Tony Dye

How to Choose an Outsourcing Partner

I'm a big fan of outsourcing.  Over the years, I've made some really good outsourcing decisions.  Unfortunately, I've also made a few that weren't so great.  Hopefully I've learned in the process.  Here are a few ideas for choosing an outsourcing partner based on my good, and bad, experience.

Much like hiring an employee, there’s a risk with outsourcing also.  Choose the wrong partner and you still have a problem, even if you don’t have a long-term commitment to them.  Choose the wrong partner for a critical deployment, or for hosting, or moving to the cloud, and you may have a disaster!  So, what are some things to look for when choosing an outsourcer?

Here’s a quick list.  I’ll elaborate in future posts.

1. Responsiveness to requests (if they don’t respond well during the sales cycle, don’t expect it to get better when they have your money)
2. Communication styles – do they match yours?  If you have a preference for email vs. phone vs. whatever (Twitter?, Facebook?) will they work with you in the style you prefer?
3. References.  Yup, even more so than for a real hire 
4. Does the outsourcer follow their own model?  [do they also outsource to others?]
5. Do they specialize in your industry, or with your applications?  (that’s good)  Or do they attempt to be everything to everyone? (probably not so good)
6. Do they engage with social groups (CITRT, for instance)?
7. Do they give anything away for free?  For instance, do they offer useful whitepapers or other information resources that are valuable to you?  Do they participate in conferences that interest you, providing useful information?
8. Social Media.  Do they have a presence on Twitter of Facebook?  Do they blog?  Who else is listening to them?
9. Reputation.  Slightly different than references, and maybe related to the social media aspect.  Is it clear that others look to them as a valuable resource?
10. Available, but not too eager.  A really good outsourcer may not be able to instantly take on a new client.  Balance this with the overall responsiveness

That’s my quick list of 10 (I have more).  Additions and comments welcomed.  Are there times you’d choose somebody who doesn’t fit the above?  Probably, and sometimes there are excellent reasons.  Just be sure you know what those reasons are!  One of the best selections I ever made missed on several of the above points.

I Miss Programming

Listening to SecurityNow, episode 236 (around the 1 hour mark), Steve and Leo were talking about the elegance of programming.  That really resonated with me since I spent a lot of my career as a programmer.  Some of my favorite times were those long hours figuring out an elegant solution to a complex problem.

Those were some really good times.  Hey, wait, why did I quit doing programming?  Oh yeah...I got promoted.  I bet I could fix that!

Features Frustrate, Simple Satisfies

What a great line: "Features frustrate, simple satisfies."  I first heard this from Kevin McCord -- don't know if it was original with him or not.  Every software company needs to hang this as a big banner where all can see.  Maybe TV remote control makers, too.

What Makes a Community "Business Friendly?"

I was recently visiting a nearby community and had a chance to sit in on a Chamber of Commerce discussion.  One of the conversations was around what it takes for a community to be "business friendly."

Tax incentives are certainly in the picture, as is a good workforce, but the discussion mostly moved in the direction of the need for other services in the area, in particular, hotels, restaurants, places to live, and "things to do."

Sadly, we've lost a few businesses in Central KY in recent months.  We've also lost a restaurant or two, and some retailers.  I've heard some conversations lately by business leaders who were talking about having out of town (or even out of country) guests coming in, and the challenge of entertaining them.

I was also talking with a 24-hour service business who also lamented the lack of 24-hour food services in the area.  Their employees manage by bringing in their own meals for overnight.  It works, but not one of those things you list as an employee benefit.

Sometimes, a good restaurant can be a very important business tool.  A great coffee shop, with wireless, can be pretty valuable too! :-)

Hmmm...how does any of this apply to a community being church friendly?  Or, maybe more important, how can a church be community friendly?

Katharion is now GFI Max MailProtection

In case you missed it (I did), Katharion (hosted anti-spam solution) has been acquired by GFI, and now has the name GFI MAX MailProtection.

Details of the new hosted email security offering can be found at http://www.gfi.com/hosted-email-security, and the press release of the Katharion acquisition is at
http://www.gfi.com/page/27788/gfi-software-acquires-hosted-email-filtering-company-katharion- (yes, with a trailing "-")

Want a Super-Easy Complex Password?

We all know that "good" passwords are complex, not easily guessed, not dictionary words, and never written down.  How about a password that is so good that even you don't remember it, yet you have no problem entering it?  Sound like a contradiction?  Take a look.

Here's one simple password.  I don't "remember" it at all, yet I could re-enter it pretty quickly every time.  1@qWaSzX  How about 8&uYhGbV?  Or 09*oiUkjHmnB. 

Do those look sufficiently complex and un-guessable (and un-memorable)?  Yet, they are so easy to reproduce.  Here's the hint:

The above implies: 2#wEsDxC, or 3@eWdScX, or XcSdWe@3

Just "walk" the keyboard, alternating the shift key.  For a longer password, use three keys in a row.  There are plenty of similar options if you think about it for a minute.  Does this simplicity make it easier to crack?  Perhaps...but not until password cracking programs understand the patterns.

Want to mix it up just a bit more, and still keep it simple.  Prepend or append some simple word, even "password!" :-)

Older Password Guidelines Post

LinkedIn Presentation for Stanford Rotary

First a huge apology to the members of the Stanford Rotary for mistakenly calling the group the Lincoln County Rotary!  Hopefully I've corrected all references.

Today I did a very brief presentation to the Stanford, KY Rotary regarding LinkedIn.  My basic premise is that YOUR connections in LinkedIn can be a great service to others who are job hunting, or otherwise trying to meet people in the area.  Actually, I gave three reasons, with helping others as the middle purpose.

Three good reason to be ACTIVE on LinkedIn

1. Be findable.  Be easy to find – both you and your business or other organizations.  {unless there’s a reason to hide!}
2. Help friends who are job searching.  YOUR network can be their life-saver
3. Search out information on companies, or people, who you might want to do business with

For anyone who might be interested, here's the word document with notes and handouts:
Download LinkedIn4StanfordRotary

Half Mute?

For anybody designing the next great TV remote control device, I’d like a “half mute” or “semi-mute” button.  As long as TV stations, or their advertisers, continue to have way-too-loud commercials, I want a way to quickly turn down the sound, then return to where I was when the real program returns.  True mute is too much – I just want less sound, not “no sound.”  Make sense?  When can I run out and buy one?