Choose a supplier who can handle a crisis
When your network is working well, the best supplier might seem to be the one offering the keenest prices, the swiftest delivery or the latest technology. Don't let the good times fool you, though: you may find that when problems arise, your supplier can't cope.
I've worked in the network industry for 13 years, so it's probably not surprising that I've seen several well-known names come and go. They've all either been swallowed up in large scale purchases – usually by larger manufacturers – or fallen by the wayside. Most of those that went out of business did so not for want of innovation or as a result of choosing the wrong technology direction. They failed because, either in their products or in their service, they didn't deliver that good, old-fashioned business essential: reliability.
Reliability is key
Back in the late 90s networks were moving from the then standard Thicknet to the new 'Fast Ethernet'. As is the case at the introduction of any new technology, for most network managers, slow but reliable was more far more desirable than quick but unreliable. There is, after all, no point in having the fastest car around if it's for ever breaking down.
Of course, no technology is ever one hundred percent reliable, but devices that fell over constantly or repeatedly needed patches or firmware upgrades were going to be unacceptably disruptive.
That was the case even ten years ago, when business was nothing like as reliant on communications technology as it is now. Today communications technology sits at the top of the business model tree, and it's likely to remain there until long after you and I have enjoyed our time here. If reliability in your network manufacturer and supplier was important ten years ago, then it's nothing short of vital today. I would rather have a Voice over IP system that reliably operates at 95% sound quality than one that delivers 100% quality most of the time but every so often fails completely. If I couldn’t get to my emails or take a phone call because this system or that was down it wouldn't be that long before you'd see me heading for the nearest travel agent out of sheer frustration. Like it or not, we are all dependent on reliable communications technology.
Swift solutions are vital
At the root of this is the simple fact that time is usually the most expensive commodity in any business. As soon as a network device fails, the clock starts ticking and the costs start building – costs relating not only directly to the failed network segment itself but also those relating to a host of other business areas whose normal operation is impacted by the failure. The knock-on effect is virtually unmeasurable.
The bottom line is that when a failure occurs, a solution needs to be designed and implemented as swiftly as possible. It's in such situations that network manufacturers and suppliers show their true colours.
The right manufacturer
It's all well and good having a network manufacturer show you their high speed, feature-rich goodies to tempt you into choosing their products. If they or their products don't have a track record of reliability, though, then specifying their products could well be storing up trouble for the future.
The nature and severity of that trouble will depend on exactly where in your network you install their products. Perhaps, in a non-critical area, such a risk may be worth taking in order to realise cost savings or some other benefit. Make sure you're clear on the risks before you take them, though. Plug the product name and keywords such as "faults", "problems" and "field notices" into your favourite search engine and see what comes up.
The right supplier
Identifying a good supplier or dealer is a much tougher job, so how do you go about it, if your current one isn't up to the job? Sadly, there are plenty of suppliers out there who take a rather short sighted view of their business, focusing purely on the bottom line. Happily, there are gems among the also-rans: suppliers who understand that the only way to build a business that's successful over the long term is to focus on outstanding customer service. The challenge, of course, is to find those gems.
It's very easy to accept second-best, claiming "Better the devil you know." The problem with that is that devils you know are still devils: if your supplier's service is mediocre when nothing's going wrong, there can little hope for a speedy and effective resolution when things do go awry. Of course, you can choose to wait until disaster strikes to find out how they'll perform, but that's certainly not a risk I'd like to take with my business.
Your network will fail
Benjamin Franklin famously said that there are two things of which we can be certain: death and taxes. In the Network world there is one more: at some point, your network will fall over. I've seen it happen many times, and it's always a time of mixed feelings for me. On the one hand, I'd much rather no one had to go through the stress of such a situation, but on the other, a crisis of this sort fires me up – I really get a buzz out of tracking the problem down and devising solutions that will get the customer back up and running, quickly and reliably.
In some walks of life there isn't always a solution to every problem. In the network world there always is – indeed there's almost always more than one. The tricky thing is finding the right solution for the situation at hand. It's that process of problem identification and resolution that really gives me a buzz. There may be a failed component for which there's no replacement available quickly enough, unexpected complications arising from a software upgrade or any of a hundred other possible causes for the failure. Whatever the problem, the right decisions need to be made fast.
A 'customer first' attitude
You need a supplier who can make those decisions quickly and effectively. That demands years of experience and a 'customer first' attitude. You'll get hints as to whether your current supplier has what it takes in the way they work with you from day to day. If it's apparent that you're just putting up with them, I'd strongly advise you not to do so for any longer than you absolutely must. That network disaster could strike at any time, and you want to be working with the best when it does.
Shop around. Read reviews. Ask your industry contacts for their recommendations and for feedback on specific suppliers. See what's being said on the online forums.
