Staying Connected: Recent Episodes
Joseph M. Schmidt
TechCaliber Consulting (TC2) and Levine, Blaszak, Block & Boothby (LB3) provide strategic business and legal advice to leading companies around the globe covering the procurement, deployment, and regulation of Information and Communications Technology. Our Staying Connected podcasts deliver insights, tips and market commentary from TC2 consultants and LB3 lawyers, collected from our work on the cutting edge of ICT procurements, deal negotiations, and regulatory proceedings.
Sourcing CCaaS and UCaaS can appear straightforward, that is until the proposals arrive. If customers don't force comparability early, the decision can turn into a contest of narratives instead of a rigorous evaluation of cost, scope, accountability and operating risk.
In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Julie Gardner to discuss how customers can structure CCaaS and UCaaS sourcing so suppliers actually show their work. Tony and Julie explore why licensing, migration, voice, AI features, usage-based costs, responsibility matrices and contract terms need to be clear before supplier selection.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.
A polished report, monthly invoice or TEM dashboard doesn't necessarily give customers a baseline they can trust. In complex technology environments, contracts, invoices, inventories and ownership records often drift apart as services change, sites move and suppliers bill differently. When the baseline is wrong, strategy, sourcing decisions, savings targets, and budgets are built on shaky ground.
In this episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Frank Zagrodnik to discuss how enterprise customers can move from invoice fire drills to a defensible and actionable baseline by connecting contracts, invoices, inventory and ownership.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management webpage.
A rate review is more than a routine supplier meeting. Done poorly, it can produce a modest price reduction while giving the supplier more term, more commitment and better control over the next negotiation. Customers need to understand the baseline, market position, service mix and strategic roadmap before trading flexibility for short-term savings.
In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Larry York to discuss how customers can turn rate reviews into real leverage events. Tony and Larry explore how benchmarking, service segmentation, contract guardrails and negotiation discipline can improve your contract economics without weakening future options and flexibility.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.
A network transformation roadmap can look robust on a slide, but if enterprise customers go to market before all the details. steps and sequencing are clear, the sourcing process can quickly expose gaps in the baseline, stakeholder alignment, contract timing and migration readiness.
In this 8-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Brent Knight to discuss how enterprise customers can ensure a network transformation roadmap is truly executable before launching an RFP. Tony and Brent explore why the baseline, sourcing structure, contract planning and migration timing all need to align before suppliers start shaping the conversation.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.
A renewal date is not a strategy, it's a deadline. But in many enterprise technology environments, contract expirations, supplier proposals and budget cycles start driving decisions that should be tied to a larger strategic roadmap. When that happens, customers lose leverage, accept unfavorable contract extensions or lock in terms that limit flexibility before they have time to build better options.
In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Larry York to discuss how customers can connect renewal calendars to technology strategy, sourcing plans, contract mechanics and operational priorities so they can make decisions with time, facts and credible alternatives.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.
Enterprise SaaS deals are moving to cloud marketplaces — and resellers are often in the driver's seat. But what looks like a fast, seamless purchase can quickly turn into a legal maze, with three sets of terms and hidden risks around pricing, support, data protection, liability, and termination. In this episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino and LB3 Partner Deb Boehling break down the three-party contracting triangle, expose the pitfalls of flow-through obligations, and share practical strategies for legal and procurement teams to protect their interests. If you want to avoid finger-pointing and ensure your protections actually stick, this conversation is a must-listen.
To learn more about our SaaS & Software experience, visit our webpage?????
Last Monday, Verizon and BT unexpectedly announced a joint venture that would combine their international enterprise operations. The new business is expected to serve more than 3,000 customers across more than 180 countries, representing roughly $4 billion in combined annual revenue. Their enterprise customers were the last to know.
The proposed Verizon/BT joint venture raises an important question for enterprise customers with multinational operations: is this proposed JV simply a new international platform, or is it a signal that Verizon is effectively exiting parts of the enterprise network market?
The Verizon/BT JV will undoubtedly create real confusion around supplier competition, account ownership, contracting entities, pricing leverage, service accountability, and long-term network strategy. And of course, tie-ups between two competing network providers have a notable history of failure.
In this 14-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Brent Knight and Ben Fox to discuss what the Verizon/BT joint venture means for multinational enterprise customers, why Verizon's commitment to the enterprise-market is a question worth asking and how enterprise customers can protect their sourcing strategy, contract posture, pricing position and operational control during the transition window.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.
When an invoice doesn't match the contract, customers need a structured way to understand what was negotiated, what is being used, what the supplier is billing, and where the mismatch is occurring. Without that discipline, recurring billing issues can undermine cost management, renewal readiness, supplier accountability, and confidence in the baseline.
In this 12-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Theresa Knutson and Jaime Hansen to discuss how enterprise customers can move from invoice frustration to fact-based review, contract compliance, service inventory validation, and root-cause remediation.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization webpage.
Cost creep does not necessarily mean an enterprise negotiated a bad deal or lacks robust cost controls. In complex technology environments, spend can rise simply because ordinary changes pile up: legacy services linger, disconnects are incomplete, invoices drift from contract terms, pricing becomes stale, and ownership gets fragmented. Without an active governance model, small issues can quietly become the new baseline.
In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Frank Zagrodnik to discuss why cost creep happens even in well-run IT environments and how enterprise customers can use inventory accuracy, contract-to-invoice validation, disconnect discipline, usage review, and ongoing governance to keep technology spend under control.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management webpage.
A supplier discount or individual price point is not the same thing as a market benchmark. In complex enterprise technology deals, a proposal can look competitive on the surface while leaving major cost, commitment, flexibility, and contract risk untouched. Enterprise customers need to understand not only whether the price is competitive, but whether the overall deal will hold up over time.
In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Larry York to discuss benchmarking as a strategic capability - not just a pricing exercise. Tony and Larry explore how market intelligence can help enterprise customers evaluate supplier proposals, identify hidden risks, align stakeholders, and negotiate from a position of strength.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Benchmarking webpage.
The Supreme Court recently ruled on a case involving forfeiture orders assessed against AT&T and Verizon for failing to safeguard customer location information. The FCC forfeiture orders totaled over $100 million in combined penalties.
In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by LB3 partner Steve Rosen, to address a question that's been hanging over FCC enforcement proceedings for years. In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in FCC v. Jarkesy, are the FCC's forfeiture orders consistent with the Seventh Amendment—can the Commission order you to pay millions of dollars without ever giving you a jury trial?
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice and Advocacy webpage.
The latest Gartner Market Guide for Telecom Expense Management Services makes clear that TEM is no longer just about invoice processing, inventory and dispute management, or wireless optimization. The category is expanding into broader technology expense management, cloud, SaaS, UCaaS, IoT, utilities, and even emerging areas like AI license sprawl and API consumption.
Tony Mangino is joined by Theresa Knutson, head of the TC2 IT Cost Management Practice, to review the key updates compared to 2024's Gartner Market Guide and to provide additional market input and insights based on TC2's work with its clients on competitive RFPs, TEM implementations and TEM health check reviews.
If your company relies on call centers to support your customers, you'll want to listen to this podcast. The Federal Communications Commission just put out a sweeping proposal to require the significant onshoring of non-US based call center operations implementation of new customer service standards, such as language proficiency requirements.
FCC mandates would normally only apply to companies that the FCC historically regulates—telecom carriers, cable providers, and wireless and satellite companies, etc.—but in this recent proposal, there's a shocking twist: the Commission is exploring whether to use a somewhat obscure statutory provision to extend its call center customer service mandates and onshoring requirements to any business that uses a U.S. phone number—retailers, banks, healthcare providers, you name it.
In this 12-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino and Andrew Brown discuss the proposed rules, why the FCC thinks it has the authority to mandate customer service standards and call center operations of companies it does not regulate, and what enterprise customers need to do before these rules reshape their costs and vendor relationships.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice and Advocacy webpage.
Organizations invest a significant amount of time and resources conducting major RFPs, renegotiations, and technology transformations. The project delivers meaningful improvements on deal commercials, cost reductions and operational gains. However, once the deal is done and everyone goes back to their "day jobs", a surprising amount of the value starts to slip away.
In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Julie Gardner to discuss how disciplined lifecycle services can preserve deal value between major sourcing events.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Lifecycle Services webpage.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
When a supplier relationship is broken, performance is poor and expected outcomes are not being delivered, customers don't need more noise, they need more structure. They need to understand what is broken, what outcomes matter most, and what leverage they have to resolve the issues. Sometimes the right answer is to repair the relationship. Sometimes it is a broader reset. And sometimes the smartest move is to prepare for an exit.
In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Ben Fox to discuss why the best approach to repairing a broken supplier relationship is to move out of reactive mode and into an evidence-based, commercially disciplined plan.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Disputes & Workouts webpage.
Colocation discussions usually start with the obvious questions: which provider, which geographic market, and what's the price? Those questions matter, but they are not where real value is won or lost.
In this 9-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino and Larry York of TC2 discuss the colocation requirements the enterprise must define before sourcing gets underway.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.
In 2026, enterprise customers are transitioning from broad sustainability goals to evidence-based supplier requirements across key IT categories.
In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, TC2's Tony Mangino joins LB3's Deb Boehling to discuss how embedded and measurable sustainable sourcing practices can help manage risk, control costs, and drive supplier accountability.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Network Services Transactions webpages.
In almost every major technology deal you'll find tension between "lowest cost" and "total value." On paper, the lowest-priced proposal can look like the obvious win.
But when you account for lifecycle cost, commercial flexibility, execution risk, and the impact on the broader roadmap, that apparent bargain can become a very expensive decision to live with.
In this 9-minute episode of Staying Connected, Larry York from TC2 joins Tony Mangino to discuss how enterprise buyers can move from a "lowest cost wins" mentality to a disciplined total-value approach.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and IT Cost Management webpages.
When companies say they're "buying Zoom," what are they actually purchasing? In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, Theresa Knutson and Julie Gardner join Tony Mangino, for a deep dive discussion on negotiating Zoom enterprise agreements—specifically software, professional services, and transport components. They also unpack tricky contract terms and how service alternatives and benchmarking can strengthen your negotiating position.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
As the FCC prepares for a congressionally-mandated auction of upper C-band spectrum sought for 5G, aviation safety experts warn those frequencies are dangerously adjacent to aircraft radio altimeters.
In this 8-minute episode of Staying Connected, Steve Rosen from LB3 joins Tony Mangino to discuss the technical and financial challenges that come with upper C-band spectrum and the risk to aviation equipment.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Spectrum, Wireless and Infrastructure Development and Communications Regulatory Advice and Advocacy webpages.
Deploying and Operating Starlink at Scale
Once you've decided Starlink is a fit for your enterprise, you get to the hard part– how to deploy and operate it across your estate, while minimizing technical, operational and commercial risk. If Part 1 of this series was 'should we consider it,' Part 2 is 'can we do it well at scale.'
In this 8-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by Brent Knight and Frank Zagrodnik of TC2 to talk to discuss deploying and operating Starlink at scale.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Where does Starlink work best in the large enterprise networking space? In this part one of a two part series, we examine strategy: where Starlink's high-speed, low latency internet service fits, where it doesn't, and why enterprises are paying attention beyond connectivity to remote locations.
In this 9-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino, Frank Zagrodnik and Brent Knight from TC2 discuss how enterprises can ultimately make better decisions, and not just chase the Starlink hype.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
What impact will Lumen's recent EMEA divestiture have on your organization? Lumen's sale of its EMEA assets to COLT allows Lumen to focus on its North American core, while utilizing Colt's expanded footprint to serve international clients.
In this 12-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino and Frank Zagrodnik from TC2 are joined by LB3's Deb Boehling to outline potential impacts of supplier asset divestitures, some specifics on Lumen's recent EMEA divestiture, and how enterprises can manage these changes.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Technology Consulting and Strategy Development webpages.
SASE, A Practical Guide to the Future of Secure Networking
SASE is one of the biggest shifts in enterprise networking and security — and it's changing how the enterprise thinks about architecture, access, and risk.
If you've heard secure access service edge (SASE) come up in cloud or cybersecurity discussions but still want a clear, practical definition, you're not alone. In this 8-minute episode of Staying Connected, Deb Boehling of LB3 joins Brent Knight and Tony Mangino of TC2 to define SASE, explain why it matters, and share how organizations are putting it into practice.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Information Technology Advisory Services and Technology Consulting and Strategy Development Services webpages.
IT cost management is more than a "finance cleanup exercise," it's a board-level priority.
If you're responsible for major run-rate spend across cloud, software, telecom, and infrastructure, you've probably felt this shift. Cost questions used to be periodic, but now are continuous and tied directly to governance and risk.
In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, TC2's Theresa Knutson joins Tony Mangino to unpack what this looks like from an executive perspective.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Legacy networks are a classic form of technology debt: they work, but they quietly limit agility, drive unnecessary cost and constrain innovation.
In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, TC2's Keith Cook joins Tony Mangino to talk through how enterprises are shedding that debt by moving to an Internet-first WAN—and how to do it with a clear plan rather than a disruptive leap. We cover how enterprise buyers should think about connectivity mix, supplier selection, SD-WAN strategy, and security design—all before going to market.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Enterprise IT and procurement teams start the year with big priorities; however without disciplined contract management and a clear view of services and spend, those good intentions may be lost as costs and risk can creep in, weakening your leverage.
