Traditionally, of all managed services options, IT was likely to first consider managed network solutions (MNS). It was a natural evolution, partnering with other outside experts who could manage the day-to-day operations of the corporate network while IT in turn could reduce costs and focus resources toward initiatives driving business value for the organization. Then, as network security threats became a growing issue, more enterprises began adopting managed security services. Yet security has been inherent within managed networks all along, beginning even in the network design phase. More...

We are familiar with the traditional drivers of managed services, the quest for ways to lower costs and outsource routine network management so IT can divert resources to strategic initiatives. Yet companies are considering the talent within the managed services provider (MSP) partnership to be one of the determining gauges as to whether a managed services relationship is fruitful.  

Consider these elements: More...

As networks and new technology transform how business is done, the reach of what can be managed (infrastructure, applications, CPE, mobile devices, etc.) has grown, as well as what management really means (outsourcing, hosting, cloud, as-a-service, etc.). Depending on the source, anywhere between 60 and 90 percent of businesses already have a managed solution, with plans to integrate more. And the market continues to expand with a compound annual growth rate of almost 18 percent over the next four years. Why are managed solutions so popular? More...

In case you missed them the first time around, a pair of Stratecast-Frost & Sullivan white papers focused on convergence are resurfacing for a second life.

The papers – Technology Convergence and Information Velocity: the Engines for Business Agility and Workforce Productivity and Simplification through Convergence: Reducing Cost and Complexities – were both sponsored by Sprint, which gave us the opportunity to highlight them before they were made available to the general public. More...

In case you missed them the first time around, a pair of Stratecast-Frost & Sullivan white papers focused on convergence are resurfacing for a second life.

The papers – Technology Convergence and Information Velocity: the Engines for Business Agility and Workforce Productivity and Simplification through Convergence: Reducing Cost and Complexities – were both sponsored by Sprint, which gave us the opportunity to highlight them before they were made available to the general public. More...

Recently, Sprint asked an outside research and consulting firm to take a close look at Compass, Sprint's online portal for IP/MPLS VPN service. The idea was to get a "second opinion," and we now have it.

The outside firm happens to be named Compass Intelligence (no relation to Compass the Portal), and the paper they generated after looking at the portal can be found here. It's worth taking a close look at, but we'll hit a few highlights for you.

First, if you're not familiar with Sprint Compass, it lets you view, understand, and manage your network configuration and performance. We enhanced it in mid-2012 (see the summary we wrote at the time) with a number of self-service features that support both Sprint Managed Solutions customers and network-only customers.More...

Many things contribute to a successful Unified Communications deployment. Engaging end users and business leaders up front in the planning process is important. So is following through with these same people post-deployment, to ensure users know how to use and maximize the solution. Considering the dynamics between legacy and new equipment is yet another element. 

When it comes to UC, however, it is easy to forget that it is the network that makes it all possible. More...

Over the past several decades of working with IT departments, there has always been a percentage that insist, “we don’t do managed services.” I never quite understood what exactly customers meant by that, because I can’t think of a single company that runs its own coal generators for electricity, builds a new building without hiring an architect, takes their company public without hiring an underwriter, or builds their own 10,000-plus nationwide tower network rather than use a wireless carrier. All companies use managed services of some form; it’s only a question of when and where. More...

There is interest across most industries in hosted Unified Communications, but it is interesting that we at Cisco, as we work with Sprint in implementing these solutions, are seeing spikes of interest in certain vertical markets and sectors.

There is a high degree of interest in financial services and insurance, all professional services, manufacturing and packaged goods, and in every area of the public sector. Why these markets more than others? We think the answer is in a few key business and competitive pressures that seem to be more intense in these areas. Interest and activity will remain high here, while other verticals are quickly following this market transition. More...

Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) is one of the few IT technologies with a "multifaceted" value proposition, in that it not only can lower costs, but can help streamline processes and form new ones. You may start out with cost reduction in mind, but along the way, you find ways to change and improve how you do business.

That was a key point made by analyst Zeus Kerravala of ZK Consulting, during a recent webinar on the subject of hosted UC&C. Also participating were Sprint's own Joseph Martin and Mike Velder of Cisco. If you missed it, you can replay it here. More...