The Competitive Edge

Ken Uston was a famous blackjack player, strategist, and author, credited with popularizing the concept of team play at blackjack.  During the early to mid 1970s he gained widespread notoriety for perfecting techniques to do team card counting in numerous casinos worldwide, earning millions of dollars from the casinos, with some bets as high as $12,000 on a single hand. He then became famous for being banned from casinos around the world, and thus became a master of disguise as he would adopt ustonvarious costumes in order to conceal his true identity and still be able to play.  He is also known for filing a high-profile lawsuit against these casinos, and successfully received a ruling from the New Jersey courts that casinos could not ban someone simply for counting cards at the Blackjack Table. In response, many casinos changed their systems, increasing the number of decks in games, or changing rules to increase the house edge.

In the widespread world of technology there are many players.  Most players are always seeking an edge, some by any means necessary.  You will find the occasional rogue who, fair or unfair, comes to market with the latest and greatest.  It may be the latest but is it the greatest as in great for the market and its consumers?  Competition seems to be the constant driver for all technology-based companies because technology changes so rapidly even faster than consumers’ needs at times.

What defines “The Edge”?  An edge could be a variety of options to the client.  Cost is always a variable in any economy.  No matter what model you follow, R.O.I.  (return on investment) should be a foundation.  We’ve all heard the phrase, “You get what you pay for.”  That usually rings true ONLY based on the expectations set before said purchase.  In selecting a technology-services provider, a company may go with the most cost-effective vendor. Disappointment may follow in that the vendor is just a body-shop who provides no further intrinsic value.  Therefore, you get what you pay for.  By reviewing several vendors with defined metrics, a company may not find that the cheapest or the vendor with all the “bells-n-whistles” is the best return on investment.  They may just find that the most costly option, while higher monetarily, has The Edge because they are the best fit for their needs.

The rules in business are definitely changing.  Vendors and clients alike need to be on the watch for The Edge.  Competition is healthy.  Always be on your guard.

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