Jason Palmer, CPA, CITP

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Business Process Consulting – Technology Requirements Planning

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Man Pondering Specification QuestionsOne of the most important aspects of any System Implementation is the configuration of the computer hardware required to properly run the software.

The Software Vendor will provide minimum specifications to run the System but will usually offer little guidance on the optimal specifications.  For example:  The Vendor may state that the software runs on Microsoft SQL (or similar database), Windows Server, and a current Microsoft desktop operating system.  As long as your systems are able to run those Microsoft products, the Vendors’ software will run properly.  The Vendor will prefer that you look to Information Technology Professionals to determine the best configuration.

The Vendor shirking their responsibility to help you properly determine the best hardware configuration for their Software is a potential for failure of adoption and long term use of the new system.  If the hardware is underpowered and that causes performance and usability issues, productivity will suffer.

There is a significant difference between “minimum” and “optimal.”   You can watch a movie on a Smartphone (minimum), a Tablet (better), or a 60” Flat Panel TV (optimal.)  The experience is completely different.

It is critical that the Software Vendor provide real world computer configuration recommendations based on the number of transactions expected for your Organization instead of just “minimum requirements.”  Even selecting the right infrastructure software can have a big impact on the equipment portion of the budget. For example, Microsoft SQL comes in a variety of flavors:  Express, Workgroup, Standard, and Enterprise.  If your company is doing just a few hundred or even a few thousand transactions a month, the free version of SQL Express may be more than sufficient and requires significantly less computer horsepower than if you are processing tens of thousands of transactions per month.  If the volume of activity requires one of the higher end versions of Microsoft SQL, that could add thousands of dollars of computer equipment, “infrastructure” expense.

The hardware vendor will only submit a proposal based on the minimum requirements provided by the Software Vendor.  Understand that hardware vendors like to sell built in obsolescence to insure faster computer replacement cycles.  There is no incentive for the hardware vendor to do otherwise since they only make money by selling more equipment, more often.

The Software Vendor may purposely specify minimal hardware requirements to keep the overall budget as low as possible or so that more of the budget is available to spend on Software, Options, or additional consulting.

This is where a Business Process/Systems Implementation Consultant plays an important role.  Unlike the software and hardware vendors which take a myopic view of “just enough equipment to make the sale,” the Consultant will have the long term “Big IT Picture.”  This includes the planned growth rate of the System and the desired lifespan of the computer equipment.  The Consultant will insure that any budget considerations are not at the expense of long term performance.

In summary, when considering the Technology Requirements for the System, it is critical that all parties be at the table:  Software Vendor, Hardware Vendor, Internal or External IT Staff that will be responsible for the on-going maintenance of the System, with the Business Process/Systems Implementation Consultant as the moderator of the Conversation.

Remember, the Business Process/Systems Implementation Consultant is the only truly independent person whose sole mission is to represent the best interests of you, the Client.

 

Business Process Consulting – Managing the Vendor

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Managing the VendorAs the voice of the project, the Business Process Consultant should stand between the Vendor and Client.  Vendors usually have a very specific way they like to manage their clients which is like lemmings that will blindly follow their lead.

Put simply: The Business Process Consultant should manage the Vendor instead of the Vendor managing the client.

The Vendors’ time line usually assumes that the Client does not have the in-house expertise to manage an implementation nor any single point of contact for answers.  This is where the Business Process Consultant becomes the Clients’ secret weapon.

In an average Systems Implementation Proposal it states that the Vendors’ “Project Management Team” and “Consultants” will spend some number of hours ironing out the details of the “actual” work to be done to implement the system.  Since the Vendor Proposal was written by the Sales Department, days of time are added so that the Vendor can “gain an understanding of the Client’s needs” and rack up as many extra hours as possible.

If the Business Process Review has been done properly, the Business Process Consultant short-circuits this incredible waste of time by the Vendor.  We do not need the Vendor to gain an understanding of our environment nor do we need them perform yet another review of our operations.  We need the Vendor to immediately get to work and provide best practice suggestions AFTER reviewing our findings.

Here is a real world example of the tangible benefit of Managing the Vendor:  I was the Business Process and Systems Implementation Consultant to a large non-profit that was changing over its’ Financial Reporting System which included the General Ledger, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable, as well as a number of other modules.  I had spent a significant amount of time performing the Business Process Review during which I was responsible for the creation of the new Chart of Accounts for the General Ledger and documenting the dozens of required reports. (Note:  Although my focus is as a Technology Consultant, I am also licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.  My ability to reorganize the Chart of Accounts was just one of the many skills I brought to this Project.)

