Maintenance
Contract
No organisation is totally
self-sufficient. Even if they are tremendously efficient at handling user’s
requests and problems, there will undoubtedly be situations that they will
be unable to resolve, and so the services of a maintenance contract will
most likely be employed, albeit, to varying degrees. External aid of this
nature provides a safety net of sorts. Maintenance contracts are reassuring,
for there will be times when the skills, knowledge or resources required for
a job, may well not exist within the company, contractors can then come to
the rescue. This is the thinking that leads most enterprises to invest
significant amounts of money every year with support companies.
It is up to the network
administrator and or similar staff to decide what level of support is
required. Contracts can be negotiated that will handle all repairs, some
with only major repairs, and some perhaps only being used in emergencies.
One important factor in negotiating a contract is to agree to its extent.
Will the equipment be sent to the contractor’s base, or will the technician
attend the site? Also, It is very important to agree on a response time and
a resolution time. If your company is running a mission-critical
application, then it is crucial to ensure that the contractor can offer the
level of service that is being paid for. Contractors can even provide a
swap-out option. That is, if equipment fails, the contractor is able to
appear at your organisations door with a full-working replacement, which
will replace the defective equipment until it is repaired. Some large
companies, like IBM can swap out, not just single machines, but entire
systems. Once put in place, you would simply configure the network to your
needs, install applications and reinstate data from backups.
So, maintenance contracts can
vary according to an organisations needs and size, however, regardless of
needs it is important to observe the following:
- When negotiating a
maintenance contract firms should decide exactly what they will need from
their maintainer. Network managers should ensure that they drive the
negotiations, rather than allowing the maintenance company to set the
agenda.
- Network managers should
detail all requirements in an invitation to tender, and make sure the
winning maintenance firm agrees to it. Bids should leave nothing to
assumption.
- Firms should insist on cost
breakdowns for both the basic service and any value add-ons. They should
make sure they know what they are paying for so they can tell if it is worth
it.
- Firms have a right to know
about the maintenance staff who will be working on their behalf. Inspecting
CVs, site visits, and lots of face-to-face meetings can make sure that IT
managers know what level of service they can expect.
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