Running a business · 10 guides
Computer Software: problems and fixes, explained by Brandon
Brandon Turman is the only computer software member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- Will the cloud really cut your IT costs? Myths and mistakes in Azure and AWS moves The cloud can lower costs, but it does not do so automatically. Here are the myths that lead companies astray and the planning that makes a migration pay for itself. It can save money, but only if you plan for itMyth: lift and shift is the cheap, finished moveMyth: you only pay for what you useMyth: the cloud provider takes care of security
- What custom software really costs, and the five things that move the price There is no honest flat price for custom software, but there is a predictable set of things that drive it. Here is how to read a quote and where the money actually goes. The short answer, and why it cannot be a single numberWhere the hours on a software project actually goFive drivers that move a quote up or downWhy two proposals for the same idea can be far apart
- Texas privacy law and your customer data: what your software needs to handle Texas law gives consumers rights over their personal data and sets deadlines when it is breached. Whether you can meet those obligations often depends on how your software stores that data. The short version for busy leadersWhat the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act asks of a businessBreach rules that reach almost every businessWhy compliance is a software problem, not only a policy
- Sales, operations and accounting all have different numbers: fixing siloed data When every department brings a different number to the meeting, the problem is rarely the people. It is data scattered across systems that were never built to agree. Here is how to fix it. Why three departments can report three different numbersHow data silos form in a company that is doing wellWhat disagreeing numbers really costTrace one number from start to finish this week
- Modernize the old system or start over? How to decide without betting the company The old system still runs the company, but nobody wants to touch it. A full rewrite is rarely the only option. Here is how to choose the path that fits your risk and budget. Most legacy decisions are not all or nothingThe options on the table, in plain termsFive questions that usually decide itThe risk of doing nothing
- Low-code, an in-house developer or a software firm: who should build your app? Low-code tools and a capable employee can solve real problems. They can also create the next fragile system nobody understands. Here is how to tell which situation you are in. The honest answer depends on what breaks if it failsWhere low-code tools earn their keepWhere homegrown apps run into troubleHiring one developer: what you are really taking on
- Launch day is the halfway point: keeping custom software healthy for years New software starts aging the day it launches. Here is what ongoing maintenance involves, how to budget for it and how to keep today's new system from becoming tomorrow's legacy problem. What maintenance really coversThe first weeks after go-liveFour kinds of work that never stopWhy skipping security updates gets expensive
- From pitch deck to working product: how an MVP gets built and how long it takes Founders want a date. The honest answer depends on a few decisions you control. Here is what happens at each stage of an MVP build and what speeds it up or slows it down. What actually sets the timelineStage one: deciding what the MVP will not doStage two: a design you can click throughStage three: building in short, visible increments
- Before you sign with a software firm: the questions that separate builders from sellers Every software firm has a polished pitch. These questions get underneath it, so you can tell which partner will still be useful two years after launch. The questions that matter most, in one paragraphHow will you learn our business before you quote?Who will actually write and review the code?How often will we see working software?
- The spreadsheet that runs your company is about to break: when to replace it with software Your business runs on a workbook only one person understands, a dozen PDFs and three systems that do not talk to each other. Here is how to tell when it is time for software built around how you actually operate, and what that project looks like. The workbook everyone is afraid to touchWhy growing companies hit this wallA self-assessment you can run in an hourWhen waiting is fine, and when it is not