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Enterprise Network Services: What to Look For

By Don Reisinger on 2011-03-29


If you’re thinking seriously about migrating your enterprise network services, you’re not alone. A slew of companies have been examining connectivity options over the past couple years. Research firm Yankee Group surveyed IT decision-makers at 400 small, midsize, and large companies, as well as government organizations, to see what factors guide their decisions when choosing a connectivity provider. The organization’s findings reveal that two of the tried-and-true factors -- service and support -- ruled decision-making over the past year. If you’re thinking seriously about your enterprise connectivity options -- and whether or not you should change network services in the next 12 to 18 months -- take a look at the highlights from the Yankee Group study. Not only will you discover what your peers are after, but you'll also gain a solid understanding of what you should (and should not) be looking for as you shop around.

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Scalable, Flexible


“Improved scalability/flexibility of service” proved to be the most important criteria among the majority of respondents considering a switching to a new WAN/MAN service.

Quality of Service


Deploying a WAN/MAN network service with improved quality of service was the second-most important consideration for respondents considering new options.

Customer Support


Customer support was the third-most-important choice among respondents who were considering switching services.

Cost Savings


Reducing upfront costs and limiting disruption were least important to IT decision-makers surveyed.

Strategic Outsourcing


Outsourcing WAN/MAN services is a “strategic priority” for about 29 percent of companies across the U.S., the Yankee Group found.

The Mid-Sized Perspective


Midsized companies (100 - 499 employees) were most likely to want to outsource managed WAN/MAN services; about 34 percent of respondents in these firms said they would consider outsourcing managed WAN/MAN network services.

Managed Services


Overall, 23 percent of respondents said outsourcing managed access services was a “strategic priority” for their organization.

Bandwidth


When choosing a connectivity provider, 21 percent of respondents said that “adequate bandwidth availability per port” was their top priority.

Pricing


When selecting a services provider, 18 percent of respondents said the “lowest price” was most important to them.

Where The Dollars Go


In terms of spending, companies are dedicating 44 percent of budget to WAN services, while 33 percent is going towards access-related service.

Where's the ROI?


In order for companies to invest in new connectivity options, respondents said they will need to see a payback within 12 to 18 months, depending on company size.

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