The Evolution of TEM (Technology Expense Management)

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Previously known as telecom expense management, TEM has evolved as telecommunications have evolved. Instead of being focused solely on managing wireline and wireless telecommunications expenses, Technology Expense Management now includes all manner of a company’s networking technologies and services spend, including managed services, maintenance, hosting and cloud services. The complexity of these technologies has also increased the complexity in managing them. As these technologies become more complicated and expensive, many enterprise users have availed themselves of third-party TEM services, such as those provided by WheelHouse Solutions, to help manage some or all of these expenses.

TEM services can help an organization to order, provision, support and manage costs of large-scale corporate communications, associated IT services and their inventories. TEM services change as often as the company’s needs evolve, with fixed (voice and data) and mobile devices increasing and the incorporation of other services and communications-related asset tracking. These offerings include inventory tracking of cloud/consumption-based services; other IT-related services, such as unified communications and collaboration (UCC); voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP); and IoT expense management. They can also include software licenses, computer and Mobile equipment, desktop and mobile applications, managed services, online hosting, and cloud services.

Enterprises are seeking third party providers as the most cost-effective way of managing their technology costs. TEM Providers have structured their service capabilities in the following areas: Sourcing, Procurement and Vendor management; Ordering and Provisioning Management; Inventory Management; Invoice/Contract Management; Usage Management; and Dispute Management. These capabilities can be applied to Wireline Voice and Data, Mobile, Cloud, UCC, IoT, and other services.

Enterprises are moving toward outsourcing their TEM services to providers that use cloud-based TEM applications to provide fully managed services. They are also showing interest in vendors’ that can use a single platform to track services, costs and inventories associated with XaaS, Cloud storage, IoT and other digital technology assets. Data collected from our TEM service application can be used with advanced data analytics and business intelligence to perform strategic and tactical business decisions relating to an enterprises’ technology ecosystem. This includes investments, budgets, inventory contract negotiations, and process improvements. As more companies automate their services, this may also include Artificial intelligence and Robotic Process Automation.

Several factors are of paramount importance when selecting a TEM vendor. Among those factors are Pricing and Savings Guarantees; Performance, Delivery Capabilities and Service Level Agreements; System Scalability; Vendor’s prior experience; Service Delivery; Platform Evolution; and Merger & Acquisition.

WheelHouse Solutions is committed to providing our customers with the right mix of tools and services to, accurately and efficiently, manage their telecom and technology spend. If you’d like more information on Technology Expense Management, fill out the form on this page or give us a call at (314) 806-0622and we’ll arrange a demo to discuss how TEM can benefit your organization.

5 Tips For Reducing Expenses In Your Organization

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Technology has become an essential factor in almost every business operation and now business owners are looking for ways to reduce expenses in their IT departments, in order to achieve greater efficiency for less money.

To do that, as a business owner, the logical action would be to cut back on your IT costs, but it’s essential to avoid sacrificing efficiency when reducing expenses.  With that in mine, here are the top five tips and tricks to reduce expenses in your business without compromising its efficiency and/or destroying value:

  1.  If you’re a small business owner, try to find alternatives to your traditional telephone service; if you’re using a land-line or a regular cell phone, you can switch to VoIP service and virtual phone lines. There are many options available that provide provide great flexibility and excellent value for the money, not to mention a serious cost reduction when it comes to communications.
  2. Use open source software. This is an excellent alternative to the commercial mainstream applications, especially if you’re a small business. The software related costs may cripple your business, especially in its inception phase, and open source software is very attractive, because it’s free.
  3. Use cloud services, instead of investing lots of money in hardware/software, especially if you’re a small business. Also, you should determine what you really need, the latest high-tech services is not always necessary and it may cost you an arm and a leg. And if you decide to perform an audit of your existing computers, you may find an answer about what’s really necessary for your line of business, hence reducing your technology expenses.
  4. You can try to negotiate with your existing IT contracts because IT services vendors desire to keep their clients happy and on board for as long as possible. Keep in mind that the competition in this area is pretty tight and you can take advantage on that. You can proactively ask for discounts, freebies, cost reductions or even negotiate a customized plan. In the end, it’s important to ask if you want to get any advantages.
  5. Reduce expenses with online business training. Being a small business owner, you can’t afford to travel the world in order to expand your experience, to participate in live training /educational conferences and the like. But, in the Internet era, you can use online business training for you and your employees. There are lots of free online business training programs and you can use them from the comfort of your office or even at home. With these options available for ongoing training, the possibilities for you and your business are endless, and your costs related to training will be significantly reduced.

If your business is looking for Managed IT, Cloud Services, Consulting & Support Services, WheelHouse Solutions has a staff of experienced professionals to deliver outstanding results. We provide cost-efficient managed IT Services, backed by a professional IT Staff, with experience in multiple disciplines. Whether you’re looking to augment your existing IT staff, or if your business wants to outsource all your IT services, we have a flexible solution to meet your needs.  Feel free to contact us at 314-492-2506 or fill out the form on this page and someone will get back with you.

Microsoft Announces Partnership to Expand 5G Worldwide

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Microsoft has recently announced a partnership with the telecommunications industry, worldwide, to unlock the power of 5G and deliver cloud and edge technology closer than ever before. The partnership comes as a result of increased demand for always-on connectivity and secure collaboration, especially in the wake of more people working from home due to Covid-19.

Operators can harness the power of Microsoft Azure, on their edge or in the cloud, to transition into a more scalable and flexible version, cut down infrastructure costs, utilize AI and machine learning (ML) to automate operations, and differentiate service. In addition, the hybrid, hyper-scale infrastructure provides operators the responsiveness needed to innovate and experiment with new 5G providers on a programmable network.

“We’re building a carrier-grade cloud and bringing more Microsoft technology to the operator’s edge. This, in combination with our developer ecosystem, will help operators to future proof their networks, drive down costs, and create new services and business models”, the tech giant said in a statement.”

The network infrastructure must ensure users can optimize costs and gain efficiencies, while allowing personalized and reliable services. Microsoft recognizes the many challenges operators will face in rolling out 5G. “To address the requirements of rolling out 5G, operators will face high capital expenditure (CapEx) investments, an increased need for scale, automation, and secure management of the massive volume of data it will generate,” said Jason Zander, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Azure.

Most importantly, Microsoft plans to support operators as they grow their infrastructure and operations, utilizing technologies like software-defined networks, networking purpose virtualization and service-based architectures.

Currently, Microsoft has one of the largest networks connected with operators in over 170 points of presence and more than 20,000 peering connections worldwide, with direct connectivity for over 15 miles in 85% of the world’s GDP. “More than 200 operators have already chosen to integrate with the Azure network through our ExpressRoute service, enabling enterprises and partners to link their corporate networks privately and securely to Azure services”, Microsoft said.

As Microsoft builds out Azure for Operators, they recognize the importance of ensuring users have the control and visibility needed to manage their unique industry requirements.

If you’d like more information on Microsoft Azure, please fill out the form on this page and someone will get back with you quickly. You may also call us directly at 314-492-2506.