How many systems does on large company need? How much does technology help, if the systems don't talk with each other? This is what I contemplate as I manually type in USER ID numbers to find specific locations so that I may bill the appropriate cost center. Sounds fun huh? It isn't bad when the data comes speedily, but every 10 or so minutes, I have a solid 60 second delay as my computer "thinks." I realize, an IBM T42 is a little dated, but the RAM seems on par with my needs and the processor speed, though not over 2Ghz is still spinning.
What I find even more entertaining is with all the systems we provide in IT and all the development dollars that are invested to keep this shop running, we're still behind. I'm using Excel to compile my data - all 30,000 lines of it. The knowledge I have about Vista is useless as the network is still run on XP. Tab-browsing, what's that? It couldn't possibly be more efficient could it? The company has recently switched to Office 2007 and I hear the woes from cubicles as I cruise through programs because of Darden's use requirement over the last 10 mos.
Technology can be a business' best friend and also, the bain of its existence. It's a necessary evil in today's marketplace, a capability for many companies that help them surpass competition. I wonder if the breadth of this company hinders its ability to invest in the technology it should, at the pace it should. Maybe for now, the company is destined to swim among the old fashioned CPGs of America.
1 comment:
Most companies prefer to support XP over Vista, not because of cost concerns, but because it is so much easier to support. Vista really can't do much of anything that XP can't, and the hardware requirements for XP are quite a bit less, adding one more incentive to stick with it. I think that when Windows 7 is released in October we will see a lot of companies choosing to upgrade.
There is definitely a point at which the level of productivity that can be attained with upgraded hardware and a better OS justify the cost, it's just that Vista doesn't offer such a justification.
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