IT Hosting: A Fundamental Business Process

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IT Hosting A Fundamental Business Process

• By Chuck Vermillion
• CEO Founder

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Information Technology
As technology has evolved and become increasingly
pervasive, there isnt a business function that
isnt in some way enabled by technology. The
point at which business finds itself today is one
of Information Technology is the business, and
vice versa. IT cannot be viewed any differently
than the fundamental business processes on which
the organization operates. This presentation
will provide tips for creating a trust-based
relationship with your IT hosting company by
specifically focusing on selecting the right IT
hosting vendor.
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Selecting an IT Hosting Vendor
Be informed on both sides. The process of
governance needs to start at the selection phase.
When selecting an IT hosting vendor be sure to
include criteria specifically targeted at
governance. Also, work hard to understand your
vendors business model. If the IT hosting vendor
cannot convey how their business makes money, how
could they possibly build a long-term, winning
scenario for you? And if you believe your
prospective outsourcing partner doesnt
understand your business, then keep looking.
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Selecting an IT Hosting Vendor
Check your IT hosting vendors references. Not
the ones they want to give you but the ones they
dont want to give you tell potential IT
hosting vendors youd like to speak with
ex-customers. Review the potential vendors
recent press releases and look at the different
stages of their customer relationships
transitioning, steady state or contract term
expiration. Instead of asking for three
references, ask for the complete customer list
and select customers that you believe most
closely match your profile.
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Selecting an IT Hosting Vendor
Look in the mirror objectively. Consider how
your IT department is viewed internally. Is it
a department of business-savvy IT professionals
who are aligned to the primary objectives of your
organization? If its not, is that what youre
looking to find in an outsourcing partner? Do
parts of your team function more effectively than
others? Understanding what you have is the
lions share of defining what you need.
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Selecting an IT Hosting Vendor
Its also important to fully understand what your
customer the end user wants from IT. Is IT
viewed positively and as being successful in your
company? Is IT a strategic enabler or a necessary
evil? The answers to these questions are
essential clues to finding the best outsourcing
vendor for your needs, and not simply taking the
recommendation of one company.
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Selecting an IT Hosting Vendor
Turn back to plan ahead. When considering how
best to manage your IT hosting services vendor,
you should revisit why you decided to, or why you
are considering outsourcing in the first place.
This primary motivation should then be able to
be tracked through all aspects of governance.
Is your primary motivation strategic
transformation? Or is it improved quality of
service, cost containment, or a combination of
the above? With these factors in mind, does your
planned or current governance strategy support
those objectives?
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Selecting an IT Hosting Vendor
If your primary motivation is strategic
transformation, how are you going to measure the
success of that transformation? When are you
going to measure it? And what happens if your
goals arent reached? These are all factors
that play a role in creating a successful,
long-term outsourcing relationship with realistic
expectations and well-defined metrics in
place.
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About the Author
Chuck Vermillion is CEO and founder of OneNeck IT
Services, a leading provider of mid-market
enterprise hosting and managed services since
1997. For more information about IT service
outsourcing, visit http//www.oneneck.com/