PoC (proof of concept) is what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG). It’s the ability to prove something works; that it’s financially and technically viable for you or your client.
The process includes search and review of the development and an examination of the revenue model, “…in which companies show projected revenue from products and services, and indicate development cost, long-term finance projections and how much the service costs to maintain and market.”
Companies utilize POC as a sales tool, client-sat tool, and self-evaluation tool.
The Argument: You Can’t Avoid PoC
Proof of Concept is how we minimize risk. It’s how new businesses convince venture capitalists to invest. It’s how we prove to our clients we can deliver. It’s unavoidable.
And it’s not just your company that is concerned with risk management. About 95% of new products launched every year fail. And these aren’t always starry-eyed startups; Big Six auto companies and flagships like Apple have had products launch, crash, and burn following a successful PoC.
Better Proof of Concept
We agree PoC is necessary, but it’s not perfect. Your team is in a hurry to finish and they rush the proof of concept process. Sometimes the real legwork – measuring demographics and end user responses – is assumed, which can later prove fatal. Here are CMO Steve Olenski’s suggestions for better PoC:
- Explore more options.
- Focus on your main demographic to establish viability.
- Involve end users before the PoC.
- Slow down.
The Argument: Actually, You CAN Avoid PoC
Proof-of-concept is typically dictated by the quantity of users you have attracted and how quickly you are growing month-over-month. So, raise enough marketing dollars to build a large enough initial user base… –George Deeb, CEO
Focusing on your product’s marketability and company growth is more important than proof of concept. But you need a PoC. What you don’t need is the investment in time detracting from profit-making.
Outsourcing When It Makes $ense
One organization with an outdated infrastructure was challenged to design, test, and roll out an entirely new architecture. The company had a 24/7 network and some regional offices.
They employed a company that could offer the most up-to-date technology options and which provided PoC in a lab environment. In fact, their consulting and technical services partner managed the project from design through go-live. An added benefit was increased network security, something that might have been overlooked by hurried employees.
Collaboration, Integration, PoC with CoE
Atrion Communications’ Center of Excellence is an ecosystem-based approach to managing infrastructure technologies and security solutions. At this point in your company’s life, you may be juggling different technologies and your IT professionals are multitasking in an environment in which software technologies could be assimilated for better efficiency.
The Center of Excellence is a testing environment you can utilize for:
- Process improvement
- Proof of concept
- Technology integration
- Training
…Or you can take advantage of Atrion engineers’ expertise. We’ll create a staging environment for you and your vendors. We can:
- Collaborate with your team/vendor engineers
- Demonstrate solutions in a pilot environment
- Integrate dissimilar technologies from multiple vendors
- Prove/perform proof of value architectures
- Train your network/security team
Atrion Communications can improve your current environment, and we understand the value of time and money. We also understand the uniqueness that is your business, and our technology solutions providers want to learn more about you. Call 908-231-7777 or contact us with questions and concerns.
