Managed services providers face few decisions more important—or more challenging—than selecting technology vendor partners. The right vendor can accelerate technology implementation and new service introduction. The wrong vendor can hinder business evolution and send your company’s strategy off the rails.
Finding qualified, complementary vendors can be an exhaustive process, but here are five steps to make the search more efficient and more effective.
Step 1:
Determine your business requirements. Selecting the right software, hardware or service hinges on knowing the technical and business requirements the solution must meet. Assemble an evaluation team to collect as much information as possible: Identify and interview a range of stakeholders and end users to understand their needs and goals, and create a “must-have” list and “nice-to-have” list to determine which solution best fits your organization and strategy. Also review existing internal reports and data for additional information about operational pain points. And last but not least, create a budget—and stick to it.
Step 2:
Identify and research qualified vendors. Once you’ve determined what kind of solution you require, you can begin researching which vendors meet your criteria. The web is an excellent resource for preliminary insights into vendor performance, strengths and weaknesses, executive backgrounds, and other factors. Send each qualified candidate a request for information, and conduct a thorough team evaluation of their responses.
Also ask vendors for references within the MSP industry. Satisfied organizations should be willing to share their experiences and insights, including how long they’ve been a client, how the vendor addressed their specific operational needs, and whether its customer service team is responsive and efficient.
Step 3:
Ask the right questions. While online research and client feedback are vital, they’re no substitute for face-to-face interaction. Beyond discussing basic partnership terms, mutual goals, and overall compatibility, evaluation teams should ask questions to determine how long the vendor has been in business, its overall financial health, its partner certifications, and whether its engineering team can successfully handle the product or solution you’re looking to implement.
Some fundamental questions to consider:
