| Channel partners can bring helpful insight to technology deployments. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| By Howard Baldwin Photograph by Al Hummel and Lisa Bickerstaff |
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| Article Contents: Choosing a Partner | Design and Deployment | Mapping the Future | Seven Steps to Success |
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 It's not often that when customers and consultants meet to discuss network deployments, the conversation turns to refrigerator magnets—but that's exactly what happened during a meeting between the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (HBWS) and Cisco channel partner Envision Networked Solutions. At the time, HBWS was deploying IP Communications technology for its headquarters and call center. Envision had become so involved in the deployment process that it also participated in marketing discussions—in particular, those that focused on the question of how the water utility could most effectively tell its customers about its improved system for handling service and billing questions.After one such discussion, Brian McKee, CIO of HBWS, suggested that the utility distribute refrigerator magnets with its new phone number on them. If HBWS sent out the magnets with utility bills, McKee said, they would serve as a memorable medium for spreading news of the change. But it was Envision's crew—informed by its 20-year history in the phone industry—that reminded McKee to send its new number to the phone company in time to be included in the newest Honolulu telephone directory. When customers hire channel partners to help with technology deployments, each party brings a different perspective to the success of the venture. In an ideal scenario, the two entities will not simply build a better network, but they will also build a strong relationship through all the phases of a project: planning, deployment, and ongoing support.
Choosing a Partner Helen Chan, former manager for SMB strategies and consulting at research firm AMI-Partners, says that one of the initial challenges for SMBs seeking assistance from channel partners is the sheer number of them: There are multiple categories of channel partners, many of which overlap. These categories include value-added resellers (VARs), systems or network integrators, independent software vendors (ISVs), service providers, and IT consultants, just to name a few. Here's a simple way to think about the various categories of channel partners. Think about purchasing a big-screen television:
Just as channel partners are identified by different names, they also offer different areas of expertise. For example, an individual partner may focus on networking, IP telephony, a convergence of those two, wireless, or security. Depending on your project, you may need a partner that specializes in one or more areas, or one that offers a broader range of services and can bring in other niche partners as needed. In either case, it's important to choose an organization that can demonstrate that it has completed similar projects in the past; even better, select one that has provided exceptional service to clients in your own industry. "When we put out our RFP, we specifically asked for a company that had done voice-over-IP installations before," says McKee. "We also asked for companies that had worked previously with a public utility or city government." In addition, customers often cite geographic proximity as another key requirement; customers want channel partners that are close by, and not just for convenience. Larry Kallembach, CIO of MB Financial, an 1,100-employee financial-services firm in Rosemont, Illinois, chose Meridian IT Solutions, a Chicago-based Cisco Gold Certified Partner, for a number of reasons. "If the [company's] headquarters is here, it means that it has a greater concentration of resources close by," Kallembach notes. "It not only keeps travel costs down but it also means that we got to know Meridian IT's senior staff on a direct basis." Perhaps more important, a local firm may also have a more comprehensive understanding of your customers. "People in Hawaii like personalized service," says Rick Phillips, director of sales for Envision Networked Systems. "We understood that, just as HBWS did. We could have automated the whole system with interactive voice response, but a lot of the retirees that HBWS serves in the community wouldn't have liked it." Ultimately, the decision of which partner to choose comes down to a question of personal preference and cultural fit. Most reputable companies can readily provide references from satisfied customers and demonstrate their expertise. But it's also important to select someone with whom you feel comfortable and confident. "They have to be competent and their price has to be competitive," says Kallembach. "But after that, it's a gut check."
