How Vendor Agnostic Partners Help Solve IT Management Challenges
If you work in IT management, you know that every day can be full of challenges — with a million and one things to take care of, and only so much time to tackle them all. Now, chances are that you’ve also heard the terms “vendor agnostic” or “vendor neutral” thrown around for everything from hardware to technology solutions.
The question is, what exactly do those terms mean, and how can a vendor agnostic hardware partner help lighten the load of your day-to-day IT management responsibilities?
What is a vendor agnostic hardware partner?
Simply put, “vendor agnostic” is a term used to describe a business that is not bound or contractually obligated to a specific manufacturer. Vendor agnostic businesses (or vendor neutral, as they’re sometimes called) work with a variety of manufacturers to offer a wide range of products or services.
While this might seem simple on the surface, working with a vendor agnostic hardware partner can have some surprisingly powerful benefits for IT managers.
4 Ways Vendor Agnostic Partners Benefit IT Management
One of the biggest pain points for those in IT management (especially those in the financial industry) is the time-consuming task of developing budgets for new hardware, researching different devices to find the best fit, and juggling warrantees from an assortment of manufacturers.
With a vendor agnostic partner, you can leave those responsibilities to a trusted hardware expert while you focus your time on the more critical aspects of IT management — all while ensuring you receive the most cost-effective and efficient hardware solution available.
Here are just a few ways that a vendor agnostic partner can simplify and benefit IT management:
1. Lower Costs
When businesses work directly with original equipment manufacturers (OEM), they often feel a sense of security and peace of mind. The problem with this approach is that they must then pick a solution from a limited number of products — regardless of the prices. This often results in spending too much on hardware that has either too much or too little functionality.
A vendor agnostic partner will leverage their strong relationships with manufacturers as an authorized reseller to find the perfect device while keeping your budget top of mind. In some cases, they can even offer demo equipment or receive special pricing on their orders — and those savings will be passed on to your business.
2. Unbiased Support
When you work in IT management, you can’t afford to waste time being sold something you don’t need. With a vendor agnostic partner, you’ll never be subject to up-selling. Since they receive no incentive to sell the wares of specific suppliers, you can rest easy knowing that the solutions presented to you are truly the most likely to solve your problem.
A good partner will listen closely to your challenge and ask probing questions to better understand your specific need. Then, they’ll use their hardware expertise and industry knowledge to find the perfect products, all while keeping your budget and timeline in mind.
3. Customized Solutions
Back in the day, if you wanted cable TV, you might be afforded three options — 100, 150, or 250+ channels. If there was only one channel between 100 and 150 that you really wanted, you had to choose between paying for something you didn’t need or going without that channel. Buying hardware directly from a single OEM is just like that.
Working with a vendor agnostic partner, on the other hand, is like a modern streaming service that allows you to hand select the specific channels you want. Vendor neutral hardware partners can package hardware components from multiple suppliers to create a truly customized solution that specifically meets your unique needs and fits within your organization’s greater strategy.
4. A Simplified Process
Another major challenge in IT management, especially within industries that use a variety of hardware, is that facilities rarely rely on a single OEM for all device types. That means that for every type of device, IT managers might have a separate point of contact, a different warranty to manage, and a unique replacement plan for when that device breaks.
Vendor neutral hardware partners act as a single source supplier for all your hardware needs, including purchasing, updating, and retiring all devices. That means one point of contact for everything, and that can save those in IT management serious time.
Some vendor agnostic partners, like Teksetra, even go a step further by being authorized to repair the hardware they provide and offering replacements for consumable parts. If you work in IT management, it might be worth talking to a vendor neutral hardware provider to discover how they can help save you plenty of time, money, and headaches.