On the first day of work with the selected Vendor, the Vendor Consultant opened the meeting by stating it would take a number of weeks to review our current system and gain an understanding our reporting needs.  The Vendor Consultant stated he might start programming the new General Ledger in about a month and that within three months it might be ready for testing.

Imagine the expression on the face of the Vendor Consultant when I handed him a fully vetted Chart of Accounts for the General Ledger, the Accounts Receivable, the Accounts Payable, a full list ready for import of all customers (technically donors and pledges) and another list ready for import of suppliers and the layouts for all of the required reports.  After some preliminary discussions regarding best practices and required setup information for the Software, the Consultant started installation and configuration that afternoon.

This saved thousands of dollars in unnecessary duplication of Vendor consulting time with work that had already been done as part of the Business Process Review.  More notable, it enabled me to put up a Full General Ledger with Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable in 45 Days.  Yes, you read that correctly:  From “Day One” to the printing of the first check in the NEW system in only 45 days – instead of the six months to a year that it usually takes “Vendor Managed” General Ledger Projects to complete.

As demonstrated, the use of a Business Process Consultant to manage the System Implementation and the Vendor will lead to significant cost savings and a shorter delivery time.

Business Process Consulting – Implementation Success Starts at the Top

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LeadershipFor a Business Process Review and System Implementation to be successful, Senior Management must support the Project.

Whoever is given the responsibility must have commensurate authority – specifically, the final say on implementation details.  The Consultant must have full access to every department and employee.  When dealing with Vendors, the Consultant needs to be the only voice of Senior Management and have complete control of every interaction with the Vendor – short of signing a contract or issuing payment.

It is critical that Staff understand that Senior Management has mandated that the Consultant has been empowered to effect change.   This will assist with Employees becoming part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

We have all heard the expression, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.”  This is especially true in when managing a new System Implementation Project.  The Consultant must be a Benevolent Dictator to assure success.  The Consultant will interview all stakeholders, objectively listen, and document concerns.  In a perfect world, the new system will address the needs of everyone.  Unfortunately, no System is ever perfectly designed.  To that end, it is the Consultant, who must be allowed to determine where compromises will be made in the final design and implementation since he or she is held singly responsible for the project’s success or failure.  Remember:  Responsibility with Commensurate Authority.

Man Question MarkI can tell you from firsthand experience that Implementation Projects immediately falter and are doomed to fail when Senior Management waivers on the delegation of control, starts to second guess decisions, or dictates ill-advised changes.  It is the Consultant, the keeper of all project knowledge, who is the most qualified to “Steer the Ship.”  For a Senior Manager, even if he is the President of the Company to step in and force a change without all of the facts and background virtually guarantees failure or at least significant budget overruns.

Here is a real world example:  I was the Project Manager operating with full authority for the implementation of a new Donor Management System for a large non-profit.  Over the course of decades, the original system had been converted from a paper based one and at least two prior computer based accounting/donor management systems.  Although the statement of each account balance total was absolutely correct, due to prior conversion issues, manual journal entries and adjustments had been made to the accounts to get all of the funds to balance properly.  When attempting to import the original transaction detail items to recreate and obtain matching statement balances in the new system, it became impossible because of the prior manual adjustments – which were not reflected in the individual transactions being imported.

The planned solution was to generate a final statement from the old system and start fresh with verified opening account balance totals in the new system and send clients two statements showing the overlap.  The CEO stated that it was “unacceptable” to send clients two statements and that “no matter what” we would have to import transaction detail from the old system and get the numbers to balance in the new system.  The CEO mandate was that the client should continue to receive one statement with all transaction detail since inception of the account.  We attempted this process for weeks.  Every time an adjustment was made in the new system to try to emulate the original manual entries in the old system, we would balance one account and throw off another.  A month passed then two, then three.  Instead of clients receiving two statements, clients received no statements or for the largest clients who complained the loudest, statements were typed up by hand.

Fortunately, the CEO eventually relented and the Project was put back on track with the original solution of delivering a final statement from the original system with the historical transaction detail and a statement with a matching opening balance from the new system.

Elephant PerspectiveTo my point above, tens of thousands of dollars were wasted on unnecessary programming and consulting time to try to resolve a problem caused by entirely by the CEO’s meddling in the solution.  The CEO was unaware of the conversion problem, which had been resolved in the original solution, and made a decision based on incomplete information.

