We all have favorite vendors that we like to use. The vendors that we have embraced are now part of us and we are unlikely to give them up soon. Recently I was at a Microsoft event and saw the fierce dedication to Hyper-V and intense dislike of VMware. This was a bit of a shock as VMware does have a overwhelming market share of the virtualization but these folks would only look at Hyper-V.
This behavior is not limited to just Microsoft and VMware, one only needs to look at the interaction between the Google Android and Apple iOS platforms users or a dozen other examples. This dedication to one vendor over another while admirable can lead to viewing technology with blinders on.
As IT professionals it is our duty to ensure the companies we work for have the best and most cost effective technology for the business even if it comes from a vendor that is not on our favorites list. Now that doesn’t mean we should go out and replace what we have with the lowest cost option but we have to find a balance between performance, reliability, support and cost. The vendor’s reputation can come into consideration but the name itself should not.
Ignoring our comfort zone is a hard thing to do but it’s something we must do for the benefit of the customers we serve. As professionals knowing more than just a single vendor such as VMware or Hyper-V / iOS or Android gives us more value in the marketplace. We can support more technologies and bring more even value to our companies by knowing both choices instead of just the ones that we want.