You don't need to put all your eggs in one basket or commit yourself before you're sure of the right supplier to go with: you could bring in a new supplier alongside your current ones, to keep them on their toes, for example. But keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground: you might just meet the new networking love of your life and choose to move on.
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Monday, 1 March 2010
Buy peripherals from your hardware supplier
Use a one-stop-shop
When buying network devices, which approach is best – entrusting the entire purchase to a single supplier or shopping around for the best deal on each component?
There are, of course, pros and cons to the one-stop-shop approach to general IT purchasing. Buying a complete system from a single vendor has the significant advantage that should something go wrong, that vendor has to sort it out. You don't find yourself dealing with various companies, each denying responsibility for rectifying the fault. On the other hand, shopping around can often result in savings on individual system components.
For network systems, the situation is rather clearer. Broadly speaking, networks break down into hardware, software and cables. Cables are a specialised area, and the majority of network managers have a preferred, tried-and-tested cable supplier, able to supply not only standard, off-the-shelf cables and harnesses, but also bespoke items to meet very specific needs.
Don't go it alone
When it comes to network hardware and software, however, I would advise that, in almost all circumstances, you buy both from the same supplier, especially when purchasing refurbished products.
It's a matter of making use of your supplier's expertise and experience. When redecorating your house (or perhaps your comms room) you can take one of two approaches. Option one is to go it alone, fumbling through colour choices, buying undercoats and top coats, and trying to make sure the paint looks good against your perhaps dubious choice of flooring and woodwork finish.
That's fine if you're a DIY guru. For the rest of us mere mortals, the sensible way to go is to get an expert in to advise on colours, supply the right materials and finish the job to a professional standard. Their reputation is at stake – referrals and testimonials mean new customers for them – so they're going to make every effort to get the job done as well as possible.
You don't have to be Brain of Britain to know that your chances of impressing your friends and family with your newly decorated room will be significantly higher if you get the expert's input, than if you shop around yourself.
Hardware and software compatibility
Coming back to network purchasing, the issue at hand is the tricky matter of hardware/software compatibility. Many products remain on the market for several years, during which time the manufacturer updates both hardware and software several times. One result of these updates is that earlier versions of the hardware may not support later versions of the software. This can cause end users purchasing refurbished hardware no end of problems, especially when early revision devices are specified with later software versions.
In fact, I would take my recommendation a step further: as well as buying hardware and software from the same supplier, make it a supplier that was in the network systems business when the hardware was available new. That way, you get the benefit of the supplier's experience with the device. If there were compatibility issues with the device you're ordering, they will remember them, and will be able to flag them up at the quotation stage. If your supplier does this, hang onto them – it's a sure sign that they're up there with the best.
Don't forget memory
Memory is worthy of particular mention. Shopping around for a memory upgrade may make sense on paper, as there is no doubt that savings can be made. However, complexities can and frequently do arise. The memory may be the wrong type for the device, the firmware revision in use may not support the level of memory being installed, or the memory may simply be the wrong physical shape to fit the space available in the chassis.
The resulting wasted time, multiple phone calls and to-ing and fro-ing between suppliers each blaming the other for the problem add up to significant cost and delay. Such costs and delays need not arise. Purchase your memory upgrades from the same supplier as the hardware devices for which they are intended, and the responsibility for ensuring that the two are compatible rests fairly and squarely with that supplier.
When buying network devices, memory, peripherals and software, always use the one-stop-shop approach. Have your supplier analyse the products you are ordering and ensure that everything works as it should do.
You'll save time, money and stress. You'll reduce the risk of compatibility issues arising, and should end up with a reliable network with fewer problems, as well as the added bonus of no sideways glances and comments from your colleagues or friends about your network configuration. Or the colour of your comms room walls!
When buying network devices, which approach is best – entrusting the entire purchase to a single supplier or shopping around for the best deal on each component?
There are, of course, pros and cons to the one-stop-shop approach to general IT purchasing. Buying a complete system from a single vendor has the significant advantage that should something go wrong, that vendor has to sort it out. You don't find yourself dealing with various companies, each denying responsibility for rectifying the fault. On the other hand, shopping around can often result in savings on individual system components.
For network systems, the situation is rather clearer. Broadly speaking, networks break down into hardware, software and cables. Cables are a specialised area, and the majority of network managers have a preferred, tried-and-tested cable supplier, able to supply not only standard, off-the-shelf cables and harnesses, but also bespoke items to meet very specific needs.
Don't go it alone
When it comes to network hardware and software, however, I would advise that, in almost all circumstances, you buy both from the same supplier, especially when purchasing refurbished products.
It's a matter of making use of your supplier's expertise and experience. When redecorating your house (or perhaps your comms room) you can take one of two approaches. Option one is to go it alone, fumbling through colour choices, buying undercoats and top coats, and trying to make sure the paint looks good against your perhaps dubious choice of flooring and woodwork finish.
