Is IT Too Specialized?
Every now and then I like to browse the websites of other technology companies. Recently, as we’ve been putting the finishing touches on a brand new website launch (coming in June!), I’ve been doing it a lot more.
While I’ve come across sites both great and terrible, I have noticed a discouragingly common trend. Many technology companies are overly specialized in a particular type of technology.
The most common example is Microsoft, of course. Legion are the IT companies who display their “Microsoft Gold Partner” badge and the long list of Microsoft certifications their staff holds. Such specialization is a good thing if you need assistance with a piece of Microsoft technology. However, if you were to approach such a company with a business problem to be solved or goal to be achieved, you would undoubtedly receive a Microsoft-shaped solution.
But what if Microsoft’s offering is actually inferior or overly costly for your business issue?
Nevermind. It all goes in the Microsoft box. The company is overly specialized, and can only see your business through a Microsoft-shaded lens.
I pick on Microsoft because they’re the 500-pound gorilla in the room, but the same can hold true for vendors across the board
This is not the Highland way. We believe that not all IT is built the same.
The necessary technology, disciplines and team dynamics are as unique as the solution itself.
Thus throughout our history we’ve determined to specialize in not becoming too specialized. Our team includes a host of individual specializations all bound together by a shared broad skill set and business-savvy.
We readily admit we’re not a “Gold Partner” with anyone, because our focus is on keeping business process–not technology–front and center.
As we’ve prepared to launch our new site, we finally made the decision to openly display the logos of technology we use, even on our home page. This is a first for us, but the time is right. Technology has evolved to a point where flexible, open-source building blocks are a growing part of both our hosted and development services. While we’re not “locked in” to any solution (we often change underlying technology when better solutions come along), we’re also committed to being transparent in what we do.
So look for our new website in June. And, more importantly, when you’re evaluating an IT solution, always focus on the business process.
If you’re looking for someone to fix your washing machine, technology certifications are important. If you’re tackling a business process, technology must always be secondary.
That’s how we see it.
