While speaking with one of our customers a few years back, he remarked that our software didn’t have any “gotchas”–bad surprises that spring up after the purchase. In dealing with software vendors for many years, he told me that he had come to expect “gotchas” in all software purchases. In other words, he actually expected… Continue reading »
Apr
02
What happens if a vendor stops supporting your software?
What happens if a software vendor stops supporting a product that your company uses on a daily basis? This usually means you’re stuck with unmaintainable software that falls more and more out of step with your business every day. It’s a good question to consider before you buy software. What happens if the vendor goes… Continue reading »
May
13
Is poor planning wasting your money?
How much money does your company waste on unused software every year? According to a recent survey, the cost of unused software on US businesses alone is a whopping $12.3 billion a year. Shocking, isn’t it? I believe one of the biggest reasons for this waste stems from one underlying problem: Companies often make short-sighted… Continue reading »
Jan
17
How long should business software stay current?
I wrote up a post last week about avoiding software purchase failure. A commenter on that post made a great point: Software failure is sometimes caused by planned obsolescence–the deliberate planning of a product with limited useful life. In other words, many software vendors realize that it’s in their best interest to create software that… Continue reading »
Jan
10
4 reasons why software purchases fail
Have you ever been in a “blame” meeting? It’s one of those meetings called when numbers are down or after a project or purchase failed miserably. As you might guess, there’s a lot of finger pointing and blame spreading. Not only are these meetings painful, they are completely unproductive. Since everyone is too busy deflecting… Continue reading »
Oct
22
Software vendors and the maintenance scam
I have a great money-saving tip for you: Don’t fall for the maintenance scam. Let me explain: When you buy enterprise software, you pay a yearly maintenance fee. The vendor uses this fee to provide top-notch customer support and improve the product for their customers. When these fees are used correctly, it helps the customer:… Continue reading »
Feb
26
How much does free really cost?
The web is changing perceptions about what should be free. Companies are giving away software for seemingly nothing. Some of it actually looks like good, quality software. But…is it really free? What does “free” actually cost? Answer: A lot more than you might think. Let me explain. While “free” products may not cost money upfront,… Continue reading »
Jan
29
Solving problems or making sales?
I usually buy car parts at Autozone. No, they’re not paying me to say that. And yes, I do have a good reason which very much applies to running a business. Let me explain: A few years back, my car had a minor problem that I could fix on my own. A small plastic part… Continue reading »
About the author
Joe Stangarone is a 30+ year veteran of the IT industry and president of mrc—the software company behind the award winning development platform, m-Power. Joe shares his leadership and technology insights through the Cup of Joe Blog, focusing primarily on ways businesses can save time, money, and increase productivity using technology.
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