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When approached effectively, multi-location IT management can drive business resiliency and growth. However, if conducted poorly, it can also wreak havoc on connectivity and jeopardize revenue.
Enterprise infrastructure, security, compliance, support, and performance optimizations leave internal IT teams overworked and often ill-equipped for such critical responsibilities. The more locations an enterprise adds, the more complex these challenges become.
This article addresses these pain points with holistic solutions emphasizing global connectivity strategies and resources that keep businesses running smoothly. Find out how to alleviate the burden on your team, protect essential business functions, and streamline operational costs below.
What is multi-location connectivity management?
Multi-location connectivity management navigates business functions across different offices as one unified system. It includes a host of strategic IT considerations regarding technology advisement, procurement, implementation, support, expense management, and optimization. These solutions must be functional for each locale while also addressing the needs of the enterprise as a whole.
The goal is to ensure reliable, secure, and cost-effective network usage for an enterprise’s employees, partners, customers, and vendors, regardless of geographical barriers. A successful strategy will lead to improved collaboration, faster innovation, and sustainable business growth.
How do you manage IT for multiple locations?
Approach multi-location IT management with a customized strategy. The many logistical and business-related challenges depend on the enterprise’s unique requirements.
Many of those complex challenges drill down to four pillars:
- Scalable IT architecture that allows for future growth
- Equilibrium between business standards and flexibility for local office needs
- Budgets for hardware, software, and ongoing maintenance
- Timely user support and troubleshooting
Addressing these items with an internal team may seem impossible, especially across multiple time zones. To avoid employee burnout and skills gaps, consider partnering with global connectivity experts who go above and beyond the typical managed service provider (MSP).
Whether enterprise connectivity is addressed through a third party or not, follow the tips below to ensure the best results.
1. Establish robust cybersecurity protocols
Even with the right cybersecurity tools, siloed communications across disconnected teams can create business risk. The Cloud Security Alliance identifies this limited or total lack of collaboration as one of the most critical problems for security posture. Their State of Security Remediation report notes that only a third of organizations define their security collaboration as good.
When multiple locations within the business have disjointed security operations, it opens up additional opportunities for a cyber attack. Coupled with the dynamic state of compliance standards, enterprises have never been more vulnerable.
Understand your current threat profile and proactively mitigate risks. If you use multiple vendors to secure your IT environments, you must consolidate, track, and manage those threats. A global connectivity partner can help you maintain compliance, identify vulnerabilities, and protect your enterprise before an attack occurs.
2. Upgrade outdated infrastructure
Outdated technology is a costly problem for multi-location enterprises. Legacy systems pose operational inefficiencies and require substantial upkeep costs.
The resources spent updating and securing older infrastructure inevitably cause enterprises to pay more for less agile systems. To complicate matters, most in-house teams need more bandwidth or expertise to manage the massive undertaking of migrating workloads to the cloud.
Enterprises overcome these issues with scalable cloud technologies. This move allows in-house teams to focus on business growth instead of struggling with old technology.
However, partnering with connectivity experts for managed enterprise cloud solutions offers strategic integrations and scalable IT management across a global network.
3. Combine solutions for multi-location management
Without a holistic approach to multi-location management, enterprises are primed to lose oversight and end up overpaying for similar solutions and services. Internal IT teams can quickly become overburdened with contract renewals, technology upgrades, communication systems, budget allocations, and more as responsibilities multiply with each added location.
An MSP can alleviate these inefficiencies, but be wary of common setbacks when outsourcing to traditional providers. A global connectivity partner like Advantage uniquely supports implementation and technology lifecycle optimization.
Compared to the average MSP, Advantage clients get a leg up with faster rollouts and see a quicker return on their investment. This level of productivity continues when contract renewals are over. Experts will evaluate the market for the best vendors and cost-saving opportunities that keep global enterprises running smoothly.
4. Optimize multi-site network integration and efficiency
Traditional managed service providers focus on individual lifecycle pillars, or just a few, rather than the entire technology lifecycle. This fragmented approach leads to an expansive web of vendors to manage, increases costs, and creates inefficiencies. In contrast, leveraging an MSP that focuses on the entire technology lifecycle yields significant room for savings and operational efficiencies.
A prime example is how John Wiley & Sons, a multi-national publishing company, reduced annual IT costs by over $3 million and consolidated their 40+ global providers to less than 10 by partnering with Advantage Communications Group. This strategic move enhanced support and service reliability across five continents.
Advantage extends the standard managed technology provider model beyond advisory, sourcing, ongoing support, and expense management by offering implementation oversight and lifecycle optimization.
Advantage's unique approach of waiving fees for clients who assign Advantage as their agent of record sets it apart even more.
5. Standardize reporting and performance tracking
Say farewell to inconsistent reports and fragmented data. Instead, prioritize the transparency of network costs and usage allocations. Real-time insights facilitate informed budget decisions, support ticket management, and quick issue diagnosis.
While many MSPs will tout their network performance tools, there’s a clear edge with Command Center from Advantage. Track support tickets, monitor SLAs, set custom alerts for service milestones, analyze monthly expenses, and more through Advantage’s unique SaaS platform.
Conclusion: Partner with Advantage Communications Group
As we’ve explored, managing a multi-location enterprise involves many challenging IT responsibilities. The associated resources and costs can become unmanageable when considering data security, infrastructure updates, support, optimization, and technology management challenges.
Transformation through strategic planning and consolidation is possible. A holistic solution with enterprise-wide oversight and local-level flexibility will streamline operations and costs. Without additional resources focusing on scalability, security, and continuity, you’re putting an enormous burden on your internal teams.
Look to an expert like Advantage that offers a comprehensive approach to your IT needs. With seamless global connectivity, you will unlock savings, company-wide efficiencies, and a lifecycle optimization approach for your enterprise.
Contact Advantage to save on enterprise connectivity today.