Being the Jedi Master – Taking Control of Managed Services
Much like facing the dark lord Darth Vader, taking on today’s IT environments can be a daunting task, even for the most skilled Jedi . . . er, professional. When the pressure starts building I can hear the Star Wars song playing in my head. These complex, multi-vendor, multi-application environments require more than even the best jedi moves.
Businesses are facing greater challenges and seemingly managing their environments with little help. But in reality, they’re working smart, proactively seeking the right help and the right provider. Not only are they developing skills for managing their environments, they’re also honing skills for engaging outside providers that help support those environments. They’re using the force.
Historically, when looking for a service provider, people looked to the largest global Tier I players. But now, it’s about specialized skills. This raises a myriad of questions- – how do you go about assessing which provider has the best set of skills that are most valuable for your communication needs? And, which communication needs are the most critical? Is it your call center, your mobility needs, unique applications or perhaps a blend of everything?
As George Humphrey, Avaya Director of Managed Services, talked about on our InformationWeek & Avaya Webcast - when you have so many vendors and applications – can you use a single service provider to handle all of those vendors? Is one enough or is two too many? Coordinating between multiple vendors and service providers can be a nightmare.
IT managers face multiple hurdles: are you turning over too much control to a provider, how are you mitigating your risks, what about project expense management?? The daunting questions and pressures don’t seem to subside. Well, that’s actually fairly normal and we’ve come to expect these challenges. The key is not to let things spin out of control.
I’m recommending that you become the “master of your communications domain”. You can’t stop the onslaught of BYOD (bring your own device) or the need to integrate new applications.
Check out what George Humphrey has to say in a new thought leadership video postcard
This hot topic is also discussed within our white paper “Five Keys to Mastering Today’s Communications Domain“.
Are you ready to fight the Darth Vaders in your environment? Take control – and may the force be with you.
Follow me on Twitter @Royer_Edge
Diane Royer Diane Royer is senior marketing manager of Avaya Client Services. Her focus is directing thought leadership for Avaya Client Services and integrating services into Avaya solution launches. Diane’s more than 30 years of business experience includes telecommunications marketing, sales and field operations. She has also worked as a market researcher for a leading international firm and as a loan officer for the U.S. Small Business Administration. more
