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In our last podcast, we spoke about the indicators a business owner should identify to signal that they need better solutions, but the next step is picking one and understanding the dangers. What makes Technology Dangerous besides the obvious Malware and Ransomware attacks?
Buying a solution that is too big or too small is the most common scenario: from buying a Ferrari and only ending up using the radio or fixing a drywall leak with endless duct tape.
The leaky roof story (Too Small)
The business owner (BO):
BO: “I have a hole in my roof and I patch it with duct tape especially when it rains, but that’s just life”
Year 1
BO: “The hole is getting bigger and the drywall is starting to rot, but the duct tape still works and I don’t see a problem with it, I’m just going to add more because it’s cheap and more cost-effective”
Year 2
BO: “Ugh, my roof collapsed so I am replacing it with more duct tape because it’s so much cheaper”ERP: “Okay, but why wouldn’t you just replace the drywall and fix the leak?”
BO: “Naw, that’s too expensive, the duct tape works well and there is nothing wrong with it”
*End Scene*
This is the silent killer when you find yourself running your business in Excel or patching multiple systems together to address a need. Sure there is a time and a place for this, but once you start hiring people to do data entry, or keep Excel sheets up to date, you have now instilled cancer into your business.
Other warning signs include:
Technology just because
Egos and pride
Biased opinions
Not going in with an open mind
Only focusing on an audit trail (Accounting deciding the system)
You need to identify trust vs bias, so what are the signs and factors of a good trusted advisor?
-Look at their track record, have they worked with one product line? or multiple products? People who have worked with one product line are usually much more biased.
-What brand names are they using? Are they referring to old brand names? Have they used terminology such as Axapta? Or are they using new terms such as Dynamics 365 F&O?
-Are you being pushed to buy servers? Is it because the IT department or person doesn’t want to lose their job? So they are pushing older client-server solutions so they are still needed?
-What industry have they implemented? Manufacturing, Distribution? Project? Service? Manufacturing and distribution can go hand in hand, but distribution to manufacturing is a whole new world.
-Does your advisor have fewer years of experience but instead, it’s concentrated experience by coming from a vendor having done hundreds of implementations? Or is it someone with “15 years” of experience but on the client-side, so they have only gone through a handful of implementations?
-Certificates aren’t the be-all and end-all, but they can help to some level of degree.
Aqurus Solutions : Oct 5, 2020, 2:00:08 AM
Aqurus Solutions