Introduction
Riordan Manufacturing is a global industry leader in its field of plastic injection molding. With more than 500 employees, 46 million dollars in annual earnings and offices in the US and China, Riordan has chosen to upgrade its current operating system. The company’s goal is to upgrade the system without to much disruption to their current business processes. The objective of this paper is to compare and contrast Windows Operating System 2003 and Vista for Riordan Manufacturing. The analysis provided in this paper will be based on Cost, File Processing, Programming Capabilities, Availability of Application Software, and User Interface of the systems. Based on these various points we will provide Riordan with a recommendation on which system is best suited for the upgrade the company is seeking.
Cost
Upgrading whole systems require that many considerations be observed. One of the main observances is Cost. The following table explores costs for Windows 2003 along with costs for Windows vista as it is reflected in Microsoft site:
Product Offering U.S. Price* Description
Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition $999 Available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Includes 5 CALs (User or Device, chosen after purchase)
Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition $1,199 Available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Includes 10 CALs (User or Device, chosen after purchase)
Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition $3,999 Available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Includes 25 CALs (User or Device, chosen after purchase)
Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition $2,999 Available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, 32-bit version $399 Open NL Web Server product, no CALs required. Windows Server 2003 Web Edition is not available in all channels. Open NL estimated price is $399. Contact a local System Builder, OEM, or reseller for actual prices or for more information on how to purchase.
The Vista Business