Company’s operating system

Jeremy Vigil

POS 355

Introduction to operating systems

Instructor

John Price

March 31, 2002

Overview

            The company I work for is XO communications.  They provide voice and data communications for small to large businesses.  I coordinate installations for the California market.  This includes finding problems before they happen and correcting them when they do happen.  In my department, they chose to use Windows NT for their operating system.  Windows NT has been used in all the telecommunications jobs I have had over the last four years.  It has become a standard for the telecommunications industry. 

Why operating system is used in work place?

            I believe XO communications chose Windows NT because of several reasons.  (popularity, ease of use, and variety of applications)  The reasons are described below in more detail.  Also there is a reason XO should not have chosen Windows NT.

Popularity, I believe, had the greatest impact on the decision to choose Windows NT.  This allows XO to have a greater hiring pool.  More technicians use Windows NT so that means less training which in turn means less money used for training.  Technicians would need a learning curve to learn another OS like the MAC.  This time can be spent processing orders and troubleshooting.  This also applies for the IT staff.  There is a plethora of IT personnel that know Windows NT.  Sometimes more than they need to know.

The GUI interface allows the novice to use a computer.  This provides the ease of use.  Most people to do not need to go too in-depth.  All is needed is how to start a program and how to navigate with in that program.  During the DOS days, users needed to know the file name and location of a program in order to run it plus a number of commands that were not in English.  Now all that is needed is the appearance of the icon.

The variety of applications is another reason why I think XO chose Windows NT.  More choice equals more competition, which means less money to purchase applications.  Every business is all about saving money.  This also includes less money to customize your major applications.  Most of the work can be done quickly because Windows Experience is not hard to come by.

Applications

Applications that XO most frequently uses in my department are SIMS and the Microsoft Office Suite.  SIMS is an order processing application specifically designed for XO communications.  This program allows us to look at multiple orders at the same time and tells us who was and is working on an order.  This program also organizes all order information i.e. Circuit ids, contact and schedule information.  Every customer order is placed in SIMS this includes Local, 800, and data services. 

Outlook and Excel are the programs most used in the Microsoft Office Suite.  Outlook is used for internal and external correspondence and scheduling.  The most widely used tool is email.  Outlook is an easy program to learn and customize.  It can be used has a basic email program or it can be used has a personal assistant.  Excel is used for reports and graphs because you know how management loves their graphs.  Every order that is completed needs to be in a quality of install report.  (QOI)  This report helps determine trends in frequent problems so we can proactively fix them the next time.  The QOI is used in excel and is shared with everyone in my department.

Security

            Security is one issue that should steer companies away from the Window’s operating system.  Window’s popularity makes it a big target for hackers.  The vast majority of news stories pertaining to security holes are about Windows.  The reason for this is there are more people trying to find security holes because more people use Windows.  Although, Microsoft can take some of the blame for the security holes.

Conclusion

            Today’s companies have relied heavily on Windows operating systems.  This will lead to less dynamic user base.  Multiple operating systems are needed for their different strengths and weaknesses.  Windows does have the strength of ease of use but it lags in speed and stability.