As a business person pondering the future of the online world, there are many variables involved. Investing in a new online solution may be daunting indeed. Which technology to use? Which hosting partner to select? Which video service to use? What eCommerce shopping cart to use? Which Inventory Management system? Which Content Management System?
Each decision could leave you either ahead of your competition, or dramatically behind them. Not in the next few months perhaps, but definitely when those contracts come up at the end of the year.
Prices will continue to drop on the Internets’ commodity items (storage, bandwidth, server size and speed). That is inevitable. The challenge is trying to ensure that you haven’t ‘painted yourself into a corner’. When your contract come up, what kind of leverage do you have? Is your system portable? Do you know how to move your online sites? Can you do it quickly and cost effectively? Imagine the leverage of having the ability to ‘zip up’ your sites, and move them to a new provider within hours.
The answer to each of these questions will either increase or decrease your leverage in negotiating. This is a competitive challenge. If you don’t have the leverage to change vendors, take advantage of new features, and lower your costs; then you can’t maximize your online business presence. Even worse, what if your competition can? What will the impact to your revenue and margin be?
How comfortable are you with your technology choices?