Senior Management must have full faith and confidence in the experience of the Consultant hired and the Implementation Team to make the best choices for the Project to be a Success.

Remember, it all starts at the top.

Business Process Consulting – The Details are in the Documentation

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Docs All TogetherMany businesses have never documented their procedures and subsequently have no institutional memory to determine if a procedure has changed.

This is not to say that without explicit documentation of procedures that one cannot run a successful business.  The problem is that the documentation may only exist with the particular person responsible for the job function.  Or, perhaps Management runs on instinct.  This can lead to potential critical points of failure with too many Staff rising to “Key Employee Status” – a person so critical that were he or she to disappear, the viability of the Business might be at serious risk.  With documented procedures, others can step in as temporary replacements in times of crisis because they have the the institutional memory of the company to follow as a guide.

Part of a Business Process Review is to create objective documentation of the current procedures.  As companies grow, without documented procedures and periodic review, changes can occur that were never intended or approved by Senior Management.

For example, let’s look at how payments to customer accounts are received and applied in a company that receives paper checks in the mail:  One person opens the mail and makes a list of each check received with the check number, customer name, and amount.  A second person applies the payment to the appropriate customer account.  A third person might write up the checks for the Bank deposit.  This type of Financial Control virtually guarantees that unless the three individuals are intentionally colluding to defraud the company, the separation of function acts as a check and balance to help keep the Staff honest.

What if due to a reduction in Staff in the Accounting Department, one person had the complete responsibility for opening the mail, applying the payment, and making the Bank deposit?  Since most employees are honest, probably nothing.  (However, the fact is that the separation of function and financial controls exist specifically to try to prevent the temptation to commit fraud.)  With a properly documented procedure for reference, during a periodic Business Process Review, this change would immediately become apparent to Management.

While documenting the current procedures, a Business Process Consultant might uncover something as simple as a Field employee not having the proper tools to do his or her job.

I recently call the AAA auto club to change a flat tire.  The contracted garage supplied the Mechanic a tire iron and a jack but no Flashlight.  My car was in a dimly lit parking facility and that made placement of the jack under the car difficult because it was dark

For want of a Flashlight, the company put the employee at greater risk of injury and created a loss of productivity.  He could not see the exact spot to place the jack so the job proceeded more slowly.  (That was until I pulled out my trusty Ultra High Powered  Zillion Candle Power Maglite Flashlight and lit up the area like Times Square.  As a former Boy Scout, I am always “Prepared.”)

When I called the owner of the Garage to bring this to his attention, he was surprised and puzzled.  The Garage owner said he would look in to the matter and call me back – and he did.  It seems the new Dispatch Manager had determined the equipment list based on his own experience.  He had only worked during daylight hours in the Suburbs where the cars are usually parked outside in a driveway or on the street.  The new Dispatch Manager was not familiar with NYC where many cars are kept indoors inside poorly lit Parking Facilities.  The Garage owner thanked me for my call and said he would remedy the problem immediately.

The above real life situation was a “freebie” for the Garage owner but nonetheless, I uncover the same types of issues at my “paid” clients too.

Baseline reference documentation creates “institutional memory” of approved procedures.

Senior Management can use the documentation created during a periodic Business Process Review to determine if any changes observed in current procedures should be approved and added to the institutional memory or returned to the original procedure.

Without proper documentation as a reference point, there is no way to determine if deviations from approved procedures have occurred.  That can put the company at greater risk or reduce productivity and therefore impact the bottom line.

Remember, “No job is finished until the documentation is done.”

Business Process Consulting – Knowledge is Power

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Knowlege is PowerBusiness Process Consulting is like going for an annual physical.  Even though everything may appear to be fine, you visit the Doctor to update your current condition.  The Doctor compares your current general physical condition by reviewing benchmarks such as blood pressure, weight, and heart health.  The Doctor then advises you to stay the course, or that perhaps you need to make some lifestyle changes.  The results of the more advanced tests may indicate a serious problem that needs immediate attention.  With this information you confidently leave the Doctor’s office with a plan of action.

A Business requires exactly the same form of annual review to make sure that the operations are running as efficiently as possible and that no serious problems exist.

A Business Process Review should encompass the entire company from the lowest level employee up through Senior Management.  This will reveal volumes of information so that any significant road blocks to employee productivity can be identified.

A perfect example of this is in action is the reality show called, “Undercover Boss.”  Each week the CEO of a well-known company goes undercover in a variety of jobs, from janitor to manager, throughout his or her company.  The CEO experiences firsthand, both the inherent good and in some cases, the extreme dysfunction in the company.  The experience is both enlightening and overwhelming.  The CEO walks away with a deep understanding of what is and is not working.  Most importantly, the CEO has the Knowledge and the Power to immediately effect change in the company and usually does.

In the majority of companies, going “undercover” is not an option.  The solution:  Engage in Business Process Consulting, preferably with an external Consultant who can be undercover in plain sight.  Staff people are generally more comfortable talking with an independent outside party than internal management.  The Consultant’s initial purpose is to listen, observe, document, and report.  Then, to discuss with Management possible changes in procedures, many of which may come directly from the Staff responsible for doing the specific tasks or from the expertise of the Consultant.

Business and Financial Reporting, an area usually of significant interest to Middle Management, is where Business Process Consulting really shines.  Many companies have disparate systems which make it difficult to pull together data for advanced reporting.  In one Business Process Consulting Engagement I recently completed, the Manager had to access five different systems to compile the data in to a Quarterly Board Meeting Report.  Only three of the five systems were able to produce the data in a format that could be used with a spreadsheet program. (i.e. Microsoft Excel.)  The other two could only produce printed paper reports which required the Manager to re-enter the data by hand in to the spreadsheet.

The Financial Systems were never combined or integrated after the creation of a new division and a merger.  The paper reports were from an outdated, unsupported, legacy system where only limited knowledge remained in how to generate reports.

Senior Management was completely unaware of the challenges faced by the Manager responsible for the Quarterly Board Report because he was able produce it as requested.  After Senior Management was made aware of the system incompatibilities and the incredible amount of time involved to create the report, they immediately addressed the problem. (I was engaged to find a short term solution – tools that allow disparate systems to “talk” to each other – and a long term solution – which was a completely new Financial Reporting System.)

Senior Management frequently complains that they do not have enough insight in to the metrics (i.e. Sales Data, Expenses, Return on Investment, Cost of Capital, Inventory Data, etc.) to manage the “Big Picture.”  Put simply, “Data is going in to the company but is not coming out in a useful format.”

In the normal course of business, thousands of transactions and interactions are generating massive amounts of data.  Companies may not have the Systems to properly analyze and manage the data to enable it to become useful information.

Business Process Consulting unlocks the body of knowledge trapped inside a Company by analyzing how the data is generated and reported.  Armed with this knowledge, Management then has the power to effect change to improve efficiency and productivity.

Identifying Consulting Services Revenue Opportunities

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Businessman with Wheelbarrow Full of CashAlmost everyone offers Consulting Services as part of his or her job function without realizing it.

If you are in a Licensed Profession, such CPA, Attorney, or Hair Dresser, you advise your clients in multiple ways:  first by suggesting which services they may require and second by suggesting the best course of action.  For example, as a Hair Dresser, you might suggest that your client needs a change in hair style or perhaps a change of color.  (The Services you offer.)  Then you suggest the style that might work best based on facial features and a flattering color.  (How the Services will be implemented.)

Formalizing the mindset that we are already offering Consulting Services opens up the door for revenue generation opportunities with either existing clients or new clients.

The first step is to identify the types of additional Consulting Services that you want to offer based on your area of expertise or interest.  It is not necessary to be an absolute expert to properly advise your clients.  For example, Information Technology is a broad consulting area.  A CPA may not know the explicit technical details of how to install an Accounting Software package.  But the CPA will know the value and benefit of implementing an Accounting Software package with the right feature set matched to the clients’ business needs.  And, the CPA will know that the appropriate Technical expertise can be hired to perform the actual installation on the clients’ computer system.

The next step is to identify the opportunities where you can demonstrate the value of your Consulting Services.  Like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz”, we just need to look in our own backyard, in this case, our current client list.  Review your current skill set and some of the possible areas of Consulting, which may include Information Technology, Financial Systems, Inventory Control, Warehouse Management, Retail/Point of Sale, Manufacturing Processes, and General Business Process/Workflow.  Then review your current client list and see where there is overlap between your skill set and the possible areas of Consulting.

