Vendor Management
What is Vendor Management?
One of the critical areas of telecom management is telecom vendor management. Indeed, managing third-party vendors is vital in that it can significantly decrease the time it takes to complete a telecom project or acquire new telecom services and devices. In some ways, managing telecom vendors is a job in itself, and many businesses look to an external team or contractor to provide the service.
Improper Vendor Management Can Be Costly to an Organization
When a business works with a subpar vendor, they put their business at significant risk. For example, they may be forced to pay for unnecessary work because their vendor(s) supplied subpar services or products. Their project schedule may fall behind and cause undue stress for employees and customers. Also, any suggestions or advice given by a subpar vendor may cause direct and indirect problems now and in the future.
Business Phone Systems Vendor Management
We can help you determine your needs! Determining your network cabling and wiring needs begins with your current bandwidth and of course your network environment. From there it will be necessary to consider whether or not you will need any changes in bandwidth and/or technology in the future. Based on the type of technology your organization employs Telecom Management Services, will then go on to assess which type of wiring best suits those needs all the while paying heed to your timeline and budget.
After your organization’s networking needs have been determined it is a simple matter for Telecom Management Services to determine which type of computer and telephone cabling best suits them. There is a significant difference between computer and telephone cabling (i.e. CAT 5, CAT 5e or CAT 6, fiber optics) based on the manner in which the specific conveyance (cable/wiring) handles crosstalk, network support and bandwidth.
After those needs have been assessed it will be necessary to take such things as wire management and patch panel termination into account. Telecom Management Services is your one source solution to all your networking solutions from planning to final installation. Whether you are changing locations or upgrading your current network cabling and wiring.
One of the remarkable benefits to fiber optic cabling is the fact that it is a technology that utilizes glass, sometimes plastic, threads for the transmission of data. This means that the cables are each lighter weight than their metal counterparts and more threads can be bundled together. This translates to greater amounts of data which significantly increases bandwidth.
Then there is the fact that fiber optic cabling transmits modulated data through light waves which means that the transmissions are digital like the language used by your computer. This greatly improves the speed at which data is transmitted which in turn increases the efficiency of a network. If you have been noticing lags in your network it is probably time to consider having your office rewired with fiber optic cabling.
Because fiber optic cabling is not as susceptible to interference as metal cabling and because the cables are lighter weight and more compact a large number of businesses are making the transition. Any office that relies heavily on inter office communications through a local area network will immediately see the advantages of fiber optic cabling . As a matter of fact, fiber optic cabling will integrate better with current telephone systems as most telephone companies have already transitioned from conventional phone lines to fiber optic cables.
Telecom Management Services provides innovative network cabling solutions with a staff of certified technicians, you can be assured that the transition to fiber optic cabling will be smooth and efficient. There is no need to experience unnecessary periods of downtime due to lack of bandwidth when the solution is as simple as restructuring your network to take advantage of fiber optic technology.
When it comes to vendor management, several questions must be answered, including:
- What system is being used to evaluate vendor performance?
- Is the business able to coordinate effectively with its vendors?
- How long does it take one vendor to complete a project as opposed to another vendor?
- What metrics precisely are being tracked to determine if a business’s telecommunication needs are being met?
- When it comes to completing projects, is it necessary to communicate with external teams and contractors?
- What methods are being used to determine whether a vendor is effective and suitable for a particular business?
At the end of the day, vendor management is risk management. As with any other type of risk management, it’s necessary to determine if the current vendor and their services are performing at a high level or not. Once this is determined, the need to improve communication with the current vendor or change vendors becomes apparent. The fact is, the telecom vendor ecosystem is highly complex. It must be handled correctly for the best results to be achieved.
Below are a few Methods to Achieve Excellent Vendor Management
- A transparent database for vendor files should be created. Threes in for this is simple; tracking down vendor information in various folders, cabinets and emails is time-consuming and costly.
- Identifying and tracking any risks that vendors present. It’s estimated that nearly 60% of businesses have experienced a data breach (or several of them) due to their vendors’ access to their systems and data. Before signing a contract with a new vendor, the organization must uncover potential risks.
- Organizations should establish a strong relationship with vendors. By doing this, cost evaluation, performance, and compliance become straightforward, simple, and swift.
- In many cases, a business is so large that it doesn’t have the time or funds to manage its vendors correctly. In this case, working with the vendor manager is a good choice.
Vendor management of telecom services is a vital part of telecom management overall. By managing vendors correctly, a business or organization can reduce its risk, cost, and downtime. Also, they can increase their profitability, as the correct telecom services they need are provided in a timely, effective and expeditious manner.
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