title: Don't buy any technology without checking with me first link: https://onemoretech.wordpress.com/2008/11/02/dont-buy-any-technology-without-checking-with-me-first/ author: lembobro description: post_id: 434 created: 2008/11/02 00:55:12 created_gmt: 2008/11/02 00:55:12 comment_status: open post_name: dont-buy-any-technology-without-checking-with-me-first status: publish post_type: post

Don't buy any technology without checking with me first

I’ll keep this short.

Message to the Next President:

Please don’t buy any technology without checking with me first.

Yes, I know you’ve got a bunch of really smart IT folks working with you right now. Their work on your website is proof of their competence and creativity.

But you’re about to enter a different world, where vendors routinely pay their executives several billion dollars a year in compensation and are happy to sell you as many licenses for their products as you’re willing to buy, and then give you the same lackluster service that small fry like the company I work for get.

Enterprise technology is a swamp. It’s a money pit of monumental proportions.

On your first day in office you need to hire some people who understand that, and who have not only the technical expertise, but also the courage, to think outside the box about re-architecting information technology at the federal level. Make sure they also have a passion for sweating the details, and the tenacity to never give up until the job is done right. Look for most of these people in the ranks of open source developers and system administrators both in and out of government.

Oh, and to be honest, while you’re welcome to call me for my opinion on things, I’m really not interested in moving to Washington, D.C., so unless there’s a position in the government that would allow me to telecommute from right here in the Raleigh, N.C. suburbs, I’ll probably be keeping my day job.

Copyright 2004-2019 Phil Lembo