Business
What your software really costs: the subscription bill
Nobody has ever added up all the active subscriptions. When you do, the number surprises — and part of it pays for tools nobody uses any more.
Read →#Choosing a supplier
01BusinessWhat your software really costs: the subscription billNobody has ever added up all the active subscriptions. When you do, the number surprises — and part of it pays for tools nobody uses any more.02TechCloud or your own servers: the right question isn't which costs lessThe comparison is nearly always made on the monthly fee, and that is the fastest way to get it wrong. The variables that matter are three, and none appears in a quote.03TechTechnical debt explained to whoever paysEvery change costs more than the last and nobody can explain why. It isn't your supplier's incompetence: it is a loan someone took out on your behalf, and you are repaying it.04SecurityWhere your tax documents end upInvoices, contracts, payslips: they sit in a service someone chose years ago. Could you say which one, who can access it, and what happens if it closes tomorrow?05BusinessNine questions to ask an IT supplier before signingYou don't need technical skills to understand who you are dealing with. You need nine precise questions and a willingness to get the answers in writing.06BusinessThe ERP nobody uses: why business system projects failThe sign that a project went wrong is not an error on screen: it is the spreadsheet someone keeps updating next to the brand-new system.07BusinessCustom software: when it wins, and when it is a wasteBuying an off-the-shelf system costs less and covers nearly everything. But there is a part of your work no standard product can do: that is where custom software becomes a competitive advantage.08SecurityOutsourcing security: what stays yours anywayDelegating information security to people who do it for a living is almost always right. But half the work cannot be delegated, and nearly all breaches start in that half.
Tech
Cloud or your own servers: the right question isn't which costs less
The comparison is nearly always made on the monthly fee, and that is the fastest way to get it wrong. The variables that matter are three, and none appears in a quote.
Read →Tech
Technical debt explained to whoever pays
Every change costs more than the last and nobody can explain why. It isn't your supplier's incompetence: it is a loan someone took out on your behalf, and you are repaying it.
Read →Security
Where your tax documents end up
Invoices, contracts, payslips: they sit in a service someone chose years ago. Could you say which one, who can access it, and what happens if it closes tomorrow?
Read →Business
Nine questions to ask an IT supplier before signing
You don't need technical skills to understand who you are dealing with. You need nine precise questions and a willingness to get the answers in writing.
Read →Business
The ERP nobody uses: why business system projects fail
The sign that a project went wrong is not an error on screen: it is the spreadsheet someone keeps updating next to the brand-new system.
Read →Business
Custom software: when it wins, and when it is a waste
Buying an off-the-shelf system costs less and covers nearly everything. But there is a part of your work no standard product can do: that is where custom software becomes a competitive advantage.
Read →Security
Outsourcing security: what stays yours anyway
Delegating information security to people who do it for a living is almost always right. But half the work cannot be delegated, and nearly all breaches start in that half.
Read →