CIO.com—8 Tips and Questions for Choosing Software Vendors

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In a recent post for IT Central Station’s Executive Interview Series with Diane Schwarz, we took an in-depth look at specific tech buying decisions for a specific industry. Now let’s take a look at the results of a survey of executives from a variety of industries by CIO.com.CIO.com

CIO.com asked dozens of IT executives for some answers about how to choose a software vendor.

They summarized the survey in a recent post on CIO.com and provided these eight suggested questions to ask yourselves when searching for an enterprise-level software vendor who best fits your needs.

  1. Figure out what it is you really need
  2. Check the software provider’s credentials and certificates
  3. What do other customers have to say? [Here at IT Central Station!]
  4. Can it scale?
  5. Check for hidden or additional fees.
  6. Who gets custody of your data in the case of divorce?
  7. Take a test drive.
  8. Agree to key performance indicators (KPIs) before signing a contract.

For more details about each question from CIO.com, click here.

4 More Questions to Ask Software Vendors from CIO.com

Will the software integrate easily with our existing systems? The last thing you want to find out after you have spent a lot of time and money on new software is that it doesn’t work with your legacy systems, especially when you thought it would.

How easy is it to set up and train users? “Most vendors will provide training,” notes Barbara Ware, Marketing Director, Bravepoint, a provider of business solutions. “Make sure it’s included with the implementation costs.”

How will you support me after the sale? “Do your homework and make sure the vendor has been around a while,” says Ware.

How are updates and upgrades managed? “Updates should be cloud-based for ease of installation,” says Ware. And they should not disrupt business

Check out what others are saying about these vendors and solutions on IT Central Station:

 

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