Laying out a computer involves making decisions on where to put all the equipments, machines, staff and facilities in the manufacturing operation.
The Layout determines how inputs (information and people) and other materials flow throughout the operation. Moderately small modifications in the position of a computer in a factory can affect the operation of the computer considerably. This as a result affects the effectiveness and costs of the general process of manufacturing. An error in the manufacturing process can result to inflexibility and inefficiency of large volumes of records and work that is in progress, unhappy customers and high costs (Ryan, 2008).
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The first step is deciding on the type of manufacturing process that ought to be accommodated. This depends on the type of machine (computer) that you want to build, the disc space and the use of the machine.
Once the desired operation has been selected, there will be need to select the basic layout. There are three basic types
- Process layout
- Product layout
- Cell layout
- Process layout
In process layout, comparable mechanized processes (drilling, cutting, wiring, etc.) are positioned together to improve operation. Different computers may require different procedures therefore equipment flow patterns may be complex.
An example is machining parts for computers. Some processes require specialist support while others require technical support from machine operators or setters. Different computers will follow dissimilar routes depending on the requirement of each computer.
- Cell layout
In cell layout, information and the materials incoming the operation are selected prior to moving to one division of the process in which all the equipment to process these resources are positioned. After they have been processed in the cell, the part-finished commodities may be transferred to another cell. Actually this layout brings some order to the complexity of flow that characterises the process layout (Science News, 2009).
An example is the assembly and processing of some components of the computer that may require a devoted cell for mechanized parts to the superiority requirements of a particular computer.
- Product layout
Product layout involves locating equipment and machines so that each computer component follows a programmed route through a sequence of processes. The materials flow along a line of processes, which is predictable, clear, and relatively simple to manage.
A process map for the design and manufacture of the computer
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There are number of Information Technology (IT) best practices and IT standards, which are being adapted by the company; among them there are ITIL, CMMI, CobiT, eTOM, ISO 9000, ISO/IEC 17799, Malcolm Baldrige, Six Sigma and many more (pg. 272).
Each one of those gives specific details and practices that a company needs to implement. Each one also covers a specific area, such as ISO 9000 “sponsored by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and refers to a set of Quality Management Standards that enable an
organization to fulfill the customer’s quality” or Six Sigma for “improving business and organizational performance” (Soomro & Hesson, 2012, pg. 273, 274). The company may need to adopt more than one to be fully compliant with federal and state regulations and laws. Soomro and Hesson (2012) state “Adoption for some IT Managers is a matter of legal compliance, for others, a risk management strategy; a cost saving measurement; or a mean to satisfy customers more effectively” (pg. 274). The company also needs to be compliant with international regulations and laws.
Hardware Assets (Servers) – the company needs to limit access to its servers. Keeping the servers behind locked doors ensures that unauthorized people do not have access to them. Keeping a log of who accesses the servers and when they access them also helps with employee accountability. Employees need to use log in passwords and change them on a random basis as another method to help secure the hardware (Blazewicz et.al, 2002).
The company should establish a security audit. Once it is complete, the company can determine the level of effectiveness for security management and protecting the company’s major assets(Blazewicz et.al, 2002).. The security audit allows management to determine the top risk found during implementation and the best practices. The top risks and best practices found are from conducting the audit through observation, document review, interviews, and web-based questionnaires. This document provides a summary of the security audit findings and recommendations for improving security performance while meeting legal and ethical concerns. The recommendations may provide implementing additional policies or controls for better information security systems.
Reference
Soomro, T. & Hesson, M. (2012). Supporting best practices and standards for information
technology infrastructure library. Journal of Computer Science, 8(2), 272-276. Retrieved
Science News,(2009). Better Way To Manufacture Fast Computer Chips Developed. Retrieved from
Ryan,v.(2008)COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURE. Retrieved from
Blazewicz,j. et.al (2002)Scheduling Computer and Manufacturing Processes. Springer,
