The theory of Occam`s Razor states: "One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything." According to Eric Sommer, Technical Director at systems integrator, CommerceQuest SA, many IT managers are too deeply involved in their systems to clearly see the simplest, most cost-effective solution to problems.
"We are often called in by companies which have spent days or weeks dealing with a particular problem. More often than not, the systems engineers are too close to the problem to see the solution. By asking fundamental questions - sometimes more than once - we can view the system from an untainted point of view," explains Sommer.
Many companies which are in a growth phase look to improve their operational systems through technology. Sadly, Sommer says there is still a tendency for vendors to oversell their products and many clients end up with applications that are not only difficult to integrate with their existing architecture, but are completely unnecessary for the business at that time.
"Herein lies the first problem. Many companies are duped into buying hugely inappropriate products. This leads to both operational and integration problems that can end up costing a company an enormous amount in downtime while the engineers struggle to configure. Many companies choose to build a hotel, when all they need is a bedroom."
Sommer believes that by first getting a good understanding of the business from management and then consulting with technical staff, an external consultant can often find, not only the best solution, but often isolate additional systems errors.
"People often make knee-jerk decisions to technical difficulties, applying a band-aid to the problem. This process is repeated over time and soon it`s a matter of patching over patches. Treating the cause rather than the symptom just makes good sense."
The current employment legislation can also cause companies headaches: "Thoroughly resolving a problem often makes IT staff members redundant and companies, especially larger corporations, are hesitant to face the problem of rightsizing their staff complement," Sommer explains.
The individual psyche of companies also plays a part, and Sommer reckons that the largest challenge his organisation faces when first consulting, is to first break down the perception of the client so that they know what the problem is.
"Calcified preconceptions sometimes pose our greatest challenge. By asking neutral questions again and again, we drill down to the core of the problem and tackle it on a prioritised basis."
The process of troubleshooting can also benefit businesses and Sommer says by establishing an objective and then mapping out a point-by-point route solution, companies can use the process to assess their direction and business processes.
"By splitting a project into staged implementations, along with staged pay-offs for the contractor, the client has the opportunity to re-asses, and more importantly, amortise the project. It also allows the staff to be trained in the appropriate technologies during the implementation, avoiding costly and lengthy courses and workflow interruptions."
In conclusion, Sommer believes that looking for the simplest, most logical solution to integration and other IT problems is the smartest and most cost-effective solution.
"An external view can greatly assist companies to find the simplest, most elegant solution. By doing that, there is less chance of introducing inconsistencies, ambiguities and redundancies."
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