Thom's Guided Tour » IT

The Importance of Labeling

Thom — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:03:35 +0000

This model has been a workhorse producing labels for years.

Recently I was labeling some bulk spices in the kitchen larder using a P-Touch Labeler – can you tell the difference between fennel seed and caraway seed, well neither can I without a label - And I thought about the times, places, whys and whens I’ve used a P-Touch Labeler and what I put on those labels.

Thoughts on Sales Engineering

Thom — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:29:40 +0000

to paraphrase the old saying, "when you have a hammer to sell you think everyone's problem is a nail"

Sometimes I’ve heard Sales Engineers nicknamed “sales preventers” because they understand why a product isn’t a good fit for a particular client’s needs preventing a potential deal. Knowing when and how to highlight a potential deal’s issues requires a delicate balance. and good communication skills.

Managing Costs vs. Solving Business Problems

Thom — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:42:53 +0000

I recently read an interesting McKinsey Quarterly article on Managing IT during a downturn. IT spending and costs, like so many business functions, wax and wane with business cycles. Spending increases gradually over time before a shock or other external event occurs requiring significant and rapid cost cuts.

Documentation, or thoughts on IT’s biggest nemesis

Thom — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:10:07 +0000

In a previous professional role I had the opportunity to meet and advise businesses of all sizes on their IT operations. I noticed something common to almost all organizations was a lack of adequate documentation.