I am guessing that if you are still in business it’s because of something that makes you different and even unique. Most of what you do may well be what everyone else does but its that final piece that makes you what you are.

Most of the enterprises I have worked with emphasize their differences when speaking to potential clients. Why would they then go on to implement a standard configuration of their cloud solution. Yet that is what we are seeing in the market right now.

You contact the names of implementation partners recommended by your cloud vendor. You ask for a quote and presumably take the lowest one after some due diligence on the internet. Few if any of these partners will ask what makes your business different and how that difference can be emphasised through the cloud technology to give you a competitive advantage. Most of these partners are doing multiple implementations of the same standard configuration again and again. They implement and move on completely forgetting you.

Don’t get me wrong. Most of what you implement will be standard. Maybe 80 percent or even 90 percent standard. But it’s that final 10 to 20 percent that will get you the bang for the buck.

We have been going in to fix some of these “quick” implementations. In one case, the implementation delivered by a global company did not even have any documentation. Not required the client was told to keep the cost down and to deliver quickly.

Getting what you need and getting it right will not necessarily be more expensive. It will take more time to interact with the vendor and may result in lower costs in the long run. It will certainly help you keep your business profitable and unique.