On the buzz patrol, 09/27/99

absurd buzzword contest

By SANDRA GITTLEN
Network World, 09/27/99

Ten years ago, Krista Cabrera's boss came into her office and told her to rip out all the LAN wiring strung throughout the health-care company at which they worked.

"We can run this network without cables!" the department chair exclaimed.

Cabrera, who has since left that job for another within the same corporation, was stunned - she considered wireless at least a decade away. But her boss had just read an article from the mainstream press saying how wireless was just around the corner. He bought the buzz - hook, line and sinker.

Cabrera, who was a system support engineer, managed to quell her boss' enthusiasm. She did so by convincing him that the company's 10M bit/sec Ethernet network would slow to 2M bit/sec if she yanked the wires.

The buzz problem has worsened with the advent of TV, Internet and daily newspaper technology reports. Far from being instrumental, these dispatches are quite often detrimental, network managers say. Corporate executives get caught up in the buzz surrounding some new technology and badger network managers about implementing it. Often the technology is immature or just plain bad for the network.

"It's hard for managers to understand that technology isn't implemented in a vacuum," Cabrera says.

John Gambriel, program manager for telecom and infrastructure at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), agrees. "These reports contribute to the problem," he says. "They only give readers a little snippet about the technology."

And no one, especially someone who doesn't know networking, can make a spot decision on whether the hyped technology would work in the enterprise network. Network managers increasingly find themselves playing spin doctor for the buzz heard by their higher-ups. What follows is a list of tips for how to control the buzz.

1. Read what your managers are reading.

Gambriel, for instance, has added three publications read by his supervisors - Government Computer News, Federal Computer Week and Government Executive - to his reading list of more than 25 magazines. "It's hard to get through all the magazines, but it saves my butt. I know the buzz as soon as it becomes buzz," he says.

Knowing where his bosses get their information makes it easier to converse with them about the technology, Gambriel says. On occasion, he can even beat them to the punch.

"Sometimes these magazines will throw out a buzzword and never explain it," he says.

If Gambriel knows the technology is something in which his bosses would be interested, he sends them a more detailed story or white paper. "But I have to temper the way I present the information so they don't get insulted," he adds.

2. Establish yourself as the knowledge worker.

"The mainstream press approaches technology from the management and business perspective, and that kind of reporting sets up bombshells for network managers," says Rich Giltner, lead network analyst at Fingerhut Companies, a direct marketing and online retailer based in Minnetonka, Minn.

To diffuse those bombs, you have to be well-versed in the latest network technologies, Giltner says. He recommends that network executives not only subscribe to all trade magazine e-mail newsletters, but also forward relevant articles to their team and interested managers. Better that than having to control the spin later, he says.

Among the information you must know are the positives and negatives about certain technologies, Giltner says. That way, if you are ever asked whether a new technology will work in the network, you can quickly give your boss a well-reasoned answer.

Keeping everyone on the same page has avoided some real panic, Giltner says. While the outside world is pulling its hair out over Year 2000, folks at Fingerhut aren't caught up in the buzz anymore. Concerns have been assuaged because Giltner's team dealt with the network's Y2K compliance and updated all company employees about its findings.

The USDA's Gambriel agrees with Giltner's tactic. He says you want to make yourself the person to whom your supervisor comes with technology questions: "It's OK to say,'I don't know,' but you better be able to find out quickly and thoroughly."

Splitting the knowledge workload among staff members helps considerably, says Ramin Farrassat, network services manager at Roche Bioscience in Palo Alto. Each person on Farrassat's team is responsible for knowing everything that's printed about a specific technology.

"I don't care about particular products; I want them to understand how the technology works so they can answer questions," he says.

3. Ask for justification.

Executives are quick to ask for new technologies until they are faced with the cold, hard reality of cost. The first thing Farrassat does when a user or manager asks him to implement a new technology is ask for a business case and cost-justification.

"If what they want to do is cost-justified, then I schedule a pilot test," he says.

The USDA's Gambriel discovered what effect unforeseen costs can have on a technology decision when a previous boss asked him to eliminate Intel-based PCs in favor of Macs. Reluctantly, Gambriel bought Macs for one-third of his user community. Then the bills started piling up.

Because the organization ran a 3Com, NetWare and IPX shop, it was unfamiliar with Mac network issues. Hiring expensive Mac technicians, conducting more training and shelving spare parts skyrocketed costs more than 200% over a period of several months, Gambriel says.

"It took six months to convince my boss it was a bad idea," says Gambriel, adding that the USDA has migrated back to its old Intel machines.

Focus is key, emphasizes Brandon Fouts, network administrator at the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) in Seattle. "I get people focused on the problem they want to solve or the goal they want to reach," he says. "Everyone is so quick to tell you they want something done; I just ask,'What will it get you?' And I try to keep it positive."

4. Be part of your corporate community.

Too often, executives decide they want to implement a new technology and call in a consultant before soliciting advice from the network folks. Before a network manager knows it, he's having a one on one with the consultant about the consultant's findings, which have nothing to do with real-world testing. The net manager is then forced to implement the consultant's recommendations because a ton of money was spent to hire the consultant in the first place.

Network managers can easily avoid this scenario by participating in the corporate process. "You have to be in the loop of the whole company, not just your department," Gambriel says.

It's imperative that network managers be a part of the group for choosing all company consultants and on the committee that reviews the consultant's findings and decides how to implement them, Gambriel says.

5. Pick your battles.

One of the hardest lessons to learn about controlling the buzz is that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

The WSHA's Fouts says he's constantly deciding which battles to wage. The Microsoft Office upgrade decision proved particularly contentious, he notes.

"People always want to upgrade to the latest Microsoft Office, and I always ask them,'What kinds of things will the new version help you do that the current version can't?'" Half the time, Fouts says, the desired feature exists in the current software version.

Fouts stood his ground on Windows 95, leap-frogging from 3.X to NT. "I skipped all the headaches of Office 95 and Windows 95, and saved money on upgrades and training."

And while managers can usually be swayed by a good cost argument, sometimes they overrule you, Fouts adds.

For instance, his organization had a faxing program that cost less than $2,000 and worked well for two years. When the WSHA overhauled its phone system, the vendor suggested installing a new $10,000 fax system. Fouts fought hard to skip the new product, but was outranked.

"There are times when you just have to grin and bear it."

Related links

Contact Fusion Managing Editor Sandra Gittlen

Buzz talk
Listen to Network World columnists Nolle, Kearns and Kobielus on how to manage the buzz in your enterprise in a 6-minute discussion (requires the free RealPlayer G2).

Federal Computer Week's site

Government Computer News site

Government Executive's site

Psychological profiles
Network World, 05/17/99

Dilbert Zone
For comic relief in dealing with Buzz-filled managers.

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