Kennedy Corner
»The New War For Talent
When a meteorite blazed through the morning skies of central Russia in mid-February and exploded, the news media described it as a rare event. And it was. Fast forward one month and just about every government in the world is looking at the potential for a "rare event" to visit their borders, and wringing their hands over how to prepare for it.
»Here Comes Patient-Centric Health
U.S consumers are accustomed to choices. We often take for granted our ability to select products, price points and preferred channels. Why, then, do we as patients expect anything less from our healthcare providers?
»The Market Always Finds a Way
In the 1993 Steven Spielberg film Jurassic Park, the protagonists discovered at one point (to their horror) that the island’s dinosaurs, which had all been created the same gender, had somehow managed to reproduce. “Life always finds a way,” muttered Sam Neill’s character Dr. Alan Grant.
»2012 in Review, and a Look Ahead
Looking back, several market forces propelled global consulting demand, causing firms and clients to undertake larger and more ambitious engagements than in recent years. The rapidly changing nature of client needs and the continued evolution of provider capabilities converged around some key themes.
»Change and Collaboration—The Rx For a Healthy Life Sciences Industry
For many of us in the U.S., it’s time to update healthcare benefit selections and learn of new or revised healthcare insurance plan offerings, options, and features. In many ways, the change and complexity we face as end users reflects the upstream challenges facing the healthcare industry at large.
»Kennedy Corner: Change Management; Easier Said Than Done
Business leaders have an arsenal of management tools at their disposal ready to deploy for almost any business need, from boosting revenues to increasing efficiencies and managing risk.
» View all
Travel Advisory
»Hilton’s Building Boom
Coming off a whirlwind 2012, Hilton Worldwide is the fastest growing global hospitality company by number of rooms.
»Extended Stay America Serves Up Free Breakfasts With ‘Grab and Go’
Extended Stay America launched a new Grab and Go Breakfast program, which is available seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at all of its more than 600 locations.
»Homewood Suites Survey: Comfort is King
A new survey of frequent business travelers found that they want more room to spread out, the ability to maintain a normal routine and opportunities to interact with business associates and fellow travelers.
»Furnished Quarters Wins CARTUS Award
Furnished Quarters was awarded the CARTUS Global Network’s Commitment to Excellence Award for the third consecutive year.
» View all
Book It!
»Excerpt: Finding Your Firm’s Growth Engine
The following is an excerpt from Leading Firms: How Great Professional Service Firms Succeed & How Your Firm Can Too by David C. Kuhlman. In the book, Kuhlman distills 25 years of
experience advising senior management at some of the world’s most prominent consulting firms. This excerpt from Chapter Six: “The Growth Engine” explores two of the key factors driving growth in the most successful firms.
»Excerpt: The Online Marketing Revolution
The following is an excerpt from Online Marketing for Professional Services, a thought-provoking and practical approach to online marketing by authors Aaron E. Taylor, Sylvia Montgomery, Sean T. McVey and Lee W. Frederiksen.
»Review: Tipping Sacred Cows
We all have those sacred cows at work, but these nuggets of advice, in practice, can lead to career-limiting unintended consequences.
»Review: Playing to Win
If strategy is about creating a competitive advantage that allows a firm to win, then pinpointing your strategy to just a few choices will dramatically increase your chances of success.
»Review: Seeing the Big Picture
According to Kevin Cope, founder of Acumen Learning and author of Seeing the Big Picture, all companies are driven to success or failure by the same five simple drivers—cash, profit, assets, growth and people
»Review: Get Lucky
As the pace of change accelerates and the volume of information explodes, everyone is under great pressure to connect with the people and ideas we need to thrive.
» View all
|
4
17
2012
»Who Needs an External IT Service Provider?
Heinan Landa
With business processes outsourcing growing year after year, organizational leaders are spending an increasing amount of time vetting, selecting, and managing vendors, consultants, and service providers. And, with IT services becoming a core facet of project-specific and overall organizational success, some leaders are wondering how to vet such an important part of the team.
While there are many things to look for when selecting an IT service provider, the most important questions to ask yourself are: What do we need? Why do we need it? How can they help?
What do we need?
Identifying the need for an external IT services provider is essential. Is your need project or initiative-based? Is your need on-going and consultative in nature? Do your needs encompass both? As with other third-party professional services support (e.g., accounting, marketing, legal), selecting the right IT vendor involves knowing what help you need; separating the strategic providers from the non-strategic ones depending on your desired results; inviting the most qualified candidates to the table; and asking the right interview questions.
Why do we need it?
You may know what you need, but do you know why you need it? What business process or goal will this firm help you to achieve? This conversation begins with in-depth discussions involving the short-listed IT firms and key members of the internal team to develop a mutual understanding of the projects at-hand and the scopes of each. This is a great way to continue the interview process and gauge if the candidates are easy to talk to, while also getting some additional information regarding the project(s) at hand.
How can they help?
Once you've whittled the list down to two candidates, you need to ask more in-depth, qualifying questions.
* Does the provider have strong business acumen to anchor their technical advice?
* Has the provider implemented similar solutions in our industry?
* Does the provider's technical ability match up with my organization's needs?
* What is their technical project implementation experience?
* What is their technology consultancy experience?
* Is the provider only well-versed in the products they sell?
* Can the provider give an example of a time when they recommended a solution that was best for the client over a solution that would have provided greater financial returns for them?
* Some providers bundle services, but does my organization need all of those services?
* Some providers are focused on implementing the latest and greatest technologies, but are traditional technologies more appropriate for my organization's needs?
* What processes do they have in place to facilitate, manage, and grow our relationship?
* What sort of a grievance channel do they create for me if I'm unhappy?
Asking questions like these can help prevent those tragic realizations down the road that you've selected the wrong firm and have lost valuable time and scarce financial resources.
Last Word
The bottom line is that IT consultants should not be focused on selling the flashiest package or getting the best margin on products. As with any successful merger or partnership, there must be a laser focus on determining how two organizations can work together in a shared, mutually-beneficial relationship focused on the same business outcome.
It can be a complex process but, if done right, IT outsourcing can prevent headaches and financial losses while helping to support organizational efficiency, productivity, and growth.
Heinan Landa is CEO of Optimal Networks, a technology consulting company.
»Related Articles
Information Technology
Exclusives
|
Gold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Featured Speakers:
Joseph Kornik
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief,
Consulting magazine
Brian Murphy
Chief of Staff, Point B
Brian Jacobsen
General Manager, Slalom Consulting
Tom Rodenhauser
Managing Director, Advisory Services, Kennedy Consulting Research & Advisory
Sponsor Speaker:
Drew West
Director, Product Marketing,
Deltek
Sponsored By:
advertisement
|
