Changing the Game: Finding the Right Technology Partner for Your Modern Tech Needs

From the 90s through the early 2000s, legacy incumbents thrived. Pitching themselves as department-wide (and sometimes company-wide) problem solvers, their value proposition enticed companies to build custom enterprise solutions. For a long time, they seemed like the best, the only, choice. At least, until recently.

Everything changed when a wave of next-generation consumer goods companies began to pave the way for the future. They no longer fit the mold of the traditional technology buyers. Their requirements were different. They were quick, agile, and they made lots of workflow changes. They responded directly, immediately, to industry changes, and created changes themselves. They disrupted traditional ways and created new, more effective processes.

Traditional legacy software just wasn’t built to accommodate the needs created by this fundamental shift. Legacy incumbents built revenue models that relied on long implementation periods, 3rd party consultants, and custom requirements that were locked in through the length of the agreement. This meant any changes or updates to the systems were expensive both in terms of time and money. Legacy incumbents just weren’t cutting it anymore.

Then came the “aha” moment. User experience finally became king. Web applications became more than just data repositories. Users wanted and demanded an easier and seamless experience.

I experienced this shift. It’s why we created Backbone, a modern application born on the cloud and rooted in user experience. Backbone starts with the end-users, the daily active users, the folks in the trenches, day in and day out. They know, and we know, that the way of the future is based on flexibility, speed, and user experience. We built Backbone with these key ideas in mind, and you can experience them in every part of the platform.

• Flexibility: Custom workflows, taxonomy and nomenclature without costly custom builds
• Speed: A use-anywhere application that was fast in performance born on the cloud
• User experience: A clean, intuitive platform allowing powerful production without complicated, cluttered interfaces

Finding a technology partner for your brand is a big deal. It’s a partnership that will either empower your success or hinder your growth. When making this important decision, you need to consider a few important points:

1. Review your potential partner’s current product offering, but look even more closely at their product roadmap. Don’t just look at what they have. Investigate what they’re building. How are they thinking about the future of the industry they’re supporting? Are they shaping the industry for the better? If not, they’re not the right partner.
2. Make sure that their offerings are easily integrated into your technologies by way of a modern API. You’re looking for the perfect fit, not something you need to cobble together. If it doesn’t play well with your other modern apps, it’s not the right tool.
3. Confirm that their on-boarding and implementation period is no longer than 120 days. Modern industries move fast. Modern technology, and modern companies, need to match that pace. You should be looking for 60–90 day rollouts where users can start seeing an almost immediate time-to-value and ROI. If they can’t promise a quick start, they’re not the right partner.

Finding the right partner can be daunting, but don’t try to speed through the process. Take your time, do your research, and choose the right partner to help your brand reach the top. Stay tuned for additional feedback on some of my favorite applications supporting retail technology. Maybe one of them will be the perfect fit for your brand.

This article was originally published August 9, 2019, exclusively on LinkedIn.