The most difficult aspect of expanding into a formalized Consulting Services relationship with an existing client is changing the client’s perception of your scope of services.  If you are a CPA preparing Financial Statements and Tax Returns, the client may only see you as their “Accountant.”  It is your job to educate the client and demonstrate that your skill set reaches beyond traditional Accounting by engaging them in a conversation about other Business Process challenges.

It amazes me the number of Clients that have researched and implemented new Financial Accounting and Reporting systems without involving their CPA.  I know this from personal experience because I am the Business Process Consultant brought in to analyze the problems with the current Accounting System, research alternative systems, and manage the implementation.  When I ask the Client, “Why are we not engaging your CPA in this process?”  The answer is inevitably, “The CPA just prepares our Financial Statements and Tax Returns and has no involvement in our Operations.”

The CPA, who definitely has an understanding of how Financial Systems work, could certainly have started a conversation with the Client about their operational issues and been the lead Business Process Consultant.

My favorite example of this problem is demonstrated by the millions of copies of the Quickbooks Accounting Software program that have been purchased and installed by Business owners without any discussion with their CPA.  How could the CPA have not suggested automating the Accounting Process?  Quickbooks even has a Pro Advisor Consulting program specifically designed to help CPA’s to engage their Small Business Clients and discuss the transition and implementation.  Simple Answer:  The CPA did not identify the opportunity and start the conversation.

The key point is that many of us have skills and knowledge that far exceed our specific job title.  Communicating this enhanced knowledge to our clients will enable us to maximize our revenue potential.

Business Process Consulting – What is it?

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Consulting ProcessBusiness Process Consulting reviews the current procedures for every aspect of how a Company operates and seeks opportunities for greater efficiency to improve the bottom line.

A process is a uniform series of steps that you can repeat to complete a given task.  In that sense, everything you do to  manage and operate your business is a process.

An example of a Business Process that most of us do every day is to physically open the office in the morning:  we approach the door, insert the key, turn the lock, open the door, turn off the alarm, and turn on the hall lights.  We might have a second process to prepare the work environment:  adjust the office temperature, put up a pot of coffee, turn on the copier and printers, turn on more office lights, put the phone system in day mode and check the general voice mail box.

This over simplification is to demonstrate that without realizing it, we are creatures of habit and perform the same processes on a regular basis to complete a set of tasks.

Problems arise when we do not follow a consistent set of procedures to provide a uniform result.  They can also arise when procedures are overly complex and have not been updated to take advantage of new technologies.

This is when you need Business Process Consulting

The need for a consistent Business Process becomes evident in the following scenario:  Two Salespeople at your company each take a phone order for some merchandise.

Salesperson “A” properly uses the “Phone Order Form” that has space for the Customer Name, Address, Account, Phone Number, Email Address, Date, Purchase Order Number, Quantity, Item, Description, Item Number, Unit Price, Total, Shipping Address, and Terms.  As Salesperson “A” has followed the Business Process for taking a phone order, all of the required information has been properly collected to assure accuracy in completion of the order from Entry in to your system through Shipping.

Salesperson “B” decides to use a blank sheet of paper and only gets the Customer Name, and the item, order quantity, and pricing information with the intent of looking up the rest later.

Since Salesperson “B” did not use a “Phone Order Form”, he has put the company and customer satisfaction at risk because necessary information is missing.  Furthermore, as a Salesperson, he probably will not follow through on “filling in the missing details.”  More than likely, he will leave it for the Order Entry department to locate the missing information.  In the worst case, someone else will have to contact the Customer to complete the order and it will be delayed.

This is an oversimplification demonstrating what happens when Staff does not follow a Business Processes already in place.

A change in technology could easily standardize the preferred way to take a phone order.  An Online Order Entry System would allow the Salesperson to find the customer account, verify the information mentioned above, and only enter the quantity and item details.  Updating the Business Process to take advantage of new technologies improves efficiency while  simultaneously reducing manual errors.

To demonstrate the practical value of Business Process Consulting, try this exercise.  Pick any procedure in your business:  (i.e. opening of the mail, applying payments to customer invoices,  or making the daily bank deposit.)  Ask the person doing the task, “Why do you do this particular task this particular way?”  You might be surprised to hear the following response, “This is the way I have always done it.”  (Or, sometimes, “This is how I was told to do it.”)

The real question you want to ask is, “Can you think of a better, more efficient way of doing the task?”  In the majority of interviews when I ask the above questions, I get a resounding, “Of course there is a better way!”  (But, nobody ever asked me for my opinion.)

You have just taken the first step to becoming your own “Business Process Consultant.”  By simply starting a discussion with your Staff members about how they perform the tasks that are part of their normal job function, you can immediately get ideas about possible changes that may increase efficiency which will improve productivity and therefore your bottom line.

The advantage of using professional Business Process Consultants is that they bring a more formalized, independent objective review to the Project.  Sometimes we cannot see the “Forest for the Trees.”  Outside consultants have seen many forests and many trees.

The key benefit is that while reviewing the Business Processes and interviewing Staff, the experienced Consultant will be able to listen, discuss, and document the current procedures and make suggestions about possible improvements within each department.  Finally, Staff people are generally more comfortable talking with an independent outside party vs. internal management.

Lack of Electronic Privacy – It’s your own fault.

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Google is Watching YouI am a Motorola Droid 2 Global Smartphone user running the Android 2.3 operating system.  By default, the phone comes preinstalled with a number of useful Google applications (Apps) such as email, web browser, maps, books, etc. and one in particular that got my attention: YouTube.

I acknowledge that in order for Smartphone Applications to function, they need a certain amount of unrestricted access.  This might include opening up network connections, keeping the phone from going to sleep, automatically updating your location, using stored credentials to access your accounts for transmitting and receiving data.  Most of these activities are routine, necessary, and are of little cause for concern.

Now I am sure all of you are thinking, “What could possibly be troublesome about the YouTube media player app?”  Answer:  Its’ total and complete disregard for my personal privacy and the inability for me to set any parameters to limit its’ reach in to my phone or personal activity.

In the most recent update the Privacy Policy has changed.  So much so that Google specifically brings to your attention this new level of invasive access that is something right out of a TV Crime Drama.  The YouTube app may, and I quote, “Take Pictures and Videos” which sounds harmless enough until you read this part, “Allows application to take pictures and videos with the camera.  This allows the application AT ANY TIME to collect images the camera is seeing.”  Wait there is more:  “Allows an application to perform operations like adding, and removing accounts and deleting their password.”

Google YouTube Site ScopeExcuse me?  This implies that any time my Camera is on, YouTube can capture the images from the Camera and then without asking for my specific approval, act on my behalf by accessing all of my account information and permissions and transmitting the images regardless of my intent.

This sounds very much to me like that new Anti-Theft application that, upon activation, automatically turns on the Camera of your Smartphone and takes a picture of the alleged thief, tags the GPS location of the phone and updates a secure web page or emails the information for you to forward to Police.  There is one critical exception:  I can control that Anti-Theft Applications access to my camera, I cannot control the actions of YouTube.

I would like to believe that I am misreading the privacy policy and that what Google really means is that the above can only happen when I have the Camera on and INTEND for the YouTube application to upload my images to the YouTube service.  However, that still does not explain the part about the ability to, “add/remove accounts and delete passwords.”

If the intent of Google is to “act on my behalf with my explicit instructions and approval” then they should clearly say so.  If not, I am concerned that if I permit YouTube the access it seeks, I might have just given up all privacy rights to every photo or video I take with my phone because I have given Google complete and total access to those images.

Google is Acting EvilUnfortunately, there is really no one to ask for clarification about the Privacy Policy at Google.  I did use the Privacy Policy Contact Us form but the confirmation page was less than comforting in its response to my inquiry:  “We’ve received your message. We’ll follow up with you only if we require more info or we have additional info to share.”

More users need to READ the privacy access permissions being requested by Smartphone and Software Applications and recognize exactly what they are signing away in terms of personal privacy.  Then, they need to contact the developers or providers of the service and refuse to accept the terms and NOT USE THE APPLICATION until the privacy policy is corrected.

Perhaps the best example of a complete and total disregard for personal privacy of any kind is Facebook.  The site gives the appearance of allowing users to set controls over how their information is used and shared.  The practical reality is that every Facebook App wants the ability to act as if it is you with full access to your address list and all of your information.  It wants to “post to your wall” at will with no opportunity to for you to review what the App will post.

Obviously, the other 799,999,999 Facebook users (of the 800 Million) are completely comfortable with allowing Facebook and most Applications to have an “All Access Pass” to every single piece of information listed in the Facebook ecosystem.  I must be the only one to be concerned as Facebook since as popular as ever.

My point is that due to our own lack of action, we are giving away our information then complaining about it after the fact.

