Four considerations when looking for a network managed services vendor in China

Throughout the past decade, more international companies have come to China for business. But no matter how many manufacturing factories, research labs and sales offices are set up, IT infrastructure remains a significant aspect of support for these companies. And because China is a very localized and customized market, the network is the most important part of an IT deployment in the region.

International companies that have come to China may decide to outtask or outsource their network infrastructure to a network managed services vendor. However, the capabilities and services provided by these vendors can be different from what those companies are used to in their home countries. Always consider the following four questions when searching for a network managed services vendor in China. 

How does the vendor run your network?

Most international companies’ IT management is ITIL compliant. However, many local network managed services vendors in China only know how to build a network: they don’t have experience running it. Neither do they have a problem management nor a change management process in place. They could only provide technical support when there is a problem happening in your network. Furthermore, these vendors still rely on your in-house IT staff to run your network. That isn’t really how a network managed services vendor should operate. A true network managed services vendor should have ITIL-compliant processes in place and be equipped with the capability to provide processes and technology to address your other compliance requirements (the payment card industry, for example).

What kind of technical support can the vendor provide?

When people talk about technical support for a network, it’s usually in relation to ITIL problem and incident management. You should determine whether the network managed services vendor has a 24x7 network operation center to monitor your network infrastructure. The vendor’s parts depot should be close enough to meet the terms of your service-level agreement (SLA) when network failures occur. 

Having a global alliance with network product vendors is also important. A network managed services vendor with successful global industry alliances will be able to provide better support due to better technical education and technical support from the network product vendor. 

Next, you must understand the skill level required for the managed services vendor’s support team members and whether related network product certification is needed. For example, Cisco-certified engineers are easy to find in China, but what if the network product in your Chinese infrastructure is special (Palo Alto Firewall, for example)? You should check whether the network managed services vendor is capable of supporting that network product instead of simply relying on the contract’s service-level agreement. Perhaps it can support the product through a subcontract with the network product vendor distributor in China or through a global alliance with the network product vendor. 

What is the vendor’s experience in running an international company’s network?

If an international company chooses a network managed services vendor from somewhere other than its home country (which is very common), there must be adequate communication and collaboration between the vendor in China and the vendor in the company’s home country or its own IT staff. Communication skills are very important because they not only include knowing a language but also understanding local and international cultures. The best way to find out what experience a vendor has is to ask for reference cases. 

What is the vendor’s reputation in the Chinese IT market?

Every network managed services vendor in China must have a license. Apart from this, what a client needs to understand is the vendor’s reputation and its place in the Chinese IT market. See if you can discover the vendor’s financial stability and if there have been any failures to the vendor’s customer network infrastructure. How does the vendor deal with these setbacks? You should also determine if the vendor can provide full lifecycle services for your network infrastructure. Can the vendor be neutral to network products so you can rely on them to run your network in China? 

Network stability is the foundation of your IT infrastructure and it is the key to supporting your company’s business in China. To learn about your options, check out IBM Networking Services and connect with me on LinkedIn. Let me know if you have any tips! 

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