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City of Lake Elmo. EDP Recommendation Page 4 SUPPORT Technical support for hardware and software is extremely important. Support agreements provide comfort while you are automating a system. We recommend purchasing a hardware support agreement for all equipment purchased for a minimum of one year. After the first year the cost/benefit of this coverage on the equipment may warrant the equipment not be covered by a service agreement. Quite often, problems with the hardware occur within the first year. A source for software support should also be obtained when the software is purchased. Software support will be required during the period the software is first being installed and setup. Subsequently, support may be required to answer questions that arise when actual processing begins. This support may be purchased directly from the software company or from a private source that specializes in the software that you have purchased. We recommend using a local support person for the initial installation and training on the software. Depending on the program implemented continued support may usually be purchased on a per call basis or on annual support agreement from this same local source or from the software vendor directly. Support prices may vary considerably depending on the source used for the service. Average hardware support prices experienced are listed on the attached schedule. Software support cost cannot be estimated to any degree of accuracy. The actual cost will vary based on the source of the support and the number of times problems requiring support are experienced. An estimate of the cost for installation and initial training on the software is included on the attached schedule. This is an average based on other client's experiences. This cost will also vary depending on your specific requirements. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Summary The City's main decision for upgrading its computer processing abilities is dependent on what type of program the City intends to implement for processing its financial transactions. If speed is of the essence for implementing a new system then an off -the - shelf general ledger program such as the one available from Banyon Software with an IBM compatible computer is a prudent purchase for the City. If the City desires greater flexibility for its general ledger processing a relational database management program may be implemented. Either type of computer hardware may be purchased with these programs. This would also allow City personnel already familiar with Apple Macintosh computers to continue using them. The City's main objective to implement new general ledger software could be done currently on a IBM compatible computer. When the City officials determine that other computer systems must be replaced the possibility of implementing and sharing data between both hardware environments may be a feasible and prudent alternative for increasing productivity of City personnel.