Who’s On Phirst

A few months ago, I went to France to help my friend, Will, work on his house. He lives in New York and travels to France once a year to put in some work. In turn for manual labor, he picks up the accommodations tab and buys us wine.

One of my travel buddies was Will’s brother-in-law, Henry. He’s a great photographer and has a killer digital SLR camera. He took lots of pictures. However, once I checked out the pictures online, I realized that the only way to truly appreciate the shots he took was to have the pictures developed and printed on photo paper and put in an album. Given that I was simply going to view and share the pictures online, wouldn’t a point-and-shoot model have worked just as well? Moreover, we were constantly making sure Henry’s camera didn’t get stepped on or stolen. I’m certainly grateful for the pictures, as I didn’t take any, but I can’t help but think that the pictures would have been just as good if he had a lower-end camera.

Robert Capps wrote an article on that same concept. Sure, vinyl LP’s have the best audio reproduction, but an MP3 is so much more convenient. In the long run, your ROI might not be as much with an MP3, but you’ll be able to see a return much faster. Sometimes, that’s just good enough for songs with a short half-life.

When it comes to Java Application Server management, there are quite a few products on the market that are simply overkill and don’t solve your true problems. The installation is painful and difficult, an army of consultants are needed for integration, and the price is outrageous. Moreover, they don’t solve your problems with configuration management and application deployment NOW. The only thing they are good at is separating you from your money.

Sometimes, an easy-to-install, easy-to-use tool is all you need. But, here’s a big secret: Phurnace Deliver isn’t just a disposable point-and-shoot camera. It’s a samurai sword tucked inside a Leatherman made out of adamantium.

Our customers see less than 100-day ROI after purchase. No other solution around, homegrown or purchased, can get close to a 100-day ROI. If you think you found one, let me know. I’d love to have a public Pepsi Challenge.