The opportunity for abuse by Consultants in the Technology industry is vast. Like doctors and lawyers, IT professionals have knowledge that often far exceeds that of their customers.
The opportunity for abuse by Consultants in the Technology industry is vast. Like doctors and lawyers, IT professionals have knowledge that often far exceeds that of their customers. But unlike doctors and lawyers, there is no governing of our industry. The rapid change of technology makes it very hard to regulate, and would be an undue burden on the industry, stifling innovation. The language of technology is so different from what it is familiar to most people, the mere mention of routers, modems, or TCP/IP sends shivers up the spines of many people. As such, Consultants can easily take advantage of customers, destroying the trust for an industry where even the biggest players refuse to play by any sort of rules. Most people can not comprehend why someone would create a virus, or hack into their network.
This is why it is important to develop a relationship with your Technology Service Provider. How would judge their character? If someone seems like a sleaze... What is their educational background? Surprisingly, many people who call themselves Technology Consultants or Web Developers have no formal education or it was in an unrelated field. Do they demonstrate the knowledge they claim to have, or do they speak in Three Letter Acronyms (TLAs) to make you feel small? Do they stand behind their work? More and more I am approached by people who has already paid developers or techs to either build a site or resolve a support issue, and the money disappeared with no results. Is your trying to sell you a product or are they proposing a solution? Do they adhere to the AITP Codes of Ethics and Conduct? Now, the weight placed on the answers depends on your expectations..
In the interest of our customers, Scott Sawyer Consulting takes no money for referring another company. We may contract services of vendors that we need to work with to fulfill our obligations. Some services require expensive licensing, others do not. Instead of referring over-priced services for a kick-back, we focus on Open Source and Free solutions. Why pay for the service and the marked up license?
If you are in a situation with which you aren't happy, we will audit the services you have purchased. If you can't get out, at least we can make sure you get what you paid for.