System Solutions: A Best-of-Breed Strategy

Finally, you need a bona fide IT staff to manage a best-of-breed systems mix. Your complex of systems will need continuous attention. Think toddlers who either never grow up or whose rivalry takes years to subside. Are you ready for the challenges, as well as the rewards, of a big family?

Ernie Schell is president of Marketing Systems Analysis, Southampton, PA, and author of “The Guide to Catalog Management Software.” You can reach him at (215) 396-0660 or by e-mail: ernie@schell.com.