Having just come from CeBIT it made me groan looking at all the solutions on offer just looking for a problem to fill. Then thinking about the ensuing arguments in the office because COO has just be sold a solution to a problem which didn’t actually exist and worse the IT manager is now scratching their head trying to figure out how the hell they are going to implement the solution in their current environment.

The problem is, we see this scenario playing out in large enterprises all the time, where the people with money are making decisions without understanding the big picture of the organisation. As an former Enterprise Architect I was always dealing with internal clients who had no idea of their actual requirements but instead were focused on a solution which appeared as a new shiny toy at a trade show.

So that got me thinking, wouldn’t it be nice to have a reverse trade show like CeBIT where companies could set up a stall to advertise their requirements and then have vendors prowling the floor engaging with companies a putting forward a solution only once a requirement has been identified. Or other companies could engage with your company to identify common issues to ensure that solutions vendors aren’t selling you a dud.

It’s a nice idea but I don’t think there would be any money in that. :-)