Most Information Technology professionals agree that you use the best tools to get the job done. Sometimes the tools you need are already believable from open source or commercial packages. Many times you can deploy a pre-developed package implementing it with your own configuration. For example, Sales Force is a popular CRM package you can purchase; or you could use an open system CRM package such as Sugar. Many other vendors have their own solution as well.
The question I am trying to get to is are we using the best processes when go about selecting tools for development or implementation?
Many companies associate themselves with specific vendors or product lines. We are an Oracle shop. We are a Microsoft shop. We use IBM. Open systems are the best. These are common phrases I have heard pre-determining the solutions and toolsets that may be applied. I still remember the first time an IT Director told me, “no one has ever been fired for using big blue.”
Are these positions something we have developed as prejudices? Is it reasonable that your team can be proficient with tool sets from multiple vendors, operating systems or languages? What does a company need to do to remain competitive as a place of employment, have tactical advantages over their competitors, and solid integration with their partners?
What is your opinion? What is the position of companies where you have done work? Is there a model that works well with multiple vendors? Share your thoughts here online, or drop an email to btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben