Question

The IT manager for the Credit Call Center is planning to implement a client/server architecture to support the operations of the call center. The owner of the company is content with the current setup and reluctant to allocate resources to a client/server architecture. You have been tasked by the IT Manager to explain client/server architecture to the owner and discuss the benefits and how it will help Credit Call Center in your explanation address

1. What is meant by client/server architecture?
2. Describe how this architecture works
3. Explain how  Credit Call Center can benefit from a client/server architecture
4. Why it is a good investment?

Answer 1

Meaning of client server architecture

Client/Server network is a computer network in which one centralized powerful computer
(called Server) is connected to many less powerful PCs or workstations (called Clients).
The clients run programs and access data that are stored on the server. Example
WWW/E-Mail

How client server architecture works

A typical Client/Server architecture

• Servers are typically powerful computers running advanced network operating system
• End User Personal Computer or Network Computer workstations are the Clients.
• Clients are interconnected by local area networks and share application processing with network servers, which also manage the networks. Client and Server can operate on separate computer platforms.
• Either the client platform or the server platform can be upgraded without having to upgrade the other platform.
• The server is able to service multiple clients concurrently; in some client/server, Systems clients can access multiple servers.
• Action is usually initiated at the client end, not the server end.
• The network system implemented within the client server technology is commonly called by the computer industry as Middleware.Middleware is all the distributed software needed to allow clients and servers to interact.

Benefits of client server architecture to a call centre

1) shared resources - a server can service many client at same time and regulate their access to shared resources

2) Transparency of location- for security of the server it's location (ip address ) is masked

3)mix and match - it is flexible and can run on any hardware and operating system

4) scalability - we can easily scale up and scale down the Operation

5) integrity - since all the data are kept at one place we can have better security of data

Why it's is good investment

1) it reduces initial investment eg shared resources (explained above) eg printer sharing ie no separate printer or scanner for each computer

2)better security since all data are kept at Central server

3)reduce cost eg instead of installing software on individual client computer we can install it on server and which can be used by all client

4) scalability (explained above)