Leading Edge versus Bleeding Edge

The Chase for Optimum IT Efficiency (2-minute read)

Marty Serro, COO

We’ve all heard sales pitches for “Bleeding Edge” technology and have to wonder how IT organizations incorporate such applications into their business strategy.?At AQuity Solutions we’re constantly evaluating Bleeding Edge, Cutting Edge, and Mission Critical approaches to achieve a state of optimum operational efficiency.?At first, one would think this is an easy concept and, to remain competitive in the market, all companies should always be leveraging the latest technology as soon as practical, but this is not the case.?There are several important factors to consider with every technology and software upgrade/development decision.

Security: Are there potential weaknesses that needs to be addressed to protect our clients and our company??What is the severity of the risk and how does it pertain to our operations??

Reliability: What is the criticality of the application or system??Does it support a “Mission Critical” function of our operations?

Functionality/Innovation: Is there added functionality or innovation that will be seen as a competitive advantage for our customers and therefore our competitive position in the market?

Support: Where does the technology/software/system fall on the ongoing support scale??

Change: How much transition pain will be asked of the users, customer side transition teams, support organizations, and internal IT resources?

These are not the only criteria but are usually the top considerations, so let’s break them down and look at them little closer.?All should be weighed and factored into all system/application decisions.

Security: This is a major driver in all of decisions at AQuity.?Does the new system address an identified security weakness??As technology evolves, bad actors find ways to exploit more mature systems, so we look strongly at the targeted weaknesses and our options regarding upgrading, mitigating, or replacing system applications.?Ironically, this is also an area we probe deeply on new add-on technology. Has the expanded scope technology promoted as “bleeding edge” been security tested long enough for the function it’s intended to perform?

Reliability: If this is a mission critical system, then sometimes the older proven technology is the right way to go.?A good example of this is, we might hold off on a new customer care system that has only been operational for two months versus implementing a new purchasing system that is less than a year old.?Both systems are important, but the customer care system is critical to patient care and will need to undergo extra scrutiny before implementation.

Function/Innovation: Is the new system a “disruptor” in the industry??Are the features and new functionality needed or required??There are times when a company must move closer to “bleeding edge” to be a leader in their sector, but this must be balanced with the other factors listed. A good example would be utilizing a new system that incorporates Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning to manage disparate low-level events into an overall higher security event, similar to a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tool with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Support: Is the current system falling out of support or is the new system new coming into support??A good example is Microsoft Windows 11 operating system.?Windows 11 is new and AQuity will take extra time evaluating and testing while maintaining the currently supported Windows 10 operating system.?Especially for such far reaching applications, it is important for the internal Support organization to be trained on the new product and able to support users and customers.

Change: How much change will the organization undergo to adopt the new applications??What training will be needed for users and customers??What processes need to be changed??Will the change lower efficiency or enhance it??A good example would be a new system that incorporates new automation for manual time-consuming tasks.

In closing, organizations need to stay focused on Operational Efficiency.?This includes weighing the pros and cons of Bleeding Edge, Cutting Edge and Mainstream systems to provide the best service for their organization, front-line users and customer business objectives.?The impact on Operational Efficiency should always be the top priority when evaluating any new technology, including a thorough risk analysis before making any decision to implement.