EZ Institute technical training needs assessment

Urban League, Boston, MA
9am - 3pm, March 25, April 1, April 8, 2005

Trainer: Steve Linberg, Silicon Goblin Technologies
steve@silicongoblin.com

This document is a worksheet for you. You should think about all of the questions it contains, and make notes to yourself over the course of the three sessions of this workshop; the answers you provide will become the foundation of your technology plan.

You may not know how to answer all of the questions on this sheet at the beginning of the workshop. Don't worry about it. We will cover all of it before the end. ASK QUESTIONS!

1. What is the primary objective of bringing computers into your program? What will you need the computers to do?
2. How many will you need?
3. What IT support resources do you anticipate having, if any?
4. How much expertise are you willing to deploy or develop in-house to save support costs?
5. What kind of data will you be storing on the computers? Is any of it sensitive? How bad would it be if it were lost / stolen / destroyed?
6. Do you have any existing equipment you can bring in? (Sometimes, old machines and printers and so forth can be made to work just fine with a little tune-up.)
7. Would you consider donations of used computer equipment instead of purchasing new?
8. Do you need infrastructural support - wiring in your building, professional installation of networking equipment - or can you set things up with the resources you have available?
9. What kind of DATA will you be creating and storing on your computer(s)?
10. What's the worst that could happen if your data fell into the worst possible hands, or was completely destroyed?
11. How much security do you need to protect your data? What technical infrastructure do you need to have in place to safeguard against this?
12. How much are you willing to budget on an ongoing basis for support and renewing of software licenses / upgrades?
13. Do you want to be connected to the internet?
14. Do you want your organization to HAVE an internet presence of its own (website, email)?
15. What kind of PCs do you want? Intel-based Windows PCs, Macintosh, or other?
16. Do you want laptops, desktops, or both? Will staff / students be taking computers home?
17. Do you want top-of-the-line computers, or low-end "shoestring" models?
18. What are your printing needs? Does each machine need a printer? Can you share one? Do you need to print color? How many pages per day / week / month do you anticipate printing?
19. Will you need to share files or data between computers in your organization? Do you need a local network (LAN)?
20. What will you use to back up your data? How frequently should you back up your data?
21. What kind of application software will you need? What do you need to do with your computers? How many copies of each? Will you need site licenses?
22. What is the expected lifespan of your data? How long do you anticipate needing access to it? (one year? five? ten? twenty? fifty? more?)
23. Who will fill the technology administrator role in your organization? Does s/he have the expertise needed to oversee everything? If not, how will s/he develop it?
24. Will you have written usage policies for your computers that all users must follow? Do you have any legal liability for misuse or damage?
25. Will you be physically securing your computers?
26. Will you be retaining IT staff to help with maintenance, or will you be looking for consultants? What is your budget for IT if you do not have technical support staff?
27. What kind of training will you and your staff need to use the computers, and what are your budget and timelines for this?

Please feel free to ask any additional questions that come to mind at any point in the training.

Remember: There are no stupid questions!