How people and companies spend money on technology is driven by what they technology means to them, what it does for them, what they’d like to get out of it, and how they expect it to impact their environment. But how do you get someone to honestly evaluate those things? It’s been said after all that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
As with most things, there comes a point in time when managing your old technology becomes more expensive and laborious than it’s worth. The time and money you put into keeping it running doesn’t match the return on the investment. That’s especially true in recent weeks as more and more people are working from home, and the technology has a greater impact on their ability to work and stay in touch with loved ones.
There are companies today that are pulling equipment out of store rooms that’s been retired two or three years ago and they’re sending it home with employees expecting them to be as productive as they are in the office. That isn’t finding value in your technology.
This is a time when companies need to be pouring money into technology and getting the latest and greatest, the biggest, best, and fastest of whatever they can find and sending it home with employees instead of trying to just get by with whatever they have on hand. Their ability to stay solvent may depend on it!
The value in technology is driven by an individual’s or an organization’s bottom line. Is there any value added by the technology? Surprisingly, a lot of the time, the answer to that question is no. Especially from an individual’s perspective. A good question to ask is “What will it allow me to do that I don’t do now?”. In business environments where needs are constantly changing that answer can be very different. And if a company’s bottom line is to make money and everything else revolves around that goal, it may be that they don’t want to be on the cutting edge. But if technology is your business, you’re best served by having a legitimate product life cycle plan, and keeping the technology fresh.
Where is the value in technology? Like with much in life, there isn’t a single answer that can be applied to everyone and every situation. And maybe that’s the mark of a good solutions provider, they know their customer and what drives them. They know enough about their business and enough about available solutions to be able to pair them in a way that the technology becomes very valuable.