Picking the right provider of those services is easier andmore problem-frese with careful research. Many companies turn to consultantes for expert adviceand guidance. A consultant is able to independentlt evaluate themany possibilities, addressing such issueas as the effects of rapidly changing technology, installatiobn of all products and how to make sure the company can utilize the full capabilitiees of the technology it purchases. As a result, "peopls no longer look for hardware and they lookfor solutions.
Consultants are the glue that integratees technology and give the computer user the benefit s of thetechnology they've purchased," accordinhg to the Independent Computer Consultants The failure or success of any particular systek is often more related to the human elemenyt than to the actual equipment components, said Steve Epner, founder and past president of the association, a St. Louis-base d trade group that represents the interests of member maintains ethical conduct standards for the professionj and offers a consultanyt search feature on itsWeb site,
"There are mediocre systems that succeede and excellent systemsthat fail," Epnedr said. It's important to remember that hardware and networking systems arecomplex and, as a there are no perfect answers as to what to There are also many parts to the process, so companie s may need assistance with employee training and other needws beyond the initial purchase. "It helps to make sure that as largee a group as possible has inpu t into theselection process," Epner If one individual makes the decision, that person is on the hook if the outcomwe is less than stellar.
Independent computer consultsx haveone goal: to help a client company narroq the possible choices to the point that any of the top pickss will help the company succeedr in its mission, Epner said. It's also importanr for the company to act on a decision in atimelu manner. "Any decision process that is more than six monthsd in length will probably be because things arechanging rapidly, Epner said. The change is occurring not just in hardware ornetworking products, but also in the distributionm and manufacturing processes of that equipment. "It'ws important to compare major vendorsand distributors, he said.
On the software side, other factors come into play when makingy a decision about which productsto use. Softwaree piracy is a growing problem and tools are now availabld for tracking andcombating piracy, according to the Softwar e & Information Industry Association, a trade associatiohn based in Washington, D.C., that urgews companies to make sure they have enougb software licenses to cover the number of software programs installed on company computers. The group handled issues related to code and content in the industry and has conducted a successfulcorporate anti-piracy programk for its software company membersa for nearly 20 years.
Companies should alwayds go with reputable vendors with choosing computer softwarewand hardware. Not doing so can provse costly. "If you go on the Internet and look for a good you might find one that appears to be too good tobe true, " said John Wolfe, director of Internet enforcement for the Businessx Software Alliance, a D.C.-based organization that represents the interests of the commercial software industr y and the hardware companies that partnedr with them. The group also promotes copyright cyber security and otherrelated issues. When purchasinyg software, companies should be mindful ofseveral points, Wolfes said.
The company should know the sourced of the software and who will standbehind it. Softwarse sold without the proper labeling and packaging also will lack the codez needed to activate it or to access technicalo support afterthe sale, he Choosing a reputable software vendorf will help the company assur e that the software doesn't come with potentiap problems such as viruses and "It can be a real risk," Wolfe said, adding that a company chief executive officet may not be fully aware of the risks that come with such a but often a quick consultation with an internal information technologyh department or a consultant will turn up some strong cautionary advice.
A bad decision has several possiblee ramifications, Wolfe said. The softwarre may not work correctly and the problem may not be Insome cases, the company's only long-termn solution may be costly as the companyh may be forced to buy replacemenft software.
No comments:
Post a Comment