Picking a provider
Karen James, Operational Services Manager for Dimension Data, says there is a lot of competition in the marketplace which makes the buyer's decision all the more difficult.
James says you need to know that whoever you choose is going to deliver on their commitment, as it isn't something you want to change your mind about.
Your company will be investing a lot of time and money into the outsourcing company to get your company's network running smoothly.
It will also most likely be depending on the outsourcer's architecture, which is not something that is easily changed at the end of your contract.
"Look at their service philosophy, and the way they drive their staff. If I was a buyer I would want to understand that before I even consider them as a provider," advises James.
"Ask a few qualifying questions such as what are the business practices that you build your strategy on, and see what the answer is. If the answer is what makes a good managed service then you have started at the right place."
For Mencinsky the first thing he did was call providers to supply proposals. He advises to check up on references to ensure you will get someone who knows what they are doing and can deliver on their promises.
Doug Oates, general manager of service provider Pihana Pacific, says it is important to ensure your vendor can scale with you, for example if your company adds new applications you want your provider to be able to manage them.
"If you want to expand and go to different locations, you would want your provider to be able to work with you in those locations," says Oates.
He also warns to be wary of vendors offering 24x7 service: "A lot of vendors claim to have 24x7 service, but scratch below the surface and you will see that they operate on a pager basis. They work on an on-call basis so they aren't always there. We don't think that is an effective way to manage your business. We have staff on call 24x7, there is always someone at a desk ready to help," says Oates.
After you have taken the plunge and decided on the right service provider for your company you expect to spend between six and 12 weeks for your service provider to have your systems running smoothly...and in that time you can expect some degradation of service and a few hiccups.
