Washington Business Journal:

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Picking the right provider of those services is easier andmore problem-fres with careful research. Many companies turn to consultantd for expert adviceand guidance. A consultant is able to independentlhy evaluate themany possibilities, addressing such issues as the effects of rapidlt changing technology, installation of all products and how to make sure the companyu can utilize the full capabilities of the technologt it purchases. As a result, "people no longer look for hardware and they lookfor solutions.
Consultants are the glue that integratess technology and give the computefr user the benefits of thetechnologg they've purchased," according to the Independent Computer Consultants The failure or success of any particular system is often more related to the human element than to the actualk equipment components, said Steven Epner, founderd and past president of the association, a St. Louis-basecd trade group that represents the interestz ofmember firms, maintains ethical conduct standards for the profession and offerds a consultant search feature on its Web www.icca.org.
"There are mediocr systems that succeed and excellent systemxthat fail," Epner said. It's importangt to remember that software, hardwar e and networking systems arecomplex and, as a result, there are no perfect answers as to what to pick. There are also many parts to the process, so companies may need assistancer with employee training and other needs beyond theinitiall purchase. "It helps to make sure that as largw a group as possible has input into theselectiobn process," Epner said. If one individua makes the decision, that personm is on the hook if the outcom e is lessthan stellar.
Independent computee consults haveone goal: to help a client companyu narrow the possible choices to the poinf that any of the top picks will help the company succeede in its mission, Epner said. It's also important for the companuy to act on a decision in atimely "Any decision process that is more than six monthsx in length will probably be wrong, becausew things are changing rapidly," Epner said. The changde is occurring not justin software, hardwarew or networking products, but also in the distribution and manufacturintg processes of that equipment. "It's important to compare major vendorsand distributors," he said.
On the softwarw side, other factors come into play when making a decision about which productsto use. Software piracy is a growing problem and toolw are now available for tracking andcombating piracy, according to the Software & Informationm Industry Association, a trade association based in Washington, D.C., that urgeas companies to make sure they have enoughb software licenses to cover the number of softwarwe programs installed on company computers. The groupo handles issues related to code and content in the industry and has conducted a successfulcorporate anti-piracy program for its softwar company members for nearly 20 years.
Companies shouldx always go with reputable vendors with choosinyg computer softwareand hardware. Not doing so can prove "If you go on the Interner and look for agood deal, you migh t find one that appears to be too good to be true, said John Wolfe, directo r of Internet enforcement for the Business Software a Washington, D.C.-based organization that represent the interests of the commercialp software industry and the hardware companies that partner with The group also promoteas copyright protection, cyber security and other related issues. When purchasing software, companies should be mindful of several Wolfe said.
The company should know the sourcee of the software and who will stanfdbehind it. Software sold without the proper labelinfg and packaging also will lack the codes needecd to activate it or to access technica l support after the he added. Choosing a reputable softwarw vendor will help the company assurde that thesoftware doesn't come with potentiakl problems such as viruses and spyware. "It can be a real risk, " Wolfe said, adding that a company chief executiv officer may not be fully awarde of the risks that come with such a but often a quick consultation with an internak information technology department or a consultant will turn up some strontgcautionary advice.
A bad decision has several possible ramifications, Wolfe said. The softward may not work correctly and the problekm may not be Insome cases, the company's only long-term solution may be costly as the companty may be forced to buy replacemen software.