A final consideration is whether the resource will be accessible through institutional firewalls and if the vendor can provide technical assistance or advice for working with this security measure. Systems and Technical Support Vendor support in terms of technical assistance to ADL and users must be carefully evaluated. The amount of local technical support and staff time required must also be assessed. The vendor's license should state their responsibility for ensuring reliable service and their response time if problems do occur. The Selection Committee should try to determine any plans the vendor has for further developing the resource in terms of future expansions or enhancements, integration with other products, and the implementation of new technologies.
Future developments can impact the long-term performance and usefulness of the resource.
The number of simultaneous users supported by the system must be sufficient to meet the needs of the primary clientele. Both initial and long-term use must be considered. The actual number of users must be balanced between the cost per user and the adverse effects of having users blocked from the system. The cost per user must be evaluated in relation to the value or importance of the content. ADL may develop acceptable wording for standard clauses and request that the vendor change the contact before it is signed.