Managed Networks Make Sense for Wireless Carriers

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

Wireless carriers are facing new challenges today as consumer demands are ramping up faster that networks can adapt to meet the demands. As a result, carriers must focus their energies on growing and developing service offerings. As captured in this recent report, one effective strategy is to implement outsourced managed services for network operations. This can be done at a lower cost than if it were performed in-house, making the managed network a reality.

When leveraged properly, the managed network can deliver even better service than in-house teams, all which save the carrier 30 percent or more. The managed network provider does this by focusing on greater efficiency, eliminating redundancy and that bottom-line mentality. Efficiencies are known to include a one-to-many labor force of trained and well-managed mobile professionals and shared operations centers.

In your carrier business, the managed network delivers operational cost savings up front. In the contract period for the managed network, a large percentage of the cost savings is realized during and after the transformation timeframe. In this time of change, processes are retired, outdated applications and tools are replaced, redundancy is eliminated and new, best-in-class processes and tools are implemented to keep your focus in line with business goals.

The important thing to do before moving to a managed network environment is to complete a readiness assessment. This assessment should focus on process approach and maturity, and organizational maturity. This maturity assessment will allow you to analyze the specific functions that are sub-optimized. This process is critical to the carrier’s understanding of which major approach changes could realistically be expected from a managed network provider. With this assessment, you will be able to determine the existing readiness of your organization.

At that point, move to a detailed baseline of current operations so you can fully document your existing processes and fully loaded costs. With this baseline, you can assess the managed network services marketplace to identify the suppliers that are most qualified to deliver and equivalent service at a lower cost. You can then move into a competitive sourcing process, which can be key to attracting the most creative and cost effective solutions from bidding managed network service providers.

Once you have effectively determined your needs and understand how your culture works when you have to transform some of your processes, you will be better equipped to move to a managed network platform. In the process, you not only become more profitable, you also deliver exactly what your customers demand. In the end, you drive additional revenues and profits – meeting your overall goals.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Erin Monda

(source: http://it.tmcnet.com/channels/managed-networks/articles/118491-managed-networks-make-sense-wireless-carriers.htm)

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