Design and Deployment Before any real design begins, you should start with an initial evaluation, including an inventory of existing technology resources and a review of your business priorities and goals. As a project progresses, weekly meetings turn into daily meetings, which typically become even more frequent—and more focused—until the system is finally deployed. Even though many partnerships benefit from this type of close collaboration, it's important to remember that each project has its own complexity; furthermore, it's necessary to learn how your channel partner can help address each project's particular challenges—whether the partner plays a lead or a supporting role. "You need a good project manager to oversee the whole process," says McKee. "When your network goes down and you lose your computers, people get upset but accept it. When the phones go down as well, people get really [annoyed] because it's seen as such a basic service." Overseeing the channel partner's work requires cool heads, especially given the complexity of most projects. MB Financial's deployment, for instance, involved more than networking: Not only was the firm deploying an end-to-end Cisco network with IP Communications, but it was also effecting a full-scale migration to a Microsoft server infrastructure. As if that wasn't complicated enough, MB Financial had been growing through a series of mergers and acquisitions involving other regional banks—some with one location, and some with a half-dozen locations. "When we came on board, MB Financial had some 40 branch locations—all running on the systems they had used since the day they were acquired," says Greg Meyer, project manager at Meridian IT. "It was like a foil ball that just got bigger and bigger, but it never got pulled together." As a result, Meridian IT's work also involved integrating all 40 branches onto one system tied to a new corporate headquarters in Rosemont. The 18-month project also required that Meridian IT collaborate with other consultants who were responsible for the data-server and desktop portions of the project. Jetabout Vacations, which sells vacation packages to Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Fiji to travel agents and consumers through a Los Angeles call center, encountered a challenge similar to MB Financial's. Jetabout, however, resolved the issue in a different way. The company's relationship with Praxis Computing began with a relatively simple project: relocating offices from the sixth floor of an office building to the third floor. Jetabout asked Praxis to play the role of lead consultant and handle the IT move. "We help small and midsized businesses use technology as a strategic advantage. I've done my job if I can help Jetabout compete against larger travel agencies by leveraging their technology infrastructure," says Jennifer Roback, vice president of sales for Praxis. As a consultant with expertise in resolving business issues with technology, Praxis had to collaborate with Jetabout's IT team, including in-house staff and an existing phone vendor. "Initially, the existing team didn't know what to make of us because they had already started the project," remembers Roback. "But we were able to solve our common problems." Situations like this one can often take time to resolve, since the client often feels pulled in opposite directions. "We were ultimately successful because I was honest and direct with the client about what technology would help its business needs," Roback says. Once everyone realized they had a common goal of getting Jetabout's system up and running, they were able to work toward that common purpose.
Mapping the Future Once the deployment itself has been completed, you may find that the nature and frequency of the interaction with your partner changes. While the channel partner no longer works on-site, it's often beneficial to maintain an ongoing partnership. "It's always good to work with someone who knows how your network has evolved," says Chan. "That saves a lot of time because they don't have to start from scratch" learning about what's come before. Jetabout's ongoing relationship with Praxis helps the travel agency be more productive, says CFO Gary Goeldner. Jetabout has made two acquisitions since its original move, and it plans to complete more in the coming years. Jetabout acquired one company in August 2004, and asked Praxis to help incorporate the new employees into Jetabout's offices over a three-week period. These acquisitions involved not only getting the systems set up, but also addressing the socalled "human factors" of the restructuring. "In an acquisition, there's a feeling of controlled chaos," says Goeldner. "There was a lot of time pressure, because we were bringing in most of the acquired company's staff, and we were worried about them being poached by competitors and losing business." Jetabout relied on Praxis to acquire new equipment, plan for the migration of data and e-mail, and make sure the reservation system was available in the new premises. "We crammed a whole lot of work into three weeks," says Goeldner. "Praxis played a huge role in making it work." It's good to have someone to rely on—especially when it comes to technology. "We have a long corporate memory, and at one point or another, just about every other consultant we've used has alienated us," laments HBWS's McKee. "However, we would not hesitate to partner with Envision again, and there are few consultants we would say that about."
Seven Steps to Success Effective collaboration between a company and its channel partner during a deployment involves seven steps. To illustrate the process, we asked Brian McKee, CIO of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (HBWS), and Rick Phillips, vice president of sales at Envision Networked Solutions, to describe how they navigated these steps as their project evolved.
iQ Magazine, Second Quarter 2005 |
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| About the Author Silocon Valley-based Howard Baldwin is still upset that he had to conduct the Envision and HBWS interviews over the phone instead of on-site in Honolulu. |
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