Tech Overkill

I realize that I am not well liked by other members of my industry because of my heretical positions. I intend to have them burning me in effigy by the time I am finished with this post...

I recently performed a Free Network Evaluation for a prospective customer. This small law firm has a very nicely designed and implemented network. But they also have about 10 times more server than they need.

The Dell PowerEdge server runs MS Windows Small Business Server 2003 edition with all the trimmings loaded. They have SQL, Exchange, POP3 connectors and a whole host of other TechnoGeek that you don't care about.  The sad part is that they aren't using any of those services!

This is the technological equivalent of having a Ferrari red lining it's engine while parked in the driveway.

This is a perfect example of tech overkill. Some IT guy spec'ed out a beautiful network and server without ever taking into account the actual needs of the customer. Because he never took the time to understand how the client used technology, he ended up over-designing their systems. This means the customer spent more money than necessary.

This is ridiculous. I have no problem with designing spare capacity to account for growth, but this particular law firm would have to grow 50x over before his server would hit capacity. Reasonable people can agree that this is nuts. By the time he hits that number of workers, his server will be obsolete anyway. This is a classic example of tech overkill.

I call on those in the tech industry to stop this practice. It's unethical and disruptive to our customers. There is no good reason to convince them to overbuy on equipment and services. Our client's networks are not our playthings. They are working environments with specific goals and needs. We must respect those and be frugal with their money.

Have you ever over bought technology?

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