Companies of all sizes increasingly realize that aging, on-premises (on-prem), legacy technology systems are not a worthwhile investment. Maintaining and upgrading on-prem ecosystems are costly, resource-heavy endeavors that squander IT department resources. Therefore, companies are turning to the Cloud to get the most out of their technology budgets.
Cloud technology offers more than just storage. It also provides cutting-edge solutions for Unified Communications (UCaaS), Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS), Networking and Infrastructure, IoT devices, and security protocols to keep your business’s digital estate safe.
But choosing the right implementation partner is no small feat. Few providers deliver a broad spectrum of integrated solutions that modern businesses rely on to stay competitive. What makes CBTS stand out in the field? Three things:
For over 25 years, CBTS has been offering cutting-edge technology implementation services. CBTS branched out from a 100-year-old telecom company and over time, the CBTS engineers developed a high-quality implementation process that guides our clients in large-scale, high-velocity new technology deployments. CBTS believes that delivery should be as, if not more, important than technology. In other words, CBTS prioritizes finding the best solutions to specific operational problems over pushing particular technologies. CBTS has developed hundreds of partnerships with technology providers and can offer end-to-end client experience, linking our clients with our world-class Software as a Service (SaaS) products. This blog will detail the CBTS technology implementation process.
The CBTS client journey begins with the pre-sales consultation. The goal at this phase is not to force a sale. Instead, our sales team asks strategic questions to determine whether the client is a good fit for CBTS. Part of the CBTS attitude is to seek out long-term relationships with our clients. An exemplary implementation partner will adapt as your business grows. By learning your business as intimately as possible, our project managers and engineers can recommend the best technology to implement, upgrade, or replace. The technology implementation process moves through three broad phases and five smaller steps. Every client moves through all three stages—Design, Build, Run. However, not every client will need all steps, which are detailed below.
Once both sides have determined that CBTS is the right implementation partner for the client, the consultation process begins by assigning the client a dedicated project manager or managers and appropriate subject matter experts. The project Kickoff step involves a series of deep dive meetings to align goals for both CBTS and our client, plan the work, and define the criteria for project success. These sessions generate a network design document that serves as a blueprint of how the work will proceed.
Some clients may need to engage in the Proof of Concept (POC) step, in which the CBTS team builds a prototype of the technology solution that will be implemented. Then the engineers will rigorously stress test the solution and, if necessary, extend the solution to a trial branch location.
At this point, the CBTS team will evaluate the result of the POC to pinpoint any necessary improvements before moving on to the Pilot step. The pilot is a soft launch in which more test locations are added, evaluated, and closely monitored. The lessons learned from the Pilot are the foundation on which the Rollout step occurs.
The Rollout launches all the remaining stores or branches with the client’s new technology implementation. In this phase and step, the CBTS team finalizes documentation and processes. They also create and execute a rollout “ramp” strategy, which guides the process. Next, CBTS sets up the client on ServiceNow, a 24x7x365 support platform. After the rollout, CBTS transitions into support—on-call tech support and monthly business reviews—and finds ways to improve service continuously.
In years past, when a company bought a new piece of technology, they owned it. The company was responsible for design, installation, implementation, and day two care and feeding. Now, the market demands that technology providers offer co-management. Instead of the “black box,” or “set it and forget it,” mentality, managed service providers now must be willing to grant greater control to their clients. Yet, many providers only pay lip service to this idea, fearing that clients will accidentally take out swaths of newly implemented software.
CBTS offers an authentic co-management experience. The CBTS team provides complete control over a client’s technology solutions with greater visibility and access than a fully managed solution. CBTS also offers 24x7x365 support in case something goes wrong. A co-managed environment provides the best of both worlds—it grants your company the speed and flexibility of on-prem technology with the support, security, and expertise of a fully managed service.
As we have discussed, technology is steadily shifting away from on-prem technology to the Cloud. Because of this development, companies can move technology implementation from CapEx budgets to OpEx—in other words, from core infrastructure investments to operating expenses. Companies need implementation partners that fully understand their needs and can provide around-the-clock support.
Choosing the right implementation partner can be daunting. But CBTS has solidified its implementation process over 25 years and our experts offer tech support on day two of the technology implementation process and through each sequential step. Once the new technology is up and running, we offer a genuinely co-managed solution that is a unique hybrid between the “black box” of fully managed service and the speed and flexibility of self-management.
Get in touch to learn more about how CBTS can support your technology implementation journey.