Software techs are fluid and broad in their approach to office technology. A good software tech will not only look at what is on the screen but will also spend a great deal of time reviewing procedures that an office uses to collect and organize data. In a law firm for example, the software tech wants to take the billing or case management software, perform some magic and have their client say “Wow, this is much better than before you arrived.” Software folks rarely ever “get finished,” and they accept this as normal. Most likely Silly Putty was the toy of choice for youngsters who would later turn into software consultants.

Hardware techs (and I’m including Network techs into this group) are usually mechanically minded. They connect things together and make different pieces of hardware work with each other. Most diligent hardware techs enjoy completing tasks. They very much want to plug everything in, run a test and then say proudly “It’s done; I’m finished.” I’m guessing that when these folks were young they played with Legos or maybe Erector Sets.

It’s not uncommon for the hardware techs to spread their wings and delve into the software arena. Nowadays, email, word processing and spreadsheets commonly fall under the responsibilities of the hardware tech. This is often due to the fact that these programs are shipped with new computers and the hardware tech may assist in group licensing for the office. This approach is acceptable and I even encourage it because these core programs have almost become part of the operating system and with little or no customizations needed.

Problems develop when the two types of consultants do not have discussions with each other prior to acquiring new hardware and/or new versions of the core software (email, word processing, etc…). What software consultants have come to learn (often the hard way) is that in the world of “industry specific” software such as legal or accounting, those software vendors often lag behind in designing compatibility with core software titles, operating systems and even hardware. Vertical software providers have always and probably will always have little quirks about them that will affect how their software works with other technologies. It is not a bad trade off — you receive software that is designed especially for your industry but it might not always work with the new version of Outlook that launched last month. This is usually not a huge problem as long as all of your IT consultants understand the potential issues.

Using Microsoft Office as an example, it is common to go into an office where half the staff is using Office 2007 and the other staff is using Office 2010. When questioned why, the answer is almost always “we received some new computers and that’s what came on them.” This is not to say that Office 2010 is not a great product. But because of the way specialized Case Management or Accounting programs interface with systems like Outlook and Word, this decision should have warranted a discussion between

your software consultant and your office administrator on the implications of that decision. This simple discussion will likely save you money and lots of frustration.

A recent client experienced this very frustration. We were working with a Retail Store (another industry specific vertical) who had purchased a brand new printer. In fact, they were extremely proud of having purchased the most popular laser printer from the largest printer manufacturer in the world. State of the art printer should work with no problem…right? What the software consultant knew (and the hardware tech didn’t) was that the company that designed the Point of Sale software had never updated their printer drivers in the check printing routine. So, the pricey new printer would work fine in some reports, but when it came time to printing checks…it produced gibberish.

So, are you left to be a referee between the tech with the screwdriver and the tech with the thumb drive always making sure that each is cooperating with the other to find effective solutions to your problems? They are both telling you things that sound like techno-gibberish. Who do you believe?

First of all, don’t believe anyone when you can’t comprehend what they are saying. There is a school of thought in the investment community that you have no business putting your money into something that you don’t fully understand. I believe the same is true for technology. If your technology consultant can’t explain the issues in a way that you fully understand, then you need a new consultant.

But let’s say for the sake of argument that both your software and hardware techs are trustworthy, fully capable in their field and both communicate well – but with conflicting recommendations. What do you do? I’m going to do away with the suspense and give you the answer. Go with the software consultant. Let me tell you why.

Betty-Ann in accounting keeps getting booted out when posting to the general ledger. The network consultant is saying all his tests show there is no problem on his end, and the consultant who helps with your software is saying that the same software is working fine in a hundred other offices. ARRRGGGHHHH! You just want Betty-Ann to be able to pay the phone bill without issue.

Here’s the bottom line…If the hardware tech can convince you his network and computers are functioning, his reputation is safe and he can go home. On the other hand, the software tech cannot budge until the network is running smooth, the computers are finely tuned and his software is functioning as advertised. See the difference?

The software can’t run effectively if the computer and network aren’t in perfect order, so it is in the software techs best interest to find the problem no matter where the issue resides. If you want something fixed, the person to look to for answers is the one with the most at stake with ultimate accountability. Both techs may be “big picture” people, but 9 times out of 10 the software consultant sees a bigger picture and will work the hardest to deliver results.

Finally, this is not to say that most hardware techs are lazy and not motivated to find the best possible outcome. The fact is every office the software consultant goes into has a network and computers, so they have experienced lots of diverse issues and will have a better idea on where to look for potential problems. Conversely, usually only a small percentage of the offices that the hardware consultant enters will have your type and brand of customized software.

Joe Nelson has been a proud member of the 3545 Consulting Group LLC since 2008. His private consulting firm has performed network installations and configurations along with software application development, and custom programming since 1996.