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Is The Next Killer App Just Making All This Technology Work Properly?
from the it's-about-time dept
Everyone keeps saying they're looking for the next big "killer app" that will create the next technology boom. Here's an article suggesting that the next "big thing" is simply making all the technology we have work properly. While the article focuses on things like grid computing and blade computing as examples of this, I think it goes much further. There have been so many bad implementations of technology, wouldn't we be better served if people took the time to figure out what they can do to use what they have to improve productivity, rather than rushing off to find the "next big technology" that they will implement incorrectly?
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No Subject Given
I don't agree with this quote:
"For too many years, technology buying decisions has been left up to the technicians."
I'm not sure about other companies, but I know for sure that my company has wasted WAY too much money on foolish technology (remember the CueCat?) because of some skilled salesperson who WOWed the people who sign the checks.
Companies buy terrible products from vendors who offer "turnkey solutions" and then hand it to the tech folks who struggle with shoehorns and axle grease to wedge it into their current systems/workflow.
Grid computing and blade servers are not going to solve anything until decision makers start making wiser decisions about their data.
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Re: No Subject Given
Agreed.
I once worked for a .com that made buggy but marginally useable software. They weren't doing great, but ok. Sales were average.
Until we got a slick new CEO and sales team. The sales guys were SPECIFICALLY ordered to STOP talking to IT guys AT ALL .
I quote:
"If the person you're talking to has any tech savvy, stop talking right away and go up the ladder."
"Hook the boss and he'll make their IT install it. Period."
Sales went up like a rocket after that.
Its slimy and its how its done and it sucks.
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Re: No Subject Given
I couldn't agree more. I see both sides of the issue. And sometimes what a technician sees as being beneficial to the organization does not make an exact match to need.
But you can't ignore this - those that are ignorant of the technology make far worse decesions. They base decesions on only understanding their needs (usually) and not the solution being sold to them.
What I love the most here, though, is that everytime I have seen either of these things happen the technician finds out that it is NOT acceptable for him to lack in understanding of the business model, however, it is completely acceptable for a business manager to be ignorant of the technology in the world around them.
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Re: techies making decisions?
I have never worked in a company where I had a strong voice in technology that will be used (and I work and worked as a chief architect). The business people and executives decide on strategic alliances and we techies have to make their poor decisions work.
The guy who wrote that paper must be bitter that some of his programs don't work and does what any executive tries to do in a bad time, blame the techies for their poor decisions.
I'd rather not start a laundry list of technologies I had to work with that were ill-fated from the start. There was a time where I actually looked forward to a root canal appointment rather than integrating a product I knew was bound to fail and cause many stability issues (CEO's friend owned the company that made that product).
Maybe someone should write an article about how executives make poor decisions based on greed and lack of understanding?
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