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Cut Cost Through Effective IT Category Planning

Maximize your IT investment and increase your ROI with an IT category strategy.

  • IT departments typically approach sourcing a new vendor or negotiating a contract renewal as an ad hoc event.
  • There is a lack of understanding on how category planning governance can save money.
  • IT vendor “go to market” or sourcing activities are typically not planned and are a reaction to internal client demands or vendor contract expiration.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • Lack of knowledge of the benefits and features of category management, including the perception that the sourcing process takes too long, are two of the most common challenges that prevent IT from category planning.
  • Other challenges include the traditional view of contract renegotiation and vendor acquisition as a transactional event vs. an ongoing strategic process.
  • Finally, allocating resources and time to collect the data, vendor information, and marketing analysis prevents us from creating category plans.

Impact and Result

  • An IT category plan establishes a consistent and proactive methodology or process to sourcing activities such as request for information (RFI), request for proposals, (RFPs), and direct negotiations with a specific vendor or“targeted negotiations” such as renewals.
  • The goal of an IT category plan is to leverage a strategic approach to vendor selection while identify cost optimizing opportunities that are aligned with IT strategy and budget objectives.

Cut Cost Through Effective IT Category Planning Research & Tools

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should create an IT category plan to reduce your IT cost, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

1. Create an IT category plan

Use our three-step approach of Organize, Design, and Execute an IT Category Plan to get the most out of your IT budget while proactively planning your vendor negotiations.

About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

Talk to an Analyst

Our analyst calls are focused on helping our members use the research we produce, and our experts will guide you to successful project completion.

Book an Analyst Call on This Topic

You can start as early as tomorrow morning. Our analysts will explain the process during your first call.

Get Advice From a Subject Matter Expert

Each call will focus on explaining the material and helping you to plan your project, interpret and analyze the results of each project step, and set the direction for your next project step.

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Author

Steve Jeffery

Contributors

  • Austin Davis, Senior Sourcing Consultant Windstream
  • 3 anonymous company contributors
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