IT purchases have a large impact on every facet of a modern enterprise, from sourcing and financing, to end-users and future investments. To be successful, IT buyers know that their decisions carry a lot of risks, and they feel pressure to stay on top of technology trends and invest in new offerings that will add long-term value to the company.
A recent Forrester report, "The Top 10 Technology Trends Enterprise Architects Should Watch: 2012 To 2014," predicted that business intelligence, mobile applications, application platforms, cloud computing and data governance are the top areas where we can expect to see high levels of growth and development. Most IT sourcing professionals would not be surprised by these predictions, but many may not yet be experts on these new trending technologies.
Unfortunately, new technology is often accompanied by confusion, inconsistent prices and inexperience. To combat these forces and make smart IT purchasing decisions, companies need to understand the following:
Pricing must be transparent
The IT marketplace is full of pricing discrepancies, especially for new trending technology. Most buyers don't have the knowledge or a reliable means of benchmarking, so they often are at risk for paying over market value for new purchases. Using a third-party pricing expert to provide pricing information and comparisons is a great way to avoid overpaying on your next big IT purchase.
Know your vendors
Understanding new technology is a complicated thing. The myriad of available vendors offering to provide you with these new products can be even more daunting if you are unfamiliar with the vendors and their track records. A third-party expert can reduce your risk and help you make better IT purchasing decisions because they have the vendor-specific knowledge and experience to guide you.
Avoid complexity
IT buyers face new challenges every day as technology evolves and the marketplace becomes more complicated and uncertain. But, it is not necessary for them to struggle through all these complexities alone. Acquiring outside bench marking and vendor-specific contracting expertise will enable companies to make confident IT decisions with much less financial risk. They will provide the data and guidance to choose the right vendor and avoid paying too much.
A recent Forrester report, "The Top 10 Technology Trends Enterprise Architects Should Watch: 2012 To 2014," predicted that business intelligence, mobile applications, application platforms, cloud computing and data governance are the top areas where we can expect to see high levels of growth and development. Most IT sourcing professionals would not be surprised by these predictions, but many may not yet be experts on these new trending technologies.
Unfortunately, new technology is often accompanied by confusion, inconsistent prices and inexperience. To combat these forces and make smart IT purchasing decisions, companies need to understand the following:
Pricing must be transparent
The IT marketplace is full of pricing discrepancies, especially for new trending technology. Most buyers don't have the knowledge or a reliable means of benchmarking, so they often are at risk for paying over market value for new purchases. Using a third-party pricing expert to provide pricing information and comparisons is a great way to avoid overpaying on your next big IT purchase.
Know your vendors
Understanding new technology is a complicated thing. The myriad of available vendors offering to provide you with these new products can be even more daunting if you are unfamiliar with the vendors and their track records. A third-party expert can reduce your risk and help you make better IT purchasing decisions because they have the vendor-specific knowledge and experience to guide you.
Avoid complexity
IT buyers face new challenges every day as technology evolves and the marketplace becomes more complicated and uncertain. But, it is not necessary for them to struggle through all these complexities alone. Acquiring outside bench marking and vendor-specific contracting expertise will enable companies to make confident IT decisions with much less financial risk. They will provide the data and guidance to choose the right vendor and avoid paying too much.
About the Author:
Joseph B. Kappernick specializes in helping Fortune 500 companies save money. He recommends that you visit NPI to learn more about IT expense reduction solution consulting
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