That's fine if you're a DIY guru. For the rest of us mere mortals, the sensible way to go is to get an expert in to advise on colours, supply the right materials and finish the job to a professional standard. Their reputation is at stake – referrals and testimonials mean new customers for them – so they're going to make every effort to get the job done as well as possible.
You don't have to be Brain of Britain to know that your chances of impressing your friends and family with your newly decorated room will be significantly higher if you get the expert's input, than if you shop around yourself.
Hardware and software compatibility
Coming back to network purchasing, the issue at hand is the tricky matter of hardware/software compatibility. Many products remain on the market for several years, during which time the manufacturer updates both hardware and software several times. One result of these updates is that earlier versions of the hardware may not support later versions of the software. This can cause end users purchasing refurbished hardware no end of problems, especially when early revision devices are specified with later software versions.
In fact, I would take my recommendation a step further: as well as buying hardware and software from the same supplier, make it a supplier that was in the network systems business when the hardware was available new. That way, you get the benefit of the supplier's experience with the device. If there were compatibility issues with the device you're ordering, they will remember them, and will be able to flag them up at the quotation stage. If your supplier does this, hang onto them – it's a sure sign that they're up there with the best.
Don't forget memory
Memory is worthy of particular mention. Shopping around for a memory upgrade may make sense on paper, as there is no doubt that savings can be made. However, complexities can and frequently do arise. The memory may be the wrong type for the device, the firmware revision in use may not support the level of memory being installed, or the memory may simply be the wrong physical shape to fit the space available in the chassis.
The resulting wasted time, multiple phone calls and to-ing and fro-ing between suppliers each blaming the other for the problem add up to significant cost and delay. Such costs and delays need not arise. Purchase your memory upgrades from the same supplier as the hardware devices for which they are intended, and the responsibility for ensuring that the two are compatible rests fairly and squarely with that supplier.
When buying network devices, memory, peripherals and software, always use the one-stop-shop approach. Have your supplier analyse the products you are ordering and ensure that everything works as it should do.
You'll save time, money and stress. You'll reduce the risk of compatibility issues arising, and should end up with a reliable network with fewer problems, as well as the added bonus of no sideways glances and comments from your colleagues or friends about your network configuration. Or the colour of your comms room walls!
Monday, 1 February 2010
Buy end of life products refurbished
When refurbished is better than new
When the time comes to replace any network device, the manufacturer will always recommend that you buy the device's direct replacement - brand new, of course. If you've read a few of these money-saving tips, you may not be surprised to learn that there is a better way.
Imagine it's time to replace your car. You've done your ground work, researched suitable makes and models and spotted your dream machine. It's in the showroom and it's within your budget.
It's just a matter of signing on the dotted line, then, isn't it? Well, no. There's a small complication. The model you've set your heart on is due to be replaced by a new model, due to hit the showrooms next year.
So, do you go ahead and buy the current, end-of-life model at the asking price? I wouldn't advise it. At least, not until you've checked out its availability second hand or at discounted prices from other showrooms. After all at some point in the future you're going to want to either trade it in, or sell it on. You want to make sure you've bought it at the best possible price, or you're kissing your hard-earned money goodbye completely unnecessarily.
Substantial savings
The same principle applies to your network. Substantial savings can be made, way in excess of those that you could have made on the car. Virtually all network manufacturers have their futures planned out in detail - the keen eyed can often spot products which are about to be made end-of-sale, but for which support will continue for several years. Buying such products refurbished rather than new can save you thousands.
Of course, making such forecasts takes time that many do not have, but reference to manufacturers' websites will reveal which products have already been declared end-of-sale. Such information is updated daily, so, before making any acquisition for your network, check to see if the item you're about to order is on the manufacturer's end-of-sale list. If it is, it's likely you have the opportunity to make some serious savings.
Sit behind the curve
While some network managers buy the newest technologies to minimise depreciation at resale, others don't have the time or inclination to research the next big thing, preferring to seek savings through old fashioned cunning and common sense. Sitting 'behind the curve', they purchase products which are almost, but not quite, at the cutting edge.
With a little careful planning they can build a near-perfect solution, which, being a year or so behind the curve, will already have suffered the bulk of its depreciation - and had its bugs worked out.
This is a simple strategy for saving money. You can build a network which is for all practical purposes state-of-the-art - fully up to date on the software front and virtually so on the hardware front - at a saving of some 25% per annum.
A canny customer
One of my canniest customers always waits until any new piece of network hardware has been in the market for at least 12 months before considering installing it - and then they often choose to buy it refurbished. Their preference is always for the market leader, for support reasons, but they would never contemplate using brand new, recently-released products. They understand the need to wait to see if problems arise before committing to new products.