In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Laura McDonald of LB3 joins Tony Mangino to walk through a practical New Year's "housekeeping" checklist to spotlight the steps teams should take to avoid missed credits, address chronic service issues, build leverage, and tighten vendor governance so that the big priorities can be met without unnecessary friction.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions, Strategic Sourcing and IT Cost Management webpages.
Lumen recently announced the migration of its legacy "Control Center" customer portal to the newly branded "Lumen Connect".
In this 8-minute episode of Staying Connected, TC2's Theresa Knutson joins Tony Mangino to cover what's changing with this rollout, why Lumen is making these moves now, and what steps your team should be taking.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management webpage.
If you manage telecom and technology spend at a large enterprise scale, you already know the hardest part isn't finding "savings." It's sustaining control—inventory accuracy, invoice integrity, governance, and supplier leverage—month after month, deal after deal.
In this 9-minute episode of Staying Connected, TC2's Theresa Knutson joins Tony Mangino to mark the first anniversary of TC2's TEM Talk user group (our enterprise-only monthly forum for professionals responsible for the management, oversight, and optimization of technology vendors and expenditures), and to discuss what the community has learned—and what's coming next.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management webpage. Interested in joining the TEM Talk user group? Email Theresa directly at tknutson@techcaliber.com.
As enterprises push to modernize, many find that years of accumulated decisions have created a heavy, often invisible burden in their IT environments.
In this 9-minute podcast, Brent Knight joins Tony Mangino to discuss how technology debt accumulates over time, why it is so difficult to unwind, and how enterprises can build a fact-based view of their hardware, software and WAN liabilities to enable strategic, data driven, decision making and fund transformational initiatives.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
As enterprises push to modernize, many find that years of accumulated decisions have created a heavy, often invisible burden in their IT environments.
In this 9-minute podcast, Brent Knight joins Tony Mangino to discuss how technology debt accumulates over time, why it is so difficult to unwind, and how enterprises can build a fact-based view of their hardware, software and WAN liabilities to enable strategic, data driven, decision making and fund transformational initiatives.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft, Google and Meta continue to make significant infrastructure investments in ultra-high capacity subsea cables. This new generation of connectivity provides a compelling alternative to telco-provided circuits with the added potential benefit of direct integration with enterprise-grade cloud computing, edge and connectivity services.
In this 9-minute podcast, Deb Boehling joins Tony Mangino to discuss the opportunities and risks for enterprise customers and why hyperscalers should be considered in your network technology and sourcing roadmaps.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our and Information Technology Advisory Services and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services webpages.
Verizon is preparing to cut over 13,000 jobs — about 15% of its U.S. workforce — in a restructuring plan intended to reduce costs under its new CEO Dan Schulman.
In this 7-minute podcast, Brent Knight from TC2 joins Tony Mangino to discuss the anticipated impact of the layoffs and what enterprise customers should be doing now to prepare.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services webpages.
When doing a deal, invariably we get the "whose paper" question. That is, should the enterprise start contract negotiations using its own paper or the vendor's paper? The answer is…that depends.
In this 10-minute podcast, Laura McDonald, a partner at LB3, joins Tony Mangino to discuss the best contractual starting point for your deal accounting for leverage, deal size, timing and resource constraints.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Lumen is once again raising rates for out-of-term services, with some customers now facing increases as high as 30% to 40%. These changes put enterprise clients in a tough spot, often forcing them to choose between costly renewals or seeking alternatives in a competitive market.
In this 6-minute podcast, Theresa Knutson from TC2 joins Tony Mangino to break down what's driving these price hikes, how they impact your organization, and what strategies you can use to protect your bottom line.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
The struggle between the aviation and wireless industries regarding the use of the lower C-Band ultimately led to regulatory and technical mitigations to prevent interference issues, after narrowly avoiding regulatory gridlock.
In this 8-minute podcast, Steve Rosen from LB3 joins Tony Mangino to discuss how these same players are collaborating to prevent similar interference issues before new 5G deployments on the upper C-Band go live.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Spectrum, Wireless and Infrastructure Development and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
In the early hours of Monday, October 20th, AWS experienced a DNS resolution failure that had a cascading effect on business and consumer applications across the internet.
In this 7-minute podcast, Deb Boehling from LB3 joins Tony Mangino to discuss what happened and specific cloud diversification strategies that enterprise customers should consider.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Information Technology Advisory Services and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
Green networking, carbon accounting, and energy-efficient hardware are becoming increasingly important for enterprises seeking to comply with ESG regulations and drive competitive advantage.
In this 9-minute podcast, Tony Mangino and Julie Gardner from TC2 discuss why WAN sustainability should be on every CIO and procurement leader's radar and how to include measurable sustainability requirements in your next WAN RFP to enable meaningful supplier evaluation and differentiation.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
AI is a key driver of innovation in the Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) space, significantly improving agent efficiency and customer experience. However, when the rate of technology change outpaces the applicable legal frameworks, uncertainties and opportunities for disputes arise.
In this 11-minute podcast, LB3 partner Laura McDonald joins Tony Mangino for an update on AI driven legal developments in the CCaaS space and to discuss strategies to mitigate the legal risks inherent in the technology.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Information Technology Advisory Services webpages.
Pre-RFP activities are sometimes treated as optional, when in fact they’re among the most strategic actions a sourcing team can take. If you want a high-quality RFP, the work starts long before it’s published.
In this 9-minute podcast, TC2 Managing Director Larry York joins Tony Mangino to discuss how to leverage three key pre-RFP activities in order to maximize the outcome of your next sourcing event.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services webpages.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing struggle with the Verizon outsourcing to HCL, enterprise customers are being forced to rethink their supplier support models and partners.
In this 7-minute podcast, Theresa Knutson and Brent Knight from TC2 join Tony Mangino to discuss what customers can actually do to manage, escalate, and potentially fix support issues with their strategic network suppliers.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services webpages.
Verizon recently notified its customers that it was sunsetting certain legacy voice services beginning on November 1, 2025.
In this 5-minute podcast, TC2's Theresa Knutson joins Tony Mangino to explain the significant cost increases that are now hitting customer invoices in advance of the anticipated sunset date.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services webpages.
It’s been over two years now since Verizon and HCL announced their strategic partnership, which included Verizon retaining its sales function, solutioning, and customer acquisitions, and HCL taking over post-sale implementations and ongoing customer support.
In this 9-minute podcast, Theresa Knutson and Brent Knight from TC2 join Tony Mangino to discuss how the strategic partnership is impacting enterprise customers and if Verizon’s HCL gamble is paying off.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Taxes, fees, and government surcharges on enterprise wireless services are at a record high, comprising upwards of 30% of the average taxable portion of a typical monthly bill.
In this 8-minute podcast, Frank Zagrodnik and Tony Mangino from TC2 do a deep dive on the fine print of your wireless bill to discuss the taxes, surcharges, and fees that have a material impact on your enterprise mobility budget, and what you can do to get a true picture of your wireless total cost of ownership.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management and Strategic Sourcing and webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
If your organization still has legacy Verizon voice, non-IP IVR, or access services in your inventory, changes are coming — and they’re coming on a fixed timetable. Verizon has put out formal notice that these services are being retired, and customers need to move to alternatives well before the withdrawal date.
In this 7-minute podcast, Bryan Carriker and Tony Mangino from TC2 discuss the recent notice from Verizon, the important milestone dates to track and how this move fits into the broader industry shift to all IP based networks.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Strategic Sourcing and webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
Regulatory pressure related to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is growing. While federal ESG rules in the U.S. remain fragmented, states like California are pushing forward with tough climate disclosure laws. Meanwhile, the EU is advancing sweeping directives like CSRD and CS3D, imposing new reporting and due diligence requirements across global supply chains.
In this 10-minute podcast, Deb Boehling, a senior lawyer at LB3, and Tony Mangino discuss how procurement teams can reduce ESG compliance risks by building key obligations into vendor contracts, such as adherence to laws, third-party audits, and remediation for non-compliance. The stakes are high—sustainability is no longer optional—it’s a legal, financial, and reputational imperative.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
Arista’s VeloCloud SD-WAN acquisition marks a major shift in the enterprise networking space, giving Arista a mature and cloud-native SD-WAN platform to complement its strengths in data center and cloud networking. For enterprise customers, the move could mean faster innovation, improved support, and stronger WAN-to-cloud integration. However, customers should be aware of potential risks with the acquisition including hardware changes, licensing shifts, and short-term integration hiccups.
In this 7-minute podcast, Larry York and Tony Mangino from TC2 break down why the deal matters — and the potential impact on competition in the SD-WAN marketplace from the likes of Cisco, Fortinet, and Juniper.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
Inevitably, many negotiations are not part of a competitive process and are simply a negotiation with a single vendor. And often that vendor is fully aware that it’s not facing any true competition for the services and products under negotiation.
In this 11-minute podcast, TC2 Managing Director Ben Fox and Tony Mangino discuss tactics and approaches to conduct an effective sole-source negotiation when you don’t have any competition.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit TC2’s Strategic Sourcing webpage.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
Understanding Cisco Enterprise Agreements can be complex but with the right approach, enterprises can navigate these contracts effectively. Key strategies involve mapping the contract landscape and ensuring financial protections against underperformance.
In this 7-minute podcast, LB3 partner Marc Lindsey and Tony Mangino discuss how enterprises can move from complexity to clarity when negotiating with Cisco, and how they can avoid the “value trap” of bundled software, support, and services.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit TC2’s Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development and LB3’s Information Technology Advisory webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
In mid-May, two of the largest cable companies in the US, Charter and Cox, entered into an agreement to merge in a deal valued at over $34 billion. Pending regulatory approval, the deal is expected to close sometime in the latter half of 2026.
In this 5-minute podcast, TC2’s Keith Cook joins Tony Mangino to discuss the merger and potential impact on enterprise customers.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Internet First & Broadband Services and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
In mid-April AT&T updated the General Terms and Conditions in their online Service Guide, which apply to pretty much all its wireline services, to allow them much broader leeway to migrate services as part of what they call a “Technology Migration”. This is on top of an earlier AT&T Service Guide change that resulted in material cost increases on certain key components of their SIP Trunking service.
In this 10-minute podcast, LB3’s Laura McDonald joins Tony Mangino to discuss these changes and how to effectively manage your deal in the face of supplier service guides.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Recent technology advancements and changes in the regulatory environment have made Private 5G a more attractive technology for enterprise applications, including “Wi-Fi” for industrial, educational, and corporate campuses and numerous IoT (Internet of Things) applications.
In this 8-minute podcast, David Lee of TC2 and Steve Rosen of LB3 join Tony Mangino to discuss the state of the market for Private 5G, CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) and FWA (Fixed Wireless) and how these services should feature prominently in the strategic plan for your enterprise.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development and Spectrum, Wireless & Infrastructure Development webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
The commitment to sustainability initiatives, such as net-zero emissions targets and renewable energy consumption measures, is moving from the corporate boardroom into the decision-making process for selecting strategic ICT service suppliers.
In this 8-minute podcast, TC2 Director Tony Mangino joins LB3 Partner Deb Boehling to discuss the challenges of quantifying and evaluating the "soft benefits" of sustainability from an ICT procurement perspective and whether these benefits are translating into real cost savings for enterprise customers.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
As Cisco has grown from a network device OEM to a multifaceted software supplier across networking, UC, security services, observability tools, and a plethora of other products, enterprises' relationships with Cisco have become correspondingly complex.
Add to this, a deep-rooted pattern at Cisco of targeting price increases, and any negotiation with Cisco quickly becomes very challenging.
In this 10-minute podcast, TC2 Managing Director Ben Fox joins Tony Mangino to discuss the layers of complexity involved when engaging with Cisco and how to best prepare for and succeed in your next Cisco negotiation.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
In 2025, we anticipate the continued enterprise migration to Contact Center as a Service (“CCaaS”) solutions. Customers are facing the difficulty of keeping good contact center agents, the end-of-life status of existing equipment and software, and the shift by providers from on-prem to cloud-based offerings with effective AI use cases.
In this 8-minute episode of Staying Connected, Julie Gardner of TC2 and Laura McDonald of LB3 join Tony Mangino to discuss the state of the CCaaS market, and how savvy customers are utilizing RFPs and pilots to select best in class solutions that align with business and technical requirements.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
· Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Big changes in Washington have created big changes in the regulatory environment for ICT services—which may impact the ICT products and services that enterprise customers buy to run their businesses and, importantly, how much they must pay for them. What are the impacts of big, proposed tariffs on the costs of ICT? What’s going to happen to USF and how much will enterprise customers have to pay for it? And, did enterprise customers get regulatory protection from net neutrality rules or did the ISPs effectively quash their implementation?
In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Andrew Brown of LB3 joins Tony Mangino to discuss headline regulatory issues in 2025 and the potential effect of new tariffs on enterprise ICT services.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice and Advocacy webpage.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
The complexity and number of ICT-related invoices continue to increase exponentially. Enterprises are migrating to multi-platform, multi-vendor services, and cloud-based solutions with rates that are unclear or unchecked.
In this 9-minute episode of Staying Connected, Theresa Knutson and Frank Zagrodnik join Tony Mangino to discuss the evolving landscape of TEM services and strategies for extracting maximum value from your TEM solution.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our TEM Services and IT Cost Management webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
In this 7-minute episode of Staying Connected, Ben Fox joins Tony Mangino to demystify NaaS and related “as-a-service,” utility-based, network service and pricing models.
