Recession is ideal time to invest in technology

February 20 from the Financial Post – “With client and customer demands waning for small businesses as the economy lumbers along, this may be the moment to put down time to good use…

We just had our biggest year ever," says Mr. Stroink about sales at his Halifax-based retail business, The Trail Shop, which sells hiking and outdoor gear. Mr. Stroink attributes his recent success, achieved as Canada's economy began descending into a nosedive, to a new information technology system he implemented in his store that simplifies everything from inventory tracking to point-of-sale figures. He purchased the system from SAP Canada, a company that is currently touting IT solutions for small businesses to help them with efficiencies that could translate into cost savings…”

180 View – The natural tendency for most organizations is to put IT investment on hold in the face of economic uncertainty. It’s just about impossible to show an ROI on ERP investments without making unsupported assumptions. But some organizations have no choice as their systems are no longer supported or the system can’t support new acquisitions or business models. Other organizations are recession proof. And other organizations see every problem as an opportunity…