Computers—Step Carefully through the Minefield:Part One

In buying computers the businessman should adopt the same hard‐nosed techniques he would apply to any other purchase, not allowing computer mystique or a sense of his own ignorance in this field to prevail. Four main stepping‐stones can be identified in the buying process: definition of requirement (based on business needs); selection process (matching criteria agreed against tenders submitted); the contract (guarding against one‐sidedness and ensuring that the suppliers are prepared to guarantee their equipment capable of doing the job it is being purchased for); and user disciplines (acknowledging that computers both demand and impose disciplines, from maintenance through to security). A computer buyer who cannot find the time, confidence or ability to adopt this four‐stage process should seek advice, bearing in mind that consultants frequently have a product to sell, too. (First part of a three‐part article).