Use these notes to apply cost-savings across your department. Discover cost savings in every aspect of your cost-to-serve expenses, and use the guidance and tools below to start reducing costs today.

Many IT groups cannot afford the luxury of a full-time network planner. Some even rely upon their vendors for technology/service selections. This is a risky proposition as most vendors fail to understand enterprise business requirements or their...

Any enterprise can be adversely impacted by poor vendor performance - especially when it is a key vendor. These vendor problems can be especially traumatic for small enterprises with little or no recourse. As a result, IT managers should make it...

Note

Inappropriate technology choices can easily cripple any small enterprise. Regardless of the IT organization's size, there is usually a network planning activity that selects the technology mix and network services. Unless those responsible for...

IT vendors and service providers continue to deal with the effects of a recession-based economy. Accordingly, enterprises should scrutinize key vendors and suppliers to verify if they can still provide the necessary services and support. Vendor...

As economic conditions continue to impact network service providers, enterprises should evaluate their capabilities and only select those outsourcing services that are appropriate for their specific environment. Although many enterprises take...

Note

The current business outlook is unlikely to show major improvement anytime soon and IT budgets will remain under stress to extract maximum value from every available dollar. Network managers must anticipate how business unit response to these...

Network organizations require both the technical and the requisite business skills to operate as an efficient business. In addition, the ability to identify and track the cost of services provided to business units to ensure they align with...

Changing or adding telecom services is a routine occurrence for many enterprises. Still, when poor or inconsistent processes are in place, unexpected installation problems can arise and business service levels can be adversely impacted. IT...

Network vendors and service providers continue to deal with the effects of a poor economy. As a result, IT leaders should make it a priority to obtain current vendor information and make any required adjustments to future network plans. Complete...

Economic conditions continue to generate unforeseen surprises in telecom sectors as outsourcers and service providers take drastic actions to achieve a semblance of profitability. As a result, enterprises considering outsourcing network services...

Most network organizations deliver excellent support services to their business units. However, as more business users migrate from wired to wireless networks to access enterprise applications, their support needs change. In this milieu,...

More and more enterprises are being affected by poor economic conditions, and budgets are starting to get slashed. If the CFO walks into your office and asks you to cut IT spending, look to these eight tactics to slash network costs.

Case Study

Renegotiating an existing telecom services contract requires careful planning, strong negotiation skills, and the use of best practices. It may also require accepting a short-term economic penalty or risk to achieve long-term benefits. The...

When it comes to purchasing network products and services, there is no shortage of choices. However, some network providers and vendors fail to comprehend the differences between initially obtaining enterprise business and continuing to earn it....

Although many enterprises may know what to do, they wait too long to renegotiate their telecom services contracts. In renewal situations, "time is of the essence" and negotiations should commence at least 90 days prior to a contract's...

Changing or adding new telecom services is commonplace for most enterprises. Still, unless best practices are followed, unexpected installation problems can arise and business unit service levels can be adversely impacted. IT executives should...

IT organizations are continually challenged by users and senior management to prove they can ? and do ? deliver a strong value proposition. However, without a clear definition of the services that IT provides, this is a difficult task....

Case Study

Some business applications require stringent service levels on a 24x7 basis. Regrettably, the network management infrastructure required to support them exceeds the capabilities of many network service providers. Consequently, a growing number...

While large companies enjoy a distinct advantage when it comes to telecom vendor negotiations, there are a number of important tactics that all companies can employ. One of the initial tactics to consider, whenever possible, is to negotiate...

IT organizations are continually challenged by users and senior management to prove they can, and do, deliver a strong value proposition. However, without a clear definition of the services that IT provides, this is a difficult task....

Case Study

Enterprises continue to seek ways to improve their bottom line by outsourcing IT related services. The network infrastructure represents an area where costs can potentially be reduced along with personnel expenses. Although network outsourcing...