When you have a high-maintenance product, as with a high maintenance employee, the ongoing support costs can prohibit you from ever achieving a positive ROI on a point solution that only provides benefit to a limited area. When the potential benefits are restricted to one limited facet of an organization, the acquisition, deployment, and support costs can end up costing you more than you can ever hope to recover from the product's implementation.

The "best of breed" may still be the best
Being the "best of breed" doesn't necessarily disqualify a product for consideration, either. When you look at your enterprise as whole and consider the product with the widest possible application with the greatest possible longevity and the best compatibility with your current environment, you may find that a "best of breed" product is the one that is just right for you.

However, it will be the one that is just right for you because it has the widest possible application with the greatest possible longevity and the best compatibility with your current environment, not because you have the industry's consent that it is the leader of its respective pack. What you are looking for is the greatest benefit to the enterprise as a whole for the lowest possible TCO. This is the only way to obtain a rapid and long-lasting return on your IT investment.

Steve Niles is Senior Editor for ZATZ Publishing. He is also an independent filmmaker and freelance writer. For more information, visit http://www.sn-films.com.