blog

Right now, the buzz around cloud computing is endless. But, it’s just the latest trend. In the past, it’s been B2B marketplaces, best-of-breed solutions for targeted business challenges and even the internet as a whole. The hidden cost of innovation is that IT solution provider’s need to explain the value and viability of these emerging technologies to skeptical decision-makers who are heavily invested in the status quo. Eventually, you know, today’s innovation will become tomorrow’s legacy platform, but that doesn’t make getting over the hump any easier.

So, how do you approach a CIO or IT director with something new, like private cloud computing solution?

Well, cautiously.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you think all it takes to keep a client happy is a straightforward implementation that tracks directly back to your proposal, you could be in for a surprise. The latest Enterprise IT Services Survey from Forrester Research shows that clients in North America and Europe are looking for more of … well … everything. In addition to not realizing all the advantages they’d hoped for, many would like to see more innovation from their IT services vendors.

Read the rest of this entry »

For more than a decade, the IT industry has been obsessed with the concept of “first to market.” I remember the late 1990s, in particular, where a company that wasn’t first to move was believed destined to follow, as early entrants would seize market share quickly, gain an edge on the upgrade path and block anyone with similar hopes from ever realizing them. The advantage that comes with being first isn’t as widely recognized as it was 10 years ago, but it nonetheless persists, if only in a diluted form.

When it comes to social media marketing, this has led several companies to surmise that it’s too late to use it to gain an edge. They winners have already been determined, they suspect. So, why would an IT reseller invest its already limited marketing resources in this type of endeavor?

Well, we have more than a decade of perspective on the first-mover advantage, and I can tell you confidently not to believe in it. You can succeed even if you’re late to the game – but wait too long, and you really are ceding the advantage to your competitors.

Read the rest of this entry »