There is a tendency among local companies to spend large amounts on buying and installing software, only to then leave the systems unattended in the belief that they are running at optimal capacity, says Amir Lubashevsky, director of Magix Integration.
"The software installed from the same CD provided to every buyer can never be expected to meet the needs of every unique customer," he says. "Every company needs to have people with the expertise and experience to customise their applications to the business's specific needs.
"Furthermore, ongoing tweaking and customisation will be needed to ensure the systems continually evolve to meet the changing needs of the company and the environment it operates in. The alternative would see the company in a regular cycle of buying new software, installing it, ignoring it until it can no longer meet the needs of the business and then buying a new solution."
Companies need to develop a culture of software ownership in which key members of staff assume responsibility for the health of certain applications, he says.
This is obviously not another task that can be added to the IT department's to-do list. "Effectively using an application requires more than technical skills," continues Lubashevsky. "For example, project managers that understand the technical issues as well as the requirements of the business are as important."
The problem of the skills shortage in SA comes into play here, he says. Without the appropriate expertise on board, upgrading and maintaining applications will constantly be put off in favour of other, more immediate requirements."
To overcome the skills issue, companies need to incorporate personnel training into their software budgets, he advises. "Additionally, partnerships should be signed with application vendors or resellers that have the relevant skills to adequately support the software on an ongoing basis," he says.
"Unfortunately, the risk management environment is always in flux and an install-and-leave approach is not realistic. Protecting an enterprise requires software that is customised to the way the organisation works and is continually updated to changes in the business and the broader environment," concludes Lubashevsky.
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