My Op Ed in the Star Tribune: Net neutrality matters

HTTP-PICHere’s the intro of my Op Ed that will run in tomorrow’s Star Tribune… “Like most small-business owners, I’m not a fan of big government. Free markets and a tough-but-fair competitive landscape in which the most agile and innovative players come out on top have allowed my company to thrive. So I’m the first to admit the irony of finding myself on the same side of a political issue as one of Minnesota’s more liberal U.S. senators and a large government agency to boot.”  Click to to read Net neutrality matters to Minnesota business.

standardApril 14Tom SalonekIT

History’s 15 Worst Named Tech Products

3_Qwikster-400x224Check out the following post on Intertech’s blog…

What’s in a name? If we’re talking about some of the products on the list you’re about to read: some really bad ideas. While not all of History’s 15 Worst Named Tech Products failed because of their christening, they certainly didn’t help themselves out by choosing the names they did. From bad hygiene admissions to inadvertent racism, we proudly give you the worst of the worst.

standardMarch 6Tom SalonekIT

13 Crazy Expensive Software Products

Crazy-Expensive-SoftwareMany people mistakenly believe that computers are what make the world go ’round – that we can’t do anything without them, and if they went away tomorrow, the world would slip into a cultural black hole. In reality, computers don’t make the world go ’round. Software does. And sometimes that software gets quite expensive. As you’re about to see, programs can cost anywhere from thousands to hundreds of thousands depending on the scope and specificity of purpose. Whenever possible, we’ve tried to slap an exact number on the product for you. At the very least, you’ll get an estimate.

Unfortunately, when you’re dealing with enterprise-type software, it’s impossible to find a hard number on the web. Quotes often vary depending on the circumstances. Still, if you left those types of software programs out of a list like this, it wouldn’t be an accurate representation. Our goal: to show just how valuable these 13 Crazy Expensive Software Products are to the companies and the people who use them. Here goes!

standardFebruary 8Tom SalonekIT

Prescription for a Healthy IT Project (Post 6 of 6)

Happy-Customers-Happy-Company_25877As I note in my book, “Building a Winning Business,” good customer-vendor relationships require both parties to participate, communicate and share responsibility for a successful outcome. Are you a good customer? This might seem like an odd question. After all, isn’t it the vendor’s responsibility to make the relationship work? While a vendor must go the extra mile, the customer also has obligations in making vendor relationships effective. While it might sound trite, I honestly believe the same qualities apply to a good customer as to a good employee, friend or even a spouse: trust, mutual respect and appreciation, and sharing that shows that each is committed to the success of the partnership.

On a practical level, this translates into the following behaviors on the part of customers:

  • Clearly communicate expectations. Assumptions are not helpful. Customers who share their expectations openly and early are much happier with their project outcomes.
  • Provide clear direction and feedback to the project team to control scope.
  • Understand that changes to a project that modify the original base requirements often are necessary to provide the best solution.
  • Take the initiative in quickly removing roadblocks for those doing the work.
  • Share responsibility for success of delivery.
  • Work to diminish political boundaries.
  • Be actively engaged in the process all along the way.
  • Do not overreact to minor setbacks.
  • Communicate on a daily basis.
  • Pay on time.
standardFebruary 6Tom SalonekIT