Mark’s 3D printing business growing

With the expansion of Mark’s 3D printing company

There are numerous chances for the installation of efficient IT solutions, which will help the company run all kinds of operations effectively. There are numerous business IT model possibilities that are available to Mark’s firm in order to maintain the operation of the business in a successful manner in light of the expanding sources of revenue, the customer numbers, the product range, and the financial procedures (Severance, 2015).

The IT infrastructure is necessary for Mark’s 3D business expansion plan to be implemented successfully. The IT infrastructure will, in turn, be integrated into the management of the business operations and the processes, including the wireless 3D printers, the PCs, the Internet connectivity, and data storage. The business relies greatly on the information technology (IT) so as to conduct its operations, which are ranging from the accounting, the office systems, the advertising on the web, ordering of the supplies and the other services, the management of the employees and the schedules, the payrolls, the inventory, the supervision of the automated processes, the communication with the suppliers, the customers, and the other partners, the delivery online, and carrying out numerous virtual operations that are typically being conducted via the Internet.

Current IT Infrastructure

The information technology (IT) infrastructure of the growing 3D printing business of Mark is indeed required. The current infrastructure includes the following. Mark possesses one PC that has been brought about from Mark’s home in order to control the processes of the 3D printing. The procedure itself is obviously not possible to conduct without the printer themselves. The first 3D printer has been purchased by Mark around two years ago from the Best Buy shop. As the business kept on growing and the interest has turned into almost a full-time job, as a result, Mark has acquired two more items of the wireless 3D printers. The ideas and the designs Mr. Peterson implements into reality are found on the numerous sources via the Internet. Hence, Mark’s PC is also being equipped with the stable Internet connection. The latter is being achieved with the assistance of the Verizon FiOS modem. The FiOS modem has a built-in wireless router as well, which has made it possible for Mark to stay connected with two part-time assistants he has hired.

Thus, the current IT infrastructure is:

One PC;

Three 3D printers;

One Internet modem with wireless router.

Meeting Requirements

The business also requires an enterprise resource management (ERP) system. This system will be used in the day-to-day management of Mark’s business operations that are commonly touching upon the customer orders, the invoicing, ordering the supplies, and managing the employees’ in a more effective manner. As it has been concluded, not only the process of 3D printing has to be controlled – the business itself is a need of being handled. Hence, the documents will also need to be printed.

The system as well needs to have the mobile accessibility to the employees in order to enable them access the ERP system, the printers, and the other files from any part of the business. There is a strong need for the flexibility in the computers controlling the 3D printers. The data include the 3D print design files, the training videos, and the files that contain the personal information of the employees. The business requires local storage as well as the backup cloud storage.

Thus, for the successful implementation of the expansion plan of Mark’s business, the IT infrastructure that is required includes:

Seven more 3D printers;

3D scanner;

The document printer;

The wireless Router supporting up to five users;

The integrated enterprise resource management (ERP) software;

Two PCs;

One server;

The network management software.

Data Representation and Storage

The data that are to be stored include the following types of information: the digital and the numerical data, the audio data, the video data as well as the graphics data all along. Planning the development of the IT assets and processes is a vital part of the strategic business development process (Chaffey & White, 2010). The IT will not only help in the achievement of differentiation, but it will also be represented as a way of enhancing the business itself. It will also be critical to constantly monitor the changes in the IT background, employ at least one highly skilled IT and business employee while regularly adjusting the IT processes, the methods and the infrastructure to achieve that the IT environment is decentralized as well as possess the ability to handle the applications that are processing the various data and the functions. Last but not least, one should keep in mind the importance of having the ability to be interfaced with each other. With all of the above mentioned objectives reached, Mark’s business of 3D printing will grow rapidly and successfully.

References

Chaffey, D., & White, G. (2010). Business information management: improving performance using information systems. Pearson Education.

Severance, C. (2015). Introduction to Networking. CreateSpace.