Staying Connected

Successful ICT implementations begin during the procurement process, not when you hand over the new contract to the implementation team.  Failure to include implementation as part of your RFP will almost certainly lead to a compromised technology transformation and disappointed end users.

Listen to this 14-minute podcast as TC2’s Bryan Carriker and Joe Schmidt discuss how companies can dramatically improve the likelihood of a successful ICT deal implementation.

If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpages.

Lumen Technologies recently announced two sizable business divestitures that could see them realize $10 billion in sales proceeds and help the company refocus its strategy.  In the first sale, Lumen’s Latin American business is being sold to the investment firm Stonepeak for $2.7 billion and in the second, even larger sale, the telco’s local incumbent carrier operations in 20 states are going to Apollo Funds for $7.5 billion.

In this 11 minute podcast, Jack Deal, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Laura McDonald, a Partner with LB3, discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt what these asset divestures mean and speculate how enterprises might benefit from the new Lumen.

If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our SIP Trunking & Legacy Voice Networks and Success Stories webpages.

In this 6 minute part two of the two-part podcast, LB3 Partners Deb Boehling and Laura McDonald discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt what new state data protection Acts mean for enterprise buyers of technology.  Laura and Deb outline the contracting obligations enterprises must follow to comply with these Acts … and failure to comply could cost your plenty.

If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization, Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.

In May 2018, the European Union adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to provide sweeping data protections for consumers.  It didn’t take long before this type of regulation made its way to the US, first landing in California as the California Data Protection Act (CCPA), and similar laws are now rolling out in Virginia, Colorado, and soon many other states.

Listen to this 9 minute part one of a two-part podcast where LB3 Partners Deb Boehling and Laura McDonald talk with TC2’s Joe Schmidt about what these Acts mean for enterprise buyers of technology.

If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization, Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.

About five years ago AT&T and Verizon announced with great fanfare their strategic business expansion into the world of content development.  The carriers spent billions of dollars and had to overcome fierce regulatory resistance to acquire companies such as Time Warner and Yahoo.  Roll forward to 2021 and both companies have taken a huge U-turn and made the strategic decision to unload all of these acquired assets … at fire sale prices.

Listen to this 11 minute podcast as Andrew Brown, the Managing Partner at LB3 and Chairman of TC2, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt describe how AT&T and Verizon are “unmerging” these content plays to refocus on their core network services, particularly 5G, and why enterprises look to benefit.

If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.

A profound difference in the construct of service level agreements (SLAs) between managed services and outsourcing deals and network transport SLAs is that SLAs are more custom to a particular contract or customer.  Knowing what to measure and how to measure it, however, can be challenging.

In this 10 minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt help you understand how to define and negotiate these custom SLAs so you can include them in your next managed services or outsourcing deal.

If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Managed Services & Outsourcing and Success Stories webpages.

Wide Area Network service levels are critically important for helping keep an enterprise’s network humming.  Unfortunately, SLAs are not always well understood.  The key point of SLAs is to cover all services, end-to-end, and for the supplier and enterprise to have a clear understanding of who is accountable for the service as it moves along the chain of connections.

In this 10 minute podcast, TC2’s Technical Director, David Lee, and Joe Schmidt look at best practices for WAN transport service levels and highlight the steps enterprises will want to take to address their service level needs. 

If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Disputes & Workouts and Success Stories webpages.

When buying technology or ICT services, issuing an RFP to qualified suppliers is a great way to help frame out requirements and then do a fair, apples to apples comparison of the proposals you receive.  Astute companies also use RFP processes to identify and deliver innovation in IT services and technology.

In this 9 minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt discuss strategies that TC2 has used to leverage RFP processes to deliver innovative solutions and offer tips for helping you achieve the best results from your RFP process. 

If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpages.

Do enterprises still use POTS lines?  Well, the ILECs appear to be asking the same question, because there is a disturbing trend taking place with ILEC pricing.  For example, one well known ILEC recently raised its list rate for POTS services by a whopping 50%.

Listen to this 9 minute podcast as TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson, Julie Gardner, and Joe Schmidt discuss why enterprises still use POTS lines for services like elevator phones, explain why ILECs are imposing these huge price increases, and offer insight on what you need to do.

If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our SIP Trunking & Legacy Voice Networks and Success Stories.

At some point most companies that use IT services have to go through a transition from one supplier to another.  The need to change suppliers could be driven by any number of reasons and can be a daunting effort and a process that must be carefully managed. 

In this 12 minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Marc Lindsey, a Senior Partner at LB3 and President of Avenue4, a leading IPv4 advisory firm, share useful insights with TC2’s Joe Schmidt and provide steps you need to take to minimize disruption if you’re gearing up for a supplier change. 

If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Managed Services & Outsourcing and Success Stories webpages.