Forward Thinking

Indianapolis’ Top Outsourced Data Center Applauds the 2010 Blackbook of Outsourcing

Posted: Thursday, December 16, 2010
Posted in: Data Center Services | Bob Alcorn | Cloud Computing | Disaster Recovery | Server Colocation | Network Management
Keywords: Indianapolis technology services firms | Indianapolis server colocation | Indianapolis network management firms | Indianapolis data centers

The annual Blackbook of Outsourcing survey was recently released for 2010. As I was reviewing the results, I realized, it serves as an exceptional vendor selection guide, regardless of the vendor’s category.

The 2010 Blackbook of Outsourcing survey is specifically designed to capture customer satisfaction ratings from users of outsourced services across the globe. While n|Frame didn’t participate this year, we have been included (and highly ranked) in past surveys under data center outsourcing, disaster recovery outsourcing and network management outsourcing categories in the past.

Clients use The Black Book of Outsourcing to determine strengths and weaknesses of individual vendors; establish industry benchmarks to determine desired satisfaction ratings; negotiate contract terms to ensure desired outcomes are achieved; and understand trends in outsourcing satisfaction by service, industry and geography.

The survey itself provides a valuable guide to help clients navigate the vendor selection process. It narrows down key attributes that buyers should be focused on as they evaluate vendor partners. For instance, the survey is segmented by criteria used to assess shared goals, financial benefits, risk mitigation, partnership approach, problem resolution, corporate reputation, skills and resources, and future orientation.

The Blackbook of Outsourcing offers value-based statements that buyers use to rate or score vendors. Here are some of the assertations I think are extremely pertinent to selecting an Indianapolis data center services provider, network management services provider, outsourced disaster recovery partner or virtualization/cloud computing expert:

• My service provider’s objectives and my objectives are well aligned.
• Outsourcing to my service provider helps my organization be more productive.
• In-house delivery of these services would be too costly.
• I feel comfortable entrusting mission-critical activities to my service provider.
• My service provider takes appropriate security measures.
• Outsourcing to my service provider reduces the risk for my organization.
• My service provider always acts in the best interests of our relationship.
• I regard my service provider as a valued business partner.
• My service provider is committed to quality.
• My service provider deals with unexpected events effectively and promptly.
• My service provider adheres to the highest ethical standards.
• My service provider is a financially stable company.
• My service provider is a company with a good reputation as an outsourcer.
• My service provider uses relevant technology to good effect for my organization.
• My service provider is an innovative service provider.
• 12 months from today, my service provider’s services will be better than it is today.
• 12 months from today, my service provider will still be in business.

Whether you are evaluating your current vendor or considering outsourcing a technology function for the first time, these value statements provide a solid foundation for basing a decision. Here, at n|Frame, we certainly use criterion such as these as the litmus test to confirm we are serving as a value-adding strategic business partner to our clients.

Please give us a call, e-mail or submit a web form (in the upper right hand side of this page) to include us in your vendor selection process for an Indianapolis data center partner, Indianapolis network management partner, Indianapolis disaster recovery partner and/or Indianapolis virtualization partner. We look forward to hearing from you.