A well-known and highly respected company, they know exactly what they're doing on this front. When the manufacturer declares a product end-of-sale, there will be a period, often as long as five years, during which the product will still be supported. In just twelve months' time, the product will only be available refurbished, so they choose to purchase refurbished right away, enjoying the financial benefits immediately.
Take the time to research end-of-sale products, and consider buying refurbished instead of new. You could save yourself a heap of trouble, as well as a fat chunk of budget.
When the time comes to replace any network device, the manufacturer will always recommend that you buy the device's direct replacement - brand new, of course. If you've read a few of these money-saving tips, you may not be surprised to learn that there is a better way.
Imagine it's time to replace your car. You've done your ground work, researched suitable makes and models and spotted your dream machine. It's in the showroom and it's within your budget.
It's just a matter of signing on the dotted line, then, isn't it? Well, no. There's a small complication. The model you've set your heart on is due to be replaced by a new model, due to hit the showrooms next year.
So, do you go ahead and buy the current, end-of-life model at the asking price? I wouldn't advise it. At least, not until you've checked out its availability second hand or at discounted prices from other showrooms. After all at some point in the future you're going to want to either trade it in, or sell it on. You want to make sure you've bought it at the best possible price, or you're kissing your hard-earned money goodbye completely unnecessarily.
Substantial savings
The same principle applies to your network. Substantial savings can be made, way in excess of those that you could have made on the car. Virtually all network manufacturers have their futures planned out in detail - the keen eyed can often spot products which are about to be made end-of-sale, but for which support will continue for several years. Buying such products refurbished rather than new can save you thousands.
Of course, making such forecasts takes time that many do not have, but reference to manufacturers' websites will reveal which products have already been declared end-of-sale. Such information is updated daily, so, before making any acquisition for your network, check to see if the item you're about to order is on the manufacturer's end-of-sale list. If it is, it's likely you have the opportunity to make some serious savings.
Sit behind the curve
While some network managers buy the newest technologies to minimise depreciation at resale, others don't have the time or inclination to research the next big thing, preferring to seek savings through old fashioned cunning and common sense. Sitting 'behind the curve', they purchase products which are almost, but not quite, at the cutting edge.
With a little careful planning they can build a near-perfect solution, which, being a year or so behind the curve, will already have suffered the bulk of its depreciation - and had its bugs worked out.
This is a simple strategy for saving money. You can build a network which is for all practical purposes state-of-the-art - fully up to date on the software front and virtually so on the hardware front - at a saving of some 25% per annum.
A canny customer
One of my canniest customers always waits until any new piece of network hardware has been in the market for at least 12 months before considering installing it - and then they often choose to buy it refurbished. Their preference is always for the market leader, for support reasons, but they would never contemplate using brand new, recently-released products. They understand the need to wait to see if problems arise before committing to new products.
A well-known and highly respected company, they know exactly what they're doing on this front. When the manufacturer declares a product end-of-sale, there will be a period, often as long as five years, during which the product will still be supported. In just twelve months' time, the product will only be available refurbished, so they choose to purchase refurbished right away, enjoying the financial benefits immediately.
Take the time to research end-of-sale products, and consider buying refurbished instead of new. You could save yourself a heap of trouble, as well as a fat chunk of budget.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Never accept 1st trade-in price
Trading-in: never accept the first offer
When upgrading network equipment, most Network Managers seek a trade-in on their old devices. There's absolutely no point in throwing away kit for which you could get a financial return, reducing the net cost of the upgrade.
That's fairly obvious, but there's more to this than meets the eye. The key is to shop around. Never accept the first trade-in price you are offered for any piece of redundant network equipment. It's almost certain to be well below what that piece of kit could command.
$50,000 saved
Several years ago, Go Communications had a customer who came to us periodically for devices that their incumbent supplier, a manufacturer, could not deliver quickly enough. They had reached the point where they needed to upgrade their network, in the process removing some 120 48-port VoIP-enabled switches. Their manufacturer offered them a trade-in of $200 per switch - around one twentieth of their purchase price some two-to-three years earlier.
Understandably, the customer felt they should be able to do better, and approached us. We were able to offer them around $600 per switch - a total saving on the upgrade of almost $50,000 (around £30,000). We were able to do this as VoIP had recently become a key technology for many up and coming businesses, and there was a strong second-user market for these VoIP enabled switches. The manufacturer could not match our offer because selling second-user equipment is simply not their core business.
Three rules
This story illustrates three simple rules of network equipment trade-ins. Firstly, always shop around. Secondly, never think you can second-guess the market. Thirdly, manufacturers are always likely to offer you a much lower price for your old hardware than dealers with orders to fulfil for those products. It's astonishing how many businesses throw away huge sums byfailing to follow these three rules.
