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- by Michael Krigsman, ZDNN 10/18/07

IT consulting is a big-bucks proposition where client costs can rack up quickly. Let’s explore a few issues around whether those high fees are “worth it” to the client.

I asked Richard Weissberg, who built and sold a successful consulting company, for his thoughts on the consulting value vs. cost equation:

There are lots of mediocre consultants out there; people whose primary interest is filling their own pockets at the clients’ expense. You should avoid these.

One of out ten consultants is the great one you want. These wise ones solve client problems directly, quickly, and clearly, delivering outrageous value along the way. These are folks you should hire and keep, and they’re worth whatever they charge.

Of course, the big question becomes, “How can you find the great ones?”. High intelligence, skill, and experience are baseline starting points. The really crucial attributes are integrity, flexibility, and wisdom. Unless you’re just lucky, you’ll only find people like this through personal contacts and referrals.

Finally, recognize that great consultants often have all the work they can handle. People of this caliber can be selective about the assignments they accept. They typically seek clients who respect their work, are willing to pay for it, and who are capable of true partnership.

Once you’ve found a consultant, what’s the best way to structure a value-oriented relationship? Dennis Howlett, ZDNet blogger and fellow Enterprise Irregular, gave me this advice:

The industry is used to hourly billing, which brings cost, rather than value, to the client. Many businesses want per-hour billing because they think that’s how to control a contract. It isn’t.

You must assess the value of milestones and price/cost consulting services accordingly. I’m not recommending fixed-price contracts, which are different from value-based arrangements. In a value-based situation, consulting prices are established in reference to value brought to the client by the services.

This is a relatively unusual model in consulting circles, but it’s the best way to align consulting fees with client requirements. In addition, this approach means utility engagements are treated appropriately, while value-add consulting reaps the reward it deserves.

Mechanical billing arrangements, which disconnect consultant cost and client value, are certainly common. Value-based consulting contracts offer a better way to match consulting fees with client goals.

by Lee Koo - CNET Community

Some people call it shovelware; some call it crapware or
bloatware. But whatever it's called, I personally despise preinstalled software on new computers.

To start, let me define in my own words what it is.
"Shovelware" is software (be it trial ware, promotional ware, whatever) that is shoveled onto your new PC whether you like it or not. "Crapware" is software preinstalled on your new system that the majority of us will find useless. And, last but not least, "bloatware" is shovelware or crapware that uses up your PC's system resources right out of the box; to me, this is the worst offender. Now that I have given you my definitions, let's get started.

In his Crave blog, CNET editor Matthew Elliott gives us his rant on shovelware that is preinstalled on many major PC manufacturers' systems. And after reading his blog, I couldn't agree more. Of course, I know that big-name manufacturers earn a few bucks by bundling these software programs on their systems and are therefore able to offer consumers lower-priced systems. However, I find that the majority of the stuff they offer is just clutter and a drain on machine resources, which is personally not appealing, and also many times a headache and time-consuming to remove. If I buy a new system, I'm one of those folks who likes to start out with a clean slate--this is one major reason why I like to build my own desktop--because I dictate what goes into my machine, rather than having others recommend something I probably will find useless anyway.

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9743424-1.html?tag=nl.e497

by Security Center Editor Larry Seltzer - eweek

Opinion: Like DRM, pre-installed garbage on your OEM PC may be leaving such a bad taste in people's mouths that even money-hungry vendors will shy away from it.

3 comments posted
Add your opinion

It's SOP when you buy a new OEM PC: First, you install all the updates to Windows and Office since your system was built (not as big a problem as it used to be), then you delete all the garbage your OEM preloaded with Windows on your computer.

This software, often called "crapware" or "crapplets" in the business, can be a real pain to users. They slow down new computers, make them unstable and can cause downright confusion.

Word is spreading about the latest development in crapware: An obscure software component on Dell PCs redirects certain browser operations to a special Google search page, one overflowing with ads. The component, officially called the "Browser Address Error Redirector," takes over on address bar typos and other errors and thus interferes with some other software that performs the same function more transparently.

It's getting hard enough these days to avoid the Google Toolbar, which is pushed on you by many other packages, including the Java runtime. But this is unrelated to the toolbar. OpenDNS, one of the companies whose software is impeded by the BAER, says that the program "borders on being spyware."

