How to Get Your Company Network Running Better with Managed Network Services
New technology is great for companies. It allows users to be more productive, allows for cost savings, and moves the company ahead of their competitors by giving them the ability to provide better customer service. Experienced network administrators, however, know that the more capable technology gets the harder it is to keep it operating. Managed network services close the gap on the required support.
Companies expect to hire consultants to design, deploy, and train them on new systems. They are also used to buying annual support contracts for manufacturer’s support on software or hardware. What is usually left to the Information Technology staff is the knowledge and capability to know how the system works together. What organizations are starting to realize is that the ongoing support requires a higher level of knowledge and experience than internal IT staff typically possess.
That is why there is such a large trend toward hosted Information Technology services. The hosted application providers have a good point in their marketing that it requires advanced skills to operate advanced technology.
What is often not mentioned is that having outsourced applications means that a company’s internal network has to be even more reliable and secure while performing at a higher level than before. It takes a lot of skill and experience to be able to support today’s complex LAN’s and WAN’s, especially when they are running converged applications over them like voice and video, while keeping the whole thing secure.
Because of these advanced operational requirements, many organizations have started contracting with a managed network service to help them in maintaining their advanced data networks in optimum working order. It is tempting to hand off the responsibility for the whole network to a big organization that will promise to take care of everything. Unfortunately, because many of these organizations offer remote support only, when it comes time for design, deployment, or having someone on site for local troubleshooting, they are not able to handle it.
Most organizations would prefer to work with a local managed network service provider, for many of the same reasons that people 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 are really good at, and ask them if they work with other local providers for other aspects of support. Another possibility is to work 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 Information Technology staff. Manufacturer support on products is still required. The manufacturer’s support most often includes product upgrades, phone and/or email technical support, and product replacement within either a 4 hour or next business day timeframe. This is a necessary part of maintaining system uptime.
When contracting with managed network services providers for additional support, check their references with care, make sure all costs, services, and expectations are verified in writing up front. Moreover, make sure there is a clause to cancel the contract within a reasonable timeframe.
For an example of a local company providing managed network services, look at this Cisco managed services description.
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