Let's take a closer look at that third point. Switches, routers and other network devices are almost always deployed with a variety of options installed - extra features, modules and software functionality, for example. When you ask your manufacturer for a trade-in value for your redundant devices, the chances are, planning on feeding those devices back into their refurbishment programme, that they will offer you a price based on their base configurations. No options, no additional modules and no extra software functionality.
Additionally, handling your old kit, refurbishing it and selling it on is a headache for the manufacturer. Their core business and chief objective is to sell their current lines, not to resell old equipment. Really, they'd rather you simply disposed of your redundant equipment than traded it in. On top of all that, any offer they make you for it will come straight off their bottom line: it's likely to be grudging at best.
A seller's market
Now, consider the dealer who needs your old equipment to fulfil a customer order. The scenario is turned on its head: without your kit that dealer may not have a bottom line on that order at all. They have an active, pressing need for your equipment - you're in a seller's market, and can command a much higher price.
There's a direct parallel to all this that most of us are familiar with. When buying a new car, accepting the dealer's trade-in offer on the old one is convenient, easy and simple, but we all know that we'll get much more for it by selling it privately. Only by doing so can we make sure the value of all the options - that heated, massaging driver's seat, the iPod port, those parking sensors - is reflected in the price we get for it.
So - especially in the current economic climate, with cost control a priority and used equipment prices on the rise as a result of fewer organisations upgrading - swim against the tide. Never, ever accept the first trade-in price you're offered on your old networking kit. Always shop around. It could save you literally tens of thousands of pounds
When upgrading network equipment, most Network Managers seek a trade-in on their old devices. There's absolutely no point in throwing away kit for which you could get a financial return, reducing the net cost of the upgrade.
That's fairly obvious, but there's more to this than meets the eye. The key is to shop around. Never accept the first trade-in price you are offered for any piece of redundant network equipment. It's almost certain to be well below what that piece of kit could command.
$50,000 saved
Several years ago, Go Communications had a customer who came to us periodically for devices that their incumbent supplier, a manufacturer, could not deliver quickly enough. They had reached the point where they needed to upgrade their network, in the process removing some 120 48-port VoIP-enabled switches. Their manufacturer offered them a trade-in of $200 per switch - around one twentieth of their purchase price some two-to-three years earlier.
Understandably, the customer felt they should be able to do better, and approached us. We were able to offer them around $600 per switch - a total saving on the upgrade of almost $50,000 (around £30,000). We were able to do this as VoIP had recently become a key technology for many up and coming businesses, and there was a strong second-user market for these VoIP enabled switches. The manufacturer could not match our offer because selling second-user equipment is simply not their core business.
Three rules
This story illustrates three simple rules of network equipment trade-ins. Firstly, always shop around. Secondly, never think you can second-guess the market. Thirdly, manufacturers are always likely to offer you a much lower price for your old hardware than dealers with orders to fulfil for those products. It's astonishing how many businesses throw away huge sums byfailing to follow these three rules.
Let's take a closer look at that third point. Switches, routers and other network devices are almost always deployed with a variety of options installed - extra features, modules and software functionality, for example. When you ask your manufacturer for a trade-in value for your redundant devices, the chances are, planning on feeding those devices back into their refurbishment programme, that they will offer you a price based on their base configurations. No options, no additional modules and no extra software functionality.
Additionally, handling your old kit, refurbishing it and selling it on is a headache for the manufacturer. Their core business and chief objective is to sell their current lines, not to resell old equipment. Really, they'd rather you simply disposed of your redundant equipment than traded it in. On top of all that, any offer they make you for it will come straight off their bottom line: it's likely to be grudging at best.
A seller's market
Now, consider the dealer who needs your old equipment to fulfil a customer order. The scenario is turned on its head: without your kit that dealer may not have a bottom line on that order at all. They have an active, pressing need for your equipment - you're in a seller's market, and can command a much higher price.
There's a direct parallel to all this that most of us are familiar with. When buying a new car, accepting the dealer's trade-in offer on the old one is convenient, easy and simple, but we all know that we'll get much more for it by selling it privately. Only by doing so can we make sure the value of all the options - that heated, massaging driver's seat, the iPod port, those parking sensors - is reflected in the price we get for it.
So - especially in the current economic climate, with cost control a priority and used equipment prices on the rise as a result of fewer organisations upgrading - swim against the tide. Never, ever accept the first trade-in price you're offered on your old networking kit. Always shop around. It could save you literally tens of thousands of pounds
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Seek a second opinion
Don't be a lone ranger
One of the fascinating things about networks is that, to achieve any given desired end result, there is always a virtually limitless number of possible approaches. That makes seeking a second opinion on your proposed solution to any given challenge an absolute necessity.
Whether you need to upgrade, replace, modify, extend or reconfigure your network, there will always be many different possible ways of doing it. Only one of them will be the best approach for your particular needs. Tackling the problem of nailing that one down on your own is a tough challenge.
