The subhead read, 'Yanks introduce another good player, but with big names out there, it's hardly a crew The Boss would brag about.' Indeed, that's M.M.'s general reaction, even if he's ignoring that Paxton is arguably the best pitcher to change teams this offseason. sent me the cover of the New York Daily News with the headline 'The Snore 4,' referring to LeMahieu, James Paxton, Troy Tulowitzki and Zach Britton. I mean, I think he's happy about trading Sonny Gray, but after the club recently signed DJ LeMahieu, M.M. isn't completely happy about the Yankees' offseason. It's not Mickey Mantle, but if you want to believe it's Mickey Mantle speaking to me from baseball heaven, that's fine. Sometimes it is the new flash array that drives transactions to closure twice as fast, and draws them back to your site or store time after time.I have a friend who roots for the New York Yankees. Like that brilliant 4k display in the retail environment that makes the product(s) jump out at you, or the incredible mobile app that draws customers into your business so that you can sell your shiny new toy. Does it solve a business problem, or is it just the wow factor? Sometimes the wow factor is what you need, and it can help drive business. Our job is to look at the business requirements and needs, and understand the cost benefit. But if you have not looked at or talked about the shiny new toy, you have not done your job-this applies to both the buyer and the seller. It is new, shiny and usually screams performance. There is a reason that the shiny new toy is attractive. I am talking about technologies that cost tens-and sometimes even hundreds-of thousands of dollars. But the dilemma that I am addressing is the one of the person who just has to have the shiny new toy.

I quite frequently find myself wanting, and even buying, the shiny new toy for myself. But when we have to buy the shiny new toy, is it always worth it? If it solves a real business problem and shows you ROI that you need, yes. It is easy to be attracted to the shiny new toy.

The question is, “Do we need one in our IT environment?” There is nothing wrong with the shiny new toy we all want one. I was on a recent appointment when I was asked about the shiny new toy. It is the holiday season, so I thought it was a good time to write about the shiny new toy.

A Shiny New Toy by M.J. O'Shea