Third-party network maintenance becomes necessary when the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) auspices are no longer sufficient to keep systems up and running.
When this happens, you need to decide: do you bring in an outside network maintenance company or keep the maintenance in-house?
The key to this decision lies in understanding what is most important to your organization. Is it up-time? Data security? What are the risks and rewards associated with each option?
There are many factors to consider when making this decision, but one of the most important is transparency. After all, enterprise data center spending reached $89 billion in 2020.
In this article, we will discuss the following:
- What it means to have transparency in third-party network maintenance.
- How a lack of transparency can affect an organization.
- How to encourage transparency within an organization.
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What Is Transparency in Third-Party Network Maintenance?
When it comes to third-party network maintenance, transparency is the ability of an organization to understand what is happening with its network at all times. It means having access to data that includes the system configurations, performance, and security.
It also means seeing the network maintenance company's process to understand how they approach the work. Are they using the best practices? What kind of tools do they have in place to manage the network?
Most importantly, it's about the level of transparency extended to the customers by third-party maintenance providers.
It's not uncommon for providers to tell clients they have spare equipment explicitly designated for them. However, most providers fail to provide any form of proof to back up this claim.
In some cases, this is because the equipment doesn't exist. In others, it might be because the provider doesn't want the client to know they are using the same equipment for other customers.
Either way, this lack of transparency can severely impact an organization's ability to make informed decisions about its network maintenance. Since the equipment is absent in the first place, when the company needs a spare, the provider scrambles to find one, often at a premium price.
In the second case, the provider is essentially over-selling their service, which can result in the organization not getting the level of service they need.
How Does a Lack of Transparency Affect Organizations?
The lack of transparency from the maintenance provider's end can have a ripple effect on the organization. First, it can impact the decision-making process regarding choosing a provider.
An organization doesn't have access to the data they need to make an informed decision to choose a provider based on price rather than quality. Second, it can impact the quality of service the organization receives. The organization will ultimately suffer if the provider uses inferior equipment or practices.
Hyperscale data centers cannot afford to have any downtime. Uptime is essential to their success; even a few minutes of downtime can significantly impact their bottom line.
In 2020, 25% of respondents to a survey said the hourly loss due to server downtime was $301,000 to $400,000. That's a significant loss they could have avoided with better transparency from a third-party maintenance provider.
It's not just the monetary loss that organizations have to worry about when it comes to downtime. There is also the loss of customer trust and confidence. In our increasingly connected world, customers expect their favorite brands to be available 24/7.
If they can't access a website or app when needed, they will quickly find a competitor that can provide them with the service they need. 80% of customers switch brands if they have a poor experience.
What Can Organizations Do to Encourage Transparency?
The first step is to set expectations with the third-party maintenance provider. Make it clear that transparency is a priority for the organization and that you expect to have access to data and visibility into the provider's process.
Consider also requiring the provider to use specific tools or practices that will help improve transparency. For example, you could ask the provider to use a network monitoring tool that gives you visibility into the performance of your network.
It also helps to use a ticketing system that allows you to track the progress of maintenance issues. Most importantly, opt for a transparent maintenance provider at every step in the process.
Are you struggling to find such a provider? Let's introduce you to one.
How OneCall Guarantees Transparency in Network Maintenance
Network maintenance is supposed to solve your problem and not create new ones. That's why at OneCall, we guarantee transparency at every process step.
We understand that our customers need to be kept in the loop to make informed decisions about their network. Therefore, after creating an optimized and custom maintenance strategy, we take steps to onboard a customer.
Once we've onboarded you, we will give you the serial numbers of all spare equipment designated for your needs. They belong to you since we don't share the same serial numbers with multiple customers.
On top of that, you'll also get the physical address of the depot where your equipment resides. Since our depots are widespread worldwide, you won't have trouble finding one nearest you.
By giving you all these details, we ensure that you're sure a spare will be available for you as soon as you need it. In addition, with a 4-hour Service Level Agreement, we provide you with the peace of mind that we'll consistently meet your maintenance needs.
All you have to do is open a ticket, and the equipment and accessories will be at your facility in four hours or less. OneCall's Sparing Integrity Program guarantees it.
What happens if something breaks? We know you can't afford downtime.
So, we let you create a maintenance request by opening a ticket. We'll send you a replacement within four hours.
Once you're up and running, you can ship the defective equipment back to us. We'll take care of the rest.
Why Opt For a Transparent Third-Party Network Maintenance Provider?
Transparency is at the root of ensuring smooth and streamlined network maintenance. When you partner with a third-party network maintenance provider like OneCall, you can be confident that there will never be any surprises. The benefits of such a transparent relationship include the following:
Little to No Downtimes
Since there's a spare for you at a depot near you, you can be confident that you'll get your replacement equipment within four hours.
Up-To-Date Equipment
You don't have to wait for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to release a new version before getting it. We always have the latest and greatest in stock so that you can stay ahead of the curve.
Be Prepared for Things That Go Wrong Without Notice
As a business, you need to trust your network maintenance provider to have your back at all times.
OneCall is that provider. We take our responsibility to you very seriously and always put your needs first. So when you partner with us, you can be confident that we'll never leave you in the dark.
We ensure you have quick access to the equipment you need to remain operational. We also take great pride in our ability to keep you informed every step of the way for the utmost satisfaction.
The need for transparency is dire at a time when things can go wrong without any notice, leading to massive monetary and reputational losses. Consider OneCall to prevent those scenarios — before they happen.
