Driven by financial needs, a competitive managed services market, enhanced remote tools and demanding business requirements, organizations are increasingly delegating control of their network -- including carrier services and service management -- to third-party providers.

The potential benefits of implementing fully outsourced managed services include reduced cost of ownership (COO), access to external expertise/intellectual property, improved operational performance and abstracted management. A holistic outsourced model can also allow organizations to better allocate internal resources on strategic projects and core business activities.

TECH DEBATE:

HOW-TO:

However, relinquishing end-to-end responsibility for the network infrastructure without systematically addressing the service delivery model exposes the organization to significant financial, operational and strategic risks. To mitigate these risks and maximize results, organizations should consider the following best practices: