Microsoft Endures

You can almost feel the pendulum swinging back from so, so far left – whether it is politics or religion and definitely technology. I often wonder where we would be today if the government hadn’t forced Microsoft to unbundle the browser and open the door to also be bludgeoned by the European Union. How better off [...]

Lessons Learned

In technology, you better be willing to accept change and leverage experience. A potential client recently asked about my background and when hearing I had a Management information Systems degree from 1989 said “then you were born to work with technology”. In actuality, growing up in rural Oklahoma I didn’t get my hands on an Apple IIe until seventeen. Now as [...]

Google Journey

Recently, a few prospects and clients have asked what I pay to rank highly in Google. The answer is virtually nothing in dollars, but a great deal in  time, effort, and thought. That is what you have to figure out. Do you want to even play in the Search Engine Marketing (SEM) game and what [...]

Flat Cost Versus Billable Hours

We Sooners are known for first to aid or fight  for wars or disasters. Given the auspicious start for our state, we’re also a bold and stubborn lot that unfortunately trails the nation in business trends and technology. For over 30 years, our firm has provided flat cost professional services for IT. This decision was obviously a [...]

IT Spring Forward

Back to the future in the late 80′s, I started with a company that did automatic identification (bar coding) and data collection for Fortune 500 manufacturers and distributors. At that time, single hand laser scanner and data terminals started at nearly $4,500 and label printers at $7,000.  My first day was spent cleaning and organizing. [...]

IT Consulting Madness

Over half of IT personnel say they want to own their own consulting business some day. Many of those optimistic souls also absurdly believe they should start when the economy is the worst. Given the opportunity do it over again, any professional service would probably be avoided. The fact is if you’re one of these [...]

Love Your IT

It’s February and although Valentine’s Day is coming soon, the cold weather just tends to make some people more callous. There is an increasing and disturbing trend that it is acceptable to be hostile and rude when getting technical assistance. These same obnoxious nitwits wouldn’t dare act so contemptuous in a restaurant for known retribution. [...]

IT Salary Survey Bunk

The Information Technology(IT) industry is schizophrenic to say the least. There are good people making low wages and nominally skilled folks making a killing. Since January is often annual review time, the question frequently posed by both employers and employees is what is a fair salary. Invariably at some point, someone grabs a recent trade rag [...]

Annual Scorecard

Have you done your annual scorecard for management yet? Usually when asking most IT professionals this question in December, there is a puzzled or amused look in response. From there the conversation turns to how IT performance is measured, which typically it is not. Sure, there is some vague notion of system uptime and end-user customer service, but almost [...]

SmartPhone Wars

The memory of the general public is so short. Let’s go back to 2003 when Windows Mobile took the market and nearly ran Blackberry out of business. Remember there was a $9,000 savings (not including per Blackberry device licensing) in implementing Windows Mobile versus Blackberry with a separate server, OS, and Blackberry Enterprise Software. RIM [...]

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