They discuss the confusing marketing suppliers use for NaaS, what customers want from a true NaaS proposition, and the reality of translating network infrastructure into utility-based service and pricing models.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting and Strategy Development webpage.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
On this episode of Staying Connected we continue our discussion on the evolution of the LEO satellite market and the enterprise use case for these solutions.
In this 9-minute podcast, David Lee and Steve Rosen join Tony Mangino to discuss the technical and regulatory factors that make LEOs a viable competitor to traditional terrestrial Internet service and point to increased enterprise adoption.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting and Strategy Development webpage.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has recognized that the market for mobile termination charges for bulk messaging isn’t working. With significant market power, some providers have increased these charges by 70% since 2021 and there’s no end in sight. On January 28th, Ofcom proposed a price cap on mobile termination charges for messaging.
In this 5-minute podcast, Deb Boehling, a partner at LB3, joins Tony Mangino to describe the proposal and consider what enterprise customers can do to take advantage of the potential savings.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Network Services Transactions webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Non-FCC mandated surcharges on ICT services have increased threefold over the last ten years, and AT&T’s recent increase in its Property Tax Surcharge is just the latest installment.
In this 7-minute podcast, Deb Boehling, a partner at LB3, joins Tony Mangino to unpack the surcharge regimes and discuss what enterprise customers can do to address, or at a minimum be prepared for, these material service cost uplifts.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Network Services Transactions webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
ERP systems have been around for many years, but there is now a significant focus on modernizing ERP systems by shifting them to the cloud.
In this 8-minute podcast, Marc Lindsey, a partner at LB3, joins Tony Mangino to discuss the risks and opportunities companies face when transacting for and adopting ERP SaaS, including: vendor lock-in, ERP implementations, and strategies for controlling costs.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Information Technology Advisory Services webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
At TC2 we continue to see IT outsourcing as an important and growing space for enterprise customers. Recent engagements confirm the shift away from "factory" style managed services toward dedicated staffing models as well as the evolution of IT tooling approaches and the rise of the experience level agreement (XLA).
In this 11-minute podcast, TC2 Managing Director Ben Fox and Senior Consultant Bryan Carriker join Tony Mangino to discuss current trends in IT outsourcing deals and the role of XLAs that measure end-user satisfaction and overall experience rather than just technical metrics.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
What do all the telcos including AT&T, Lumen and Verizon have in common? That’s right, they all rely on service guides and online terms. Not to be outdone, you’ll now also find these shadow provisions in your deals with Avaya, Cisco, Nice, Palo Alto, Z-Scaler…the list goes on.
In this 14-minute podcast, LB3 partners Laura McDonald and Deb Boehling join Tony Mangino to provide an update on the ever-changing world of service guides and online terms. Listen as Laura and Deb reveal key insights on how these online publications are making their way into most ICT deals in your enterprise, what to look out for and what you can actually do about it!
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
The latest Market Guide for Telecom Expense Management Services from Gartner is out and includes market trends and customer feedback on the major providers in the Telecom Expense Management (“TEM”) services space.
In this 12-minute podcast, Theresa Knutson and Julie Gardner join Tony Mangino to discuss the latest from Gartner and provide their unique perspective on the TEM marketplace. Listen as Theresa and Julie reveal key insights on sourcing and implementing TEM services and how to extract maximum value from your TEM supplier by conducting a “health check” review.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management webpage.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
The rapid pace of technology change coupled with a corresponding shift in the supplier landscape is driving the need for a fresh look at how to leverage RFPs to achieve improved ROI.
In this 9-minute podcast, Larry York joins Tony Mangino to discuss this new sourcing paradigm and how to maximize the outcome of your next RFP. Stay tuned for a follow-up episode where we’ll discuss key pre-RFP activities you need to take to deliver a market-leading result.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
Contact Center as a Service (or CCaaS) solutions are evolving in step with developments in the AI space. AI is impacting both the pricing construct and contractual framework for CCaaS solutions.
In this 10-minute podcast, Laura MacDonald and Julie Gardner join Tony Mangino to share key insights into developing sourcing strategies and contracts for AI enabled CCaaS services and how to secure the right solution at the right price with the necessary terms and conditions.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Network Services Transactions webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
On September 30th, T-Mobile and the FCC reached a settlement that includes over $30 million in penalties and mandatory cybersecurity spending resulting from significant data breaches in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
In this 8-minute podcast, Steve Rosen joins Tony Mangino to discuss the recent T-Mobile Consent Decree and a similar settlement with AT&T related to a data breach in 2023.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobile Services and Information Technology Advisory Services webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
Broadband technologies are at the heart of the transformation of the enterprise WAN. Wired broadband, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Non-Terrestrial Networks (or satellite) are now being leveraged as a strategic WAN connectivity solution in enterprise networks, globally.
In this 10-minute podcast, David Lee and Brent Knight join Tony Mangino to discuss the broadband technologies being deployed to deliver enterprise-grade solutions that are high bandwidth, low cost, and resilient.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
The commercial model and supplier landscape for broadband service is evolving as the rate of enterprise adoption accelerates.
In this 8-minute podcast, Keith Cook joins Tony Mangino to discuss the challenge of identifying the optimal balance between available broadband technologies, suppliers, and financial outcomes.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
An entity called National Public Data was recently victimized by what may be the second-largest data breach in history, impacting both individuals and enterprises. As data breaches seem only to increase in frequency, enterprise customers cannot rely on service providers alone to keep their data safe—they must be proactive about security, which includes negotiating appropriately protective contract terms, limiting unnecessary data exchange, and enforcing internal security practices.
In this 7-minute podcast, Deb Boehling joins Sara Crifasi to discuss how enterprises can negotiate appropriate terms in their IT and telecom agreements for necessary protections related to data breaches.
> Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
At LB3 and TC2 we are continuing to cover the strategic shift in enterprise networking toward broadband. In this 7-minute episode, Tony Mangino joins Sara Crifasi to break down the business case for broadband and discuss how enterprise customers can leverage the opportunity for cost savings and enhanced connectivity. With appropriate planning, enterprises can weigh the practicalities and potential challenges of integrating broadband into their network strategies, gaining necessary foresight prior to engaging procurement.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
> Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 &TC2
AI continues to drive innovation in the Contact-Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) space, significantly improving agent efficiency and customer experience. However, the use of AI in CCaaS solutions, while almost ubiquitous, is not without potential risk to the enterprise.
In this 10-minute podcast, Laura McDonald joins Tony Mangino to discuss pending legal actions related to AI and CCaaS service and strategies to mitigate the legal risks inherent in the technology.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Information Technology Advisory Services webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Two recent Supreme Court decisions may shake things up at the FCC when it comes to rulemakings and enforcement authority. In this 7-minute podcast, Steve Rosen joins Sara Crifasi to talk about how the Supreme Court rulings in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and SEC v. Jarkesy could lead to a slowdown in the FCC’s implementation of new rules.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in the regulatory space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice & Advocacy webpage.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 &TC2
AT&T recently revealed that it suffered a major data breach affecting nearly all of its wireless subscribers, making this one of the largest communications data breaches in recent history. While data breaches are all too common today, enterprise customers shouldn’t let their frequency desensitize them from maintaining best practices in contracting for security.
In this 8-minute podcast, Deb Boehling joins Sara Crifasi to discuss how enterprises can negotiate appropriate terms in their IT and telecom agreements for appropriate protections related to service providers’ breaches.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 &TC2
At TC2 we continue to observe a strategic shift in enterprise networking toward broadband, and the rate of adoption is accelerating.
In this 7-minute podcast, Keith Cook and Brent Knight join Tony Mangino to discuss why customers are more willing than ever to leverage broadband service in their networks and key considerations for developing your broadband strategy.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
This year, several LB3 and TC2 colleagues attended the annual Enterprise Connect conference – a massive event focused on communications, collaboration and CX for enterprise customers. Enterprise Connect provides a venue for customers, service providers, and subject matter experts to explore new service offerings and network with others in the ICT space.
In this 8-minute podcast, TC2’s Theresa Knutson, Julie Gardner, and Frank Zagrodnik joined Sara Crifasi to discuss their conference takeaways, including exploring incorporation of AI into UCaaS and CCaaS offerings and attending sessions focused on supporting legacy services while undertaking transformational technologies.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
TC2 is pleased to announce the launch of our IT Cost Management (ITCM) practice that consolidates key service lines focused on rapidly delivering and sustaining IT cost savings for our clients.
In this 9-minute podcast, ITCM practice lead Theresa Knutson joins Tony Mangino to discuss core competencies and specific focus areas of the practice including Technology Expense Management, Cost Optimization and Billing Audits, and Lifecycle Services.
If you would like to learn more about the ITCM practice, please visit our IT Cost Management webpage.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
At the core of most, if not all, outsourcing initiatives is the desire for innovation that will deliver radical change and improvement in the delivery of IT services and support. The reality is that this outcome becomes aspirational when confronted with the need to simply “keep the lights on”.
In this 8-minute podcast, TC2 Managing Director Ben Fox joins Tony Mangino to explore this outsourcing conundrum and how both the customer and the supplier can approach these opportunities to drive successful innovation and truly transformational change in the end user experience.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Technology Consulting and Strategy Development webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
On the telecom regulatory front, the FCC is formally reinstating a new set of net neutrality rules that reignites what is a highly controversial, on-again/off-again debate regarding the regulation of broadband Internet access services (BIAS). In this 10-minute podcast, Steve Rosen and Sara Crifasi join Tony Mangino to explain the FCC's latest action and why enterprise customers of ICT services should be paying attention.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice & Advocacy webpage.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Cost of living adjustments, or COLA, are always a key topic in outsourcing contracts, and their presence in negotiations has only been exacerbated with COVID and recent general inflationary pressures. In this 7-minute podcast, Ben Fox joins Sara Crifasi to discuss service providers’ recent struggles with COLA and how enterprise customers can manage their negotiations to avoid unnecessary cost increases.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
As enterprise customers know, layoffs and downsizing are a constant part of the ICT provider business lifecycle. Recently, Lumen announced that it will be reducing its staff by approximately 7%, and enterprises may feel the impact of the provider’s decreased headcount. In this 5-minute podcast, TC2’s Brent Knight joins Sara Crifasi to examine Lumen’s latest cost-cutting measure and what it means for the competitive landscape for ICT services.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance and Optimization and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
AT&T is quietly proceeding with a corporate restructuring that will, in AT&T’s words, involve a series of internal transactions that “merges AT&T Corp. out of existence”. AT&T has not made any flashy announcements about this change. Instead, they have added one line to relevant invoices telling customers that “effective May 1, 2024, any services provided by AT&T Corp. will be provided by AT&T Enterprises, LLC.”
In this 11-minute podcast, Laura McDonald joins Tony Mangino to discuss the restructuring, what happens to client contracts and deals, and what enterprise customers that purchase services from AT&T Corp. can and should be doing.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
You can also follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
While companies should always be on the lookout for unexpected hikes in their ICT spend, in today’s uncertain environment it is more important than ever to maintain vigilance. Just last month Lumen notified its customers of an upcoming change to their operational and technical support structure that may leave enterprises footing a steeper bill.
In this 5-minute podcast, TC2’s Theresa Knutson and Frank Zagrodnik join Sara Crifasi to discuss Lumen’s forthcoming shift in support and what enterprises can do to alleviate the corresponding unanticipated cost increase.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization and Success Stories webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Merger and acquisition activity can be beneficial to the business, but it can also lead to complications when it comes to integrating ICT deals of the two entities. Harmonizing disparate commercial terms, service schedules and pricing from legacy contracts can be a headache.
In this 7-minute podcast, Keith Cook and Tony Mangino discuss how, when approached strategically, deal integration presents a unique opportunity to both reduce costs and increase commercial flexibility across a broader portfolio of services.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Contract Compliance & Optimization webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
On Saturday, March 30th, AT&T announced a significant data breach that exposed the sensitive personal information of millions of its current and former customers. As data breaches seem only to increase in frequency, enterprise customers can’t rely on service providers alone to keep their data safe—they must be proactive about security, which includes negotiating appropriately protective contract terms, limiting unnecessary data exchange, and enforcing internal security practices.
On our latest 11-minute podcast, Laura McDonald and Deb Boehling join Sara Crifasi to discuss what enterprise customers should know about AT&T’s latest breach and what they should do to protect their sensitive data going forward.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
5G was in the doldrums, but 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is a success story – it is growing and we predict more adoption by enterprise customers in 2024.
In certain industries, particularly those with more remote or ex-suburban presences, 5G FWA tempts enterprise customers as an alternative to fixed broadband. Investments by providers, fueled by the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program and other available funds (e.g., Connect America Fund), will make 5G FWA more available and affordable. In 2024, we also predict the accelerated adoption of 5G and Wi-Fi 6E and 7 technologies as enterprises prioritize wireless connectivity for critical applications, leading to a hybrid wired-wireless WAN architecture.
In this 10-minute podcast, Deb Boehling and David Lee join Tony Mangino to discuss how 5G FWA will become an increasingly popular option for the enterprise ICT network architecture.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobility Services – In-Country, Regional, Global and Success Stories webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
This is the season of AI, and it should be no surprise that we predict that AI will continue to have a significant (and growing) impact on the ICT market and day-to-day use of information, communications, and network deals.