Crapware makes money for OEMs. You pay to get a copy of Microsoft Office on your computer, but almost everything else, from the 90-day trial of Norton Antivirus to the AOL client to the QuickBooks trial to the Sonic RecordNow software to the Yahoo! Music Jukebox is on there because the software company paid the OEM to put it there. It goes further: Let's say you "convert" that copy of Norton Antivirus and buy the full subscription: the OEM gets a cut for that, too.
In this case, Google is probably paying Dell to put this software on the PC, but they are also probably getting a cut of the ad revenue, which gives them both a good incentive to overload the upper part of the page with advertising.

So crapware isn't in there to do you a favor, it's in there to make money for the OEM. Yes, they have an interest in you having a high-performing and stable PC, just as they have an interest in world peace, but it's a viciously competitive business and they need whatever revenues they can get.

Still, people get mad. The anti-crapware movement is nothing new. For years many observers have complained about OEMs pre-overloading their PCs with unwanted programs to the point that they're slow on the day you get them. I think the tide is going to turn soon. Look for OEMs to start offering more flexibility to customers, perhaps up to the point of "naked Windows PCs," meaning just Windows is installed, as an option.

ADVERTISEMENT Several months ago, Dell started a site called Idea Storm asking customers what they wanted in Dell products. This site may have had a lot to do with Dell's offering of Linux preloaded on consumer PCs (will we soon have open-source crapware for them?).

But before the site got slashdotted, one of the top suggestions was that preinstalled software must be optional. The original poster suggested that OOBE (out of box experience) include a screen where you choose which of the preloaded programs should be installed. I have a better idea: put that screen on the Web page when you order the system.

Anything that's not in a standard Windows installation or part of an essential device driver should be in this list. Some things are a better idea to remove than others; for instance, if you buy a DVD drive, perhaps you want that crippled version of WinDVD. But you may not want three extra toolbars in Internet Explorer. These things are subjective. There was a time just a few years ago when the idea of bundling a Web browser with PCs was controversial. The important thing is to give the customer control over the configuration of the PC.

And it looks like Dell listened. This is about as low-key an announcement as you'll find, but the "preinstalled software must be optional" suggestion is tagged as "**COMING SOON**" on the Dell site. I take this to mean that they will be offering some version of user control of crapware, although what and when are not specified.

Google has a unique perspective on the problem of Web-based exploits, but is it a useful one? Click here to read more.

I'm especially curious what they will do about the revenue problem: How will they make up the money lost from users who don't want the crapware? I don't expect them to just eat it or to presume that they will make it up in extra sales because of the feature. Perhaps they will make it up in lower support costs.

This is a good thing for security as well as the general user experience with PCs. The less stuff is running on the PC the more stable it will be. Let's hope Dell does the right thing and that it becomes a market imperative for all OEMs to make a similar offer.

Security Center Editor Larry Seltzer has worked in and written about the computer industry since 1983.

By Ina Fried, CNET News.com

"Ultimately, consumers are going to have to decide whether it is worth paying more to get their new computers clutter-free. The addition of trial software and other offers, along with falling component prices, is what has made PCs so cheap."

For years, computer makers have managed to wring a few extra bucks of profit out of each PC sale by bundling all sorts of third-party software.

While adding software, setting default search engines and including toolbars can all put money in PC makers' pockets, the practice has also alienated some consumers who say all such "crapware" is clogging their hard drives and bogging down their systems.

For the moment, computer makers appear to be trying to walk a fine line, tweaking their approaches slightly but hoping not to have to slay a cash cow. Gateway, for example, offers only one program in each category, while Dell has added an option for some models that allow a user to configure a system with no trial software.

"We've seen the evolution," IDC analyst Richard Shim said. "The desktop became kind of a billboard for Internet service providers and software. Now the pendulum is swinging the other way."

At one time, PC makers thought they might be able to subsidize the whole cost of a PC through a combination of advertising and bounties from signing up ISP customers.

While those dreams have largely faded, companies have continued to make money from including trial software, desktop icons and more recently, by agreeing to include a toolbar or other service from the leading Internet search providers.

(click title for full article)