Vendor Choices - Getting Easier Again

Much has been written about how technology is changing so fast that keeping up is virtually impossible.  Comparing solutions or vendors used to be easy.  There were no choices.  You bought IBM and AT&T.  When you had problems - simply call 800-ATT-Help or 800-IBM-Help. 
As the tech explosion ramped up, it became more complicated.  From a vendor point of view, it used to be all about speeds and feeds.  One vendor would bring out a new box, and immediately a competitor would bring out a box that did the same things, just faster, or with another port.  Just a game of Leap Frog. 
When the interval between updates went from months to weeks, the advantages became less relavant.  Instead of a clear differences, the lines were blurred and it became Coke or Pepsi. 
So where are we now? 
When evaluating technology decisions today, the market has reached a point where differentiation is much easier to identify.  Certainly, emboldened again by Mobility and Apps, a number of unique, purpose-built technologies have arrived with real opportunities to be discovered and thrive.  That is not to suggest that every wizbang toy should be taken seriously.  However, many times, these solutions are created by people very close to the problem they are trying to solve and thus worthy of consideration.

OK, so that make sense, when a very focused solution comes around that provides distinct advantage - take a look.  But what about broader solutions?  Architectural decisions?  Or the classic battle of the tech titans, such as AT&T vs. Verizon, or HP vs. Dell, ... you name the players.  The answer here may be clearer than you think.

Don't read the spec sheet.  Don't pay attention to the specific product.  Look at the company.  Don't be confused by what they say, whatch what they do.  Where are they spending their money?  Where are they putting their people?  What are they promising their Board or Investors?  How are they going to market and support the solution you are evaluating?

When you complete this exercise, you will learn that bigger doesn't always mean better.  That these competitors are actually taking very different approaches to acheive their goals.  Some want to be all things to all people.  They will get market share and solve most problems for most people.  Others will focus on solving very specific problems and consider workflow and operational challenges as a part of their strategy.   Some vendors will sell and support with extensive direct forces.  Others - only thru partners.  More and more, solutions will be delivered from the Cloud,  How prepared is each vendor to support that architecture?  It's hard to imagine that we're still concerned about Proprietary solutions, but we are.  The last thing you want to do is complicate your world by simply adding another silo. 

Finally, when it's all said and done - one of the greatest advances in technology is simplification.  TAKE ADVANTAGE of this now.  No ROI fully captures the value of simplifying your world.  Some easy examples include virtualization, cloud computing, collapsing the network, APP store deployment.  I watch clients all the time make decisions based upon an incomplete ROI.  
Bottom line - Don't get confused by details.  Look at the vendor focus, and how it fits into YOUR environment.  Then make sure your ROI captures the "effect" not just the cost. With that information, the decision will take care of itself.