The blind man who feels a leg says the elephant is like a pillar; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who feels the belly says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is like a solid pipe.

A successful remote service program has the potential to impact business processes in every part of a company.  Like the blind men, the perception of remote services will depend on each stakeholder's own goals and perspective of where value is created.

Based on my experience with software evaluations over the past 7 years, I offer 10 suggestions for conducting a comprehensive evaluation of remote service solutions.

1. Have a vision of what success looks like.  This will enable you to define goals and the outlines of the business case. The best programs are focused on creating strategic value.
2. Work with a cross functional team. Everyone doesn't need to be involved in every meeting, but having many different perspectives will help in making the right choice. Hey, which part of the elephant are you holding?
3. Answer what's in it for your customers.  If you can't explain to your customers why remote services are good for them, they won't be motivated to help you make it happen. Which part of the elephant is most important to them?
4. Agree on a scoring matrix and an evaluation process.  Remote service products have a wide variety of capabilities and options.  A well designed evaluation process will keep you on track and on schedule.  It will also help the vendors help you.
5. Security matters.  Does your industry have specific security requirements or concerns?  Look for certifications and evidence that the solution exceeds the requirements of today and the vendor has a plan for how to handle changes in the future.
6. Scalability is more than just multiplication.  Things that don't seem like a big deal at 100 connected devices can become show stoppers when you hit 10 or 100 times that amount!  How much IT infrastructure do you need as your device deployment grows over time? (Not all elephants are the same size.)
7. Usability means user acceptance.  Pay close attention to the people that will use the solution every day.  Does the user interface make sense to them?  Can they do the job that is expected?  As part of your scalability testing, see what happens to the UI with thousands of devices...
8. Focus on Total Cost of Ownership. TCO is much more than just the initial software and infrastructure costs.  What are the development costs to integrate the solution into your products?  Into your business systems?  Into your operational processes? Don't build hopes and wishes into the cost line of your business case. (How much do elephants eat?)
9. Software + Internet = Change. You have to be able to upgrade software in the field without visiting every remote device (talk about a business case killer). You also have to be able to receive upgrades without completely recompiling your system.  Upgrades are an often overlooked component of TCO.
10. Check References!  These are the people who have lived through the process you are entering.  Learn from their experiences.  Ask what they would do differently. Did their vendor really deliver what was promised?

I hope to blog on some of these topics in more detail in the coming months.  If you have more ideas to add to the list, please contribute.  We can all learn from your view of the elephant!