Exam 13: Choices in Systems Acquisition

Innovative information systems,especially those intended to give their owners a competitive advantage,should not be outsourced.

The most important element of an outsourcing agreement for both parties,but mostly for the client,is what professionals call the__________ .

Large developers often distribute prerelease versions,called__________ ,of software to be tested by companies that agree to use the application with actual data for several months.

__________in general means hiring the services of another organization or individual to perform some of the work that otherwise would be performed by the hiring organization or its employees.

Before licensing a particular software package,the company should test the system using __________, which is comparing actual performance against specific quantifiable criteria.

There are situations under which organizations should avoid outsourcing.

Since no provider can guarantee 100 percent uptime,ASPs often promise 99.9 percent uptime.

An application service provider (ASP) installs software on a client's computers.

Customization of large applications is inexpensive and nearly risk-free.

If the cost-accounting procedures of a particular company are so specific that no commercially available software can perform them,the company must develop software.

It is in the__________ interest to have as specific a contract as possible.

Vendor selection criteria include functionality,architectural fit,price,services,and support.

Name at least five important factors to be considered in selecting a software vendor.

When end users develop applications,they should be encouraged to develop applications that interface with other organizational systems.

In user development of applications,the lack of__________ makes system maintenance difficult at best and impossible at worst.

__________software closely conforms to an individual unit's subculture,which makes the transition to a new system easier for employees.

A disadvantage of__________ software applications is that they are less likely to be compatible with other organizations' systems.

Outsourcing is a concept that might encompass more than just commissioning the development of an application.

When a client outsources,management knows how much the outsourced services will cost,which eliminates____________________.

What is a request for proposal (RFP)?