Staying Connected

Managed network services deals have become increasingly sophisticated.  Big blockbuster deals, where the IT department and a company's infrastructure assets are transferred to an outsourcer are long gone and replaced by deals that target discrete service towers and functions on an increasingly granular basis.  Success in this new environment requires specialized and mature sourcing and contracting capabilities and processes tailored for managed network services.

Listen to this 12 minute podcast as Ben Fox, one of TC2's Managing Directors, and Marc Lindsey, a Senior Partner at LB3 and President of Avenue4, discuss with TC2's Joe Schmidt how to navigate this changing managed network services landscape to achieve winning results.

Unified Communications is not a new subject in the enterprise space, but it is still a huge driver in network transformation initiatives.  Many enterprises are executing plans to move from just making phone calls on stand-alone PBXs to full on team collaboration using UC.

Listen to this 12 minute podcast as TC2's Technology Director, David Lee, and Senior Consultant, Brent Knight, share with Joe Schmidt some insights into the next generation of UC solutions and offer practical advice for developing your UC strategy.  They'll discuss the pros and cons of cloud vs. a premise-based solution and provide the key steps an enterprise needs to take to execute their UC plan.

One of the hottest topics in network services today is Software Defined Wide Area Networking or SD-WAN.  While too much marketing hype about SD-WAN is currently flooding enterprise sales channels, there is no doubt that SD-WAN really does have the potential to transform enterprise network infrastructure and service deployment.  Coupled with an Internet broadband strategy, it also promises significant cost savings.  But enterprises need to tread carefully to avoid costly missteps and mistakes.

In this 13 minute podcast Mark Sheard, TC2 UK Managing Director, and Andrew Brown, LB3's Managing Partner and TC2 Chairman, discuss with TC2's Joe Schmidt how enterprises describe how to deliver a proactive SD-WAN strategy that will deliver the real promise of SD-WAN - both network transformation through deployment of this new technology and significant cost savings by transitioning network end points to less expensive broadband connections.

Over and above delivering cost savings from technology change, transformation initiatives also deliver best in class pricing and terms because they drive intense competition.   

Listen to this 8 minute podcast as TC2’s Project Directors Pat Gilpatrick and Larry York discuss with Joe Schmidt how enterprises take advantage of transformation initiatives to drive exceptionally competitive sourcing processes, and deliver market leading deals.

In this installment of our “Staying Ahead of the Demand for Network Cost Savings” podcast series, Keith Cook, a Project Director at TC2, and Laura McDonald, a Partner at LB3, join TC2’s Joe Schmidt to discuss some important supplier and contract management best practices.

In this 10 minute podcast, you'll hear why your job isn't done once you've finished your sourcing effort and signed the contract. Smart enterprises make it a point to review their new deal and develop the list of activities necessary to keep their new contract and pricing at the leading edge of the market. We discuss managing deal credits, preparing for and executing your benchmarking clause, planning for the expiry of the new contract term, and so much more.  

A key component of a market-leading network contract are commercial terms that provide ongoing contract flexibility and provide the leverage to keep your pricing in-line with market changes throughout the contract term.

In today's installment we review some key commercial terms and deal constructs to focus on during your negotiations and explain why they are critical for a market-leading deal.

During this 13 minute podcast TC2’s Managing Director Jack Deal and Project Director Larry York discuss with Joe Schmidt the many options and strategies available to enterprises that will help maximize negotiation leverage in a sole-source negotiation.  

In today's installment we discuss strategies and best practices for when enterprises are in a sole-source negotiation.  The podcast highlights what enterprises can do when a full procurement isn't possible - due to lack of time, resources, or limited alternatives to the technology being procured.

During this 15 minute podcast TC2 Managing Director, Ben Fox, and Andrew Brown, Managing Partner of LB3 and the Chairman of TC2 discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt the many options and strategies available to enterprises that will help maximize negotiation leverage in a sole-source negotiation.

In today’s installment of our “Staying Ahead of the Demand for Network Cost Savings” podcast series, TC2’s Pat Gilpatrick and Mark Sheard share with Joe Schmidt why it is crucial for enterprises to competitively source their network services.

In this 13 minute podcast, Pat and Mark describe the benefits of taking your network services to market. You'll hear why a robust structured RFP can help your company learn what the market is offering, and increase the likelihood that you can negotiate a deal with market leading rates, terms and conditions. In addition, they'll explain why RFPs are an excellent tool as a catalyst for change of your network infrastructure which is especially important given the rapid evolution of technology that enterprises are experiencing today.  

On today’s installment of the podcast series “Staying Ahead of the Demand for Network Cost Savings”, Jack Deal, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Tony Mangino, a Project Director at TC2, discuss the latest trends in network and infrastructure pricing with TC2’s Joe Schmidt.

During this 9 minute podcast, Jack and Tony explain how companies can stay ahead of the pricing curve while still delivering best-in-class results. They also reveal why having up-to-date information on the trends - be it MPLS, SIP, managed service, or even wireless services - is critical for knowing where to focus your sourcing and negotiation efforts.

LB3 and TC2 have kicked off a special educational series titled “Staying Ahead of the Demand for Network Cost Savings.”  The podcast series will run over the next several weeks and will cover a range of topics addressing enterprise network transformation, cost saving strategies, contract compliance and optimization, and so much more.  

Wide-reaching cost cutting initiatives have become increasingly common at large companies over the last decade. Whether motivated by a business downturn, a bad quarter, or a market change, such cost cutting initiatives apply huge pressure to obtain short term savings, often at the expense of longer term strategic projects and investments. Network infrastructure expenses, in particular, are often perceived as a huge pot of potential savings and thus one of the first areas to be targeted. 

Of course, experienced network professionals know that it's not so easy to suddenly reduce costs in the network infrastructure budget.   

Listen to this 10 minute podcast as Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Andrew Brown, the Managing Partner at LB3 and Chairman of TC2, discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt what enterprises will learn by listening to this informative and hugely beneficial podcast series.