I love challenges like this - they are like a complex puzzle that needs to be solved. And they come up frequently, in all sorts of circumstances. Maybe a solution designed for a particular scenario doesn’t work - perhaps the details from the original network starting point aren’t right, there's been a change of WAN connection or a last-minute change of software that the hardware doesn’t support. Or maybe there's less budget or physical space than had been expected.
In such situations, changes must be made, and selecting the best changes is made vastly quicker, easier and more effective by securing an expert second opinion. Viewing the situation in a different light and from a different perspective usually turns up unexpected options that would otherwise be overlooked. And those options can sometimes save thousands of pounds and untold effort.
Working from those options, you can then create lists of the components needed for each one, and cost them up. One of those quotes will be lower than the others, for the same end result, and there's a good chance it will be one that you hadn't previously considered.
For this reason, whenever I propose a solution I always offer at least two alternatives for the customer to consider - this is particularly important in the current economic climate. For example I will often offer two single-port modules in place of a single, more popular dual-port module. The laws of supply and demand dictate that the former is nearly always cheaper than the latter.
This approach is particularly invaluable in situations where a proposed network solution is beyond the scope of your budget. An expert second opinion can almost always deliver canny ways of removing cost from a quote, potentially using products from completely different ranges. This is especially so when a network design has been over-specified in an attempt to cover all eventualities - I can almost guarantee that there will be a cheaper alternative just waiting to be found by a fresh pair of eyes.
Don't go it alone. Always seek a second opinion.
One of the fascinating things about networks is that, to achieve any given desired end result, there is always a virtually limitless number of possible approaches. That makes seeking a second opinion on your proposed solution to any given challenge an absolute necessity.
Whether you need to upgrade, replace, modify, extend or reconfigure your network, there will always be many different possible ways of doing it. Only one of them will be the best approach for your particular needs. Tackling the problem of nailing that one down on your own is a tough challenge.
I love challenges like this - they are like a complex puzzle that needs to be solved. And they come up frequently, in all sorts of circumstances. Maybe a solution designed for a particular scenario doesn’t work - perhaps the details from the original network starting point aren’t right, there's been a change of WAN connection or a last-minute change of software that the hardware doesn’t support. Or maybe there's less budget or physical space than had been expected.
In such situations, changes must be made, and selecting the best changes is made vastly quicker, easier and more effective by securing an expert second opinion. Viewing the situation in a different light and from a different perspective usually turns up unexpected options that would otherwise be overlooked. And those options can sometimes save thousands of pounds and untold effort.
Working from those options, you can then create lists of the components needed for each one, and cost them up. One of those quotes will be lower than the others, for the same end result, and there's a good chance it will be one that you hadn't previously considered.
For this reason, whenever I propose a solution I always offer at least two alternatives for the customer to consider - this is particularly important in the current economic climate. For example I will often offer two single-port modules in place of a single, more popular dual-port module. The laws of supply and demand dictate that the former is nearly always cheaper than the latter.
This approach is particularly invaluable in situations where a proposed network solution is beyond the scope of your budget. An expert second opinion can almost always deliver canny ways of removing cost from a quote, potentially using products from completely different ranges. This is especially so when a network design has been over-specified in an attempt to cover all eventualities - I can almost guarantee that there will be a cheaper alternative just waiting to be found by a fresh pair of eyes.
Don't go it alone. Always seek a second opinion.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Change your network manufacturer
Time for a change?
All network systems manufacturers are not the same. While this may not be a startling revelation, a key consequence does often go overlooked: changing your network manufacturer, or even simply considering doing so, can save you significant amounts of money.
Different manufacturers invest different amounts of effort in technology research and development. As a result, your current network systems vendor may well have missed a trick or two on the platforms you use.
Upgrade or replace?
If your current network systems have been in place for some time and you are considering upgrading to a newer platform from your existing manufacturer, it's worth casting your net a little wider. It may be less expensive to replace your entire network, or a segment of it, with one from an alternative manufacturer.
The savings can go further still. By switching manufacturers you can drive down not only your equipment purchase cost, but also your ongoing costs. As well as providing additional and enhanced features, newer technologies can also deliver reductions in hardware size, power consumption, and cooling and maintenance requirements. All of these translate into reduced costs, and reduced carbon footprint, which can be a key PR benefit for your business.
It's clear that all of these savings can be realised by switching to a more appropriate network systems manufacturer. What is perhaps not so obvious is that significant savings can be secured without moving at all.
Chaos on the network
Picture the scene. Part of your network is down. Maybe a power supply has failed, or perhaps a card has died. Either way one of your main routers is out of action. Traffic is being diverted over the rest of the network but, nonetheless, the entire network is running well below its normal speed. All manner of unexpected knock-on problems are arising. Web access is painfully slow, for example, and emails are not getting through. Inevitably, the phones are ringing constantly, with disgruntled and stressed users on the other end.
