Iknow is an expert at identifying, evaluating, and selecting technologies that enable your knowledge management strategy. We have experience evaluating the tradeoffs between the business and technical requirements, the current and planned technology infrastructure, financial budgets, and the seemingly unlimited claims made by software product vendors. We have in-depth experience implementing commercial software products, open-source products, and custom-developed applications in both on-premises and cloud-hosted environments. We have extensive product knowledge in roughly 30 technology domains to help you select the optimal solution.
Iknow can help you conduct a pilot or create a working prototype to help with the product evaluation. Please see our Software Prototyping Lab.
Iknow’s services in this area include:
- Identifying and evaluating the most appropriate technical solution options. Solution options generally range from installing and configuring commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) software, to hybrid solutions (e.g., combination of both COTS and custom development), to developing fully customized software.
- Identifying and evaluating viable commercial and open source software products.
- Identifying and evaluating bespoke software development companies.
- Helping make product evaluation and selection decisions. We incorporate a number of structured analytical techniques to fully incorporate and reflect the business and technical requirements.
- Conducting software product procurements on behalf of our customers. We leverage our knowledge about the industry and can negotiate on a client’s behalf to obtain the best price and terms.
- Performing software product demonstrations, pilots, and proof-of-concepts. These can be carried out prior to making a significant systems investment.
In summary, Iknow will provide the visibility you need to see through the technology fog. With so many software product vendors trying to sell you their products and claiming that their software can do everything, we help identify the right technology solutions and filter out the noise.
Iknow’s deliverables typically include detailed technology recommendations and the supporting justification, which could include the results from a pilot or proof-of-concept. If we are engaged to help procure one or more software products, then our deliverables are fully negotiated contracts with one or more product vendors.
The technical elements are often the key enablers of a knowledge management solution. Selecting the right technology is often a key factor for success; selecting the wrong technology could cause the project to fail. Therefore, the evaluation and selection of the most appropriate technical solution can have a major influence in the initiative’s business impact.