Risk: The Game of Strategic Conquest
My kids go the game “Risk” for Christmas this year. For those of you who didn’t grow up in the 80s, Risk a board game that is a simplified map of the world and requires you to take your armies and invade other player’s territories. The game can easily go on for days & days (we limit our games to 3 hours). While we were playing over the weekend I started to think about how Risk is kind of like running a business. Every day is a challenge to ensure your customers aren’t doing never ending battle with whatever product or service you offer to them. As an IT firm that offers not only day to day support, but hosting services for email and application I have to ensure that our customers technology services are always ready and always available.
As 2009 turns to 2010, I’ve started to ask our clients how they are going to change how they use technology in the new year. I’ve heard answers which include “More remote work” to “more personal service to our customers” to “ensuring our clients know we do more than just X”. Inevitably during the same conversation, our clients ask me about how they can reduce their technology spending, but offer more services than ever. As many of you know – this is a seemingly double edged sword – to save money long term you need to replace inefficient equipment, update software and convert in-sourced services to outsourced services. One of the biggest challenges is a budget to make planning these items out a little easier.
So I ask all of you, what is your plan for technology for the new year? What does your budget look like? How are you going to ensure your technology spending does not become like the game Risk – which can easily go on for ever and seemingly have no end.
Let me know what your thoughts are here.