Three areas in which AI-driven change will directly impact ICT in 2024: (1) the backend processes for vendors, including NOCs and staffing, (2) the refined use of AI in enterprises’ management of their services and customer relationships, and (3) security – with both improvements and new threat factors accelerating.
In the face of these changes, Kevin DiLallo and Sara Crifasi join Tony Mangino for this 13-minute podcast to discuss a number of contract terms that enterprise customers should incorporate into their agreements to keep their data and reputations well protected.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development and Information Technology Advisory Services webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3, TC2
2024 is a year of customer/user experience. In this 12-minute podcast, Frank Zagrodnik and Bryan Carriker join Sara Crifasi to discuss how enterprises continue to evolve their use of outsourced managed network service (MNS) arrangements, including co-management models – where the customer and provider collaborate on delivering certain functions deemed critical to the business. Changes in the provider landscape will accelerate this review, and combined with ever-evolving automation, machine learning and AI tools will provide ample opportunity for enterprises to examine their needs and obtain the savings and the end user experience they require from their MNS provider and solution.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Managed Services & Outsourcing and Success Stories webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Enterprises did a herculean job of adapting to the pressures imposed by the pandemic, but now find themselves managing multiple cloud solutions with confusing invoices and overwhelming costs. In 2024 enterprise customers will deal with two big cloud-related challenges – cloud management and cloud costs.
In this 10-minute podcast, Deb Boehling and Brent Knight join Tony Mangino to discuss what Cloud Services are, examine management of diverse cloud environments, integrating WAN Solutions with cloud management platforms, migration strategies, and ways to eliminate wasted spend in this technology investment.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Cloud Services and Success Stories webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3, TC2
When rethinking their ICT infrastructure strategy, enterprise customers will demonstrate an increased willingness to diversify away from Cisco, focusing on the continued transformation to cost-effective, secure, easy-to-manage, cloud-first architectures. Equipment providers including Juniper, Palo Alto, Arista Networks, and HPE/Aruba are positioned favorably to benefit from the diversification. Odds are that the Gartner quadrants will look very different at the end of 2024 than at the beginning of this year.
In this 8-minute podcast, David Lee joins Tony Mangino to discuss how Cisco’s competitors are successfully exploiting some of its weaknesses to capture market share, and where Cisco may be trending in the right direction.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Hardware & Licensing and Success Stories webpages.
- Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3, TC2
Looking forward into 2024, we expect an upsurge in migrations from on-premise solutions to cloud and hybrid cloud deployments. While enterprises often engage third-party help for implementation support and optimization as they move from legacy to cloud-based solutions, once implemented, enterprises will continue to bring more of the day-to-day management in-house.
Listen to this 9-minute podcast as LB3’s Laura McDonald and TC2’s Julie Gardner join Sara Crifasi to discuss the maturation and development of the CCaaS provider market and solution capabilities. Effective integration and adoption of AI in CaaS solutions is expected to improve both customer and agent experience in the coming year but be prepared for telco providers’ increasing push for managed solutions as they lose traditional contact center space and encounter increased competition from niche system integrators.
You can learn more about our experience in the space by visiting our Unified Communication & Collaboration and Success Stories websites.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
On this episode of Staying Connected we continue our ongoing discussion of enterprise use of private 5G networks in general and in particular, enterprise use of Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS).
In this 9-minute podcast, David Lee and Steve Rosen join Tony Mangino to discuss the technical and regulatory idiosyncrasies of CBRS and examine enterprise uptake of CBRS and the role that providers, equipment manufacturers, and regulators have in supporting increased enterprise adoption of this service.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development and Success Stories webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2 & LB3
Laws and regulations related to technology issues can have direct (and sometimes indirect) impacts on the cost and delivery of the products and services that enterprise customers must purchase to keep their businesses running. In 2024, information and communications technology policy developments coming out of the Federal Communications Commission – including updates on net neutrality, SIM swapping and port-out fraud, robocalling and robotexting, USF reform, and 911 requirements – will certainly influence enterprises’ procurement decisions, operations, and customer outreach behaviors.
In this 9-minute podcast, Andrew Brown and Sara Crifasi join Tony Mangino to discuss the forthcoming ICT regulatory developments that enterprise customers should be aware of.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice & Advocacy and Success Stories webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: LB3 & TC2
Satellite networks, low-earth orbit (LEO) constellations, and edge computing solutions will play a more prominent role in WAN connectivity for remote locations and latency-sensitive applications. LEO providers will begin trialing technologies such as optical inter-satellite links (OISL) that create mesh networks in space with the ability to transport data 30% faster than terrestrial fiber optical cables. In addition, we see terrestrial wave service deployments growing as enterprises continue to seek more bandwidth and lower latency WAN solutions that Internet and MPLS services cannot deliver.
In this 10-minute podcast, David Lee joins Sara Crifasi to discuss the latest news on LEO satellites, the use of Passive Optical Network (PON) technology to deliver fiber-based Broadband services, and Wave services – three technologies that may not be in front of mind for CIOs.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development and Information Technology Advisory Services webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2, LB3
MPLS has long been the networking technology of choice for most enterprises. But while many enterprises have already dropped MPLS completely many others still rely on MPLS and, arguably, are losing out on the benefits of alternative networking technologies.
In this 11-minute podcast, Mark Sheard and Keith Cook join Tony Mangino to discuss how the enterprise WAN is evolving and provide key considerations for embarking on your transformational activity and effectively managing around indecision, setting your organization up for success.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
Follow us on LinkedIn: TC2, LB3
In this special New Year’s installment of Staying Connected, we identify trends and share predictions in the ICT market and how we think they will impact enterprises in 2024.
This 12-minute podcast features Laura McDonald, a Partner at LB3, and Tony Mangino, Director at TC2, to give you a preview of TC2 and LB3’s predictions and hot topics for 2024. Be sure to stay tuned to Staying Connected for a forthcoming special series of podcasts where we’ll take a deeper dive into these trends that we see as likely shaping the ICT marketplace in 2024.
Private 5G has drawn little media attention compared to consumer-oriented 5G from the big 3 wireless providers. However, Private 5G is gaining traction in the enterprise space with specific business and use cases.
In this 14-minute podcast, TC2’s Technology Director David Lee and Steve Rosen, Partner at LB3, join Tony Mangino to discuss the technical elements and regulatory considerations of the service and how Amazon’s recent move into this market may end up an overall boost to the uptake of Private 5G in the enterprise community.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpage.
Lately, not a day goes by when artificial intelligence isn’t in the news—but from AI to foundation models to machine learning to Generative AI, you need to have a baseline understanding of what the various services can do before you can determine what type of AI will best fit your enterprise, particularly in the ICT space. In this 11-minute episode, Kevin DiLallo, a partner at LB3, joins Sara Crifasi to kick off a series of Staying Connected podcasts on AI for the enterprise.
This episode is meant as an introductory session. Future podcasts in this series will include:
· Coverage of the technology underlying AI and Generative AI and how it differs from other technology tools used by enterprises
· What enterprises should know when contracting for AI-based tools
· Developing legislation and regulation of AI and what it means for enterprise customers
· Data protection and privacy issues implicated by Generative AI
· Commercial issues in the procurement of AI-based tools.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Information Technology Advisory Services and Technology Consulting & Strategy Development webpages.
It’s that time again when organizations that operate on a calendar-based fiscal year are in the midst of the complex task of budgeting for 2024. Transformational projects, projected usage trends, understanding your contracts, and the moving target of taxes and regulatory charges all play into the exercise.
In this 10-minute podcast, Theresa Knutson, Julie Gardner, and Frank Zagrodnik join Tony Mangino to provide helpful insights on the sometimes overlooked, but critically important, function of budgeting and forecasting for your ICT spend.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Lifecycle Services and Success Stories webpages.
In an effort by network services providers to increase their margins and push their costs of doing business onto the customer, enterprises should be prepared for a meaningful change in the way they are likely to be charged for the cost of basic network services.
In this 8-minute podcast, TC2 Director Keith Cook joins Tony Mangino to discuss what enterprises need to know when their provider proposes the addition of new, explicit charges for service management, a function that has historically been included in the cost of the service. This tactic has increased tremendously, in fact becoming nearly standard practice today.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpage.
Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) is a networking staple for enterprises that have deployed or are planning to deploy SD-WAN solutions. DIA pricing, however, can vary significantly among providers, and enterprises may be losing potentially significant cost savings if they don’t understand the cost elements for these types of circuits.
In this 9-minute podcast, TC2 Managing Director Jack Deal and Senior Consultant Brent Knight join Tony Mangino to discuss what customers need to know when sourcing DIA and some of the key differentiators in pricing constructs.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Internet First & Broadband Aggregation and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
On this episode of Staying Connected, we discuss how customers can effectively negotiate a contract renewal with an incumbent provider in the absence of a full-blown competitive RFP process. Why might a customer choose the alternative of a negotiated renewal rather than running an RFP?
Larry York, TC2’s Executive Director and Tony Mangino, a Director at TC2, join Sara Crifasi in this 11-minute podcast, to answer this question and provide current insight on strategies necessary when negotiating ICT contract renewals in an ever-evolving market.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpages.
This week, the Federal Communications Commission began a rulemaking proceeding to consider re-adoption of the net neutrality rules. This contentious, long-fought proceeding examines changing the regulatory classification of broadband internet access service, and imposing safeguards to prevent internet service providers from exploiting the access monopoly they control between their customers, and every person or business trying to transmit content to their customers, by engaging in tactics like blocking, throttling, or employing paid prioritization of content.
Andrew Brown, Managing Partner of LB3 and Chair of TC2, joins Sara Crifasi on Staying Connected on this 11-minute podcast to explain the basics of net neutrality and why every business should care about this proceeding’s outcome.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice & Advocacy and Success Stories webpages.
Every fall, LB3 and TC2 host a full-day conference in New York City to discuss the latest trends and best practices in Information and Communications Technology. This year, our New York event centers on “The Accelerated Pace of Technology Evolution.” If you have any responsibility for networking or technology sourcing at your company, you should plan to join us in New York.
On this 10-minute podcast, Ben Fox, Managing Director of TC2, and Andrew Brown, the Managing Partner of LB3 and the Chairman of TC2, join Sara Crifasi to discuss what we’ll cover at the conference.
For more information and to register for the conference, please click here.
On this episode of Staying Connected, we discuss Gartner’s recently updated Market Guide for Telecom Expense Management (TEM) Services.
In this 12-minute podcast, Theresa Knutson and Julie Gardner join Tony Mangino to provide their perspective on Gartner’s updated Market Guide and the larger TEM marketplace based on the work they do through competitive RFPs and implementations.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance and Optimization and Lifecycle Services webpages.
On this episode of Staying Connected we discuss what we’ve learned since the August 10th announcement of the strategic partnership between Verizon Business and HCL Tech.
In this 8-minute podcast, David Lee, TC2’s Technology Director joins Tony Mangino to provide insight on what we now know and what Verizon’s rationale and motivations may be in forming this partnership.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting and Strategy Development, Strategic Sourcing, and Success Stories webpages.
If recent rumors of carriers’ cost cutting activities have your enterprise nervous about ongoing account team support, you aren’t alone. Attempting to bolster profit margins in the face of decreasing wireline business revenues and increasing interest rates, some telecom providers are downsizing their workforce headcounts.
In this 12-minute podcast, LB3 partner Laura McDonald joins Sara Crifasi to examine which US providers are laying off staff and to provide tips to help enterprise customers protect themselves by taking advance action in preparation for the implications of unwelcome changes to their service providers’ account teams.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Success Stories webpages.
On this episode of Staying Connected, we discuss how the evolution of enterprise networking toward SD-WAN is driving a wave of market activity to also transform the transport underlay, and highlighting the need to rethink how internet first transport is increasingly being competitively sourced.
In this 11-minute podcast, Mark Sheard joins Tony Mangino to discuss which suppliers an enterprise should select, how to determine the best fit for an enterprise’s needs, and some of the challenges and gotchas of a multi-supplier portfolio approach to sourcing internet transport.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
In this episode of Staying Connected, we discuss the recently announced global strategic partnership between Verizon Business and HCL. The announcement indicates that Verizon will lead sales and customer acquisition efforts for Managed Network Services while HCL will lead implementation and ongoing solution support.
In this 10-minute podcast, Managing Directors Ben Fox and Mark Sheard join Tony Mangino to provide some perspective on the Verizon announcement and their thoughts on what it means for both Verizon and HCL.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
On this episode of Staying Connected, we’re going to dig deeper into a recently published Network World article about how to navigate the co-management conundrum in managed service provider (“MSP”) engagements. MSP refers to the partners many enterprises seek to optimize the cost and service for the delivery and management arrangement for a range of ICT services essential to their business.
In this 9-minute podcast, Managing Director of TC2 UK, Mark Sheard joins Tony Mangino to discuss how co-management is essential in any enterprise/MSP arrangement and the important factors an enterprise needs to consider in establishing the right balance for its needs.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
ICT service providers spin-off entities and services, acquire others, go into bankruptcy, and merge.
When contracting with a provider, you need to take steps to ensure these changes don’t adversely impact your deal and the services you are purchasing. More importantly, you need to think about what you can do now in anticipation of a change, and what you’ll need to do when your provider goes through one of these merger, acquisition, or divestiture (“MAD”) events.
In this 11-minute podcast, LB3 partner Laura McDonald joins Tony Mangino to discuss how to prepare for a MAD event and the important contractual clauses you need to mitigate exposure.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Success Stories webpages.
