User:Idleworks2

HP Thin Client

Executive Summary

Today’s information technology administrators must get as much value for their dollar as possible. They require rapid deployment, easier management of PCs, and uniformity of products. IT professionals demand easy access to technology, as well as more services and solutions that free up their resources. Quality, reliability, compatibility, and value are especially important attributes in the commercial marketplace. From these general requirements, customer needs become more refined and highly differentiated as they branch out to specific areas of usage.

Thin Clients Save Money

The unique advantages of the TCSC model over traditional desktop computing clearly represent a significant opportunity to reduce the annual hard and soft costs for managing a network. Highly consistent and stable, thin clients connect to a server where all processing and storage occurs. Thin clients are positioned according to customer requirements and benefits, rather than by specific product features. These features significantly differentiate the TCSC model from traditional desktop computing solutions.

Thin Client Server Computing versus Unmanaged Desktops

The typical computing solution for most enterprises is an unmanaged network. Unmanaged PC computing has its advantages: user autonomy, the ability to work independent of a network, and the ability to utilize graphics-intensive applications. However, unmanaged computing has significant drawbacks that lead to higher costs: lower security, increased downtime, and increased soft costs. Users are able to add, delete, and modify programs and data. Diskette drives allow for users to remove confidential data and load (intentionally or otherwise) harmful viruses. Companies that are able to utilize a thin client server computing solution are able to reap substantial savings and benefits versus companies that use traditional PC-based computing solutions. Consider some of the traditional pitfalls that commonly occur in an unmanaged computing network:

􀂄 Hard drive crashes resulting in data loss and user downtime

􀂄 Costly service calls to repair hardware and solve software problems

􀂄 Multiple images on different PCs leading to a different set of problems for each machine

􀂄 Theft of equipment

􀂄 Theft of data

􀂄 Applications are not standardized

􀂄 Version control is difficult to maintain

􀂄 Increased time spent deploying software and upgrades

􀂄 Difficulty establishing uniform standards in complex business environments, such as post-merger companies.

Companies may be forced to spend thousands of dollars every year on technical support, hardware replacements, and service calls. Industry standard estimates for such costs are as high as $8000 per PC per year.1 The costs associated with maintaining a thin client network are significantly lower than that of a PC network due to the inherent strengths of the TCSC model.

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SPinweb-- Eric s raymond

Smartmatic/TIM

MANILA, Philippines - Unless they get their act together, officials of the consortium that won the P11.3-billion contract to automate the 2010 elections face up to 15 years in jail if they fail to do their work, Comelec executives said Tuesday.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Special Bids and Awards Committee head Ferdinand Rafanan said the law mandates Smartmatic Corp. and Total Information Management (TIM) to automate the polls.

TIM, however, has pulled out of its partnership with Smartmatic, putting the multi-billion-peso poll automation project in jeopardy.

"Batas ang nag-uutos niyan. Baka gusto nilang mabilanggo ng six to 15 years [The law orders the automation… unless they want to spend six to 15 years in jail]," Rafanan said on government-run dzRB radio.

Commenting on possible punishment for TIM’s withdrawal from the consortium, Comelec chair Jose Melo in an interview on dzBB radio Tuesday morning said that the group’s officials could face prison for possible violation of Section 65 (c) of Article 21 of Republic Act 9184.

Under Section 65(c), Smartmatic and TIM could be liable for withdrawing from the automation bid awarded to them.

"Mr. Jose Antuñez (President of TIM) came to my office and told me they are withdrawing from the project citing their irreconcilable differences (with Smartmatic)," Melo told reporters in an interview on Monday, without mentioning the nature of the feud.

But word has leaked that the breakup was caused by corporate issues between Smartmatic and TIM ranging from the chairmanship of the board to funding disputes.

On the other hand, Rafanan said Smartmatic and TIM could see their performance bonds forfeited, and their right to bid in all Comelec projects suspended.

"Maliban diyan suspended ang karapatan mag-bid sa anumang project sa Comelec [Their right to bid in any Comelec project will be suspended]," he said.

For now, he said the Comelec has called off the contract review, even as it considers its options.

He also said the Comelec is studying the possibility of a “takeover" of Smartmatic if it couldn’t get its act together with its local partner TIM.

But he refused to discuss the possibility of manual elections, saying the Comelec’s concentration now is to ensure automated polls.

On the other hand, Rafanan admitted there may not be enough time for a second bidding, which he said may take at least three more months.

