notes on a technology infrastructure - budget items

This is a starting point for a technology plan. I have some examples that I will float around, but these are the big things we need to design for.....each bullet point can be broken down into a lot of little decisions :)

• Infrastructure - wiring/switches/access points/Firewall with content filtering. We could get into WAP central management, Load Balancers, etc. But those first few are the only necessary ones. You'll need the filtering to qualify for E-Rate (which is pretty not-evil and you'll want) and to keep yourself from Viruses.
  

• Client Hardware - Computers/monitors/scanners/printers/cameras/projectors/smartboards/scanners/etc.

• Client Software - OS Licenses, Office Suite Licenses. Adobe Lisences (Acrobat, InDesign, Photoshop). The rest, you can get for free. I mean, you can get the first two for free, too, but I'll bet money you won't want to. Except maybe the Office Suite. OpenOffice 3.0 is really nice, and works on the Mac. No more NeoOffice! Adobe is optional, but you'll probably end up with it at some point.

• Student Information System/Finance Software/Development Software/Admissions Software - Best if they can all talk together but if they can't all talk together, at least get Admissions and SIS to talk together.
  

• Website/Online presence
  

• Internet Access - Consider E-Rate. Call your local cable company for Power-to-Learn (don't worry about being repetetive. Just get it all). Price vendors. Get at least a T1. But really, get more than that. Fiber is best of this is a new installation. You'll thank yourself in 3-5 years, because bandwidth is expandable on that shit way more than Coax or DSL.

• Phone system -
  

• Phone Service - All-you-can-eat calling is best. Teachers make personal calls. Sometimes, a lot. You really can't win with that battle.

• Analog Fax Line
  

• E-mail. yes.

• Emergency Calling. Something so that you don't have to setup a snow chain. There are lots out there that are all reasonably priced and work well.

• Servers - A directory server and file server are the two things you'll really need. The rest will come. Consider Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X.
  

• An account with Tech Soup - actually free, They have stuff on deep, deep discount.

• Vendors you can trust - from Office supplies to Phone System support.
• Server to run DNS and DHCP. Really, your file/directory server will do that for you (and your directory server probably should), but it needs to be said. At the end of the day, you should have, at minimum, two servers. The database server for your SIS, and the server that does everything else. the database needs cheap hardware, so it's usually low or no-cost to run an SQL server or the like.