Companies are always on the lookout for unexpected increases in their telecommunications spend and today, in this uncertain environment, it is more important than ever to maintain vigilance. Case in point: buried in customers’ May 2023 invoices Lumen provided notice that they would be increasing rates for out-of-term services by 7.47%.
In this 7-minute podcast, TC2 Director Theresa Knutson joins Tony Mangino to dig into this rate increase notice from Lumen and discuss what companies can do to both quantify and mitigate their potential exposure.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance and Optimization and Strategic Sourcing webpages.
No matter what type of ICT deal you’re negotiating, understanding the full scope of facts and documents underlying your contract can be challenging, but is critical. In this 8-minute podcast, LB3 Partner Deb Boehling, and TC2 Director Keith Cook join Sara Crifasi to offer tips on what enterprises should consider in developing document retention policies, when its necessary to make reasonable assumptions, and how to strategically prioritize information to formulate short-term and long-term strategies. Proactive planning for initiatives by organizing and maintaining contract documents, training employees, and developing strategies early on can save you valuable time for your current and future negotiations.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Information Technology Advisory Services and Success Stories webpages.
If your enterprise has noticed lower than usual text message completion rates lately, you aren’t alone. Mobile network operators are increasingly blocking enterprise customers’ legitimate outbound text messages, spurred by FCC decisions on text messaging’s regulatory classification and a push to limit illegal spam robotexts.
In this 9-minute podcast, LB3 Of Counsel Sara Crifasi discusses with Tony Mangino the new rules of the business text messaging marketplace and helps enterprise customers navigate their options to avoid those dreaded “undeliverable” texting bouncebacks.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobile Services and Success Stories webpages.
Ahead of his retirement from TC2 at the end of this month, Joe Schmidt talks to Ben Fox about how the communications industry that we work in has evolved over his 21+ years with TC2, and how we’ve evolved with it – from the network services that preceded MPLS, through huge change in UC technologies and adoption, the rise of SD-WAN, IT outsourcing, and the latest in SaaS and cloud services. And to finish off, Joe also shares a few thoughts on what might be coming next.
ChatGPT and other AI systems continue to captivate IT executives but have also caught the attention of governments and government agencies that want to keep the technology in check. A successful deployment of these AI systems can offer massive productivity gains, but caution is required because untrained GPT systems can deliver confident, yet incorrect, results.
In this 9-minute second part of the two-part podcast, David Lee, TC2’s Technology Director, and Joe Schmidt continue their discussion about ChatGPT’s implications for networking and communications and provide some real-world use cases and best practices.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
The days of TDM voice services are numbered, with many suppliers confirming their intent to cease providing those legacy services over the next couple of years. If your enterprise is still utilizing POTS lines, T1 access circuits, or PRIs, you’re likely being pushed to disconnect and transition at an increasingly rapid clip.
In this 9-minute podcast, TC2 Managing Directors Mark Sheard and Jack Deal join Sara Crifasi to discuss the challenges enterprises face and the plans they should be making in confronting the end of TDM voice.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
AI is predicted to fundamentally alter the delivery of IT services. Early use cases include enhanced service desk support, Application Development and Maintenance (ADM) and the optimization of cloud services.
In this 12-minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors discusses with Tony Mangino these early use cases and the importance of focusing on specific outcomes that service providers promise will be delivered via AI.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
Back in November of 2021, we began recording a series of podcasts that described the ongoing dispute between the FCC and the FAA over the use of C-Band spectrum to deliver new 5G services. Much has changed since we first warned about the consequences of this issue but, unfortunately, there are still unresolved matters that could have a major impact on both the communication and aviation industries.
In this 11-minute podcast, Steve Rosen, a Partner at LB3, and David Lee, TC2’s Technical Director discuss with Joe Schmidt the ongoing dispute and highlight key actions that need to be taken to prevent planes from being grounded this summer.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobile Services and Success Stories webpages.
ChatGPT stands for Chat “Generative Pre-trained Transformer.” ChatGPT is a repository of information (i.e., the internet), computer code, and algorithms that process a user’s request. In short, ChatGPT is a chatbot that has scaled to a point where it simulates human qualities.
In this 13-minute podcast David Lee, TC2’s Technology Director, and Joe Schmidt discuss ChatGPT and other AI platforms and look at what their implications may be for networking and communications.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
If you have an ICT contract that hasn’t been scrutinized in the past four to five years, it is time to pull out that contract and take a good look at all the clauses. As a result of your review, you’ll likely find that there are several important provisions in the contract – some that might be daily pain points for you – that were not focused on during your last negotiation.
In this 12-minute podcast, Laura McDonald, a Partner at LB3, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt highlight five key provisions that every enterprise needs to be aware of and include in their next contract negotiation.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Information Technology Advisory Services and Success Stories webpages.
It’s important for enterprises to periodically competitively sourcing their ICT because over time, a company’s needs change and so does its strategy and long-term plan. This also holds true on the supplier landscape.
In this 7-minute podcast, Brent Knight, a Senior Consultant at TC2, and Joe Schmidt discuss the five steps you’ll want to take if you plan to strategically source your ICT using a request for proposal, or RFP.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpages.
Engaging with supplier account teams is always an interesting exercise and one that is constantly evolving. Economic pressures including inflation, interest rate hikes and talk of a looming recession is having a material impact on how supplier account teams are reacting to various sourcing activities.
In this 9-minute podcast, Larry York, TC2’s Executive Director and Tony Mangino look at the latest intel on how to effectively engage with supplier account teams, what to expect and how to drive value on existing network services spend and transformational activities.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpages.
Saving money is always a top priority for enterprise buyers of information communication technology (ICT). Sometimes you must competitively source your services in order to achieve meaningful cost reductions, but sometimes just a few simple moves can add up to big savings.
In this 10-minute podcast, LB3’s Laura McDonald and TC2’s Joe Schmidt give you five moves you can make right now that will deliver savings to your company.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Success Stories webpages.
There is a lot happening in the world right now and it’s making a lot of people and companies a little anxious. This uneasiness with the economy, regulatory environment, and general business climate will impact company mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures (MAD).
In this 9-minute podcast, Deb Boehling, a Partner at LB3, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt look at some of the more noteworthy MAD transactions announced in 2022 and so far in 2023 and outline what enterprises can do if they’re affected.
If you’d like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
Enterprise use of cloud services has grown exponentially over the past several years, and as the size of cloud deals increases, enterprise customers must carefully assess the scope of any commitment agreed to in return for discounts and other benefits. In this 9-minute podcast with LB3’s Sara Crifasi, TC2 Managing Director Ben Fox lays out the considerations that enterprise customers should bear in mind when negotiating commitments in cloud services deals.
Listen in as Ben highlights approaches that the cloud services providers use to lock-in enterprise customers—from commitments that increase annually to a push for bigger commitments based on aggressive growth targets (many of which may feel eerily similar to those encountered many years ago with telecom carriers).
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Cloud Services and Success Stories webpages.
Technology Expense Management (TEM) is vital to enterprises for helping keep costs in check, but it’s an industry undergoing a lot of change. Major TEM providers have added to their service offerings to cover more spend categories and support options, while the industry continues to see a lot of mergers, acquisitions, and venture capital investments.
On this 7-minute podcast, TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson and Joe Schmidt provide an update on recent events in the TEM market that may impact your vendor options.
If you’d like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization and Success Stories webpages.
Washington, DC continues to be a hotbed of partisanship which has led to gridlock with a downstream effect on the market for ICT services. Paralyzed government regulation and decision-making impacts the competitive choices of services and providers available to enterprises, it slows down the cycle of innovation that leads to technological advancements, and it hits the bottom-line prices that end users ultimately pay for their services.
Listen to this 10-minute podcast as LB3’s Andrew Brown and Sara Crifasi discuss the current environment in Washington, DC with TC2’s Joe Schmidt and explain how it affects the products and services that enterprise customers purchase.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Disputes & Workouts and Success Stories webpages.
Large scale migrations of network services to cloud-based solutions require a carefully orchestrated sourcing and migration plan to ensure a seamless transition of your company’s mission critical services. If you are a large enterprise with a big national or global network footprint, you have to make sure that your internal stakeholders are aligned, your vendor is in synch with your company’s expectations, and your migration plan accounts for “unexpected” delays if you want these migrations to go well.
In this 9-minute podcast, Andrew Brown, Managing Partner of LB3 and Chairman of TC2, talks with Joe Schmidt, Director at TechCaliber Consulting (and the usual host of Staying Connected), about the mistakes and missteps that enterprises should avoid when implementing a global cloud solution.
Joe and Andrew’s podcast conversation previews an upcoming session that Joe will host at Enterprise Connect in Orlando on March 27, 2023 about global cloud migrations. Visit our website if you are interested in TC2’s Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services or our Success Stories webpage for more information about cloud services.
Many economic pundits believe a global recession in 2023 is likely, and that includes the U.S. While a down economy could impact you personally, what does it mean for buyers and sellers of technology?
In this 10-minute podcast Deb Boehling, a Senior Partner at LB3, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt look at how ICT vendor and enterprise expense and revenue interests are diametrically opposed, and why understanding this dynamic will help you weather the impact of a recession, if one lands.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Information Technology Advisory Services and Success Stories webpages.
When a company permits employees to use personal mobile devices to conduct company business on those devices, they usually have some type of corporate bring your own device, or BYOD, program. Flexibility, employee choice and satisfaction, cost savings … these are all good reasons for allowing BYOD, but is it safe for the enterprise?
In this 8-minute podcast, LB3 attorneys Kevin DiLallo and Sara Crifasi talk to TC2’s Joe Schmidt about the draft BYOD document developed by the National Institute for Standards & Technology (NIST) and surmise why this may become the de facto standard of care for enterprise security professionals.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Spectrum, Wireless & Infrastructure Development and Success Stories webpages.
The introduction of new technologies and lower cost alternatives to legacy telecom has been great for enterprise buyers of ICT, but not so great for the incumbent vendors, because these changes cut into their profits. To counter the declining revenue stream, vendors have created new, more lucrative sources of revenue by assessing surcharges, sometimes on top of surcharges.
Listen to this 13-minute podcast as LB3 Partner Laura McDonald and TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson and Joe Schmidt take a look at how these fees are assessed and offer some advice to help you plan for these budget busting costs.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Information Technology Advisory Services and Success Stories webpages.
Fixed Wireless Access, or FWA, has attracted a lot of attention from residential and commercial users recently, and for good reason. As speeds have increased, latency has reduced, and the service has become more reliable, wireless broadband service is becoming a viable alternative to wired last-mile connections to the Internet.
Listen to this 8-minute podcast as Kevin DiLallo, a Senior Partner at LB3, and TC2 Director Keith Cook talk to Joe Schmidt about why FWA will make great strides in the year ahead.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobility Services – In-Country, Regional, Global and Success Stories webpages.
If you’ve ever looked closely at your ICT billing, you’d probably agree that it can be pretty complex and sadly, often inaccurate. That’s one of the reasons that telecom expense management (TEM) has grown as an industry and why enterprises have come to depend on the services TEM companies offer.
In this 11-minute podcast, Theresa Knutson and Julie Gardner, TC2’s Contract Compliance & Optimization practice leads, discuss with Joe Schmidt why 2023 will be the year companies expand their use of TEM services and provide some valuable insight into how to address the many pain points TEM customers experience with their incumbent providers.
If you’d like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization and Success Stories webpages.
Most enterprise telecommunication contracts contain terms that are quite unfriendly to the customer. That’s because these unfavorable terms are hidden in the carrier’s online terms known as service guides, guides, service publications, and other benign terms.
Listen to this 12-minute podcast as Laura McDonald, a Senior Partner at LB3, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt provide a brief history of how telecom services have moved from tariffs to today’s negotiated deals, how the carriers’ online terms work, and what you can do to mitigate some of the risk the online guides pose to your contract.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Success Stories webpages.
Personal information generates considerable revenue for companies who collect it. Google has users’ location information that it offers to advertisers for targeted ad placements, and it delivers massive profits to Google. The practice, however, has landed Google in some hot water.
Listen to this 8-minute podcast as Kevin DiLallo, an LB3 Senior Partner, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt discuss Google’s recent $400 million settlement with state AGs and highlight how other trusted companies are playing fast and loose with user personal information.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobile Services and Success Stories webpages.
The Citizens Broadband Radio Service, also known as CBRS, has drawn little media attention compared to 5G cellular, but it is starting to get some traction with carriers, ISPs, and enterprise customers. There are a number of legal and technical issues that a user needs to consider before committing to CBRS, but the benefits of CBRS can be significant.
Listen to this 10-minute podcast as Steve Rosen, a Partner at LB3, TC2’s Technology Director, David Lee, and Joe Schmidt discuss this “other” wireless technology and provide you with what you need to know about CBRS.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobile Services and Success Stories webpages.
On November 3, 2022, the annual LB3 and TC2 NYC Conference returns to New York City after a three-year pandemic hiatus!
Join Andrew and Joe as they walk through the agenda of topics planned for discussion, including: how to successfully source and deploy Unified Communications, how to structure and execute Network Transport RFPs and contract negotiations for SD-WAN and Internet First initiatives (as well as legacy services like MPLS), what you need to know about Public Cloud, Managed Services/Outsourcing, and hardware/equipment deals, as well as a critical look at sourcing and managing Telecom Expense Management platforms and Wireless services (including 5G).
