Architecture

Software architecture means different things to different people. We use the term to describe things that are hard to change.

This will include the hardware configuration.

• Do you have a single PC or a number of them networked?
• What type of network? Is it peer to peer or client server?
• Is the number of networked PCs likely to increase dramatically in the future?

And there are, of course, software considerations.

• Do you use a database?
• What type of database?
• What operating system is in place?
• What programming platform or environment is used?

And there are management policies to consider.

• Do you only use Microsoft products?
• Do you allow open source products?