Into the eye of this storm drops a call from your network systems manufacturer. It's your account manager, chasing his monthly numbers: "What are you ordering this month? Where are you buying it from? Can I have a list of what you bought last month please? Can you email me the details today please?" You find yourself wondering who the customer is in this scenario, and whether there may be a bit of tail-wagging-the-dog going on.
Proactive, not pestering
Now, distant, detached network systems suppliers are of little use. Manufacturers design and build their products for specific tasks, so accurate, detailed and up to date product knowledge is key to successful network device specification. I am all for a proactive approach to assisting and supporting customers – helping them build the network most suitable for their needs.
There is a thin dividing line, though, between proactivity and pressure selling, with constant focus on sales numbers and pestering for orders. The key to making sure your suppliers stay on the right side of this line is to ensure that they always know that you have the option of taking your business elsewhere.
My very first network systems customer, back in the 90s, was an expert at this. He kept all his suppliers on their toes, and at the first sign of any of them trying to push him, would make it quite clear that if they didn't back off, he would be recommending a switch of suppliers at the next network refresh. It never failed. Manufacturers should work hard to win your business, but in the right way. Don't let complacency set in. Make sure your suppliers stay absolutely clear on who the customer is. They will quickly get the message that you won't be at their beck and call, and that you are likely to be the sort of customer who will very carefully scrutinise quotations when it comes to ordering new equipment and services.
All network systems manufacturers are not the same. While this may not be a startling revelation, a key consequence does often go overlooked: changing your network manufacturer, or even simply considering doing so, can save you significant amounts of money.
Different manufacturers invest different amounts of effort in technology research and development. As a result, your current network systems vendor may well have missed a trick or two on the platforms you use.
Upgrade or replace?
If your current network systems have been in place for some time and you are considering upgrading to a newer platform from your existing manufacturer, it's worth casting your net a little wider. It may be less expensive to replace your entire network, or a segment of it, with one from an alternative manufacturer.
The savings can go further still. By switching manufacturers you can drive down not only your equipment purchase cost, but also your ongoing costs. As well as providing additional and enhanced features, newer technologies can also deliver reductions in hardware size, power consumption, and cooling and maintenance requirements. All of these translate into reduced costs, and reduced carbon footprint, which can be a key PR benefit for your business.
It's clear that all of these savings can be realised by switching to a more appropriate network systems manufacturer. What is perhaps not so obvious is that significant savings can be secured without moving at all.
Chaos on the network
Picture the scene. Part of your network is down. Maybe a power supply has failed, or perhaps a card has died. Either way one of your main routers is out of action. Traffic is being diverted over the rest of the network but, nonetheless, the entire network is running well below its normal speed. All manner of unexpected knock-on problems are arising. Web access is painfully slow, for example, and emails are not getting through. Inevitably, the phones are ringing constantly, with disgruntled and stressed users on the other end.
Into the eye of this storm drops a call from your network systems manufacturer. It's your account manager, chasing his monthly numbers: "What are you ordering this month? Where are you buying it from? Can I have a list of what you bought last month please? Can you email me the details today please?" You find yourself wondering who the customer is in this scenario, and whether there may be a bit of tail-wagging-the-dog going on.
Proactive, not pestering
Now, distant, detached network systems suppliers are of little use. Manufacturers design and build their products for specific tasks, so accurate, detailed and up to date product knowledge is key to successful network device specification. I am all for a proactive approach to assisting and supporting customers – helping them build the network most suitable for their needs.
There is a thin dividing line, though, between proactivity and pressure selling, with constant focus on sales numbers and pestering for orders. The key to making sure your suppliers stay on the right side of this line is to ensure that they always know that you have the option of taking your business elsewhere.
My very first network systems customer, back in the 90s, was an expert at this. He kept all his suppliers on their toes, and at the first sign of any of them trying to push him, would make it quite clear that if they didn't back off, he would be recommending a switch of suppliers at the next network refresh. It never failed. Manufacturers should work hard to win your business, but in the right way. Don't let complacency set in. Make sure your suppliers stay absolutely clear on who the customer is. They will quickly get the message that you won't be at their beck and call, and that you are likely to be the sort of customer who will very carefully scrutinise quotations when it comes to ordering new equipment and services.
Monday, 20 July 2009
Have kit ready for plug and play
Ship ready for 'plug and play'
We've all heard it, or something very like it, a hundred times. "What time will you be home? The kids have forgotten what you look like." Anyone working with networks is familiar with long and unpredictable hours - in part because, let's be honest, we're all pretty much hooked on what we do.
