I went to watch Top Gun Maverick on a whim as I had had a meeting in a room within a Cineworld cinema complex last week. Tom Cruise's character, Pete Mitchell had only progressed from Lieutenant to Captain in the 30 plus years between the original Top Gun in 1986 and the much anticipated 2022 sequel ...
Exam based or hands on experience? What would Maverick do?
You may be wondering what this has to do with my weekly blog post? Well, let me take you on the journey and walk while we talk. Cruise plays the part of Maverick as we all know. He is a maverick by nature as well as by call sign.
He knows he is the best at what he does and strives to be the best in practice, despite coming second-best on paper. He learns about the technology that surrounds him and learns almost entirely by hands-on experience in how to handle the multi-million-dollar military aircraft that he handles daily.
He doesn't let the developer's manual dictate the limitations to which both man and machine can be pushed and manipulated to achieve the optimum result of a victory against the enemy!
What you learn in the movie is that despite only being promoted sporadically, he is by no means an underachiever and knows every aspect of a fighter plane, aerial warfare (dogfighting) and looking out for his entire team members above himself.
In the world of Technology, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of exams and qualifications one can choose to undertake throughout the course of a career. There are exams in Operating Systems, from Microsoft, Linux, Apple iOS, Oracle and Unix and associated software and hardware protocols. There are manufacturers certifications from the likes of Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), ZyXEL, Dell, Microsoft, Fujitsu and many more vendors.
There are bronze, silver, gold and platinum partner programmes which allow sellers within the technology market space to show the level of engagement towards a particular vendor and to specialise with a particular manufacturer.
"But what does this all mean for customers who are looking to buy business technology?"
Do they rely on the accolades and certificates that a potential supplier has attained or do they dig deeper into the actual mechanics of problem-solving by a potential supplier? What I mean by that is there are many vendors who choose not to pay into partner programmes, but more than adequately can install, configure and maintain complete IT and Telecoms systems and have a proven track record in top quality service.
Knowing about the mechanics of either buying a new server or moving to Azure can mean the difference between spending £15K once every 5 years, or £15K per year, every year for the rest of the business's lifetime.
There are suppliers who ultimately put their customers first, charging for services at reasonable prices, despite being able to command much more for the years of experience in knowing every inch of their chosen trade and profession.
"And there are suppliers who do not look at short term gain, but rather long-term relationships!"
They may not have a wall full of trophies and accolades (akin to medals and being an Admiral, not just a Captain), but have the absolute knowledge of the limitations and maximum/optimum limits of the products and services that they offer to businesses, that will make technology work for you in the most efferent way, saving you time and money on wasted purchases.
My recommendation is to choose your suppliers from a different viewpoint, not just the number of medals they have on display.
Until next time ...
PRITESH GANATRA
Would you like to know more?
If anything I've written in this blog post resonates with you and you'd like to discover more about choosing your technology supplier, or even want to watch Top Gun Maverick with me sometime soon, it may be a great idea to give me a call on 01604 926100 or take a look at my website which you can find by clicking here.
The word 'Technology' has too many connotations in today's world!
Where do we start? Simple terms like 'IT' and 'Telecoms'? or terms that appear NOT to have an actual meaning at all!, e.g. 'Internet of Things (IoT).
Technology also encompasses specialist products and services like 'Rugged' and 'Tough' android devices, Lone Worker Software, panic alarm devices, smart energy devices, low energy lighting, credit card terminal (PCI DSS) security, indoor/ outdoor Wi-Fi systems, Ultrafast Gigabit internet connectivity, access control systems, industrial IoT circuit controllers.
BTS UK can consult from simple solutions to the most complex, provide some of the products through a wholesale channel, bring together a multi-disciplined 'Task Force' to deliver and implement complete Technology 'projects'.
I am your technology problem solver and I look forward to helping you.
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