All of this presented in the well-known and beloved LB3/TC2 conference format which is informal, interactive, and completely free of vendor attendees or presenters.
As we covered in previous podcasts, T-Mobile has conveyed to customers that wireline services are not part of their long-term strategic service portfolio. However, last week’s announcement that T-Mobile is selling its wireline data services to Cogent caught many by surprise.
Listen to this 6-minute podcast as Jack Deal, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Mark Sheard, Managing Director of TC2 UK, discuss with Joe Schmidt what this transaction means for enterprise customers of legacy Sprint wireline services.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
As we covered in previous podcasts, T-Mobile has conveyed to customers that wireline services are not part of their long-term strategic service portfolio. However, last week’s announcement that T-Mobile is selling its wireline data services to Cogent caught many by surprise.
Listen to this 6-minute podcast as Jack Deal, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Mark Sheard, Managing Director of TC2 UK, discuss with Joe Schmidt what this transaction means for enterprise customers of legacy Sprint wireline services.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
Service providers often make changes to their core network infrastructure to introduce new technology or to retire legacy equipment and these changes, while well-intentioned, can and often do adversely affect enterprise service and resilient network designs.
Listen to this 13-minute podcast as Laura McDonald, a Senior Partner at LB3, and Bryan Carriker, a Senior Consultant at TC2, discuss with Joe Schmidt how enterprises are notified of these provider changes and what can be done to minimize their impact on enterprise network architectures and service delivery.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
Service providers often make changes to their core network infrastructure to introduce new technology or to retire legacy equipment and these changes, while well-intentioned, can and often do adversely affect enterprise service and resilient network designs.
Listen to this 13-minute podcast as Laura McDonald, a Senior Partner at LB3, and Bryan Carriker, a Senior Consultant at TC2, discuss with Joe Schmidt how enterprises are notified of these provider changes and what can be done to minimize their impact on enterprise network architectures and service delivery.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
Recent Q2 2022 financial results from some of the big telcos tell a much different story from a few years ago, and certainly from 8-10 years ago. AT&T and Verizon both had a weak 2nd quarter and the headline for both is that they had declines in the wireline enterprise market.
Listen to this 12-minute podcast as Laura McDonald, a Senior Partner at LB3, and Tony Mangino, a Director at TC2, talk to Joe Schmidt about why the carriers saw a decline in wireline revenue and offer tips for navigating the changing enterprise market.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpages.
What do the U.S. Secret Service and the nation’s largest financial institutions have in common? Tune in to hear about two high-profile investigations involving these institutions that highlight the enormous risks created by lax management of employees’ text messages, apps, and personal mobile devices in the workplace.
In this 8-minute podcast, Kevin DiLallo, a Senior Partner at LB3, discusses with TC2’s Joe Schmidt how failure to comply with recordkeeping laws and regulations have gotten the Secret Service and some big banks into hot water and offer some useful tips for controlling the risks that misuse of mobile services pose.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobile Services and Success Stories webpages.
There is an ongoing dispute between the FCC and the FAA that revolves around wireless carriers’ use of C-Band spectrum to deliver new 5G services, and the aviation industry’s use of nearby spectrum for a critical safety system – the radio altimeter.
Listen to this 8-minute podcast as Steve Rosen, a Partner at LB3, David Lee, TC2’s Technical Director, and Joe Schmidt provide another important update on this dispute. Failure by the communications industry and aviation industry to come to agreeable terms soon will almost certainly result in more flight cancellations and delays … something no one wants or needs.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Spectrum, Wireless & Infrastructure Development and Success Stories webpages.
Record inflation is having some impact on everyone’s personal lives. It is also taking its toll on enterprise ICT budgets, and telecom and other IT companies are working hard to make their inflation problems your inflation problems.
On this 10-minute podcast TC2’s Larry York, TC2’s Executive Director, Brent Knight, a Senior Consultant at TC2, and Joe Schmidt look at how ICT vendors pass on their increased costs to you and offer advice on specific steps that you can take to mitigate – or even stop – these expenses.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpages.
Many of the large systems integrators’ recent financial results indicate that large enterprises are increasingly turning to global system integrators, outsourcers, and professional services firms to deliver their IT functions and strategic projects, combining traditional IT outsourcing with large, transformational IT programs.
In this 10-minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt discuss the growth and trends they’re seeing in customized IT services deals and offer insight into what to consider when negotiating your next deal.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Managed Services & Outsourcing and Success Stories webpages.
Telecom vendors love to pile on charges that fall outside the rates for services that enterprise customers work hard to negotiate and lock down in their agreements. Vendors give these add-on charges official-sounding names, the latest being Verizon’s Economic Adjustment Charge which will start hitting enterprise wireless bills any day.
In this 10-minute podcast, Jack Deal, a Managing Director at TC2 and Andrew Brown, the Managing Partner of LB3 and the Chairman of TC2 discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt how Verizon’s made-up fee will be assessed and what it means for enterprise customers.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobility Services – In-Country, Regional, Global and Success Stories webpages.
It may surprise you, but the need for data center space isn’t necessarily reducing for all enterprises as they move apps to the cloud. In fact, many companies are adding space in current data centers to have a presence near the hyperscalers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure – one big draw being improved user experience and security.
Listen to this 14-minute podcast as LB3 Senior Partners Deb Boehling and Laura McDonald discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt the difference between retail and wholesale colocation agreements, key contractual terms and site space details you want to consider in order to protect your assets, and the important legal rights of all parties involved.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Success Stories webpages.
In a recent Staying Connected podcast, TC2’s Keith Cook and Joe Schmidt highlighted the business impact of T-Mobile’s decision to focus more on wireless services and less on fixed line services provided by legacy Sprint. What do you do if you have legacy Sprint wireline services? Should you stay or go, and why or how?
In this 15-minute podcast, LB3 Senior Partners Laura McDonald and Deb Boehling talk with Joe Schmidt about this topic from a legal and contracting perspective. Laura and Deb also offer advice on what enterprises need to do now in order not to get caught in any financial, operational or liability pinch.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Information Technology Advisory Services and Success Stories webpages.
In a previous podcast, we talked about how The Great Resignation was impacting network life cycle management. As a result of this mass exodus of key employees, companies are now having to contend with another employee phenomenon … The Great Burnout.
Listen to this 9-minute podcast as TC2’s UK Managing Director Mark Sheard describes for Joe Schmidt how the people left behind are struggling to pick up the pieces to support network life cycle management and what companies can do to help both their employees and themselves.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization and Success Stories webpages.
Back in 2020, TC2’s Jack Deal and Mark Sheard published an article and recorded a podcast entitled “TDM: It’s Time to Decommission and Move” warning of the risks associated with failing to plan the move away from legacy time division multiplexing (TDM) service. Companies that failed to heed their advice are now quite literally paying the price for staying with TDM.
Listen to this 9-minute podcast as Jack and Mark talk with TC2’s Joe Schmidt about the TDM landscape and explain why enterprises are experiencing operational and commercial pain by remaining with TDM services.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our SD-WAN & Transformational Network Services and Success Stories webpages.
Almost everyone knows that T-Mobile acquired Sprint last year, and many industry pundits (including we on Staying Connected) have pontificated on what this means for the U.S. wireless industry. Notably, as part of that acquisition, T-Mobile also acquired Sprint’s wireline business, once a go-to service for many enterprises.
Listen to this 7-minute podcast as TC2 Directors Keith Cook and Joe Schmidt discuss how legacy Sprint wireline services are being retired and what this means for buyers of ICT services.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
When you work with ICT billing, you deal with credits paid for events like circuit disconnects or the resolution of a billing error. This sounds like guaranteed money in the bank … but it’s not.
In this 8-minute podcast, TC2 Directors Julie Gardner and Theresa Knutson talk with Joe Schmidt and discuss the billing gold mine of credits and the potential pitfalls, such as it taking years to use credits that were applied to the wrong account – if you’re able to use them at all. Julie and Theresa provide the tips and tools for helping you tap this untapped credit resource.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization and Success Stories webpages.
When an enterprise divests a business unit, much work is needed to ensure that vendor IT contracts will appropriately support the divestiture. This can be a difficult process because vendors don’t normally let their customers just copy and paste a contract into a brand new “carbon copy” for the divested company.
Listen to this 10-minute podcast as Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Marc Lindsey, a Senior Partner at LB3 and President of Avenue4, discuss with Joe Schmidt the two main approaches companies often use when divesting a business unit and how you can put these approaches to use.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Information Technology Advisory Services and Success Stories webpages.
Payment terms have become a major focus for large enterprises when negotiating ICT contracts. Fewer companies are accepting the historic standard “due within 30 days of invoice date” and are instead negotiating payment terms ranging from 60 to 90 days.
Listen to this 9-minute podcast as TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson, Julie Gardner, and Joe Schmidt discuss how payment terms can make or break a deal, provide insight into how suppliers struggle to bill for these special arrangements, and what you can do to realize the benefit of your negotiated payment terms.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization and Success Stories webpages.
In the second part of this two-part podcast, LB3’s Of Counsel Sara Crifasi and Kevin DiLallo, a Senior Partner, take a closer look with TC2’s Joe Schmidt at how data privacy concerns impact enterprises.
The amount of data collected by ISPs is mind boggling, and in the wrong hands can pose serious harm to an enterprise. In this podcast, you’ll receive practical tips to prevent unknown operators from collecting and sharing sensitive information about your company and its employees.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice & Advocacy and Success Stories webpages.
It may not surprise you that your ISP is collecting large amounts of data about you and selling it to third parties. However, after listening to this two-part podcast, you’ll probably think twice about blindly accepting the terms of use of that “must have” app.
In this part one, LB3’s Of Counsel Sara Crifasi and Kevin DiLallo, a Senior Partner, talk to TC2’s Joe Schmidt about the findings of a recently released FTC report revealing that ISPs are collecting enormous amounts of data from their customers and turning around and sharing that data with undisclosed third parties.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice & Advocacy and Success Stories webpages.
The last couple of years have been challenging for enterprises and their employees; the world has seen dramatic societal changes. Now, companies are dealing with the Great Resignation, losing some of their most seasoned staff and revealing a huge knowledge vacuum in many areas.
In this 8-minute podcast, TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson and Joe Schmidt look at how network lifecycle management is being impacted and reveal how losing even a single key employee can set a company back, but also explain how TC2 can fill the gap.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization and Success Stories webpages.
Network as a Service (“NaaS”) is an interesting concept. Who wouldn’t want to buy network services like a water utility – pay only for what you use? Unfortunately, NaaS often encompasses a wide range of commercial and technical aspirations, rather than discrete vendor service offerings.
In this 9-minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt discuss what they think the key attributes of NaaS are and how vendors could develop solutions that offer real value to enterprise buyers.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
Cisco recently announced a 10% increase in its global list pricing. While the price increase is an average increase across Cisco’s product portfolio, it still stings, and will affect almost every enterprise that runs a network or has networking needs.
In this 9-minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and David Lee, TC2’s Technology Director, talk with Joe Schmidt about why Cisco is increasing its pricing and provide some tips for helping companies keep their networking equipment costs in check.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Hardware & Licensing and Success Stories webpages.
On this special two-part podcast, TC2’s Joe Schmidt has assembled six of his favorite guests from past Staying Connected episodes for a rapid-fire review of the important ICT events of 2021.
In this part two, TC2’s David Lee focuses on the technical reasons why high-profile hacks were perpetrated and assesses the market for unified communications, LB3’s Kevin DiLallo shares valuable insight about the state of wireless services, including 5G, and the vendors, and TC2’s Ben Fox wraps up the podcast sharing his views on managed services and hypothesizes that cloud deals will increase in importance to enterprises in the years ahead.
On this special two-part podcast, TC2’s Joe Schmidt has assembled six of his favorite guests from past Staying Connected episodes for a rapid-fire review of the important ICT events of 2021.
In this part one, LB3’s Andrew Brown looks at the impact of E911 regulation and the continuing saga of USF, Laura McDonald reviews some predictions she made about vendor developments and security issues, and TC2’s Theresa Knutson closes out the podcast with a discussion of TEM services and how the telecom companies are beginning to sunset technologies like POTS and ISDN.
On November 29, 2021, we recorded a podcast about a dispute between the FCC and the FAA, the respective regulators for the communications industry, and the aviation industry. The dispute revolves around the wireless carriers’ use of C-Band spectrum to deliver 5G and the aviation industry’s use of nearby spectrum to control aircraft.
In this 7-minute podcast Steve Rosen, a Partner at LB3, David Lee, TC2’s Technical Director, and Joe Schmidt provide an important update on this developing situation. A key takeaway is if nothing changes and AT&T and Verizon Wireless keep to their January 19 schedule to turn up 5G service, expect disruptions to air freight and passenger air service – which is not what the economy needs right now.
For a bit of background history on this evolving event, you can listen to Steve, David and Joe’s prior podcast “5G Deployment and Radio Altimeters – a Clash of Industries and Regulators.”
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobility Services – In-Country, Regional, Global and Success Stories webpages.
When negotiating mid-market deals enterprises require a different perspective than they employ in their big business deals. Even though requirements may be just as complex as in those larger deals, the dynamics of the procurement are decidedly different.
In this 6 minute podcast TC2 Directors Tony Mangino and Joe Schmidt discuss why scale matters in ICT procurements and offer advice to help mid-market clients realize maximum value from their ICT deals.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpages.
