IT/Telecom and Finance Operations Blog.

Welcome to the A&I blog. Here you'll find comments and questions posted by our representitives and the IT/Telecom and Finance community. If you would like to submit a new topic for discussion click here.

Despite popular opinion, a RFP response is not a contract.  Sometimes the pressure to respond quickly and with the best possible solution creates administrative errors.  It is always best to examine the details of their response, item by item, and check the calculations to ensure that proposals are being evaluated in the most accurate way possible.  This holds true even if the error appears to be in your favor.  You may proceed through the RFP evaluation, only to be derailed when the contract is written up and the error is caught, or the contract is executed and the vendor is unable to deliver the agreed to services.  A vendor breach of contract is not really beneficial to your business, especially if it is service affecting.

As more states, counties, and municipalities ban or limit cell phone use while driving, beware the effect on equipment costs.  When California enacted legislation in 2008 the number of bluetooth headsets increased substantially.  This can be a challenge in an enterprise, where users may tolerate a wiped down phone, but usually will not re-use a headset that has been deep in someone else’s ear canal.  There are multiple options for managing those costs.  If you buy through your cell phone provider, it will show up as equipment cost.

When you begin looking at a new deal, one of the areas of concern is usually the revenue or line commitment.  You know that your business is changing all the time.  Are you going to leave money on the table and sign a deal with a lower commitment and lose out on savings or are you going to lock into a higher commitment and risk a shortfall that you will need to pay against?

Most people are petrified of committing to a high number and then paying the “penalty fees”.   Are they really penalties at all?  That is a discussion for another day.  Today though, we are going to look at a technique that can be used to maximize your savings while limiting your exposure.

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Either I was late on this or it’s happening way too soon. Verizon is reacting to the increased demands put on their wireless data network. As always, BGR provides the scoop: Verizon CTO hints at tiered data plans. Read the BGR analysis and then hit the jump to see more from the Broadband/DSL Reports blog. Read more…

White papers are either too dull or too much of an ad. Websites are often too much work to sort through with what you don’t want to know. Podcasts have much greater utility because of mobility such as in your car, while working out, or just sitting down somewhere with earplugs. The problem is, where do you find something worth listening to? Read more…