Electronic Frontier FoundationIf you are concerned about the state of Electronic Privacy, get involved with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Their mission is to defend your rights in the Digital World.

Forewarned is forearmed.  If you know that the privacy policy is overly invasive and access to your information is virtually unrestricted, be mindful of what you post or allow any site or service that has a sharing component to know about you.

The age old adage, “Never put anything up on the Internet or in an email that you would not want on the cover of the New York Times” still holds true.  (Or, you might just be reading about it in the morning paper.)

One Final Note:  Institutions that manage your personal financial data take privacy very seriously and go to extreme measures to make sure that your information stays secure.  They may share your name and address for marketing purposes but your sensitive information is not shared without your express permission.  An example would be release of financial information for a credit application.

To view the Google Privacy Policy, visit:
http://www.google.com/policies/privacy

To learn more about the Electronic Frontier Foundation, visit:
http://www.eff.org

Microsoft Windows 8 vs. Apple Mountain Lion is like comparing Gasoline vs. Diesel Fuel

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The blogosphere has been in overdrive with reviews of the latest operating system releases from both Microsoft and Apple.  It is very entertaining to read the endless commentary debating the merits and faults of each operating system.  In many respects it is a classic “Coke vs. Pepsi” style debate.  Most people have a definite taste preference that is unlikely to change.  We all recall age old question: “Are you a Mac or a PC?”

Both camps seem to miss the point entirely:  Unlike Coke vs. Pepsi where both are Cola products that can, and frequently are substituted for each other, the same does not apply to the Windows and Apple operating systems.  Apple operating systems only run on Apple hardware.  And, barring 3rd party software (Parallels or VMWare Fusion) or custom installations (Boot Camp), no version of Microsoft Windows can run on Apple Hardware.  (And if you are running Microsoft Windows in some capacity on an Apple computer, is that not making them equal? – but I digress.)

I view Apple like Diesel powered vehicles and Microsoft like Gasoline powered vehicles.  You can sing the praises of Diesel engines and their increased fuel efficiency vs. the performance of Gasoline engines.  The fact is that no matter how many Diesel vehicles are sold this year, the number will pale by comparison to the number of Gasoline vehicles.  And, if you were to add up all the gas vs. diesel fueled vehicles in similar fashion to the installed base of Microsoft Windows vs. the Apple operating systems, you start to see the futility of debating who is going to win the operating system war.

Does it really matter how great Diesel is vs. Gasoline as a Fuel for an engine?  If you have a Gasoline powered car, you are using Gasoline in the fuel tank.  Diesel is not an option or substitute.  The same holds true for running most line-of-business software applications:  The Apple operating system is just not an option.   Microsoft Windows, and its’ many flavors are the only choice on the menu.  As an example, virtually all Professional Tax preparation, Accounting System, and Audit/Write-up software applications are Microsoft Windows only.   (Cloud based products excluded.)

We can discuss how spectacular Apple Mountain Lion is:  the iPad/iPhone like experience brought to an iMac or MacBook Pro, the new cool graphics, widgets, whatever…  But, the practical reality is that if I am in a Microsoft Windows world, debating the merits of Microsoft Windows 8 vs. Apple Mountain Lion just makes for either wishful thinking or great cocktail conversation.  We can even marvel at the new interface of Windows 8 and how Microsoft is trying to unify the user experience across all devices but you will never see it running on an iPad or an iPhone.

Some will say it is not about the Business environment but about Consumers and which operating system, Microsoft or Apple, is going to power my Toaster, or on a more serious note, my Smartphone, Tablet, and possibly Computer – if not replaced by a Tablet.

I respond that the conversation is not about which Fossil Fuel will power my next car: Gasoline or Diesel – but what comes next?   Using the car analogy, it will most likely be a hybrid or perhaps a fully electric vehicle.  Maybe Fusion technology will be available in my lifetime.

The next operating system to power my Smartphone, Toaster, or Computer could be Android or ChomeOS – both from Google.  If that becomes true, where does that leave the Microsoft vs. Apple operating system debate?

It is spectacular that Microsoft and Apple are definitely making technology easier to use than ever before with their evolutionary changes in the operating systems.

The concern is that Microsoft and Apple may be perfecting the Buggy Whip for the the Horse Drawn Carriage, both of which were completely replaced by the Motor Carriage, within one generation.  And, Microsoft and Apple may wake up one day and realize that Google has completely changed the model by eliminating the concept of an operating system and having everything run in “The Cloud.”