Amid the hoopla and hype of four page ads or free trial
offers, it comes as no surprise that clients are asking
us whether or not they should upgrade to the newest
versions of software. Maybe that question has been
on your mind too.
The question of upgrades, when to do them and what
to choose, is something all businesses wrestle with
everyday. After all, you spend so much of your
resources on your technology. It's very disheartening
to feel frustrated because the systems and programs
so rapidly become obsolete.
Whether it's a database management program,
accounting program, enterprise architecture or contact
management, to solve the upgrade riddle it's
important to think about the answers to these other
questions:
- What is the overall strategy for your technology and
how does that strategy synch with your business
goals?
- Does your current software answer your
company's business needs?
- Would a change or upgrade provide something
that you're not getting now - something that you need
to reach your goals?
What are the critical decision points?
Still in a muddle over what to do? Then look at these
two critical factors - version support and return on
investment (ROI).
- The current version of your software will no longer
receive technical support from the vendor, you're better
off with the expense of an upgrade.
- It's taking more and more time to do the work with
the current software, you're experiencing negative
return on investment (ROI).
If either or both of these factors come into play then
upgrades are most likely in your immediate
future.
A final thought....
But remember: Often times companies make
technology a goal in and of itself. We believe that's the
wrong approach. It's important to leverage your
technology to define your organization's goals for
overall strategic outcomes. To best answer the
question of upgrades, you have to be able to know,
without a doubt, how the change will move your
business forward. In the end, it all must tie back to the
overall strategy vision for your business.
