optimum service
If the network isn’t working or is providing sub-optimal performance the ability of the business to operate will suffer. “The importance of the network in delivering applications has never been greater,” added Gemmell. “As businesses come to understand this they are starting to put the same level of planning, resilience and management into their networks as they have in the past with data centres. Our key focus is to ensure that by collaborating with our partners we are able to add real value so that, in turn, they can deliver that value to their customers.”
Networks First has always stuck to a company policy of going beyond the basic ‘break-fix’ approach with a belief that the service is about network restoration, not just about network spares. For example, the firm’s engineers do not leave a customer’s site until the network is restored. This expertise within the business has led to the evolution of a number of knowledge-based services and more sophisticated and intelligent network management services.
“One key issue for resellers moving forward is recognising that collaboration is vital,” commented
Gemmell. “No single business can be experts in everything, and as infrastructure and applications converge in the cloud collaboration will be essential to ensure ongoing customer satisfaction. We are increasingly working in partnership with true value added resellers, focusing on where we can offer specific products and services that complement our partners’ offerings.”
The profile of Networks First’s partners is changing, noted Gemmell. For example, a reseller offering a UC solution may provide a strong service with OCS, hosted VoIP and collaboration applications, but if the experience of those using the applications is poor because the network performance isn’t as good as it should be, then their relationship with their customer is affected. “We are often pulled in to be part of the team, either to advise in a pre-deployment capacity or to troubleshoot,” Gemmell noted. “Growth in our Professional Services comes to a large extent from these types of scenarios. We’d prefer more pre-deployment than troubleshooting. This would be far more cost-effective for the end customer too.”
Peak performance Gemmell said that the company undertakes a high level of troubleshooting when the network no longer performs following implementations of VoIP and video. “As the need to understand how to get it right prior to, rather than after, implementation grows, so has our range of pre- deployment services,” said Gemmell. “It is surprising that more value isn’t assigned to this as troubleshooting is almost always more expensive, disruptive and time-consuming than getting it right up front.”
Last month Networks First launched its Transformation Testing Service that cuts the cost and risk usually associated with undertaking major changes to the network. “Emulation has been available to large firms for some time, but we are now offering this as an
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affordable package to include consultancy in designing test scenarios, interpreting results and modifying the design to ensure optimal performance upon roll out,” added Gemmell. “The service will enable organisations to prove user experience prior to real- world transition by emulating how a new network configuration will perform before committing resources to a full deployment. Organisations will be able to fully stress test the viability of different bandwidth services, monitoring how disrupting factors would affect network operation and user experience, and measuring application and user response times.”
Gemmell believes that this service will be of particular advantage to companies wishing to move key applications to an off-site data centre, or introduce a more mobile workforce, integrate new applications onto the WAN or make the transition to a cloud or virtual environment. “We will continue to extend our portfolio of managed services and focus on addressing, in particular, end-to-end management,” she added. “We will also continue to broaden our support for the ever-increasing range of devices that now connect to the network.”
VITAL STATS Number of employees: 90
Turnover for 2011: £10.5 million. With turnover having grown steadily from £7 million in 2007 to over £10 million in 2010, the company has managed to sustain its growth throughout the recession.
Key partners: Atos Origin, BT, Ultima, Cap Gemini, Cisco, Mitel.
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