Project brief

Your team have been commissioned by a local company, EdSys (or 'Edinburgh Systems') to provide a solution for their workforce of ten staff who each need the following, as a minimum: internet access, including access to the World Wide Web and e-mail, Office applications and a shared laser printer. They require a server for the management of local user accounts on the company network and additionally some type of file server with at least 5TB of storage space. The file server should be on the cloud, with access to it available on the go via smartphones, tablets and laptops (as well as access via the company network, via the internet connection).

You have been given a maximum of three months to come up with a solution and present it to your client. Your team must provide a cost effective solution, considering this is a small company with limited budget. The maximum cost for the total project must be within a budget of 8,000. Any ongoing costs should not come to any more than 3,000 annually.

The presentation should include details of the solution you have come up with and the total cost to set it up, including any ongoing costs. As part of the presentation you must give a working demonstration of a small LAN, similar to the setup in your solution; including hardware, software, internet access and file sharing. The hardware specifications do not necessarily have to match exactly the specifications in your proposed solution, so can be of a lesser specification for demonstration purposes, however all features of your solution must be demonstrated. Your team must setup and configure the LAN for the demonstration as part of the project.