BE CAUTIOUS WITH FIRST TO TRY-ALPHA/BETA TEST
Your business or organization might benefit from being the first to try a new technology or system, and being the first might provide a competitive advantage. There might also be a steep discount available for being the first business to try some untested technology. The vendor may be looking for a business willing to take some risk and be the pioneer. By testing the new technology or system through an alpha or beta test you will provide important data to the vendor so that they can improve upon the application or correct any defects or problems with the technology. In exchange for sharing this information and acting as a “guinea pig” you might receive a reduced license fee or other consideration. Your business might even benefit by having the technology developed with your specific needs and requirements in mind. There are, however, obvious drawbacks to being the first or early adopter and user of any technology. Reliance upon a technology that has not yet been fully tested and proven to work in your business can result in unforeseen problems and delays in implementation. Most businesses do not have the luxury to risk their key business operations to such experimentation. For that reason, you should make sure that any significant system implementation or technology acquisition has been fully tested before it is used in your real operations using real data for a significant period of time and for a significant number of customers. References of similarly situated customers should of course always be checked to assure vendor credibility. If you are participating in such an alpha or beta test you will likely be asked to sign an agreement that requires you to keep
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