When it comes to managing telecom, cloud, and mobility software and services, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
A recent study published by Tangoe and coordinated by leading research firm Vanson Bourne has found that companies all seem to have a slightly different approach to IT expense and asset management. Some companies rely solely on external vendors, while others prefer a mixture of in-house management and third-party support. A small minority even manage them completely in-house.
The survey found that over half are choosing to have at least some in-house management of their mobile (56%), telecom (51%) and cloud (51%) software and services. But, when explored further, 88% of surveyed IT decision makers (IDTMs) admit that their organization would benefit from greater support with managing such expenses. This, paired with the finding that leveraging more outsourced services is one of the top ways organizations would respond if there was a recession, tells us that external vendor support is only likely to become even more important in the future. But if that’s the case, why isn’t every company taking advantage of external support? Well, the research suggests that organizations may feel stuck in the cycle of embedded internal processes which they find themselves in.
While complete confidence levels are reportedly stronger for those managing expenses completely in-house across cloud (72%), telecom (61%), and mobile (58%), there’s still room for improvement for many. These organizations likely feel a sense of control by managing these internally but, in doing so, it begs the question: Does this work in the interests of productivity?
Organizations may be biting off more than they can chew and it’s time to embrace external support where it can help. The research has already uncovered that organizations need greater support and that there are growing pressures on IT to deliver more with less budget. It has also found that many companies recognize they need help, with most of those managing these assets completely in-house admitting they would benefit from working with external vendors for telecom (88%), cloud (82%), and mobile (77%) expenses.
To read the full report, please click here.