Exchange your Exchange Server or Sharepoint

Yes, I know, crazy words. No one would think of dumping Exchange these days.
After all Microsoft invesnted email don't you know.
They also invented spresadsheets and the infamous blue screen of death, my personal favorite, which was substituted in XP and Vista as a frozen machine.

You write and complain in magazines, blogs, websites, newsletters, pubs and doctor offices that your technology executives don't get it.

Yet, what do you do to change this scenario?

When was the last time you really looked into a product and thought, we could use it, it meets security standards, comes in multiple languages, has a small memory footprint, we shoudl try it.

Well? Anyone?

In every company I worked with I was always able to appropriate an extra PC or laptop or even a server for testing of other software and ideas.

There is nothing stopping you from doing the same. Become friends with the IT guys or help desk, if you are not an IT person and, trust me on this, they have stacks of machines available. Formally you may need to sign for it or somehting but informally, its available.

Doesn't matter what you play with as long as there is a meaning for your company with it.
Naturally I prefer to hear you are tryingt Lotus Foundation Server as your OS or Lotus Symphony or Lotus Notes/Domino or Quickr. But I know you only have so much time on your hands given all the twittering you do.