DOD exec offers an off-the-shelf caveat
Connecting state and local government leaders
Here's how to buy commercial the Frye way DENVER—Commercial off-the-shelf products have been portrayed as a silver bullet that can solve many information technology problems, but their use is not a panacea, a Defense Department official said.
Heres
how to buy
commercial the Frye way
DENVERCommercial off-the-shelf products have been portrayed as a silver The popular notion is that using commercial software can be a quick fix, but the Keep costs in perspective, he advised last month at the Government Information The more an agency requests custom changes, the more a product moves away from its With all the problems with COTS, its still better than a 100 percent You better understand what youre getting into, he said. COTS is The push to buy commercial products has been central to the Clinton Former Office of Management and Budget Director Franklin D. Raines made the use of Commercial products do have a significant role in government systems, Frye said. But Most commercial products will not match specific business practices. Therefore, it is Agencies that use commercial products also give up some control, Frye said. When an But with a commercial product, even an agency as large as the Defense Department will Frye recommended that agencies looking to implement commercial products set a baseline Youre not going to be able to do it all, but you need to get them all Another critical step is a gap analysis, what Frye described as comparing the Finally, roll out products in phases, Frye said. The big bang wont |