Enterprise Application Management: How to Evaluate an Outsourcing Partnership

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Enterprise Application Management

• How to Evaluate an Outsourcing Partnership

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Enterprise Application Management

• A greater number of companies today are turning
  to service providers for enterprise application
  management.

• Outsourcing promotes innovation and optimization
  of the application environment but only if you
  work with the right partner and you streamline
  internal IT processes.

• According to Forresters Services Sourcing
  Playbook, organizations must maintain effective
  project management and internal process
  consistency.

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Enterprise Application Management

• The key to a successful outsourcing relationship
  starts with improving internal processes, then
  selecting the right enterprise application
  management provider.
• To determine if youve found the best fit and to
  identify any provider or internal weaknesses
  before you commit to a long-term contract,
  Forrester recommends you collect the following
  information

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Enterprise Application Management

• Project management track record.
• When considering outsourcing enterprise
  application management, companies need to
  evaluate how a provider performs project
  management functions.
• You need to ask what percentage of complex IT
  projects were delivered within established time
  and cost parameters.
• A high percentage indicates a competent provider
  that can accurately manage project scope.
• If the outsourcing providers record isnt as
  strong as it should be, you may have to spend
  time and money reworking projects.

• Project management expertise.
• You want to evaluate the backgrounds of the
  enterprise application management providers
  staff.
• For example, you should find out what
  percentage of the staff is PMI-certified.
• Expert project management is necessary to
  successfully manage IT projects and resources.
  You also want to know the percentage of projects
  managed through a central program management
  office, or PMO. PMOs ensure consistency and
  quality.

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Enterprise Application Management

• Communication and collaboration tools.
• Distributed projects rely on content sharing
  tools, real-time communications and advanced
  workflows.
• If the provider relies on manual processes, you
  risk decreased efficiency in enterprise
  application management.
• To promote the best possible working
  relationship, you should carefully evaluate how a
  service provider will work with your staff.

• Standardized internal processes.
• A service provider has to understand and
  accommodate your companys numerous processes.
• Its much easier if your organization follows a
  single standardized development and maintenance
  process that the outsourcer already has
  established.
• Be sure to ask for and evaluate the providers
  SSAE 16 audit report for confirmation that they
  create and follow appropriate processes and
  procedures.

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Enterprise Application Management

• Managing to SLAs.
• Service-level agreements (SLAs) ensure
  outsourcing providers meet their obligations and
  service commitments.
• They establish mutual responsibility.
• Companies currently using SLAs, or that have
  experience with them, will be better positioned
  to establish meaningful parameters with the
  enterprise application management provider.

• User acceptance testing.
• An organization should have a formal internal
  approval process for delivery of projects.
• Prior to approval, users typically participate in
  acceptance testing. This type of process is
  essential to outsourcing relationships.
• When working with a service provider, a company
  must be able to accept systems or changes prior
  to production.

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Enterprise Application Management

• Its not just the outsourcing providers
  qualifications that must be carefully measured.
• Companies must evaluate their own internal
  processes and improve them as needed to help an
  enterprise application management partnership
  succeed.
•  
• Too often organizations focus only on the service
  providers capabilities. Although this is a
  critical component of the overall analysis, you
  cant forget to look inward.
• Maximum value can be derived from an outsourcing
  partnership when companies improve their internal
  IT processes.
•  

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Enterprise Application Management

• OneNecks enterprise application management team
  is dedicated to maintaining applications in a
  configuration optimized to meet each customers
  specific needs.
• To ensure optimal system performance and
  availability, the application administrators work
  closely with the database and operating system
  administrators to proactively monitor and tune
  each system.
• OneNeck supports top tier ERP applications such
  as Oracle, JD Edwards, Baan, Microsoft Dynamics
  AX and more.

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About the Author
Chuck Vermillion is CEO and founder of OneNeck IT
Services, a leading provider of hosted
application management and managed services since
1997.
For more information about Enterprise
Application Management, visit http//www.oneneck.c
om today.