John Edwards (@TechJohnEdwards) has written an insightful article on where to look for and how to incorporate good advice in your IT planning efforts:
In it, Frank counsels us to include your IT leadership in this effort:
If they’re left out, the IT leader risks missing out on the important insights and the advice that’s closest to home.
Frank notes elsewhere that vendors are rarely sources for good planning advice, there is just too much conflict of interest and a seller’s agenda. The same can be said for most Value Added Resellers (VARs) and vendor-biased System Integrators (SIs). There is one class of service providers that can render solid advice- independent firms, like Ten Mile Square Technologies that specialize in helping IT leaders be successful. These firms are focused on:
- Client success
- Understanding your business and the related challenges
- Helping you plan and execute your way to the desired goals 100% independent of any technology or vendor relationship
John’s article is definitely a good read if this topic interests you.