Cycling Through Challenges: A Managed Service Professional’s Journey

Cycling Through Challenges: A Managed Service Professional’s Journey

Employee Blog Post- Matt Evans, SVP of Sales and Distribution, OVATION

My time cycling through the mountains of California has provided much time for self-reflection as well as an opportunity to de-stress and way to burn-off some excess energy. I always find these times productive, while away from the office but still engaged in the events from the day.

A career in managed services has taught me to appreciate what it takes to implement and manage an ongoing comprehensive business process. Working for and now supporting large complex global enterprises is not for the faint at heart.  

The first half of my career was spent working within F100 enterprises while the second half has been with a third-party service provider supporting F1000 organizations. The demands are high and constantly changing as both internal and external business conditions dictate. Changes to the core business, customers, suppliers and technologies together with acquisitions, divestitures and re-organizations all require constant evaluation and adjustments of goals, processes and performance metrics. 

Provide Value                                                                                                                                                                  Whether you are managing an organization within or providing managed services to a large enterprise, your number one priority is to provide value to that organization. Without clearly measuring value your role will not last long.  Value is provided by building a team of professionals with relevant expertise and experience, software tools to maximize efficiency that together deliver repeatable, scalable business processes that address the business’s requirements.

Having the best individual solution components is paramount for success.  As an avid cyclist, the benefits of riding a carbon fiber bike are vast.  They are lighter and stronger providing a balance between comfort and responsiveness. Summitting the long steep mountain roads in California can now be accomplished in quicker times with far less fatigue. However, having a great bike helps, but without an experienced and “fit bike rider” I might add, the goals are not realized.

The same holds true with managed services.  Like a carbon fiber bike, robust software with all the bells and whistles can only get you so far.  You need to combine it with experienced mobility subject matter experts that together delivers a comprehensive solution yielding superior results with financial controls and lifecycle management. 

While there are plenty of mature, well-run internal business organizations there are also well-run third-party Managed Service Providers (MSPs) that provide greater value over what can be delivered internally.  This is typically found with non-strategic business functions that require specific expertise not inherent to an organization’s DNA. Managing an organization’s wireless devices and spend is one of those areas. 

Are You Up for the Challenge?                                                                                                                                      Millions of dollars are wasted each year as organizations look to control devices and carrier costs while providing the organization with the productivity that smartphones, tablets and other connected devices bring. Do you really have the experience, expertise and processes in place to manage this internally?

Business applications utilizing connected devices is increasing exponentially.  Yesterday’s processes don’t align to today’s consumption and costs. Successful managed service providers bring thought leadership, best practices and a customer focused team that is always focused on what’s best for the customer.  Anything less than that is a product that may or may not fit.  Successful managed service providers constantly invest in their solutions to stay ahead of a rapidly changing wireless marketplace. 

How to Engage a Managed Service Provider                                                                                                                        To successfully engage a MSP, is important to understand what you are looking for and why.  Without understanding what you are looking for, you will never know if the program is successful.  Being able to align a MSP to your organization’s priorities and business requirements is key.  Understanding your organization’s relationship with wireless devices and spend can guide you to determine your priorities and business requirements.

• Understand how a potential solution is delivered will help you to determine if you are buying a product or a              managed service. Many organizations buy a product while expecting a service, so they are misaligned from            the start.
• Document expectations within a Statement of Work is helpful for both the organization and the Managed                Service provider. Managing expectations is always a priority to maintain alignment.
• Take time to understand a business requirement, the impact of it and the ability to deliver all core                              responsibilities (both customer and Managed Service provider).

After many years of experience, I am very familiar with why we have two ears and only one mouth. As with cycling, talking about what a great rider you are is no substitute for listening and leaning into your riding peers on how to approach a ride and even improve your performance.