There is a fascinating dispute unfolding between the wireless communications industry and the aviation industry, or rather, a dispute between their respective regulators, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The dispute revolves around the wireless carriers’ use of C-Band spectrum to deliver 5G and the aviation industry’s use of nearby spectrum to control aircraft.
Listen to this 12-minute podcast as Steve Rosen, a Partner at LB3, David Lee, TC2’s Technology Director, and Joe Schmidt explain this technical and legal conundrum and why it will be a regulatory and economic train wreck if the dispute doesn’t get sorted.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobility Services – In-Country, Regional, Global and Success Stories webpages.
When you buy technology, the easy choice is to buy it from your incumbent supplier, and frankly, if you have a good relationship with that supplier and a contract with competitive pricing, that’s probably the right choice. When you’re looking at new technology like SD-WAN, however, handing the business to your incumbent supplier requires further thought.
Listen to this 6-minute podcast as TC2 Directors Keith Cook and Joe Schmidt discuss how doing your due diligence and competitively sourcing your SD-WAN solution will deliver big benefits for your company.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our SD-WAN & Transformational Network Services and Success Stories webpages.
If you’re a buyer of ICT and network services, you’re probably quite familiar with SIP trunking, MPLS, UC, cloud, and many other go-to solutions used in the enterprise. You may, however, be less familiar with legacy services such as POTS, FX, ISDN, and TDM. These are the technologies that have been in the ground for decades and are being targeted by the ILECs and CLECs for discontinuance.
Listen to this 9-minute podcast as TC2 Directors Pat Gilpatrick and Joe Schmidt provide a brief history lesson on these legacy technologies, explain why the carriers want you off of them and how they are using massive price increases to “motivate” you to migrate, and what you can do to address this changing market dynamic.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
Companies are increasingly re-evaluating their needs for Unified Communications-as-a-Service (“UCaaS”) solutions, and many are taking steps to address their quickly changing UCaaS requirements. This is particularly important in the age of COVID when the necessity to support work from home and the hybrid office are at the forefront.
In this 12-minute podcast, TC2’s Technical Director, David Lee, and Joe Schmidt discuss some of the key inputs for evaluating UCaaS solutions including building a strategy, procuring the solution, and selecting the right provider and feature set to meet your company’s needs.
If you’d like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Unified Communication & Collaboration and Success Stories.
Comcast recently announced the closing of their acquisition of Masergy, a provider of managed WAN and cloud-based services. Individually, these weren’t two heavyweights in the ICT arena, but the combined entity might be worth considering for enterprise buyers of ICT.
In this 10-minute podcast Deb Boehling, a Partner at LB3, Jack Deal, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt discuss the merger of Masergy and Comcast and offer some tips on what enterprises need to consider before engaging this new organization.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
The IPv4 address transfer market is probably not well understood by most organizations, and few likely know how to go about monetizing unused IPv4 assets. Fortunately, companies like Avenue4 exist and can help enterprises advance transparency and efficiency in an evolving and opaque market.
In this 14-minute podcast, Marc Lindsey, a Partner at LB3 and President of Avenue4 (an LB3-affiliated company) discusses with TC2’s Joe Schmidt why the IPv4 market exists and explains how enterprises can realize value from IPv4 transactions.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit the Avenue4 website and our Information Technology Advisory Services webpage.
If you buy technology and services from a value added reseller (VAR), it’s important that you also have direct relationships with the key product manufacturers – also known as OEMs (short for original equipment manufacturers) – because those are the producers of the products you purchase through the VAR. Nowhere is this more important for most companies than with one of the bigger OEMs… Cisco.
In this 10 minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt look at how Cisco’s enterprise interactions are evolving and offer guidance on how you can get the most value out of your Cisco relationship.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Hardware & Licensing and Success Stories webpages.
Value added resellers are an important part of the ICT ecosystem and without them, a lot of great products and services would never make it to the enterprise. But what are value added resellers, or VARs, and why do they exist?
Listen to this 10-minute podcast as Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt describe what VARs do, explain some of the nuances of their pricing, and offer up some tips to help you get the most value from your value added reseller.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Hardware & Licensing and Success Stories webpages.
As more applications are being transitioned to the cloud, and as COVID-19 is becoming COVID-21 and the work-from-home scenario is becoming the new normal for many businesses, there is an urgent need for work-from-anywhere to support the modern enterprise organization. In the era of cloud-first architectures, what are considered best practices for hardening and delivering resiliency to support this architecture?
In this 11-minute podcast, TC2’s Technical Director, David Lee, Senior Consultant Brent Knight, and Director Joe Schmidt look at how to efficiently harden and deliver resiliency in the enterprise WAN, review potential trip-ups for enterprise facilities and work-from-home scenarios, and discuss what enterprise customers should do.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
Enterprises will normally spend a lot of effort to source and negotiate contracts for managed services and outsourcing arrangements. They don’t, however, always give the same attention to IT infrastructure projects … to their detriment.
Listen to this 9-minute podcast as Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt discuss what IT infrastructure projects might look like in your company and why applying some rigor to the sourcing process will likely deliver better pricing and a Statement of Work that works for you.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Managed Services & Outsourcing and Success Stories webpages.
Worldwide, the race is on to build out 5G networks. In the U.S., T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T are laying out their plans, and their money, to own a piece of this next-generation wireless market. At the beginning of this month, however, AT&T filed a Petition at the Federal Communications Commission asking for the adoption of so-called “spectrum screens.” Is this AT&T being a good corporate citizen supporting sensible regulation to preserve competition, or is AT&T cynically exploiting the regulatory process to slow down T-Mobile and protect its own position?
To find out, listen to this 10-minute podcast in which LB3 Partners Kevin DiLallo and Andrew Brown talk with TC2’s Joe Schmidt and provide an explanation of spectrum screens, why they could be a good thing for competition in 5G, and what it all means for enterprises.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobility Services – In-Country, Regional, Global and Success Stories webpages.
According to sources, GTT Communications is heading into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing is expected to take place once GTT’s sale of its European and transoceanic fiber business is completed with I-Squared Capital. The bankruptcy filing could be a bad thing for enterprises or – by eliminating close to $3 billion in debt – GTT might be able to refocus its business and offer the type of transformational technology and services enterprises need.
In this 8 minute podcast, Jack Deal, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt take a look at how GTT got into this position and offer some tips for current and future GTT customers.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
Earlier in 2021, the Federal Communications Commission announced the winners of the C-Band spectrum auction – the wireless frequency carriers need to provide the holy grail of 5G services. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile have committed billions of dollars to secure the needed spectrum and build-out of their networks, expecting a big payback from consumers and enterprises.
In this 10 minute podcast, Kevin DiLallo, a Partner at LB3, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt take a closer look at what this revolutionary wireless technology holds for the future.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobility Services – In-Country, Regional, Global and Success Stories webpages.
Well, it happened again. For the fifth time in three years, T-Mobile, the nation’s second largest wireless carrier, has suffered a data breach that exposed highly sensitive personal information, affecting some 53 million current and past customers, as well as others who may have applied for T-Mobile accounts and were denied. Most alarmingly, it appears T-Mobile wasn’t aware that it had been hacked and the hackers claim to have already sold the first batch of data.
This 11-minute podcast with Kevin DiLallo, a Partner at LB3, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt takes a closer look at how this hack may influence how your enterprise conducts its business and offers up some much-needed guidance to help you protect your company and your data.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Mobility Services – In-Country, Regional, Global and Success Stories webpages.
Successful ICT implementations begin during the procurement process, not when you hand over the new contract to the implementation team. Failure to include implementation as part of your RFP will almost certainly lead to a compromised technology transformation and disappointed end users.
Listen to this 14-minute podcast as TC2’s Bryan Carriker and Joe Schmidt discuss how companies can dramatically improve the likelihood of a successful ICT deal implementation.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpages.
Lumen Technologies recently announced two sizable business divestitures that could see them realize $10 billion in sales proceeds and help the company refocus its strategy. In the first sale, Lumen’s Latin American business is being sold to the investment firm Stonepeak for $2.7 billion and in the second, even larger sale, the telco’s local incumbent carrier operations in 20 states are going to Apollo Funds for $7.5 billion.
In this 11 minute podcast, Jack Deal, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Laura McDonald, a Partner with LB3, discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt what these asset divestures mean and speculate how enterprises might benefit from the new Lumen.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our SIP Trunking & Legacy Voice Networks and Success Stories webpages.
In this 6 minute part two of the two-part podcast, LB3 Partners Deb Boehling and Laura McDonald discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt what new state data protection Acts mean for enterprise buyers of technology. Laura and Deb outline the contracting obligations enterprises must follow to comply with these Acts … and failure to comply could cost your plenty.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization, Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
In May 2018, the European Union adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to provide sweeping data protections for consumers. It didn’t take long before this type of regulation made its way to the US, first landing in California as the California Data Protection Act (CCPA), and similar laws are now rolling out in Virginia, Colorado, and soon many other states.
Listen to this 9 minute part one of a two-part podcast where LB3 Partners Deb Boehling and Laura McDonald talk with TC2’s Joe Schmidt about what these Acts mean for enterprise buyers of technology.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization, Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
About five years ago AT&T and Verizon announced with great fanfare their strategic business expansion into the world of content development. The carriers spent billions of dollars and had to overcome fierce regulatory resistance to acquire companies such as Time Warner and Yahoo. Roll forward to 2021 and both companies have taken a huge U-turn and made the strategic decision to unload all of these acquired assets … at fire sale prices.
Listen to this 11 minute podcast as Andrew Brown, the Managing Partner at LB3 and Chairman of TC2, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt describe how AT&T and Verizon are “unmerging” these content plays to refocus on their core network services, particularly 5G, and why enterprises look to benefit.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
A profound difference in the construct of service level agreements (SLAs) between managed services and outsourcing deals and network transport SLAs is that SLAs are more custom to a particular contract or customer. Knowing what to measure and how to measure it, however, can be challenging.
In this 10 minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt help you understand how to define and negotiate these custom SLAs so you can include them in your next managed services or outsourcing deal.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Managed Services & Outsourcing and Success Stories webpages.
Wide Area Network service levels are critically important for helping keep an enterprise’s network humming. Unfortunately, SLAs are not always well understood. The key point of SLAs is to cover all services, end-to-end, and for the supplier and enterprise to have a clear understanding of who is accountable for the service as it moves along the chain of connections.
In this 10 minute podcast, TC2’s Technical Director, David Lee, and Joe Schmidt look at best practices for WAN transport service levels and highlight the steps enterprises will want to take to address their service level needs.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Disputes & Workouts and Success Stories webpages.
When buying technology or ICT services, issuing an RFP to qualified suppliers is a great way to help frame out requirements and then do a fair, apples to apples comparison of the proposals you receive. Astute companies also use RFP processes to identify and deliver innovation in IT services and technology.
In this 9 minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt discuss strategies that TC2 has used to leverage RFP processes to deliver innovative solutions and offer tips for helping you achieve the best results from your RFP process.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories webpages.
Do enterprises still use POTS lines? Well, the ILECs appear to be asking the same question, because there is a disturbing trend taking place with ILEC pricing. For example, one well known ILEC recently raised its list rate for POTS services by a whopping 50%.
Listen to this 9 minute podcast as TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson, Julie Gardner, and Joe Schmidt discuss why enterprises still use POTS lines for services like elevator phones, explain why ILECs are imposing these huge price increases, and offer insight on what you need to do.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our SIP Trunking & Legacy Voice Networks and Success Stories.
At some point most companies that use IT services have to go through a transition from one supplier to another. The need to change suppliers could be driven by any number of reasons and can be a daunting effort and a process that must be carefully managed.
In this 12 minute podcast, Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Marc Lindsey, a Senior Partner at LB3 and President of Avenue4, a leading IPv4 advisory firm, share useful insights with TC2’s Joe Schmidt and provide steps you need to take to minimize disruption if you’re gearing up for a supplier change.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Managed Services & Outsourcing and Success Stories webpages.
At TechCaliber, we have always advocated for using a lifecycle approach for ICT contracts, and as technologies and suppliers have changed over the years, this approach continues to work and deliver huge benefits for enterprises. But what is this lifecycle approach?
Listen to this 7 minute podcast as TC2 Directors Keith Cook and Joe Schmidt describe the five elements of the lifecycle and point out a potential “gotcha” and how to overcome it with a regular strategic review.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories webpages.
If you’re a savvy buyer of technology, you know that it’s seldom that you just accept the terms of a deal that your vendor offers … you negotiate it. Negotiations often focus on price, but there are any number of commercial arrangements and service terms that can be improved through a spirited negotiation.
On this 11 minute podcast, TC2 Managing Director Ben Fox and Joe Schmidt discuss the attributes of a good negotiator and highlight how knowing the subject matter and understanding the issues can deliver a winning result.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories.
LB3 and TC2 recently ran a three-part on-line class covering the basics of telecom procurement and contracting. Our aim was to deliver what can be a very difficult topic, in a format that was understandable to someone who’s new to telecom and ICT procurement, and also serve as a refresher for telecom veterans.
Listen to this 10 minute podcast as the architects of the class, Laura McDonald, a Partner at LB3, and TC2 Director Pat Gilpatrick discuss the class with TC2’s Joe Schmidt and provide a quick overview of the class and highlight some interesting observations.
