Analysis: Manage or Be Managed - ' Look in the Mirror '
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Look in the Mirror

"A lot of smaller companies don't have the structure to manage vendors well," says Rand Spusta, managing director of financial services at Robbins-Gioia, a management consultancy based in Alexandria, Va. But Spusta says smaller firms can set up program offices just like the big companies do: Find a manager with knowledge of what needs to be done, and put him or her in charge of setting job requirements and keeping tabs on vendor progress. And for some midsize company CIOs, their lives might be a bit easier if they find a vendor that is relatively small.

Sticking with smaller technology vendors has worked well for Paul Hollen, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Southcoast Community Bank in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Hollen is very tech savvy, and he builds a lot of in-house technology for Southcoast, an eight-year old bank with $500 million in assets, 113 employees and 5 IT staffers. But he's also comfortable buying the latest software and networking equipment from startups and small firms, reasoning that, as an early adopter and client of small shops, he will get extra attention if he needs it.

Hollen also serves as a reference for the tech vendors he likes, talking them up to both potential customers and the press. He goes to user conferences and speaks regularly with vendor account representatives. By doing so, he has become an even more important customer. "Sometimes you really, really, really need them now, and if vendors don't know you, you're just another voice on the end of the line," Hollen says.

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