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Technology
Is it possible?
It is important to understand that technology does not drive change -- it enables change. How so? Simply stated one should not necessarily look at technology and ask how can I use it? A more enlightened approach is: “How can technology facilitate the accomplishment of my objectives?” This subtle difference is also the defining moment when we realize that technology is a tool.
As such, it is ours to embrace for the benefit of our own end. Today, new technology is being released every few minutes or so. Once, while working on a telecommunications project, we had decided that we would focus on a selected communications gateway to route our VOIP traffic. Literally, while at lunch (after having made the decision) a new product was announced that reduced the routing and termination process by one-third of its previous cost. That’s progress. However, we did not look to develop the technology; we sought to capitalize on its existence that in turn enhanced our profit opportunity significantly.
If we have learned anything over the past decades it is this: “A computer program can do anything you can clearly define, it’s only a question of how much money and how much time.”
Leading edge or bleeding edge, oft times that is the question. The decision to use existing, leading or bleeding edge technology should be based on a variety of analyzed data points. There should never be a rush to use something because it is the newest technology. This is a trap that unsuspecting entrepreneurs, CEOs and even technologists (most especially technologists) have fallen prey to over the past decade.
Effective leadership demands the ability to quickly analyze the opportunity and balance that with the needs of the company, its strategy and the resources at hand. Not to mention trained human resources.
Officially, I’m in favor of new technology that has been proven and insuring that the technology, if deployed, is reliable and will not jeopardize relationships, resources or certainly profits.
Technology that works:
 Here's
technology that I use literally everyday, many times per day. You can
reach me by adding me as a contact (drrawson). Please be kind enough to
tell me why we should be contacted.
With SKYPE I can make international calls, receive international calls from
telephone lines and other SKYPE users and much, much more. The number of things
I can do with SKYPE would fill a website by itself. To get SKYPE or to
simply review how this amazing FREE tool can benefit your business life, click
on the logo for SKYPE.
We can connect eight people on a single conference call and you can do video
between each other when it is one-on-one.
Oh, SKYPE is not allowed in certain parts of the middle east. That takes
us to the next great technology tool, Google Talk.
 I'm allowed 50 more
invitations at time of this writing. If you need an invitation, use the
contact page to reach me and I'll be happy to send you one.
Sometimes I connect people via Google and SKYPE together with my speaker phone
on a conference call. It all works very well together and it's HANDS FREE
for me. This is truly effortless technology. Just remember that Google is
one-on-one. No conference features here.
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