6. Implementation and installation (2)

Backup / Failure plan

Companies do not want their day-to-day operations seriously affected by a software / system change. And so they must put in place a plan of what to do if the installation or upgrade fails. As a minimum they need comprehensive backup of their system just before the change.

With database systems, the entire database should be backed up and a roll-back plan to be in place.

Custom software is often part of a larger IT system and so tend to be much more sensitive to this problem compared to generic software.

Hardware changes

If the purpose of the software is to improve performance, then this may also involve upgrading hardware such as computer terminals, graphic screens, better printers, faster network and so on.

This may be relevant to both generic and custom software, but it is more likely that custom software will include a need to upgrade the hardware.

 

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