Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
competition. The customer, represented through its IT department, goes
through technical evaluations and due diligence activities to pick the
“right” product and make correct business decisions. The third player in
the mix, the systems integrator (SI), is often the implementation consultant
to help the customer in selecting the “right” product, as also does a gap
analysis, build customization specifications, and then form the implemen-
tation team to begin the converting the product into a solution. Thus, all
three bring different perspectives to the table.
Defining Off-the-Shelf Products
Look at the list below. Which of these would you con-
sider an off-the-shelf product, and why?
House for sale
Land for sale
Furniture in IKEA that comes with “some assembly
required”
Vacation package
Airline flights
Restaurant food, frozen food
Books, CDs, DVDs
Your DSL service package
A painting, museum
The definition or categorization of a product is not
simple.
Buying Off-the-Shelf Software
If a “good” OTS product can be found, there are many advantages to
using it over an in-house development. Let us compare buying an OTS
software product to buying a preconstructed house (rather than getting it
built). The advantages of a ready-made house include:
The house is most probably well designed and incorporates
advanced thinking in architecture and living design.
