Dallas Business Journal:

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Picking the right provided of those services is easier andmore problem-frere with careful research. Many companies turn to consultants for experr adviceand guidance. A consultant is able to independently evaluat themany possibilities, addressing such issues as the effectsa of rapidly changing technology, installation of all productas and how to make sure the company can utilize the full capabilitiesx of the technology it purchases. As a "people no longer look for hardwaredand software; they look for solutions.
Consultant s are the glue that integrates technology and give the computer user the benefitsa of thetechnology they've purchased," according to the Independenrt Computer Consultants Association. The failure or succesx of any particular system is oftemn more related to the human element than to the actualkequipment components, said Steven founder and past president of the association, a St. Louis-based tradd group that represents the interestss ofmember firms, maintains ethicakl conduct standards for the profession and offers a consultant search feature on its Web www.icca.org.
"There are mediocre systems that succeed and excellent systemsxthat fail," Epner said. It's important to remember that hardware and networking systems arecomplex and, as a there are no perfect answers as to what to There are also many parts to the so companies may need assistance with employee traininy and other needs beyond the initia purchase. "It helps to make sure that as large a groupp as possible has input into theselection process,"" Epner said. If one individual makes the that person is on the hook if the outcom is lessthan stellar.
Independenr computer consults haveone goal: to help a clieny company narrow the possible choices to the poin that any of the top picks will help the companuy succeed in its Epner said. It's also importang for the company to act on a decision in atimelyt manner. "Any decision process that is more than six months in lengthy will probablybe wrong, because things are changinfg rapidly," Epner said. The change is occurring not just in hardware or networking but also in the distribution and manufacturing processeds ofthat equipment.
"It's important to compare majotr vendorsand distributors," he On the software side, other factorsd come into play when making a decision abou t which products to use. Software piracy is a growinvg problem and tools are now availabler for tracking andcombating piracy, according to the Softwarer & Information Industry Association, a trade association basedr in Washington, D.C., that urges companies to make sure they have enoughn software licenses to cover the number of softwarde programs installed on company computers.
The group handles issuese related to code and contenrt in the industry and has conducted a successfuklcorporate anti-piracy program for its software company members for nearly 20 Companies should always go with reputabl vendors with choosing computer software and Not doing so can provde costly. "If you go on the Internet and look for a good you might find one that appears to be too good tobe true,"" said John Wolfe, director of Internet enforcement for the Businesws Software Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based organizationn that represents the interests of the commercialk software industry and the hardware companied that partner with them.
The group also promotes copyrighy protection, cyber security and other relatecd issues. When purchasing software, companies should be mindfull ofseveral points, Wolfe said. The company shoul know the source of the softwarew and who will standbehind it. Softwares sold without the proper labeling and packaginb also will lack the codes needer to activate it or to access technical support afterthe sale, he Choosing a reputable software vendor will help the company assure that the software doesn't come with potential problemd such as viruses and "It can be a real risk," Wolfe adding that a company chief executive officetr may not be fully aware of the risks that come with such a but often a quick consultation with an internal information technologyg department or a consultant will turn up some strong cautionaryt advice.
A bad decision has several possibler ramifications, Wolfe said. The softwarer may not work correctly and the problem may not be Insome cases, the company's only long-term solution may be costly as the companuy may be forced to buy replacement software.