"Pwede yan. Pinag-aaralan natin yan kung ano ang legal implication, parang tantamount or equivalent to takeover. Ang Comelec naman nagsasagawa ng election talaga. Kung matutuloy ito ngayon lang may ibang kumpanya o corporation na tutulong sa Comelec," he said of the "takeover" scenario.

[That is possible. We are studying the legal implications. It is tantamount to a takeover. Since the Comelec is implementing the election, we can consider getting help from other IT companies.]

Rafanan said the implementing rules and regulations of the law on automated elections penalizes failure or delay in the submission of relevant documents.

In this case, he said Smartmatic and TIM’s failure to submit their incorporation papers by this Friday will result in a jail term of six year and one day up to 15 years.

"Ito [ang] tinitingnan natin at pinag-aaralan kung ano ang legal implications [We are now looking at the legal implications]," he said. - GMANews.TV

Forum answer:

Your thoughts on automated elections with reference to the current situation.

Before I react, let me just recall how did this issue regarding automated elections start and the procedures done before Smartmatic/TIM won the bid.

The bidding...

Last March 11, 2009 the Comelec en banc approved the Terms of Reference/Request for Proposal (TOR/RFP) for the Solutions, Terms and Conditions for the 2010 poll automation.

TOR/RFP documents contain the Comelec's policies, requirements and technical specifications which prospective bidders will need in order to prepare their bids. TOR/RFP documents come with a P1 million price tag, a non-refundable fee to be paid by interested bidders.

Later on March 30, 2009, the Comelec Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) held a pre-bid conference for the 2010 automation project. The conference was an opportunity for the prospective bidders to seek clarification on any part of the bid documents. At the time of the pre-bid conference, 10 firms have already purchased the TOR/RFP, and among those is Smartmatic/TIM. In fact, Smartmatic/TIM is one of the companies who were first to procure bid documents.

By June 23, 2009 SBAC submitted to the Comelec en banc its report recommending the award of the 2010 poll automation contract to Smartmatic/TIM. Smartmatic/TIM passed all the eligibility, technical and financial requirements. According to SBAC, the consortium had the "lowest calculated responsive bid": P7,191,484,739.48 (well within the approved budget for the contract -- P11,223,618,400.00). Later on, Comelec en banc approved the SBAC's recommendation and SBAC issued a notice of award to Smartmatic/TIM. About Smartmatic and TIM...

Smartmatic International Corp. (Smartmatic) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Smartmatic International Holding, BV, a company organized under the laws of The Netherlands. Smartmatic has organized elections using its electronic voting solutions in Latin America, the Carribean, the United States, and Asia.

Total Information Management Corporation (TIM) is a domestic corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1981. The corporation is engaged in the business of information technology and service provider. These two corporations entered into a joint venture on April 23, 2009.

The dispute...

Before the month of June ends TIM had pulled out its partnership with Smartmatic. An information had leaked that it is due to corporate issues between Smartmatic and TIM ranging from the chairmanship of the board to funding disputes.

Malacañang appealed to Smartmatic and TIM to immediately resolve their differences because it is interfering COMELEC's internal affair. Besides, if Smartmatic and TIM wasn't able to patch things up they could have faced charges for violating Republic Act 9184, the "Act Providing for the Modernization, Standardization and Regulation of the Procurement Activities of the Government and For Other Purposes."

So, just last July 3, 2009, after their 3- hour meeting Comelec chairman Jose Melo said that the two companies had agreed to be 'held liable severally and jointly' as a joint venture entity if they fail to provide services in accordance with the contract.

My reaction...

Whenever I hear the word 'automated' what immediately goes in my mind are 'technology' and 'fast'. I felt so excited when I first heard that our country will have an automated election on the year 2010. Well, I think it is time for our country to change the election system. Having an automated election will make the election processes, such as voting and counting of votes, faster than the manual election. There is a minimal human intervention during the counting of votes that means the 'sabotage' is unlikely to happen. But if during the election a power interruption or power shortage happen, can the system sustain it? Or worst, what if the system itself will have some errors DURING the election? Well, I couldn't say Automated election advantage: - faster voting than the manual - the results will come out earlier than the manual counting - more reliable results because there is less human interruption after the votation had been done

Automated Election Disadvantage: - people will have to learn how to use the machine - errors/bugs might happen - power interruptions or shortage might also happen (due to sabotage or maybe not..hehe) -