#1 Successful IT Directors know how to access every Fiber Optic Provider and Leverage the Lowest Pricing without doing all of the work on their own. They have a great carrier agency to work with and one with tenured executives dedicated to working for them. This means people with proven past experience both inside and outside of the telecom word. There are endless agents and directs sales reps out there chasing deals. Who do you work with?

#2 The Carrier Agency they work with (or group) helps them weed through all the initial providers and potential solutions by conducting an in depth needs assessment and discovery.

#3 Successful IT Directors are interested in Finding Exact Solutions and exploring potential better alternatives with Proof.

#4 They review multiple comparative quotes and proposals after a solution is designed and sent out for bid.

#5 They collaborate and meet with multiple vendors and Network Engineers to Ensure Proper Fiber Routes are being taken, Visio Drawings are detailed, Deployment Timeframes are acceptable, Scalability is taken into account (is it on-demand or 120 days for upgrade), Customer Service Strategy is clear, Real Time Monitoring is in place, and Contracts are Negotiated with the understanding of Telecom Terms.

#6 They are clear about Project Management Expectations and who to communicate with. The verify who the project manager is, what kind of response times they can expect, and who their direct reports are. They coordinate effectively with all their sites and leverage their Carrier Agency to facilitate this process for them. Ultimately this saves them more time and enhances productivity. IP blocks are known and configured ahead of time and everyone is prepared on the day of cutover.

So as you can see, successful IT Directors do a bit more than just get a price and sign the paperwork. They Leverage Professionals to help them and then verify the solution. I have left out numerous other points and details for the sake of brevity. Some situations are more simple than others, but shouldn’t you want Enterprise Help and Support on every purchase?… Especially if it didn’t cost you a dime.

Phil Howard is a Managing Partner with Converged Network Services Group. He has been recognized throughout his career for being a visionary market leader and he truly benefits his corporate customers by leveraging over 15 years of in-depth knowledge in the carrier world and competing landscape.