What we do is fun. At least, it's fun when you can log in and out, engage and disengage, when you want to. It's less fun when you have to revisit work that's been done before and shouldn't need to be redone. For my part, I'd much rather be home reading my son "Slinky Malinky" than rehashing work that really should have been put to bed already. Life's too short.
Life is too short, and on top of that, the economy is too unforgiving. Time, as has been noted so often, is money. Your engineers' time is no different to anyone else's in this respect, and wasting it is a direct cost to your business. In the current economic climate, with growth and even survival depending so heavily on cash flow and profit, that cost could make the difference between staying afloat and going to the wall. Making cost savings without impacting quality is a key priority.
Build, configure and test
Let's look at a common scenario. A customer's network installation is just around the corner - you're waiting for delivery of the network devices and associated items. Engineering resources have been planned and allocated. The customer is champing at the bit and the pressure is on.
What happens next? You receive the equipment, unpack, build, configure and soak test it. A couple of days later, you dismantle it, pack it up again and ship it off to the customer.
A simple question
At this point, I'd like to ask a very simple question. Why do it this way? On receiving the equipment the customer or your installation engineer will unpack, build, install, configure and test it. There is more than a little duplication of effort going on here. There's increased risk of damage, and time and money are being wasted.
Avoiding this risk and waste is actually very easy. While awaiting delivery of the network devices, memory, cables and software, call the customer and ask them if they would like the equipment supplied with their configuration pre-loaded, with any necessary memory and software upgrades made. In short, would they like it delivered ready for plug and play installation? I can almost guarantee that most will give you an emphatic "Yes please".
Make life easier
This will make the customer's life easier, of course, but it will also make your life easier and save you time and money. Keeping the equipment in your testing station until the memory and software has arrived, and then making the necessary upgrades there and then will mean the job is done and the equipment can be shipped to the customer ready to run, with a test report certifying the upgrades that have been made.
As well as saving you time and money, this approach avoids the situation in which the customer discovers that a device has insufficient memory for the required software image. It also means that the customer gets network equipment that has been tested as they will use it - and that's the test that really matters.
Investing this small amount of additional effort before shipping the equipment to the customer can save your installation engineers hours of on-site time. That means savings in engineering costs, improved customer satisfaction, fewer network teething troubles, and, of course, that you and your engineers get to remind yourselves of what your family look like. That's what I call a result.
We've all heard it, or something very like it, a hundred times. "What time will you be home? The kids have forgotten what you look like." Anyone working with networks is familiar with long and unpredictable hours - in part because, let's be honest, we're all pretty much hooked on what we do.
What we do is fun. At least, it's fun when you can log in and out, engage and disengage, when you want to. It's less fun when you have to revisit work that's been done before and shouldn't need to be redone. For my part, I'd much rather be home reading my son "Slinky Malinky" than rehashing work that really should have been put to bed already. Life's too short.
Life is too short, and on top of that, the economy is too unforgiving. Time, as has been noted so often, is money. Your engineers' time is no different to anyone else's in this respect, and wasting it is a direct cost to your business. In the current economic climate, with growth and even survival depending so heavily on cash flow and profit, that cost could make the difference between staying afloat and going to the wall. Making cost savings without impacting quality is a key priority.
Build, configure and test
Let's look at a common scenario. A customer's network installation is just around the corner - you're waiting for delivery of the network devices and associated items. Engineering resources have been planned and allocated. The customer is champing at the bit and the pressure is on.
What happens next? You receive the equipment, unpack, build, configure and soak test it. A couple of days later, you dismantle it, pack it up again and ship it off to the customer.
A simple question
At this point, I'd like to ask a very simple question. Why do it this way? On receiving the equipment the customer or your installation engineer will unpack, build, install, configure and test it. There is more than a little duplication of effort going on here. There's increased risk of damage, and time and money are being wasted.
Avoiding this risk and waste is actually very easy. While awaiting delivery of the network devices, memory, cables and software, call the customer and ask them if they would like the equipment supplied with their configuration pre-loaded, with any necessary memory and software upgrades made. In short, would they like it delivered ready for plug and play installation? I can almost guarantee that most will give you an emphatic "Yes please".
Make life easier
This will make the customer's life easier, of course, but it will also make your life easier and save you time and money. Keeping the equipment in your testing station until the memory and software has arrived, and then making the necessary upgrades there and then will mean the job is done and the equipment can be shipped to the customer ready to run, with a test report certifying the upgrades that have been made.
As well as saving you time and money, this approach avoids the situation in which the customer discovers that a device has insufficient memory for the required software image. It also means that the customer gets network equipment that has been tested as they will use it - and that's the test that really matters.
Investing this small amount of additional effort before shipping the equipment to the customer can save your installation engineers hours of on-site time. That means savings in engineering costs, improved customer satisfaction, fewer network teething troubles, and, of course, that you and your engineers get to remind yourselves of what your family look like. That's what I call a result.
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