Evaluating new IT products should be straightforward: test the solution, validate its value, and make a decision. But anyone who's run a Proof of Concept (POC) or Proof of Value (POV) knows the reality is far messier. Between restrictive corporate policies, under-resourced test environments, and lengthy legal reviews, the process often becomes so burdensome that teams either rush through evaluations or avoid them altogether.

The blame doesn't fall solely on vendors—enterprises share responsibility for creating these roadblocks. Here's why POCs/POVs are so difficult today, and how both sides can make the process smoother.

1. Environmental Challenges: The Demo vs. Reality Trap

1a. Vendor Demo Environments Are Unrealistic (But Enterprises Don't Provide Better Options)

Vendors often showcase their products in perfectly configured demo environments—because that's what sales teams are given to work with. These demos highlight ideal scenarios but rarely reflect real-world complexities like legacy systems, security policies, or scale requirements.

However: Many enterprises also fail to provide viable testing environments, forcing teams to rely on these scripted demos instead of running proper evaluations.

1b. Test Environments Are Neglected (And That's an Internal Problem)

Even when companies have staging or QA environments, they're often underfunded, poorly maintained, or missing critical data. This makes it impossible to get accurate performance metrics, leading to skewed POC results.

Who's at fault?
Vendors could do more to simulate real-world conditions in their demos.
Enterprises should treat test environments as a priority, not an afterthought.

1c. Production Deployments Require Too Much Red Tape (Mostly an Org Issue)

If you want a real test, you need production access—but most enterprises impose so many approval layers (change boards, security reviews, compliance checks) that the POC timeline expires before anything gets deployed.

The fix? Enterprises should establish fast-track POC policies for low-risk evaluations rather than treating every test like a full production rollout.

2. Legal & Procurement Bottlenecks Slow Everything Down

Before a vendor's product can even be tested, enterprises often require:

  • Multi-round NDAs (even for non-sensitive evaluations)
  • Months-long security reviews (even for sandboxed environments)
  • Enterprise Architecture (EA) alignment checks before any testing begins

Vendors aren't innocent—some drag their feet on compliance docs or overpromise on integration ease. But enterprises often impose unnecessary bureaucracy, treating every POC like a billion-dollar procurement.

Solution:

  • Enterprises should create a standardized POC onboarding process for low-risk tools.
  • Vendors should pre-negotiate compliance docs (SOC 2, GDPR, etc.) to speed up reviews.
Business professionals reviewing documentation at conference table

3. POCs Are Too Short (Because Both Sides Underestimate the Work)

Most POCs last 30-60 days, but between:

  • Internal approvals (weeks)
  • Environment setup (more weeks)
  • Actual testing (if time remains)

...teams barely get meaningful results before the clock runs out.

Who's to blame?

  • Vendors for pushing rushed evaluations to meet quarterly targets.
  • Enterprises for not allocating proper time/resources to test properly.

The fix?

  • Extend POC timelines (90 days for meaningful tests).
  • Allow phased testing (start in a sandbox, then progress to production).

How Both Sides Can Fix This

For Enterprises:

  • ✔ Stop treating every POC like a production deployment. Fast-track low-risk evaluations.
  • ✔ Invest in usable test environments. Stop forcing teams to test in broken, under-resourced setups.
  • ✔ Streamline legal reviews. Pre-approve NDAs for non-sensitive tools.

For Vendors:

  • ✔ Build better demo environments that mimic real enterprise constraints.
  • ✔ Pre-package compliance docs to avoid legal delays.
  • ✔ Push for realistic timelines—don't enable rushed evaluations just to meet sales quotas.

Final Thoughts

POCs fail as often from internal bureaucracy as from vendor shortcomings. Enterprises that simplify evaluation processes will innovate faster, while vendors that adapt to real-world constraints will close more deals.

Until both sides address their own inefficiencies, POCs will remain painful—and companies will keep sticking with mediocre solutions simply because testing new ones is too hard.