Are you getting ROI on your IT?
Look to professional technology services help to get IT right
Technology services and deployments are and will always be a difficult area for businesses to manage. It is even more so for the finance and procurement teams charged with ensuring IT manage their costs.
Every new technology seems to bring with its launch a new array of buzzwords and silver bullets. Silver bullets that the business must have now. It is difficult to separate software from services in the post-cloud world. Software and apps (web-enabled or otherwise) rely on integrations to deliver at their best.
This, of course, can be done in-house by your existing IT team or resource. Or, simply use a third-party integration to join the dots together. This in-house approach can be a major factor in not receiving the ROI you need. Or, it can cause other problems with resourcing on other requirements. Put simply, most IT teams would rather be working on the next shiny new object than maintain existing infrastructure.
You also need to consider their expertise and how up-to-date they are across a range of platforms and options. As technology never stands still, it is imperative that you either keep your team upskilled or look to external partners to lead efforts on upgrades or new platforms.
Transparency creates accountability
Supply Clusters provides transparent reporting on technology hardware spend through our member portal. Simply purchase your technology hardware through our standing offer arrangement and your data will be available 24/7. Members have access to all of their data including detail on all the work done. Join today, start saving on Technology Hardware and see all the detail you need to manage your ROI.
Things to look out for when selecting a technology services partner
A focus and track record of delivering outcomes
This one seems obvious. However many technology service providers still operate on a pure fee per hour basis and more hours means more fees. Choosing the right partner who can implement fast and well can make a significant difference to being on a budget and on time.
Partners who pretend to be “strategic” consultants often fail in the area of implementation.
Centralise management of technology projects with the IT team
IT teams can be prickly at the best of times when it comes to helping other departments. That prickliness can come from other teams calling in IT too late in the process and causing a whole lot of headaches for them.
With technology being a key driver for organisations, it is important that the IT team lead from a technology standpoint and are involved in projects from day one. This is also important in terms of working with a technology services partner. Look for a services partner who the IT team will enjoy working with to get maximum results.
Breadth of experience
Avoid the partners who offer a Maslow’s hammer approach to IT. There are many ways to achieve an outcome with various platforms so choosing a technology service partner with breadth of experience is important. They can avoid you locking your organisation into the wrong platform – simply because it might have had the best sales pitch.
Better Buying Outcome
Choosing a partner to provide the right advice can be the most important decision you will make when picking a technology services partner. The right partner can work with you to determine the right mix of hardware and provide the right operational support throughout implementations and ongoing support. This is not a decision to make on pure cost criteria but you should be on the lookout for a supplier who has:
- A strong track record of ongoing delivery. Many technology services partners only like to focus on the higher margin services and fall behind on hardware and devices.
- A proven track record in being up to date with latest offerings to market.
- Experience across a range of industries and business sizes. Different industries and businesses operate in their own unique way. This type of experience can be beneficial to assist with out of the box enquiries or bring other learnings to play.
Supply Clusters Offer
Supply Clusters partner with ASI Solutions who provide a comprehensive offering across devices and services to organisations of all sizes.
Members receive the following benefits from ASI Solutions:
- Access to all of your expense data with ASI Solutions through the Supply Clusters member portal
- Rebates for premium members
