The growing need for IT infrastructure has become a big issue in todays business, as evidenced by IBM spending top dollar in prime-time advertising. But its not news to those of us who were talking about the importance of infrastructure well before the ad campaign hit.
But heres a revelation the prime-time ads dont address: There are solid alternative solutions to bleeding-edge technologies costing millions of dollars. Remarketed and refurbished equipment that is still current provides an excellent approach, as do the creative-deal structuring solutions providers offer today.
While leasing is tried-and-true, its not the only game in town. A lot of companies are considering delivering now, with a quarterly take-down option.
An organization with proven credit worth signs on with a solutions provider that has staying power. A spending limit of, for example, $1 million per quarter is agreed upon. Then, rather than buying and paying for each piece of hardware and software individually, the company gets what it needs, as those needs arise, and has one invoice to settle up at the end of each quarter.
Thats a win-win deal. Both parties are protected by terms they set up at the outset. The structure ensures that spending never gets out of hand, and the company has a controllable way of assessing its purchasing power. It spends smarter with very little risk, so flexibility and the speed of doing business increase.
It takes a true solutions provider to structure that kind of deal—one that can put together a high-level, intellectual business case for individual agreements. The true solutions provider can offer high-volume transactions without tying customers to a single technology or vendor. As customers requirements change, they order as necessary with the confidence that fulfillment will be swift and effective.
The end result? Ease of doing business, which should be everyones goal.
John Sheaffer is president of Sysix Technologies, a Westmont, Ill., provider of infrastructure solutions that support e-business and enterprise applications. Comments can be sent to [email protected]