SELECTING THE RIGHT OUTSOURCED ICT PROVIDER
ICT SERVICES
Despite the rapid uptake of outsourced ICT services , many South African companies still find the risks of adoption unacceptable . With data breaches a tangible risk , companies question how much they should rely on managed service providers . However , by selecting the right outsourced service provider , you can mitigate against these concerns . As experts in this field , Emid has highlighted some of the most important factors to consider when partnering with an outsourced service provider .
Trust
“ Enhancing and expanding our product suite on the existing platform proved impossible and became a burning issue for the business . We wanted agile and savvy user interfaces . We needed to be able to change business direction easily , without losing sight of our business strategy . Emid knew how to enable us throughout the development and implementation life cycle .”
Kosie Koekemoer , Old Mutual Executive
all changes are documented and approved before being applied .
Security
Benefits of ICT Outsourcing
• Reduction of operating costs by reducing the staff complement .
Trust is the most important requirement for a successful partnership . With managed services vendors having access to and managing extremely confidential information , trust is the one factor that must be present . To identify trustworthy providers , search for vendors with strong reputations who have demonstrable references and testimonials .
Disciplined Approach
In the managed services industry , discipline is of tantamount importance . Disciplined staff who adhere to mature processes and regulations are invaluable when providing managed services . Customers expect strict adherence to industry best practices , especially since the vendor might be controlling infrastructure that is essential for their day-to-day operations .
Effective Change Control Management
Strong project management and change management skills and processes are integral aspects of an outsourced ICT service provider . Customers expect their projects to be delivered on time and within budget , and the ability to manage the project as well as scope creep is extremely important . Change control is an integral part of the quality management process and the purpose is to ensure no unauthorised changes are made , and that
State-of-the-art security is of utmost importance in the modern ICT scene . Customers expect their vendors to provide the highest level of security for infrastructure , hardware , and software . The Wall Street Journal states : “ The higher the volume of sensitive data a third party manages … the greater the risk that the confidentiality of that data will be compromised .” Knowing that their data is being stored on vulnerable hardware or knowing that their service provider ’ s security has previously been breached can prove untenable for most customers .
However , if a service provider manages to keep their staff ahead of the curve and has stringent security and penetration prevention protocols , and carries out annual comprehensive security audits , providing the results to their customers , you can rest assured that your information is secure .
Monitoring
The very essence of an outsourced service is to free up a business ’ s capacity for core business tasks . The aim of the managed services partner is to ensure that your IT equipment and software is always available and performing at an optimum level . The vendor must be able to demonstrate powerful 24 / 7 monitoring functionality and innovative dashboards .
• Since internal ICT solutions will have been outsourced , a number of staff will be freed up in order to deal with other business aspects , and management can focus on the core business .
• Due to the fact that outsourced ICT providers have a wealth of experience in the implementation field , it ’ s highly likely that solutions will be implemented faster than if the implementation was completed in-house .
• Quicker resolution of ICT issues , as the outsourced provider will have a large , dedicated response team that is constantly at the forefront of the curve .
As a business , you ’ d be looking for an outsourced ICT partner that is trusted , secure , and disciplined – the trick is in finding the right partner . Emid ’ s track record in the Managed ICT sector speaks for itself . Its data centres act as the beating heart for many South African businesses . Its cutting-edge technology ensures that we have incredible uptime records , as well as zero breaches in security – this is what brings about the level of trust and satisfaction all of its clients experience . ■
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