Infrastructure Slideshow: Enterprise Network Services: What to Look For

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.

Wheres 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.