{"id":347,"date":"2018-04-25T13:59:29","date_gmt":"2018-04-25T13:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/?p=347"},"modified":"2018-05-11T14:59:41","modified_gmt":"2018-05-11T14:59:41","slug":"questions-to-ask-a-third-party-it-maintenance-and-support-before-contracting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/questions-to-ask-a-third-party-it-maintenance-and-support-before-contracting\/","title":{"rendered":"Questions to ask a third party IT Maintenance and support before contracting\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Getting \u00a0a third party\u00a0IT Support and Maintenance \u00a0provider<\/a>\u00a0can be overwhelming. We know there are so many \u00a0vendors<\/a>\u00a0out their , but it can be difficult to find a true partner with solid experience who also understands your business strategy. As you conduct your search, take the time to consider the requirements in more detail and what you\u2019re really looking for in the partnership.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a third-party\u00a0vendor or a maintenance\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0trategy partner, you should ask these questions to help you make the right decision.<\/p>\n

1. Worldwide\/nationwide \u00a0Delivery Support<\/b><\/p>\n

Whether you have locations domestically or all over the globe, it\u2019s important tofind a partner that is truly global. Ensure your provider has FSLs (Forward Stocking Locations) and sparing depots placed to meet your SLAs globally and access to round-the-clock support every day of the year. If you have locations in difficult countries, confirm your\u00a0provider<\/a>\u00a0has the necessary certifications and capabilities to provide the support you need in each region.<\/p>\n

2. Certifications<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s always a good idea to validate potential partners with industry- recognized certifications. Ensure that your provider is adhering to the highest quality and security standards internationally. A few certifications to be aware of:<\/p>\n

\u2022 TL9000 is a comprehensive QoS that requires robust controls for organizations involved in telecommunications. Fewer than 1,500 companies hold TL9000 certification, and it\u2019s the highest international standard for telecom industry suppliers.<\/p>\n

\u2022 ISO 27001:2013 is for Information Security Management Systems and is one of the most widely recognized and prestigious security standards available. Organizations with this certification are confirmed to be ISMS compliant and inline with the latest industry standards and best practices.<\/p>\n

3. Flexible Contracts<\/b><\/p>\n

Ensure that all equipment you have in your IT infrastructure can be managed in one place. Your\u00a0provider<\/a>\u00a0should be able to accommodate multi-generation, multi-vendor and multi-national support contracts and make them accessible to you through a centralized portal. Ask for a detailed demonstration of the contract and ticket management system to ensure it can deliver the level of service you require for your complex, multi-\u00a0vendor network.<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Engineering Resources<\/b><\/p>\n

Access to high-level engineers who are empowered to diagnose and resolve your issue immediately is critical. No one likes to be bounced and call transferred multiple times. Ask potential\u00a0vendors<\/a>\u00a0to provide documentation that outlines their ticket flow process from first call to complete resolution with clear SLAs along the way. Pick a partner whose mission is to provide consistent premium customer service and technical support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. TACs should be structured with a \u2018follow-the-sun\u2019 approach, utilizing service centers strategically around the globe.<\/p>\n

5. Testing<\/b><\/p>\n

Require that your\u00a0provider<\/a>\u00a0conduct full line rate testing on all equipment that can be stress tested before it is deployed to you or a designated FSL. Specifically, the supplier should use a Spirent\u00ae test bed for all testing and be able to prove a 0.5% or less failure rate. Furthermore, verify your provider utilizes ultra-protective packaging to avoid any damage duringvshipping.<\/p>\n

6 Service Level Agreement (SLA) :Make sure you ask the\u00a0provider<\/a>\u00a0about the company service level agreement. \u00a0This will help you to know the level of support and commitment the contract will bring also try and find out if the services the company will provide is in line with your own company priority and demands.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There\u2019s no time like the present to explore how the ever-increasing role of third-party maintenance <\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0\u00a0helping organizations around the world get a better return on their support investments. Take time to thoroughly evaluate potential\u00a0providers<\/a>\u00a0by asking the right questions and requiring them to demonstrate their capabilities.<\/p>\n

Do you want professionals to take up your IT Maintenance and support while you concentrate on what you can do best. \u00a0Contact\u00a0Netcare IT Support and Maintenance\u00a0<\/a>Our technicians are highly experienced and Certified experts who has our clients satisfaction as their priority<\/p>\n

You can email us at contact@netcare.com.ng\u00a0\u00a0or call +2349064556541<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting \u00a0a third party\u00a0IT Support and Maintenance \u00a0provider\u00a0can be overwhelming. We know there are so many \u00a0vendors\u00a0out their , but[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,10,1],"tags":[59,49,58],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-it-networking","category-it-support-and-maintenance","category-uncategorized","tag-it-helpdesk","tag-it-support-and-maintenance","tag-managed-services"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":356,"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions\/356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linxnet.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}