Dear {!firstname},

Spring cleaning time! Here are a few procedures to incorporate into your IT spring routine.

In this issue, I also give you a sneak preview of an upcoming speech on navigating Technology Partner Options, a few best practices for selecting vendors.

Support CVNPA (Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association) without donating a thing! Vote each day until May 14th so they can win a $5,000 educational grant. Keep up to date via Facebook - become a fan.

Feel free to forward this to others who may find this newsletter helpful.

Sincerely,

Laura Pettit Rusick
OPT Solutions, Inc.
www.optsolutionsinc.com

Spring brings to mind house cleaning and yard cleanup. It's also a great time to take a fresh look at those tasks in IT that often get put off.

At least once a year, remember to:

• Test your UPS's (battery backups). Check for bad batteries and make sure the load - what is plugged into the UPS - can be adequately supported. If your UPS allows it, enable automatic shutdown of your servers.
  Result: Avoid data loss due to irregular power and equipment damage due to hard shutdowns.
• Review all user access. Compare users against current employee and contractor lists. Review access for the network, databases and applications against users' current roles. Eliminate access for prior workers, revise access for those who have changed roles and remove generic user ids.
  Result: The biggest security risk is people. Ensuring current staff have access only to the systems required to do their jobs is critical.
• Change administrative passwords. While passwords should always be changed when an adminstrator leaves the organization, regular changes help ensure passwords are given to only those with current access. Don't forget the data center or computer room if on a key code.
  Result: Minimize risk to the highest level of access - the "keys to the IT kingdom".

Consider performing these audits more frequently if you are a mid-sized organization, if you are subject to regulations that require it or experience turnover.

Few executives have formal experience with evaluating, selecting and managing vendors to partner with their organization. Have you used a selection process and feel comfortable negotiating an aggressive yet fair agreement?

Several years ago, we insourced functions that had previously been outsourced. The outsourcer got beat up on price. Guess what - they did the absolute minimum, kept no documentation and didn't properly maintain software licenses. Breaking the agreement was costly, but the business couldn't afford such poor service levels. The same type of issue can happen with software.

New technology companies are created every day, from large firms to the unemployed looking for consulting opportunities. Older companies may not be familiar with the latest technologies. Non-IT companies have begun offering IT services. Your neighbor has a technology company. In the sea of companies to choose from, how does one navigate and identify strong technology partners? Following are a few tips to get you started:

• Involve the people who will be interacting with the vendor or using its product during the selection process. You will increase buy-in and be more likely to pick the vendor/product that properly supports your business.
• Write down what is important and ask the vendor to respond in writing. There is the vendor evaluation piece as well as the service or product evaluation. Know what is critical rather than nice to have. No one can reasonably keep all the details straight amongst various vendors. Put things in writing to reduce the chance of misunderstandings and misrepresentations by salespeople.
• Don't forget about culture, particularly when ongoing interaction with the vendor will be important. What if the vendor with the best product is abrupt and offends your workforce? Your employees are likely to avoid asking questions. We have seen employees get pretty creative when they are uncomfortable, finding ways to circumvent processes. Particularly when vendors are close on requirements criteria, consider the culture match.
• Find the win-win negotiation scenario. What is important to the vendor? Does the vendor need references? Are you willing to be a beta customer (and are comfortable with the risk)? You can often trade off these "soft" benefits for price reductions, but avoid being overly aggressive. While I'm a big believer in negotiating price, the current economy can result in deals that will be undesirable to the vendor as the economy recovers. Avoid this if the vendor relationship will be long term.

Join me in May to learn which types of companies are biased to which solutions. Learn what you need to know to manage these vendors, whether they are consultants, outsourcers or those selling software and hardware. Understand the differences between project needs and ongoing support relationships.

Copyright © 2010 by Laura Pettit Rusick.

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