As soon as you begin your search for IT outsourcing consultants, you’ll realize there are more firms out there than you expected. Complicating matters, each of these firms can be quite different, so it’s not easy to compare and evaluate them. What…
You’ve been advised by your colleagues to hire a data center consultant. Or perhaps you’ve recommended to your CEO and CFO that they approve bringing in a consultant to help you contemplate your data center’s future. The question on everyone’s mind…
Return on investment is something corporate managers think about all the time. It’s how you ensure profitability. Calling in an IT sourcing advisory to help plan your IT future can be a strategically smart move, but how do you know you’re getting…
Every company considering hiring IT outsourcing consultants has a somewhat different goal in mind, and there’s no point bringing in outside help if it won’t get you closer to those goals. Would teaming up with a consultant give you the solutions you…
Confused about how to compare IT consultants? There are many to choose from, and it’s vital to pick the right one, so you can be sure your consulting experience will go smoothly and you’ll get the great advice you need. The worst thing you can do is…
Competitive advantage. There’s something that’s getting harder to come by, especially for large global companies with highly complex operations. It’s no longer simply a matter of developing a better mousetrap, or beating some other company’s price,…
When you conjure up a mental picture of a professional IT sourcing advisory, what comes to mind? If you’ve never worked directly with IT consultants, you may not know what to expect, so your picture may be especially fuzzy.
Let’s see if we can help…
Why do you want to hire an IT outsourcing consultant? What do you expect (or at least hope) they will do for you? If you can answer those two questions, you’re well on your way to making the right choice among IT outsourcing consultants.
For most…
As we’ve discussed a number of times, mainframe outsourcing providers are not all equal. That makes the provider selection process all the more important. Finding the one that’s best for your enterprise can speed you on your way to transformation…
IT outsourcing consultants that stand out from the herd are the ones that feel almost as if they’ve always been part of your organization. They have the right knowledge and insight to augment your internal expertise, and they have the right attitude…
If you’re thinking “right” advisor, you’re already thinking strategically. There are many IT sourcing advisors out there, but not every one is an equally good fit for your organization or consulting needs. Choosing the right advisor can greatly…
The secret behind choosing proper mainframe outsourcing providers is a simple three-word admonition: know thyself first.
No provider can do a superior job for you unless everyone understands up front what needs to be done. You have to look…
IT outsourcing consultants know things you don’t. Exactly what that is, however, depends on who you are.
If you’re a CEO whose background lies somewhere other than information technology, you may have considerably less detailed knowledge about day-…
IT sourcing advisors come in all shapes and sizes. Not only the individual people, we’re talking about their firms. From a single consultant to huge, big-name companies, each offers a somewhat different range of services, different professional…
The best mainframe outsourcing providers are those who will focus where your priorities lie. What do you want to achieve with mainframe outsourcing? Some goals are very specific, whereas others are broader and more vague.
Your company’s goals could…
Sadly, no one has yet discovered any silver bullet type secret behind mainframe cost reduction. Virtually every CIO would be thrilled if that were the case, since large companies in all industries have been grappling with this issue for the last…
Smart IT professionals keep a sharp eye on mainframe and other IT outsourcing trends. It’s not easy to keep up with the continuous flow of new innovations and ideas. And it can be even harder to discern how to apply what you’re learning to benefit…
Organizations for which millions of data transactions are just part of the normal business day continue to rely on mainframes as the cornerstone of their data center operations. But mainframe costs can get out of hand if you aren’t vigilant, and it’…
Over time, the popularity of outsourcing has grown tremendously for companies looking to capture financial and functional efficiencies. Mainframe outsourcing trends have evolved along with the overall business environment, which has been…
Recently we examined some IT outsourcing trends for 2014, noting that the underlying theme for all aspects of business today – not just IT – is that change is a constant. Outsourcing as a business management mechanism is now widespread, popular with…
CIOs and their C-suite colleagues have been wrestling with mainframe cost reduction for years. It’s an imperative that has stubbornly remained at the top of the must-do list for so long because mainframe operations costs continue to rise. If you’re…
Mainframes remain a foundational component of IT infrastructure for many companies, particularly very large and complex organizations that handle massive volumes of data. But in a wildly changing technology environment where cloud computing, mobile…
This year is well underway, but it’s never too late to consider what might unfold in the way of IT outsourcing trends as the year continues to evolve. One of the most interesting trends industry watchers seem to agree on is that DIY is on the…
Security remains a primary concern for enterprises working to integrate cloud computing and data centers. Moving toward the cloud can bring significant efficiencies and increased agility, but it brings new security challenges as well.
Some risks…
Forrester Research reported a couple of years ago that corporate executives typically cited security fears as the primary reason they were avoiding any IT changes that would include cloud computing service providers. But, at the same time,…
Lack of control is often the most worrisome concern expressed by CIOs and CEOs who are considering partnering with cloud computing service providers. Usually, they aren’t worried about giving up total control of IT operations, because with any…
Executives responsible for managing both government entities and large global private enterprises continue to look for ways virtualization can help cut IT operating costs, increase efficiencies and eliminate wasteful redundancy throughout their…
Cloud computing services can save your data center money. But transitioning to cloud computing can bring greater efficiencies to your business operations, too. And every efficiency you can generate also translates to money saved. With that broader…