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I need a new computer with Windows 98
February 13, 2012
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.
- What to ask when choosing an IT support company
- How to avoid problems with software developers
- Do you really need custom software?
Craig Sharp is MD of Abussi.
Why your software doesn't do what you wanted
December 14, 2011
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:
- How to avoid problems with software developers
- Creating your IT requirements
- Choose and use IT suppliers
Susan Chadwick is co-founder of Edge Testing Solutions.
Olympic errors: why you should take testing seriously
March 23, 2011
Launching a new website can be stressful. Just ask the organisers of the London Olympics, who opened their ticket website last week. After last Monday's big switch on, it didn't take long for people to twig that the site couldn't handle debit and credit cards due to expire before August. Whoops.
Interestingly, reports say that 'the website and ticketing guide clearly state that Visa cards must expire no earlier than August 2011'. In other words, the expiry date restrictions were known about when the site launched, but people weren't reading the explanation before putting in their ticket applications.
It's a common problem: people don't bother reading instructions, then get frustrated when things don't work as they expect. In short: if you have to explain your website, it's too complicated.
Always test thoroughly
Before you launch a new website - or any IT system - it's really important you test it thoroughly. You need to catch all the bugs you can and ensure everything is secure.
But that's not enough. Your site must be easy to use too. Can people find what they're looking for? Is your order process straightforward?
It might be harder to answer these questions definitively (not everyone's perception of 'easy to use' is the same), but it's vital you do your best.
If you're working with a software developer or web design company, they'll be able to help you with all kinds of testing. And there's plenty of information about usability testing on the Marketing Donut, our sister site.
But whatever you do, put time and consideration into how you test any new IT system . It could make the difference between success and failure. Or - as the Olympics organisers have illustrated so well - it could help you avoid any unnecessary bad publicity.
(Image of a ticket booth from Flickr user Sister72 under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.)
Three IT tips to get you more organised
March 18, 2011
Buying a whiteboard could be the best £30 you spend
Ben Dyer from Actinic explains how to know where things are and get stuff done.
OK, put your hands up if you consider yourself a highly productive person. Now, keep your hands up if you are also incredibly organised. I doubt there are many of you left.
In our increasingly busy lives, it’s hard to stay productive and organised.
I am a self-confessed productivity junkie and always on the lookout for tips and tricks to make my life easier. Here are my top three; IT isn’t central to all of them, but then that’s because technology isn’t always the answer. I would love to hear what works for you.
1. Use the Nike rule to deal with distracting emails: just do it!
I used to subscribe to a mantra that banned multi-tasking. While we are all capable (yes, even men) of doing ten things at once, we generally don't do them particularly well. Focusing on a single task at hand is the best approach, but I can’t remember a single day in the past few years that’s contained little or no distraction.
So, my new method is the Nike rule. It’s really simple. When a distracting email arrives, if you can take care of it in five minutes, just do it. We process things quickly when they’re fresh and providing an instant response gives you the appearance of being highly organised.
If the distraction can’t be resolved within the allotted time then file it (see next tip) and ignore it till you have time. It’s quite liberating!
2. Use a low-tech task list as well as a high-tech one
The best bit of office equipment I own is the £30 whiteboard I bought last year. Sure, it’s low tech. But it’s also green and effective.
There is something quite satisfying about scrubbing a task off the board. Tasks that can be completed quickly go on the board. Everything else goes into my electronic task list. I use the brilliant Things app for Mac and iPhone, but my boss simply uses a text file. I’ve heard good things about Remember the Milk too.
Using the whiteboard first allows me to limit the size of my to-do list. That has to be a good thing.
3. Get to grips with digital filing
To me, the idea of cutting down a tree to turn digital words into print is utter folly. Paper is also a pain: it’s bulky, doesn't travel particularly well and usually ends up in the bin. What a waste.
It can also be really hard to find what you are looking for if it’s stored on paper. The Google generation is used to searching for anything, anywhere and this is a concept I like to apply to my paperwork with Evernote.
This digital filing cabinet allows you to store and index almost anything you like. I religiously scan and save all of my day-to-day paperwork into Evernote, as well as important documents, pictures and web pages I find interesting.
Evernote ‘reads’ this content and makes it all searchable. But the best thing about it is the mobile support. I have my entire filing cabinet with me wherever I go. It’s unbelievably useful.
(Image of a non-whiteboard from Flickr user dan taylor under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.)
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