SAS 009 – Managing IT Vendor Relationships

Follow-Up

• Missed from SAS 006
  
  
  
  • Testing Hardware/Software
    
    
    
    • Test everything, try to break it
    
    
    • Don’t assume anything
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Testing backups
    
    
    
    • Monthly backup tests
    
    
    • Quarterly disaster recovery tests
    
    
    • Annual business continuity tests
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Today’s Show – Managing IT Vendor Relationships

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• Everyone will need an IT vendor at some point, so build good relationships for when you need them
  
  
  
  • Staffing help
  
  
  • Emergencies
  
  
  • Technical assistance for core infrastructure
  
  
  
  


• Evaluation process
  
  
  
  • Reputation
  
  
  • Size
  
  
  • Cost
    
    
    
    • Price is important, but isn’t everything
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Core competencies
  
  
  • Availability
  
  
  • Location
  
  
  • Qualify engineer who will actually be doing the work – these are often the best relationships
  
  
  
  


• Contract Review
  
  
  
  • Larger companies won’t budge much
  
  
  • This is the basis of the relationship
  
  
  
  


• Fixed price vs T&M vs Not to Exceed

Final Thoughts

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  • Implement changes over time
  
  
  • They work for you,  you can override their recommendations
  
  
  
  

You can send feedback and ideas for future episodes to [email protected].