendors (ERP, CRM, SCM, HRM, Financial….). Explain the process of acquiring and installing Enterprise Software at your employer. How was the project organized? What role did people from outside the company play/ What problems occurred during the installation? How long did the project take? What was the order of magnitude of the costs that you know about? (license fees, consulting fees, hardware purchases….) Was the project successful? What problems remain today? Would your company benefit from additional Enterprise Software? If so, what software and what potential benefits do you see?  How does the IT organization in your company support existing enterprise software?

Add any other details about how Enterprise Software has been used and is used or should be used in your organization.

You can consider Enterprise Software to be software that is critical to running the business.  The software does not have to be from SAP or ORACLE or Microsoft. Please feel free to email me to discuss what can be considered as “Enterprise Software” for the purposes of this paper if you have any doubts.

OPTION B:  If OPTION A is not feasible, choose a topic associated with the course that interests you and research it more thoroughly.  Possible topics include but are in no way limited to distributed systems,  data warehousing and data mining in business, project management of large projects, the evolution of cloud computing and its use in enterprise software,  computer security in enterprise software, a specific ERP system vendor other than SAP,  etc.  You must cite at least five references and be certain to author the paper in your own words.  Also be careful to scope the paper for a 4-5 page length.

Note:            If you have any questions about your choice of topic in either OPTION A or OPTION B, please send me an email.