The small charity has accepted my proposal of upgrading their anti-virus to a fully integrated Internet security suite. They currently have five computers, all of which require the software upgrade.
They have asked me to create a comprehensive plan showing the procedures I will be following when upgrading the software.Firstly, it’s important to plan before you start any software installation or upgrade so that everything works the way you want it to. To start, it’s important to have a clearly defined sequence of activities to follow in order to ensure the installation is completed successfully. You need to check that the system meets the requirements for the software, decide if a fresh installation is needed or if it’s okay to install over previous software.
Also you need to ensure that the installation method is suitable. For example if the files are stored on a DVD, you need to have accesses to a DVD slot and to make sure the hardware is compatible to that format. You will also need to select the most appropriate location for the application to be installed as this could be the main hard drive or an external one. Lastly, you need to define a suitable procedure for the installation.
It will usually involve checking contents, performing virus scans, backing up data or configuring the software.Also timing is an important thing to consider. Installations or upgrades perform at different rates depending on the time that you complete them. If you doing it during the day, it will take a long time because there is high demand at this time.
But if you did it late evening it will run quickly and efficiently.It’s also important to have well defined communication procedures planned for every installation. This means you must consider who needs to be communicated with during the installation stage. It’s important to keep the following people informed during the installation.
End users who are the people who will be using the system. Management who will be interested in how it is going. And Software vendors because if there are any problems with the installation then they will need to be contacted.Additionally, back out procedures need to be considered.
Sometimes the upgrade will cause problems to the system and you may not have planned for it. For example, some of the applications are not compatible with the new software. To help recover from the situation you will need to have a clearly defined back-out procedure. You can have your software and data backed up before you complete the installation or to uninstall the new software or upgrade.
Moreover, you may need permission or access. Due to the importance of security within an organisation it is usual for workstations to be kept secure by requiring staff to use usernames and passwords and by limiting access right to software and data they do not need. This means that you have to access the admin account in order to install it.As part of the preperation you will need to have suitable guidance available for the end users.
The procedures and avaliability of support should be clearly agreed upon before it can take place. When you first use the new software, it is unfamilar and you will need guidance on how to use it. This can be from the smallest issues to more complex ones. Therefore its important to provide training or a handbook which explains features of the new upgrade.
It is also important to consider the loading facilities that are going to be used. In the preparation stage you must check that you have the correct software loading facilities so that it can work correctly.Lastly, there are many requests for guidance and the smaller issues can be dealt with by lower level support assistants. However, the complex issues cannot be solved by the same team and will need to be refered to a higher level team.
Its important that the procedure for escalation is well defined so that it is clear in which situations go to what assisatants. Without having these procedures it can be frustrating for the users because they are being passed from one team to another.One last factor to consider is materials. When preparing for installation, it is important to ensure that you have a clear understanding of the materials and resources that you require.
First you will need to obtain and allocate the required materials. You will need to check the requirments of the software to make sure that you have everything that works with the system.As well as allocating the correct materials it is also important to allocate the correct resources. This includeds manuals, installation guides and licence keyes.
The guides are really useful and can help if you are unfamilar with the software. Correctly allocating the license keys is important because you will need a valid key for each installation. If you install more than one copy you will be running it illegally.In conclusion, its important to follow these steps to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
