Shopping for Your Next System is Like Buying an SUV
Roger Mitchell
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Shopping for a new system carries a similar set of tradeoffs as buying a new "off road" SUV. It's all about how much you're willing to spend to get one, then how you'll maintain and extend it.
For the purposes of this metaphor, we've narrowed our options to the:
Jeep Wrangler with 4 doors starting at $49,000
Mercedes G-Class (aka "G-Wagon") starting at $148,000
Both of those meet our requirements, in the sense that they:
Have 4 wheels and can go off-road
Can transport 5 people and some bags
Are iconic and have a proven track record
However, there are huge tradeoffs between each path.
Consider a few points to contextualize how different these are:
A new Wrangler costs $100,000 less than a new G-Wagon
Annual sales are estimated at 200,000 Wranglers and 5,000 G-Wagons
The aftermarket parts business for Wranglers alone is approximately $1 billion
Deciding which one works best for what we need comes down to how we anticipate using it and the constraints our organization faces:
If we're financially constrained, we might only have one option or would be better suited to go with the cheaper of the two in case unplanned costs arise
If we're considering maintenance, there are more providers, price points, and ways to go about it with a more widely adopted choice
If we're worried about adapting to our evolving needs, there are more options to customize and tailor it with a larger ecosystem of partners
Applying this metaphor to systems, it's important to consider the experience we're trying to deliver:
More flexibility means more options, but it also means tinkering and potentially sacrificing the cohesiveness of a fully integrated solution
More resources available means it's easier to find people to maintain and extend your system, and should come with a lower labor rate
More ecosystem partners means more competition for the same business, which drives innovation and keeps costs in check, although it requires more due diligence to find the right fit
TLDR: Like choosing between SUVs, pick systems based on budget, maintenance, and ecosystem. More flexibility, more tinkering, but lower long-term costs.