Platforms, networks and suppliers (Part 1): Managed services and connectivity vs. software and networks

Evaluating a comprehensive business solution can be tricky, especially when the organization is evaluating just software capabilities — which is to say “features and functionalities” — but the provider brings more than this alone. For example, it can be difficult to do apples-to-apples sourcing comparisons when considering the types of value-added services that a solution provider can offer (by itself or a third party) to complement or strengthen its own technological solution.

In many cases the optimal solution is a mix of capabilities that could include software, with or without managed services. In order to illustrate this premise, here are six capabilities that could “go either way” for any given organization, which is to say selecting software capabilities alone or choosing managed services that incorporates technology capabilities.