Synthesizing
I've been doing this technology thing for quite awhile. I've been working on SchwarzTech for the last ten years, have been tearing apart, fixing, and improving computers since I was in elementary school; had a tech support job for the students at the Indiana Academy my freshman year, and am the unofficial "computer and media guy" in my job now. I thought I would take some of those experiences and share my theories on technology consulting. Obviously, they may not match yours, and some may be wrong, but this is an educational experience and I thought I'd share.
Open Source ≠ Better?
As someone who has been a Mac user for years, one would assume that I am anti-Microsoft, and if I cannot recommend an Apple product, open source must be my second choice. This is not true. I feel that a lot of Microsoft products are rather bloated and are poorly executed, but they do get some things right. Windows XP could not have been that bad if it managed to carry the company for the last 8 years. Silverlight is actually pretty good for online video (much better than Flash). I was working with a friend who had a Dell notebook with Vista on it. Its resources were a bit taxed and it was running poorly, so rather than reinstall Vista, we put 7 on there. It seems to be working well, especially for a computer she was ready to throw out (and I could've recommended a Mac).
In some cases, open source software is fantastic. Mozilla Firefox destroys Internet Explorer in so many ways. UNIX and Linux offer more security and more stability in server environments. It really comes down to finding the proper balance between industry-standards, cost, learning curve, and open source products. This is not always easy—find the right tool for the job. Challenging standards may be risky, but sometimes you'll be rewarded for it.
Repurpose
I can never throw things away. Part of this comes from that I always wonder if I can use something later on. Right now, my old desktop computer has found use next to my television for use as a DVR and a web-based media center. It could be collecting dust somewhere, but instead I found something it could do quite well and put it to work. The same goes for businesses. Why throw away a computer that could be used as a file server or something else if you change the software on it? When I worked at the Indiana Academy, we ended up doing that with an iBook that had its screen broken by a student—it was connected to an old CRT and we used it to keep track of our inventory.
Be Creative
Part of this ties in with repurposing, but claiming to be creative and actually being creative are two different things. Obviously, solving a problem is one thing. It's a bit boring, but it gets the job done. Instead, I have found that thinking of new ways to do things, even if you do not have direct control over something may be beneficial. Sometimes suggestions appear to get overlooked, but then are taken into consideration the next time around. When we were learning how to use Map-Works last Fall, I asked why students couldn't be selected using some sort of live-updating criteria search (I compared my suggestion to the Smart Playlists feature in iTunes). My question was somewhat brushed off and I thought that was the end of that. As it turns out, a year later, we have something similar. Maybe someone else asked after I did at another institution or the representative took what was suggested back with them, but didn't know how to respond at the time.
Those are the three I want to share right now—possibly more to come? Stay tuned...