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Blog posts tagged buying IT

I need a new computer with Windows 98

February 13, 2012 by Craig Sharp

Old vs new - outdated technology{{}}My business provides IT support to its clients. And increasingly, IT support isn’t just technology support; it’s business support. That’s because using IT as a strategic asset can set your company apart from its competitors, bringing you more sales and boosting your profits.

That’s the mantra I stick by and use as the yardstick for all my conversations with clients. Good IT will result in good business.

Not quite a straightforward upgrade

So, you can imagine my surprise when a new enquiry came in from someone who said they needed to update their IT equipment. On the surface it was a straightforward job: new computers, a server and updated software.

However, it turned out not to be quite as simple as I first thought.

Things took an unexpected turn when this potential client told me that the new computers had to run Windows 98. Yes, Windows 98, which was released nearly 14 years ago. It’s so old that Microsoft even stopped providing support for it in 2006.

When I pressed them on this, the conversation went something like this:

Me: “Why do you need to run Windows 98?”

Potential customer: “Well, we have this invoicing software that was set up for us years ago.”

Me: “Ok...”

Potential customer: “The guy who set it up doesn’t work here anymore.”

Me: “I think I see where this is going.”

Potential customer: “It only works on Windows 98 computers. We have a Windows XP machine but that won’t run the software, and our Windows 98 machines are dropping like flies.”
Me [after thinking for a moment]: “I think the key issue here is to look at the software and sort it out first, rather than try to just keep Windows 98 running indefinitely.”

Bespoke software can cause problems

This business was facing is an issue I see all too often. That’s software, written or installed by an individual (not an off the shelf product) which is ‘bespoke’.

It’s great for the first year or two, while the person that installed it is around and able to help. But 15 years later (yes, they said they’ve been using it for about 15 years!) it becomes a problem because the installer or designer is no longer around.

My plan in this case is to check out the software properly before making any further suggestions. I guess it’s probably some kind of customised spreadsheet or perhaps a bespoke database.

However, the key point is that this software is hindering the company’s ability to use IT effectively. It’s stopping them from being efficient, productive and responsive to new orders.

The lesson for us all is clear. It’s vital to get advice from IT professionals who understand your business and its needs both now and in the future.

Technical people are fantastic. They can do magic things to fix software or resuscitate a dying PC. But it’s my experience that they often fail to consider the needs of your business. When you’re looking at a big investment in new software and equipment, they are far more important.

Craig Sharp is MD of Abussi.

Posted in Buy and manage IT | Tagged software, custom software, buying IT | 4 comments
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Why your software doesn't do what you wanted

December 14, 2011 by Susan Chadwick

Putting a square peg into a round hole

Don’t end up with software that’s like a square peg in a round hole

When you buy software you assume it will do everything you need it to do for your business.  After all, the marketing literature said so! But after they have committed to purchase and installed the software, many businesses discover that:

  • There are limits to the expected functionality
  • They need to buy new equipment to get any benefit
  • Some functions are not part of the basic package so they need to purchase add-ons
  • Their PCs and network need to be upgraded
  • They need to bring in technical support to set up or make changes

If this happens to you, you’ll find you have not bought what you thought. Worse, you’ll have incurred unplanned and unbudgeted additional costs.

Why your software requirements matter

The most important thing to do before buying software is to clearly define, communicate and agree your requirements up front.  Then agree objective acceptance criteria so both you and your supplier know exactly what is expected: you won’t sign off the software until it meets these criteria.

Often, achieving this seems as likely as me winning the pole vault in the 2012 Olympics (I’m not keen on heights!).

Indeed, the analysis and thought process involved in establishing your acceptance criteria can, in itself, ensure you are objectively considering what your business needs. Establishing success criteria forces you to ask the right questions when considering an investment in software.

How to define your requirements

These are the kind of questions you should ask when it comes to defining requirements:

  • What are my business objectives? For instance: quality, automation, clear business processes, return on investment, reduced timeframes.
  • What features and capabilities need to be delivered?  Be explicit.
  • What constraints must be applied? For instance: cost, timescales, business process change, risk, infrastructure, maintainability, upgrade.
  • What are the longer term requirements and does the software need to support a longer term strategy? Essentially, does the software need to grow with your company?
  • What are my acceptance criteria?

The last one is key, because acceptance criteria enable you to establish clear, objective measures that will ensure both parties (you and the software supplier) know what is expected, what is being delivered and can be happy when requirements are met. They will cover areas such as:

  • Specific capabilities and functionality - what do you need the software to do?
  • Technical requirements - what kind of computers or network will the software need to run on?
  • Performance requirements - how fast should the software run, how many users should it be able to handle, how much data should it be capable of processing?
  • Training needs - how much training will be required and how will it be delivered?
  • Business process changes - what changes will your business have to make to accommodate the software?
  • Maintainance and support - how and when will these be provided and carried out?

The criteria have to be objective and defined to the right level of detail. Why objective? Tell two people you are thinking of buying a great new car and one will tell you to buy a Porsche and the other a Nissan. Perhaps that’s a bad example … I would go for the Porsche every time, but that just goes to show that we do not intuitively consider other people’s perspectives!

Avoid ‘satisfactory’ performance

Specifically, I have seen many companies make the mistake of defining criteria to say ‘performance must be satisfactory’.  This is a totally subjective statement and could mean anything. It often results in endless unsatisfactory debates - once it is too late - about everyone’s interpretation of the word ‘satisfactory’.

The right business critical software can transform your business, but you need to know exactly what sort of transformation you are looking for – and you must be clear on why and how you will assure success.

Read more about buying software for your business:

Susan Chadwick is co-founder of Edge Testing Solutions.

Posted in Business software | Tagged testing, software, requirements, buying IT | 1 comment
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