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The Consonus Technology Provider Continuum

Technology is constantly changing; software continually upgrades, hardware increases in power, new technologies become available. But with all these advances, there is one thing that never changes: your business needs.

You need to reduce costs, improve productivity, and mitigate risk. How you address these needs is the difference between a cost-effective, sustainable, and resilient IT solution versus a cheaper system that — because it doesn't help you achieve your business goals — can cost you more in the long-term.

Want your IT investments to deliver ongoing value to your business? Don't rely on a provider that simply wants to sell you products and services. Find one that acts as a business partner, offering comprehensive technology solutions, world-class expertise, and 'round the clock service.

Does your provider score as inadequate, average, proficient, or adept? If you haven't already, take our Technology Provider Assessment, or just read below to learn how an IT Product Seller differs from an IT Business Partner, suggestions on how to maximize your relationship with your provider, and links to helpful resources.

IT Product Seller	IT Reseller	IT Solutions Provider	IT Business Partner
While you’re able to get the products you need, you may be dissatisfied with your provider’s service. And you’re missing out on the opportunity to leverage your IT investments for greater business value.	Your provider is getting the basics right, and you have confidence in their ability to address many of your IT needs. However, they may not be able to address your business needs as well as others.	You’re doing well with a provider that offers a variety of IT products and services, solid technical support, and helps you understand how to better manage your IT to address your business goals.	Your provider is one among very few world-class “IT Business Partners” — organizations that understand how to maximize your ROI and take you to next-level performance.
OBSERVATIONS
Does your provider make an attempt to understand the business goals that drive your IT requirements, or do they simply ask you how much storage or how many servers you need? Does your provider make you look good to your management? If your website goes down on a holiday weekend, will your provider be available to address the issue? A competent provider should be interested in helping you succeed, not merely selling you products. And their support staff should be available 24x7x365.	While is rare to find a provider that can do everything, a good one will offer a variety of IT products and services including multiple configurations and deployment methods. An able provider will uncover the root cause of your business pain, and help you assess the company-wide impact of a solution — not simply focus on one specific device or software application. In addition to variety and flexibility, your provider should offer outstanding customer service and technical support.	A good provider offers comprehensive IT solutions that meet your needs today — and tomorrow. An IT Business Partner goes further, than just-in-time provisioning of IT assets you need to keep pace with your business growth. For example, Consonus offers three deployment models that help you achieve the optimal mix of capital and operating costs, timing, risk, resources, and complexity: at your Customer Data Center, Consonus Colocation Data Centers, and/or the Consonus Cloud.	In addition to IT solutions that meet your needs today and tomorrow, an IT Business Partner offers multiple solutions, different deployment models, world-class technical support, and an interest in helping you fully address your business needs through the creative implementation of technology, such as virtualization and cloud computing. Moreover, an IT Business Partner will have the experience and expertise to assess, design, manage and support business-critical initiatives that include Data Protection and Disaster Recovery.
NEXT STEPS
You may want to investigate an alternate provider. Read the rest of the Consonus Technology Provider Continuum for desirable attributes. We also recommend that you read about Data Center Efficiency, and our blog entry The Case for IT Outsourcing	Invite your provider to understand your business needs. If they aren’t interested in helping you be successful, you may consider other options. We recommend that you read about the credentials and qualifications that make the difference between an IT Reseller and an IT Solutions Provider.	Collaborating with an experienced, expert IT Business Partner rather than the more basic IT Solution Provider will help you understand how to maximize the ROI on your IT investments. We recommend that you read about The Consonus Deployment Model to understand the value of a more robust provider.	You’re well on your way to world-class performance, and robust business growth. To keep abreast of technology developments and tips and techniques to sustain your excellence, we invite you to regularly visit our Blog, and our Resource Library.