| Problems with the Current System Criteria Specification & Imposed Constraints A more Detailed Look at Proposed Alternatives |
A More Detailed Look at the Proposed Alternative System’s Processes and CapabilitiesThe creation of a web site will allow customers to input their personal information and become members of the site so that they can personalize their EU-Rent Car Rental experience. The web site will also allow advertisement to EU-Rent’s target audience in a cost effective manner, for example via weekly emails to registered web site users. Moreover, the trends and stats generated by web site visits will be studied to obtain marketing strategies. EU-Rent will be able to retain full control of their content and minimize time spent on day-to-day operations through simple web-based updating through the browser. The web site will permit customers to make reservations for vehicles online in real time. The interface will include rate and availability updates, automated processing of new reservations, reservation modifications and cancellations. The web site will also be linked to the other subsidiaries of the EU-Corporation. See Appendix 2: Context Level Dataflow diagram for New System EU-Rent Car Rental will roll out broadband wireless Wide Area Networks (WANs) at the 1000 car rental locations to speed up customer check-in and car returns. The high-speed wireless WANs will allow the capture of digital signatures from customers in real time and the transmission of the signed documents directly to the company's enterprise information system. This will support an increasingly mobile workforce with mobile applications that tie into enterprise systems. See Appendix 3: Diagram 0 for new system The system will provide the company with a complete wireless infrastructure that will extend beyond check-in and check out. It will also support maintenance, repairs and training. An external source will provide the company with handheld terminals running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows CE 3.0 operating system. A terminal that is flexible, programmable and can be easily enhanced is necessary since it wouldn’t be wise for the company to be locked into something that cannot be changed. With the handheld terminals, billing information is transmitted via the wireless WAN to a central server, which in turn feeds into the company's enterprise information system. The web application will be linked to a database on the central server.
It will allow the flow of information between all the branches, linking
each branch and coordinating activities as a single unit, instead of
as separate units. The new system will be scalable, secure and robust.
It will support atomic transactions, and will also guarantee that all
the changes performed within a transaction boundary are committed or
rolled back. The new database will allow restoration to the point of
failure and it integrates with Windows security to ensure data protection.
The database will be consistently updated, by adding new customer records
and keeping track of customer loyalty incentive schemes. |