1. Benchmark An objective test or measurement that can be used to evaluate the speed, capacity, capabilities, or productivity of competing products

2. Industry standard products Hardware, software, and accessories that are the market leaders in sales; standards in the computer industry are not standards in the traditional meaning(as no industry group may have participated in their design) but are often standards based on sales and market share

3. Objective evaluation criteria Factors used in a product selection procedure that ere relatively unbiased; a neutral observer should ideally be able to use objective selection criteria to reach the same conclusion as another evaluator

4. Product evaluation A process of researching an analysing computer products features, capabilities, and suitability to solve a specific user need

5. Product standards A list of hardware, operating system, network, and applications software products that have been selected to meet the needs of users in an organisation; product standards are often enforced to reduce the cost of acquiring and supporting computer systems

6. Product standards committee A group of user support staff, end users, technical support, and managers who are assigned the task of developing and maintaining a list of company-wide standard products; standards are then recommended for purchase by employees and supported by the user support staff

7. Request for proposal(RFP) A product selection or competitive bidding procedure that uses objectives criteria to distinguish among products proposed by vendors; often used as the basis for awarding a contract to provide computer products

8. Subjective evaluation criteria Factors used in a product selection procedure that are not directly related to the fit between a product’s features and a user’s needs; subjective factors include personal relationships, convenience, personal preferences, and traditional practices

9. Weighted point evaluation method A product comparison method that uses several evaluation criteria of predetermined importance to grade competing products and arrive at a numerical score as a basis for selection

10. Migrating to New Technology Reading and references Information Technology : Software Essentials. By ISBN 0864584903; Tertiary Press Week-9: Changing information technology Page 2 to 18

11. Changing Information Technology 1. History of changing technology 2. Applying new technology 3. Information technology strategic planning 4. Benefit of new technology 5. Productivity and efficiency gains 6. Disposal of redundant equipment

12. Migrating to new technology Reading and references Information Technology : Software Essentials. By ISBN 0864584903; Tertiary Press Week-9: Selecting new technology Page 20 to 29

13. Selecting New Technology 1. Trends and directions 2. Sources of information 3. Evaluating new technology 4. Selecting new technology 5. Measurement criteria

14. Migrating to New Technology Reading and references Information Technology : Software Essentials. By ISBN 0864584903; Tertiary Press Week-9: Applying new technology Page 31 to 42

15. Applying New Technology 1. Possible problems with new technology 2. Implementation plan 3. Managing new technology 4. Maximizing the benefits 5. Upgrading technology

16. Additional Reading A guide to Computer user Support for Help Desk & Support Specialists by Fred Beisse Second Edition: ISBN 0619033630 – Product Evaluation Strategies and Standards. Page 205-233 First Edition: ISBN 0760070016 – Product Evaluation Strategies and Standards. Page 49-78 (These books are available from the library)