Complexity, compliance, emerging technologies and best practices, picky customers, aging legacy systems, retiring veteran IT staff and rising costs all concern corporate executives these days. Outsourcing consultants can help you assess and overcome…
There’s nothing that says you have to hire an IT sourcing consultant. If you’ve decided transformation is in order, you can follow through on your own – figuring out what solution you want, finding the resources, contracting for those services.…
Transformation is top-of-mind with many IT managers these days, along with pressure from all sides to meet increasing – and increasingly diverse -- service demands. IBM mainframe solutions have traditionally been your mainstay, but also one of your…
If you’re like most large, global companies, you may have been using IBM mainframe solutions for several decades. You’ve come to rely heavily on your mainframes, and you trust them to keep your enterprise functioning.
But like all technology, IBM…
“Fit” can mean can have several meanings. Robust. Match. Appropriate. Prepared. When you’re investigating mainframe outsourcing providers, your goal should be to find one that meets every one of those definitions. That’s not an easy task.
Why do we…
Researching mainframe outsourcing providers should be an enlightening experience, not a rocky road. Here are some hints to smooth the way:
Hint #1: This one’s obvious, but easy to overlook.
Mainframe outsourcing providers differ widely in what they…
Cloud infrastructure management is the process of organizing and maintaining your IT underpinnings – at least some of them – virtually. You’re probably already drifting toward the cloud, and outsourcing, too, by using a commodity email or similar…
You could use some solid advice about IT transformation. You’re considering hiring an outsourcing consultant, but you know choosing the right one could be challenging. First, ask yourself what kind of help you want, because not all consultants…
Your enterprise may be similar to other large global companies in many respects, but it’s actually a unique organism. Pre-set formulas or “solution templates” may have some value for guiding IT planning, but they can’t possibly tell the whole story…
It's time to rethink, reinvent, and re-evaluate your business. We all need a platform to stand on and, ironically, the smart platform is the cloud. Cloud computing services helps your business cut costs while reducing the complexity of your…
Not all mainframe outsourcing providers are created equal. Perhaps that seems obvious, but it’s an important fact to keep in mind as you’re considering your options. And you do have options. Your job is to sift and sort, to find the right fit with…
One of the financial considerations when contemplating mainframe outsourcing is indirect costs of things such as unfulfilled contracts. If you’ve been leasing mainframe equipment or data center facilities and you’re nearing the end of that lease,…
The corporate imperative to do more with less permeates every aspect of your planning and decision-making. Mainframe outsourcing can help you creatively and strategically address that challenge, but if you don’t approach outsourcing carefully, you…
Whether or not mainframe outsourcing is a useful tool for your company depends on your specific business drivers, culture and preferences. But when you consider the fact that leading global enterprises have adopted outsourcing to improve overall…
What will it cost? That’s a question you ask about any new purchase or endeavor. But when it comes to mainframe outsourcing pricing models, the answer is as complex as your enterprise-wide IT operations.
What you need to know now is that things…
You can learn many things about mainframe outsourcing from the experience of others. But since your circumstances and priorities uniquely define your enterprise, you have to assess mainframe outsourcing companies from your own distinct perspective…
Maybe your policy up till now has been to avoid mainframe outsourcing, but it’s getting harder to justify that. Your costs continue to rise and the twin risks of legacy system obsolescence and retiring mainframe pros are growing more pressing with…
It’s not your father’s mainframe any more.
Mainframe outsourcing may have initially gained acceptance in response to an imperative to reduce costs, but companies have learned there are other strategic advantages, too. Large global enterprises now…
No operations scenario could possibly be ideal for every enterprise, so there’s no reason to automatically assume mainframe outsourcing is the right answer for your company. Nonetheless, mainframe outsourcing has been successfully implemented by so…
The best defense is a good offense. You don’t have to be a football fan to understand how true that statement is. Proactive, insightful business management is your single greatest weapon when it comes to conquering the competition and growing your…
It’s possible that up till now you haven’t worried about your mainframe’s future. Sure, big data is an issue. You’re processing vastly more transactions than ever. But that’s the beauty of mainframes, they can handle big workloads. Why would you…
You can’t make strategically sound decisions about mainframe outsourcing unless you’re equipped with state-of-the-marketplace intel and insight. This is precisely why it’s valuable to work with an outsourcing consultant who has specific mainframe…
If your most skilled and experienced in-house mainframe expert is about to retire, it’s time to take a closer look at mainframe outsourcing.
Your problem isn’t merely that a single individual is moving on. It’s the fact that many -- if not the…
Your long-established legacy mainframes are aging beyond their effective value. This situation isn’t going to fix itself. And the longer you wait to address it, the more likely your problems will morph from annoying and worrisome to dire. Now is…
What are your outsourcing goals? What are your overall corporate goals? They both play a vital role in helping you choose the best mainframe outsourcing pricing model. Beyond simply paying for a list of services, how you finance your outsourcing…
You’re attached to your mainframe. It’s literally part of your company’s legacy. It’s powerful, reliable, secure. And now that your company has grown into a sizeable global enterprise, your mainframe operations are just too big to outsource. Right?…
A well-planned and smartly-negotiated mainframe outsourcing deal will put your company in a better position than you’re in now. You’ll be more nimble. Better equipped to focus on growing your business. You may even save money. All in all, you should…
You could bring a crystal ball to your next corporate planning session, maybe even bring in a psychic, to help you discern what lies ahead for your data centers and how you can prepare for that future. But wouldn’t it make more sense to call on a…