Big transitions are underway in our industry: mobile apps, consumerization of IT, the rise of COTS and Cloud in Government and Military IT, Flash going mainstream, Big Data, Software-Defined Everything, and more. Technology vendors have adapted to these shifts. But the changes we made at Winchester Systems may not be what you’d expect.
Once upon a time, organizations had no choice but to address every computing-related problem with a build-it-from-scratch solution comprising hardware, operating systems, compilers, software tools, and an awful lot of hand-written software.
Thankfully, most commercial IT shops have been able to leave those days far behind. Yet most still need unique solutions for their particular problems. Sure, they fall into recognizable and repeatable solution classes such as Customer Relationship Management, Decision Support, and so on. But few of us can buy solutions “off the rack” that properly fit our needs.
Like good-quality suits, most need a good tailor to make them fit just right. Enter solution providers, systems integrators and service providers. Whether it’s building from whole cloth or adjusting an existing solution, they’re the expert tailors of IT.
How have technology vendors, especially the Big Names, responded to this shift? By pursuing the same goal: offering “solutions” ranging from software bundles to fully-integrated IT stacks. But unless you’re one of the Big Names’ biggest customers, good luck getting them tailored to your needs. And it’s the same story if you’re an integrator or solution provider tailoring Big Name offerings for your customers.
At Winchester Systems, however, we chose a different path. Instead of (mostly) competing with them, we work with integrators and solution providers to tailor their offerings for their customers. We bring our I/O workload expertise to their solution-design teams, collaborating deeply to produce the best-possible offerings at very-competitive prices.
We win when they win. Sounds simple enough. It means providing “Tier One” attention to every partner, regardless of organization or project size. Try getting that from the Big Names…
We’ll be discussing this, and many other topics, in this blog. I hope you find it useful, and I invite you to add your thoughts and experience to the discussion!