The first two seem to be based on "objective" measurements. The first uses problem report trends to indicate when hardware reaches the end of its sustainable life. When we see a steady increase over a period of time (usually three to six months) in the number of problem tickets related to hardware failure, it may well be a sign that our "build" needs to be replaced. Similarly, in theory we have established hardware utilisation thresholds (usually defined as processor or disk utilisation numbers) that allow us to accurately predict the need for incremental upgrades.
The second two appear, on the surface, to be reactions to outside events. In the first case, the company is coming to the end of its lease duration on specific pieces of equipment. Depending on the lease structure, you may have the option to replace the items, purchase them outright, extend the lease at a substantial operating fee, or even extend the lease at the same terms. Similarly, business Factors outside of the IT organisation drive the installation of a software package. IT executes the work, but some other organisation requested the change and eventually drove the product though.
The last two fall into what we might call a "political" category. In the first, new top-level executives enter the organisation, bringing with them their pre-existing set of relationships. As problems occur, they call on their old friends who helped them out in the past. Eventually this leads to some wholesale hardware revisions. In the second case, a user group requests some new hardware with a business-related purpose. These hardware requests may range from the mundane (new monitors for a group about to shift to a fully integrated imaging package) to the highly esoteric (extending wireless networking into the local Starbucks so that the creative team can have coffee meetings).
Each of these initiation events requires that we ask at least one unique question during the new hardware assessment discussion. These problems, their categories, and the requirements are listed below:
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