The Fight is On - Make Your IT Suppliers Work for You

Managing your IT suppliers is increasingly key in ensuring you have the right level of IT and support for your business. This article provides some solutions to common problems encountered with IT suppliers.

Common moans, groans and mishaps

"Our supplier resorts to "techno-babble" during our conversations – I don’t really understand what I am agreeing to."

"We need to upgrade but we don’ t know whether our suppliers are proposing the right solution for us and whether it represents value for money."

"We were in the middle of a migration/upgrade when our key IT staff member went off sick – disaster!"

"We can’t find good IT staff at salaries we can afford."

So, what can you do to alleviate these type of situations?

Suppliers who won’t stop using unexplained "techno-babble" – insist they fax you a written version of what they are proposing before you make any decision. Have their proposals checked by a technically qualified individual who can explain to you what is being proposed. They will also need to assess the proposal with respect to your business. It is critical to develop the relationship between you and your supplier to suit you – not just your supplier!

Supplier won’t send you written versions of what they are proposing (other than a shopping list for you to authorise) – make your default answer "NO". If you are in mid contract you will need to undertake some positive contract management actions – find an experienced consultancy who can provide both IT and business contract management skills to guide you and "run the gauntlet" with your supplier when required.

When purchasing IT equipment – try to get several quotes. Have the specifications, design and prices checked by someone who specialises in this type of service – there are vast savings to be made if you have the right information to bargain with.

When disaster strikes – find a consultant who can provide a specialist trouble-shooter for operating environments. Beware however, most ordinary IT consultants (who claim they "can do everything") rarely have adequate hands-on troubleshooting experience.

IT staffing problems – there is always a supplier to help! – consider outsourcing only if you are willing to define and spend time managing the contract. Definition of the contract is critically important and frequently requires independent (i.e. independent from the potential suppliers) technical and contract advice. A specialist review of your contract can save you significant time, energy and money in the future – especially when it comes to software licensing!

Other actions you can take to reduce the pain of IT supplier management:

• Obtain quotes with fixed time scales and deliverables.
• Split design work away from delivered items.
• Insist that an up-to-date copy of all system documentation (design, configuration, passwords, modifications etc.) is kept on your premises at all times. This puts you in the driving seat should you need to change supplier for any reason.
• If you don’t have enough time or resources to look after your IT environment – make use of a managed/monitoring service.
• If you have any worries about data loss – store your information on a remote server (either your own or with a company who specialise in providing remote services).
• If you are uncertain about exactly what IT you have and how it is being used – audit.