NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: CURRID & COMPANY'S TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE 11/15/04
Dear [EMAIL PROTECTED], In this issue: * Tracking your cell phone assets * Links related to Technology Executive * Featured reader resource _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by ProactiveNet SLA Reporting: Migrating to Service-level Management Service Level Management (SLM) is gaining widespread attention as the best way to deliver application and system performance services that consistently meet end-user requirements. The challenge in the past has been knowing where to begin with an SLM implementation. SLM tools have matured, however, to offer IT staffs the breadth and depth they need to effectively measure and analyze application and system performance. From this data, IT staffs can confidently negotiate service level agreements (SLAs) with end users. This white paper focuses on the business reasons to institute SLAs, the major tasks related to measuring mission-critical applications to obtain performance metrics, and how ProactiveNet software supports service level management tasks. It discusses: * getting started with an SLM implementation * software implementation-transaction monitoring and management * reporting and communications implementation * SLM with ProactiveNet's solution http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=88222 _______________________________________________________________ THE 2005 IT ROADMAP: Future Vision - Attend the Technology Tour Event of the Year! Where is IT headed? Which technologies are the new must-haves? Which look good now but are dangerous risks? Find out first and see solutions free at this exclusive reserve-now-or-you're-on the-outside-looking-in event! http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=88458 _______________________________________________________________ Today's focus: Saving money on cell phone usage By Linda Musthaler Do you want to be a hero to your CFO? Tell him that you have an easy way to save your enterprise tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. All it takes is imposing a little bit of discipline on your mobile communication services. Chances are high that many of the employees in your organization carry company-sponsored devices such as cellular phones, pagers, PDAs, and Blackberries. These types of devices represent the fastest growing telecommunications expense, and for the most part, they go unmanaged. For companies with a thousand or more devices, the costs can be a real blind spot for the CFO. Often, departments or individual employees choose for themselves which service carrier to use, resulting in multiple service providers and a lost opportunity for volume discounts. Worse, monthly bills can get buried in personal expense reports, and the finance department never gets a clear picture of what is being spent on service, or how efficiently the contracted services are being used. This is the problem that Traq-wireless, of Austin, aims to attack with its mobile communications management software. Traq's mantra is organize, analyze and then optimize. Traq's Web-based management software takes mobile service billing data from all the leading cellular, paging, calling card and packet data service providers. It doesn't matter that you have multiple providers servicing your company; if the billing data is in an electronic format, it can feed into a single corporate database for analysis. Once the data is consolidated, you can view wireless usage and costs by department, individual, or even service type (i.e., cellular, paging, etc.). Color-coded views let you spot trends or trouble spots. For example, you can see if a specific employee routinely exceeds his monthly allotment of plan minutes and incurs higher overage charges. You can see if traveling businessmen regularly rack up roaming charges. But Traq goes beyond telling you what's happening; it helps you optimize the services you pay for. For instance, the software analyzes an individual cellular user's calling profile and suggests a calling plan that best fits his unique needs. In the examples above, the employee who exceeds his minutes every month might need a plan with more minutes. Or, it might be that this employee is using his company-sponsored phone for excessive personal calls - an issue that's better addressed through policy than through a heftier plan. If you do use multiple providers for the same type of service, Traq lets you compare the usage and fees of each provider side by side. So it's finally possible to know which providers offer the most cost-effective services. Better yet, you can see where you could be consolidating lots of individual service contracts into one larger one in order to receive a volume discount. An asset-tracking module allows you to keep track of every cell phone, every Blackberry unit, and every battery-charger issued to employees. Many companies have reduced costs by centralizing the issuance of all such devices and knowing who has them at all times. Several companies using Traq-wireless' software have realized very significant savings: * The Kleinfelder Group used Traq software to analyze the usage and spending habits of more than 2,000 employees. Through optimization, the company cut its average per-minute cell phone charges from 28 cents down to 13 cents. * Gentronics drove down airtime costs for its 3,000 employees, yielding an annual savings of $300,000. * Flowserve, of Texas, reduced its per-minute charges and shaved $260,000 off its million-dollar-plus cellular bill in 2002. Companies that have used the software to sniff out and reduce waste have a few suggestions for best practices: * Do not allow individuals to contract for wireless services. You get the best volume discounts if the negotiating power is held by a central office. * If Traq suggests different rate plans for employees and you approve them, follow-up to make sure the changes went into effect. * Use the asset-tracking feature to keep track of what you've bought. When an employee leaves the company, HR can use the tracker to see if the person has equipment to turn in or services to turn off. * When an employee requests a device or service, ask him to fill out a profile questionnaire so you can best match his needs for a service plan and product. This can keep you from over or under buying a suitable solution. Large companies easily spend millions of dollars per year on mobile services. Traq-wireless can help you spot and act on trends and habits and yield cost reductions of 10% to 40%. If you tell your CFO about these numbers, I bet he'll buy you lunch. Linda Musthaler is vice president of Currid & Company. You can write to her at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> RELATED EDITORIAL LINKS Traq-wireless http://www.traq.com/ Securing mobile assets Network World, 04/05/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/careers/2004/0405man.html?page=1 Traq-wireless: Slashing Cell Phone Bills at Kleinfelder http://www.nwfusion.com/nltechexec825 The $33 Billion Phone Bill http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/3014099?f=insidecfo Management tools help curb cell phone costs Network World, 09/01/03 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0901spwirelesstools.html Competition heats up for key piece of 'Net infrastructure Network World, 11/15/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/111504dotnet.html Hospitals smooth prescription pro cess http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/111504medinfo.html ITIL best practices gain growing interest: survey Network World, 11/15/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/111504survey.html The Extended Enterprise Issue Network World, 11/15/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/ee/2004/ _______________________________________________________________ To contact: Linda Musthaler Currid & Company <http://www.currid.com/> researches information technology and how it can change the rules of business. Analysts focus on emerging technologies and methods by which organizations can obtain the best results from these innovations. Currid & Company offers consulting services to computer industry and corporate clients to help define and fulfill the potential of these exciting technologies. To learn more about emerging technologies that affect your business and your life, visit Your Digital Minute <http://www.yourdigitalminute.com/> , brought to you by Currid & Company. _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by Intel IT Productivity; Increasing ROI Learn how to effectively measure employee productivity, manage IT investments and reduce the Total Cost of Ownership in enterprise data management. Visit Intel's IT Productivity center. Click here to download white papers, books and IDC Research. http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=88402 _______________________________________________________________ ARCHIVE LINKS Archive of the Technology Executive newsletter: http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/techexec/index.html _______________________________________________________________ FEATURED READER RESOURCE NEW! Website dedicated to Networking for Small Business now available The editors of NW Fusion and PC World have combined all their expert advice, authority, and know-how into a powerful new tool for small businesses, the new Networking for Small Business website. Get news, how-to's, product reviews, and expert advice specifically tailored to your small business needs. Find help with Security, Broadband, Networking, Hardware, Software, and Wireless & Mobile technology at: <http://www.networkingsmallbusiness.com/> _______________________________________________________________ May We Send You a Free Print Subscription? You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered at your fingertips each day. Now, extend your knowledge by receiving 51 FREE issues to our print publication. Apply today at http://www.subscribenw.com/nl2 International subscribers click here: http://nww1.com/go/circ_promo.html _______________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World e-mail newsletters, go to: <http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/Changes.aspx> To unsubscribe from promotional e-mail go to: <http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/Preferences.aspx> To change your e-mail address, go to: <http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/ChangeMail.aspx> Subscription questions? 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