Technology Services

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Don't seek out technology for the sake of having the 'latest' in technology. Identify what you want that technology to do for you. Does it generate revenue? Increase efficiency? Part of regulatory compliance? I actually talk clients out of projects that are just money pits with no return.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. Users of technology never want to appear to be ignorant of 'what's new', but they really are not versed in all of the real options. I wish more organizations would not implement technology before doing a bit of homework. The biggest example is where organizations buy Microsoft Office instead of the free LibreOffice (because they don't know what options are out there).

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. I have worked as a professional technology consultant for 16 years. All too often I see technicians (that call themselves engineers) that always attack problems with the same solutions.
There are a myriad of ways to solve problems. So if a specialist tells you "we can fix this by doing X", then ask them 2 other ways that it _could_ be done and why _in this instance_ that the first way was better.
If they can only come up with one option, then they are a 1-trick pony that could be replaced by a robot.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. A budget, timeline and general goals are necessary before doing any planning. Most projects fail due to insufficient planning.