« deltathree Reports Second Quarter 2010 Financial Results | Main | Moto network hits 10 million »
Use A Local Company For Better Managed Network Services Response
By Rolf Versluis | August 11, 2010
New technology is wonderful for organizations. It allows users to be more effective, provides cost savings, and keeps the company ahead of their competitors by allowing them to provide better customer service. Experienced network administrators, however, know that the more capable technology gets the harder it is to keep it running. Managed network services can provide the required support.
Organizations expect to hire consultants to design, deploy, and train them on new systems. They are also used to buying yearly maintenance for manufacturer’s support on software or hardware. What is normally left to the Information Technology staff is the knowledge and capability to know how the system works together. What businesses are starting to figure out is that the ongoing support requires a higher level of knowledge and experience than internal Information Technology staff typically possess.
That is why there is such a pronounced move toward hosted IT services. The hosted application providers have a valid point in their marketing that it requires advanced skills to operate advanced systems.
What is usually overlooked is that having outsourced applications means that and organization’s internal network has to be even more robust and secure while operating at a higher level than ever. It requires a lot of skill and experience to be able to support today’s advanced LAN’s and WAN’s, especially when they are running converged applications over them like voice and video, while keeping everything secure.
Because of these advanced operational requirements, many businesses have started contracting with a managed network service to help them in maintaining their advanced data networks in optimum working condition. It is possible to hand over the responsibility for the whole network to a big service provider that promises to handle everything. Unfortunately, since many of these service providers offer remote support only, when it comes time for design, deployment, or getting someone on site for local troubleshooting, they are not able to provide it.
Most organizations would like to work with a local managed network service provider, for many of the same reasons that they use local companies for other services they contract out. To get good quality managed services from local providers, it is best to find out what they specialize in, and inquire if they partner with other local providers for other aspects of support. Another possibility is to contract with a local provider who resells and provides local on site services for a larger service provider.
Think of these local providers as an extension of the business’s IT staff. Manufacturer support on products is still required. The manufacturer’s support usually includes product upgrades, phone and/or email technical support, and hardware replacement within either a 4 hour or next business day timeframe. This is a necessary part of maintaining system uptime.
When evaluating managed network services providers for extended support, check their references carefully, ensure all costs, services, and expectations are agreed upon in writing up front. Moreover, make sure there is a clause to cancel the contract within a reasonable timeframe.
For an example of a managed network services provider, look at this Cisco managed services description.
Topics: VoIP Software |