Buying off the shelf products isn't always the right choice

Alasdair Stapleton, Product Manager at ETB 
 
More than anything else, it’s good people who are the foundation of a successful business. But a good team with bad tools will always struggle to reach its potential. We’ve all worked in jobs where the mix isn’t right, maybe the hardware always breaks, or the internet connection feels like it’s hamster powered. It can be frustrating and disruptive. Every organisation is different, and tech requirements vary based on specific goals. Getting the combination right is what sets industry leaders apart.  
 
When it comes to choosing robust and trustworthy technology, there is a huge range of options on the market. In fact, it can be quite bamboozling if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. To add to the complexity, settling for pre-built, off-the-shelf systems won’t necessarily be the best choice. Ensuring the tools you invest in are tailored to your exact needs can make all the difference when it comes to efficiently driving operations. 
 
Build to the specifications your team needs. 
 
For more than two decades, we’ve been helping our customers get the most out of their technology, supporting businesses of all kinds with custom server builds that meet unique needs. Our ‘Configure Your Own’ service was one of the first of its kind in our industry, and it’s been a game-changer for a lot of our customers. It allows organisations to build the perfect system, enabling them to get exactly what they need, within budget and without the number of options becoming too confusing. 
 
We find businesses of all shapes and sizes benefit from taking this more personalised approach. Recently, we’ve seen particularly high demand across the visual effects industry, with companies looking for bespoke graphical workstations to cater for large scale projects where high performance is key. 
 
Simple to use with guaranteed compatibility to enhance your existing equipment.  
 
Working closely with our customers, we’ve been able to ensure the Configure Your Own function is easy to use and represents the wide range of products we have available. By putting focus on the user experience, it means businesses can choose the exact components they want, right down to their preferred speed and size. We’ve also taken time to design a model that’s useful whether a customer knows exactly what they’re looking for or needs a bit of guidance and support in finding the best option. 
 
The system makes ensuring compatibility more straightforward, so organisations can be reassured their products will easily integrate with existing infrastructure. What I personally like most about Configure Your Own is it gives businesses the opportunity to compare multiple options like-for-like, helping them identify which products and upgrades will provide the best value for money. With the economic headwinds still not proving especially supportive for businesses, generating strong return on investment is as important as ever. 
 
Expert advice when you need it most. 
 
No matter how much we hone our tool though, sometimes some good old fashioned human expertise is needed. To that end, our staff are always on hand to support with any queries, or issues. We’ve spent a lot of time putting together a team that represents the best expertise in our sector so there aren’t many questions we haven’t heard, and dealt with, before. 
 
Easy to share with a single click.  
 
We love receiving feedback and we’re always seeking new ways to enhance the user experience. For instance, since its launch, we’ve adapted the system to provide a new feature that allows users to share their configurations with others in their organisation at the click of a button. This has also proven useful for our sales team, making it easy to exchange configurations with customers without the need to jot down lengthy specifications manually.  
 
It’s always important to remember that one size doesn’t fit all. When it comes to advancing your organisation’s technological capabilities and equipping your workforce for success, that phrase has never been truer. While pre-built systems might work well for some, a bespoke approach ensures businesses with more specific needs can drive the best possible results without having to force a “square peg into a round hole”.  
 
Take a look at our Configure Your Own system to find out more about creating your custom-built server.