It is at this time of year when relationships so infamously come into focus. And the reality of the situation is that relationships are HARD. All relationships. So whilst you are taking the time out to spend a quick minute on your personal relationship this month, I suggest that it might be time to put some of your business relationships under the microscope too.

You might have heard of the SAMplicity MOT service that we provide. The service is designed to give everything SAM (Software Asset Management) related the once over to highlight any gaps. What we are finding is that a lot of the time, relationships with customers’ tool vendors, and sometimes, managed service providers are at the heart of a lot of the disappointments discussed.

Often the gut reaction to this disappointment is to replace the perceived problem relationship with another, which we can all relate to personally. My grandmother used to say that it is a problem with the current generation, where everything is replaceable and therefore no one ever wants to fix anything. And she is right. We often see organizations ripping out technologies that they had spent an invaluable amount of time selecting and deploying, only to replace it with a very similar toolset with different challenges.

On the flip side, we also see people so invested in a solution/service that they are so determined to make it fit, despite clear indication that it never will. If you will forgive the crude analogy…’flogging a dead horse’. In either example, time is precious folks. It is the one thing that you can never claw back and therefore remains the most valuable commodity in my books.

So, like the couple too quick to call it a day or the couple trying to make things work purely to refute failure; my humble advise to you is this…an outside view is often a clearer one. If you are doubting a process, a toolset, a deliverable, don’t self-diagnose without getting a second opinion. If it is not me and EasySAM, there are tons on tons of professionals out there that can validate your concerns and bring focus back to the important desires and goals.

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!