Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management

    Whats the Actual Cost of Control?

    By
    Peter Coffee
    -
    March 24, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Ive got to stop wearing my red vest to Frys. Going there from church on a Sunday morning, it compounds the effect of shirt and tie to practically scream, “I work here!” I wind up doing tech support in the aisles.

      On a recent Sunday, someone was telling me, “I need to show video during conference calls. What do I need?” We were in the hard disk section. He appeared to think that his problem was choosing between FireWire or USB 2.0 disks for additional space. “My Presarios drive is full,” he explained.

      We talked about the need for a high-bandwidth connection and about the difference between streaming and other forms of distribution, and then I tried to segue into the possibility that he didnt really want to build a video server farm. I asked him, “Do you do this all day, every day?” No, he does not. But he could wind up hugely overinvested in a system that meets a peak load, a few times a month, while putting him into a new business where he clearly doesnt have market leader expertise.

      If you need to get a document to someone at the other end of the country, overnight, you dont buy a plane and learn to fly. You dont even get in your car with a map and a thermos of Starbucks finest. You call someone and tell them what you need—or better yet, call several someones and get competitive bids.

      Its ironic, then, that weve started to use the label of “Web services” to describe not the hiring of expertise but Yet Another Way to Do It Ourselves. People talk about Web services hanging out electronic shingles, so to speak, offering their capabilities to all corners and even bidding for their business, but security cant yet be assured—and trust is an even bigger issue. And yet, what that Frys shopper really needed wasnt a box of electronics, or even a few thousand lines of source code, but a contract with a service provider.

      Learning to think in terms of buying services may be like getting Californians to use mass transit. People hate to give up control—but that control has to be weighed against real costs.

      Try this: Demand that every IT project proposal include a service-based alternative. The crossover point is out there, but you have to be looking to find it.

      Tell me whos not at your service at [email protected].

      Most Recent Stories by Peter Coffee:

      Peter Coffee
      Peter Coffee is Director of Platform Research at salesforce.com, where he serves as a liaison with the developer community to define the opportunity and clarify developers' technical requirements on the company's evolving Apex Platform. Peter previously spent 18 years with eWEEK (formerly PC Week), the national news magazine of enterprise technology practice, where he reviewed software development tools and methods and wrote regular columns on emerging technologies and professional community issues.Before he began writing full-time in 1989, Peter spent eleven years in technical and management positions at Exxon and The Aerospace Corporation, including management of the latter company's first desktop computing planning team and applied research in applications of artificial intelligence techniques. He holds an engineering degree from MIT and an MBA from Pepperdine University, he has held teaching appointments in computer science, business analytics and information systems management at Pepperdine, UCLA, and Chapman College.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×