For large enterprises, managing connectivity across hundreds or even thousands of locations can be a complicated undertaking. Organizations often accumulate relationships with multiple carriers as they expand into new markets or add services. Over time, what began as a practical way to meet local connectivity needs can become a significant management burden for IT teams.
Complicating matters even further, each provider may have its own contracts, service-level agreements, billing processes, and support procedures. When something goes wrong, identifying who is responsible for resolving the problem can require considerable effort. And as enterprises become more dependent on reliable connectivity to support everyday operations, delays in troubleshooting can have consequences that extend well beyond the IT department.
These challenges are prompting some organizations to reconsider how many connectivity providers they need to manage.
Simplifying network management
According to Rob Roache, group vice president of strategic markets at Spectrum Business®, enterprises are increasingly looking to consolidate their connectivity relationships to simplify operations. Rather than maintaining numerous carrier relationships, some organizations are choosing to work with one primary provider or a small group of strategic partners. The benefits can extend beyond reducing administrative work. Consolidation can give IT leaders greater visibility into network planning and make it easier to coordinate changes as business requirements evolve.
Roache points to the value of “having a single view into the planning and not having to sit down with multiple providers,” which can bring greater simplicity to the process.
For IT departments already managing expanding cloud environments and growing infrastructure demands, that simplicity can make a meaningful difference. Instead of spending time coordinating among several carriers, teams can focus more attention on supporting the business.
However, consolidation requires careful consideration, particularly for organizations with geographically dispersed operations. A single provider may not own network infrastructure everywhere an enterprise operates. In some cases, retaining multiple underlying carriers is necessary to provide sufficient coverage or network diversity. The key consideration is how those relationships are managed.
Maintaining coverage with fewer relationships
One large retailer offers an example of how consolidation can work in practice. The company had maintained relationships with Spectrum® and another major carrier for approximately a decade. After evaluating the service received from both, the retailer asked Spectrum to assume responsibility for managing connectivity across the two networks. Under the arrangement, Spectrum would continue delivering its own network services while also purchasing and managing connectivity provided by the other carrier. In short, the retailer could retain the network coverage it needed while reducing the number of providers its internal team had to coordinate with directly.
For organizations considering a similar approach, it is important to understand how a primary provider manages third-party services. IT leaders should examine who takes responsibility for troubleshooting, how problems are escalated, and whether service expectations remain consistent across locations. Consolidation also creates an opportunity to evaluate the broader provider relationship. As network requirements change, enterprises need partners that can help them plan for new locations and changing capacity demands without introducing additional management complexity.
Ultimately, the value of consolidation depends on how effectively the provider can coordinate the services an enterprise relies on. For IT leaders managing increasingly complex networks, fewer direct carrier relationships can offer a practical way to simplify operations while maintaining the connectivity their businesses require.
Learn how Spectrum Business® can help simplify enterprise connectivity with a more coordinated approach to network management and support.