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Monday, October 28, 2013

How To Make Smart Purchases In Today's Complex IT Market

By Joseph B. Kappernick


IT purchases have a large impact on every facet of a modern enterprise, from sourcing and financing, to end-users and future investments. To be successful, IT buyers know that their decisions carry a lot of risks, and they feel pressure to stay on top of technology trends and invest in new offerings that will add long-term value to the company.

So, what types of technologies are trending now? According to a Forrester report entitled, "The Top 10 Technology Trends Enterprise Architects Should Watch: 2012 To 2014," business intelligence, mobile applications, and application platforms are the top three. Also high on the list are cloud computing, application integration and data governance. IT professionals need to be aware of these trends and figure out which ones they will implement and how.

Unfortunately, new technology is often accompanied by confusion, inconsistent prices and inexperience. To combat these forces and make smart IT purchasing decisions, companies need to understand the following:

Transparency is a must

Many IT buyers simply don't have the benchmarking data available to know if they are paying a fair price for new technology. Luckily, third-party pricing experts are ready to provide this data so that you don't overpay for your next big IT purchase.

You need to know your vendors

When new technology is introduced, new vendors will likely join old ones for the chance to sell it to you. Buyers can quickly be overwhelmed with the multitude of available vendors and not know which one to choose. A third-party expert that understands the new trends, as well as the vendor and contracting landscape, will allow you to select the best fit option while reducing risk.

Simplicity is crucial

IT sourcing and purchasing is an extremely demanding job that continues to become more complex with the arrival of every new technological advance. New vendors, varying price models and contract intricacies are just a few of the many factors that IT buyers have to contend with in the changing IT marketplace. Third-party vendor contracting experts can guide you through unchartered territory and take some of the uncertainty out of the buying process. This will enable you to make decisions faster and with less risk, allowing your business to benefit more from new technology.




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