The up.time IT Systems Management Blog

That’s right, this morning I decided to bite the slogan of E-Harmony. What does E-Harmony have to do with systems management?

Ever notice that picking a software vendor to do a major software rollout is much like trying to find a soul mate? You have all the same processes, all the same risks, and all the same possibilities for financial ruin. (Like my positive view on dating? Guess why I’m still single – ‘technically’).

The Lure – Just like meeting someone, the initial attraction is what meets the eye, it’s all about the flashy sell features, the nice collateral and the teaser features that stick in your mind.

The Dance – The vendor demos, the RFI’s, the bakeoffs, the sweet talking. You decide to check out some of her friends to make sure they can vouch for her, referrals are always reassuring.

The Pot Commit – You’ve become the internal champion for the product, no matter what’s wrong with things, you’re going to make a determined internal sell. Despite all the recommendations and feedback from your friends and family – your heart is set, you’ve found the apple of your eye.

The Fireworks – After a tumultuous courtship you finally get to the good part, and you sign on the dotted line. You “Shake Hands”.

The Honeymoon – You’ve not just bought the 1$ of software, you’ve also made sure to get the 10$ of training, so the implementation kickoff is happening and everyone is in love with your vendor. A few great kickoff meetings and everyone is excited about the vision of the future. Everything smells like a bed of roses.

The Reality Check – 12-24 months later, no more bed of roses, your entire team wonders where the dream of the single pane of glass went, all those sexy features you once were so excited about bore you and don’t meet your needs. You have that gutt-wrenching feeling that maybe this wasn’t what you had signed up for.

Your wondering where all your dreams of server monitoring have gone, how much of yourself you’ve lost in the process….

Luckily you’re strong, you’ve got a good team, you pick yourself up assess the damage, and get ready for the next adventure. Guess it’s time to log back into E-harmony and find another vendor?

Don’t get caught up in the cycle above, ditch e-harmony vendor dating, download uptime – install it in 7 minutes, and see what a real-life, healthy, and comfortable Server Monitoring initiative really feels like.

It’s OK, if you’re not convinced, go play the field first, when you’re done, come meet your match. You’re heart (ehem career) will thank you.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 10:33 am and is filed under IT Management, Systems Management, uptime. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.