If you’d like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit Strategic Sourcing and Success Stories on our website.
When companies buy technology, one of the steps that often neglect to take is benchmarking. It could be because they believe they already get the best - or at least acceptable - pricing or service level. They trust that their vendor is looking out for them. Or maybe they just don’t have the time or really understand what actually can be benchmarked.
On this 6 minute podcast, TC2 Directors Tony Mangino and Joe Schmidt explain why benchmarking of technology is so much more than simply comparing prices, or commercial provisions, or SLAs, and highlight why benchmarking matters more now than ever.
If you’d like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Benchmarking and Success Stories pages.
In this second part of the two-part series on SD-WAN, TC2’s Mark Sheard and Joe Schmidt take a closer look at SD-WAN, the benefits it can provide your company, and some of the pitfalls you better be watching for when you go down the SD-WAN path.
In this 11 minute podcast, Mark and Joe discuss establishing your SD-WAN strategy, assessing your requirements, best practices for buying the solution, and what to do to avoid pain down the road.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit SD-WAN & Transformational Network Services and Success Stories.
Over the last several years, SD-WAN has gained traction with companies looking to reduce networking costs, increase bandwidth flexibility, and improve performance. The events of 2020 have forced most enterprises to rethink their network architectures and, not surprisingly, SD-WAN is a key component.
In this 9 minute podcast, Mark Sheard, TC2’s UK Managing Director, takes a look at how SD-WAN moved away from being a standalone solution into being part of what Gartner coined SASE – Secure Access Service Edge. In this first part of a two-part series, Mark discusses some of the SD-WAN trends to look for in 2021 and highlights the benefits that SD-WAN can deliver.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit SD-WAN & Transformational Network Services and Success Stories.
If you have offices in a lot of places, you probably also do business with telecom providers in a lot of places. Managing those suppliers and that billing can be a monumental task, and that is why using companies that aggregate that billing can be a good idea … if you pick the right supplier and know your requirements.
In this 9 minute podcast, TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson and Joe Schmidt describe the benefits of using a third party service aggregator and provide some insight that will put you on the path to success if you decide using an aggregator is right for your company.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit Technology Consulting & Strategy Development Services and Success Stories.
In this second episode of a two-part podcast series, Kevin DiLallo, a Partner at LB3, and Joe Schmidt from TC2 take a close look at Private 5G, a 5G service that could deliver huge productivity and cost advantages to enterprises.
In this 10 minute podcast, Kevin and Joe examine how the use of dedicated spectrum will be used to create “Non-Public Networks” and why it could be one of the most disruptive technologies in the years ahead.
The typical long-term contract structure for enterprise ITC deals, particularly telecom deals, has traditionally been a revenue commitment over a fixed period of time. This commitment might be a minimum annual revenue or volume commitment, or it might be a minimum term revenue or volume commitment. New technologies and evolving vendor approaches, however, are changing all this.
In this 12 minute podcast, Laura McDonald, a Partner at LB3, and TC2 Directors Pat Gilpatrick and Joe Schmidt explain why enterprise buyers need to think differently when negotiating new ICT contracts.
If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit Information Technology Advisory Services and Success Stories.
The Telecom Expense Management (TEM) industry continues to evolve, with the top TEM providers offering to manage even more of your ICT Spend. Not only do you need the basics of invoice receipt, processing, payment, audit, inventory and reporting for wireline and wireless services, but you might also need those same services for maintenance, cloud-based services, Internet of Things services, and subscription-based services.
In this 12 minute podcast, Steve Rosen, a Partner at LB3, and TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson and Joe Schmidt discuss the outlook for TEM services and offer some guidance on what you’ll want to consider if you’re assessing TEM providers in 2021.
If you’d like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit Managed Services & Outsourcing and Success Stories.
In this second part of our two-part podcast series where we discuss the impact of COVID-19 on enterprises and their ICT spend, Deb Boehling, a Partner at LB3, and TC2 Directors Julie Gardner and Joe Schmidt look at how companies can avoid risks related to contractual commitments.
In this 15 minute podcast, you’ll hear about the different types of commitments and reductions to them, underutilization charges, service terms, and early termination charges for telecom services. You’ll also hear about strategies for structuring your licenses and pricing for UC and web conferencing services.
If you’d like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit Lifecycle Services and Success Stories
It won’t surprise anyone to learn that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on the networking needs of enterprises. There has been a fundamental shift in the work environment as most organizations quickly migrated to a work from home model. That shift has had numerous downstream impacts on costs for licensing and conferencing, circuit sizing, and global real estate – just to name a few.
In this 8 minute podcast – part one of a two-part series – Deb Boehling, a Partner at LB3, and TC2 Directors Julie Gardner and Joe Schmidt highlight some of the areas most impacted by COVID-19 and offer up some tips that could save you money.
If you’d like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit Lifecycle Services and Success Stories.
The recent SolarWinds software hack, and hacks related to that breach, show why enterprises need to keep ahead of the ever-challenging security environment. Unfortunately, these types of attacks are becoming more commonplace and even powerhouse Microsoft is a target for the bad actors.
Listen to this 13 minute podcast as Laura McDonald, a Partner at LB3, and David Lee, TC2’s Technology Director, discuss with Joe Schmidt what this means for enterprises and provide some steps you’ll want to take to protect your company.
This year a new President and a new administration arrived in Washington DC, bringing with them a new agenda for telecommunications and technology issues. Many of the items on the agenda will affect large enterprise customers and influence how companies plan for the future.
Listen to this 10 minute podcast as top Washington DC regulatory gurus and LB3 attorneys, Sara Crifasi and Jeff Sheldon, discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt some of the big ticket items that they expect to take center stage in Washington in the upcoming months and years.
In 2021 enterprises can expect to see many evolutionary changes for network services and solutions, along with the suppliers that sell them. Several significant transformations were announced in the last few years and plenty of work remains.
Listen to this 14 minute podcast as Jack Deal, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Patrick Whittle, who is Of Counsel at LB3, discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt how changes at T-Mobile, Lumen, AT&T, and Verizon, along with the ICT industry’s desire to retire legacy technology, will impact companies in 2021 and beyond.
LB3 and TC2 have worked in the wireless space and on enterprise mobility deals for a long time. Some of us have been around long enough that we’ve been part of the evolution of cellular services … from the early days of low speed analog 1G service to today’s rollout of high speed digital 5G service.
In this 8 minute podcast, Kevin DiLallo, a Partner at LB3, and Joe Schmidt from TC2 break down the costs and effort for wireless service providers to rollout 5G, and explain why anxious consumers may have to wait a bit longer for the real promise of 5G.
Beginning this year, new federal regulations take effect that require companies to transmit accurate location information with each 911 call originating from company premises, and next year the requirements become more stringent. Federal and state E911 rules and regulations are intended to make it easier for users to reach 911 and for first responders to receive accurate location information.
Listen to this 11 minute podcast as Andrew Brown, the Managing Partner at LB3 and Chairman of TC2, explains to Joe Schmidt why complying with E911 isn’t something companies can put off and offers advice on what to do now.
The market for managed network services is undergoing some significant changes. Enterprises are increasingly shifting their reliance away from carriers for managed services to system integrator led managed services.
Listen to this 10 minute podcast as Ben Fox, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Joe Schmidt describe how adoption of network solutions like SD-WAN and Internet First are allowing enterprises to take advantage of the customized, and often cheaper, managed services offerings of systems integrators.
Each year the lawyers from LB3 and consultants from TC2 contemplate what ICT trends are going to have an impact on enterprises in the year ahead. We may have missed a few things in 2020, like the importance of UC for a completely remote workforce, yet we’ve still identified a number of trends for 2021.
Listen to this 11 minute podcast as Laura McDonald and Kevin DiLallo, two of LB3’s Partners, join TC2’s Joe Schmidt as they rundown some of the topics that will be covered in the Staying Connected podcast series - Trends to Watch in 2021.
If you were following the news this week, you probably heard about a major hack of SolarWinds’ software. SolarWinds’ software is used to monitor and manage network gear and to monitor applications for countless multi-national companies and several key U.S. government agencies.
The hack is a big black eye for SolarWinds, but it also highlights the vulnerability companies and governments face.
Listen to this 8 minute podcast as TC2’s Technology Director, David Lee, Tony Mangino, a Director, and Joe Schmidt dig a bit deeper into what the Solar Winds hack means for enterprises and describe some steps you’re going to want to take.
Last year, about this time, you probably had your ICT plan in place for 2020 and looking back, it probably had more than a bit of variance. In this podcast we discuss what is important, as disrupted as 2020 has been, and how some of that disruption is going to last for years to come and affect what enterprises buy – and from whom.
In this 8 minute podcast, TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson, Tony Mangino, and Joe Schmidt share client observations from 2020 and suggest guidance on what to do when developing your company’s ICT plan in 2021.
When we discuss regulatory matters on Staying Connected, listeners likely squirm a bit worrying whether they’re doing the right thing for their companies. Undoubtedly, two of the most important regulatory topics we stay on top of are the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
On this 11 minute podcast, LB3’s Deb Boehling, a Partner at LB3, and Patrick Whittle, who is Of Counsel, along with TC2’s Joe Schmidt look at an EU regulatory issue known as "Schrems II" and explain why it has made complying with GDPR a lot tougher.
12th November 2020 – EU releases draft Implementing Decision with updated Standard Contractual Clauses for transfers from the EU to third countries. Comments due by 10th December; final SCCs expected early 2021. The draft updated SCCs align with our strategies in this podcast.*
Practically every mobile app you use, as well as the operating systems of most smartphones, track your location, along with other information they’ve gathered about you and they share it with third parties. If you ever had that feeling that you’re being followed, you’re right.
On this 8 minute podcast, Kevin DiLallo, a Partner at LB3, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt explore the extent and implications of location tracking, explain the legal rights you may have with respect to your location information; they take out the crystal ball and predict what may be coming in the future, both in terms of the technology and your legal rights.
Before COVID-19 slammed all of us, you probably participated on the occasional conference call. But today, you’re probably connecting using any number of UC platforms on a regular basis to communicate with colleagues, customers, vendors, family, friends … well, you get the picture. Regardless of what UC platform you use, it’s a good idea to be thinking about whether that UC session is safe and secure.
In this 10 minute podcast, Kevin DiLallo, a Partner at LB3, discusses with TC2’s Joe Schmidt the privacy and security policies and practices of Cisco’s Webex and other major UC providers. Kevin also provides some important precautions you’ll want to take to protect yourself and your company.
Gartner recently published their Market Guide for Telecom Expense Management Services, and the report provides some very good analytical insight into the everchanging TEM industry. At TC2 and LB3, we have been supporting clients with their TEM needs long before the TEM industry as we now know it existed, and in this 10 minute podcast, TC2’s Contract Compliance and Optimization practice leads Theresa Knutson and Julie Gardner, along with Joe Schmidt, provide their perspective on the top global suppliers listed in the Gartner report. You’ll also receive some important tips on how to get the most from your TEM providers.
In this 12 minute part-two podcast, TC2’s David Lee and Joe Schmidt continue their discussion about why enterprises are depending on unified communications, or UC, more than ever. How do companies decide if a premise-based or UCaaS solution is the right fit, and which companies are worthy of consideration? Of the hundreds of UC solution features available, David and Joe highlight some of the top features they think are important and relevant for enterprises today – and the list might just surprise you.
In part one of this two-part series, we highlighted some areas where your trusted ICT vendors might not be delivering everything you thought you bought. On this part-two of the podcast series, we offer up some guidance on what enterprises can do to get what you paid for.
Listen to this 11 minute podcast as Deb Boehling, a Partner at LB3, and TC2 Directors Keith Cook and Joe Schmidt discuss approaches and legal provisions that will improve your chances of receiving everything you bought.
Companies spend a lot of time planning and implementing cost effective, resilient technical solutions and programs to support their business needs. But how do you guarantee what you’re paying for, with an increasingly limited IT budget, is actually being delivered by your service providers? And what do you do if you find out it’s not?
Listen to this 10 minute part one of a two-part podcast as TC2 Directors Keith Cook and Joe Schmidt highlight some of the areas where you better be keeping a watchful eye or you run the risk of paying for something that your trusted partner might not be delivering.
Companies are increasingly re-evaluating their Unified Communications (UC) solutions, because as The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted, during the COVID-19 pandemic enterprise UC solutions are supporting the physical and emotional health of many companies. This new dependency on UC has also revealed several issues and, perhaps, opportunities with enterprise communications solutions.
In this 12 minute part-one of a two-part podcast series, TC2’s Technical Director, David Lee, and Director Joe Schmidt discuss the importance of developing a UC strategy, describe what to include in a strategy, and talk through the steps to take to competitively procure a solution.
CenturyLink, a Tier 1 ISP and a major provider of network services to enterprise customers, has changed its name to “Lumen”. After sorting through many of the PR and marketing announcements, it’s pretty clear that this is a rebranding and renaming strategy, at least for right now. It is possible that the name change may also be setting the stage for a later reorganization of CenturyLink’s business… or it may not.
Listen to this 12 minute podcast as TC2’s Theresa Knutson and LB3’s Andrew Brown discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt this new name and how the name change could have potential operational and legal impact on enterprise customers.
On Sunday, August 30, there was a massive, half-day network outage that interrupted service across the US. The latest news reports indicate that there was an astonishing 3.5% drop in global internet traffic during the down time incident which appears to have been caused by CenturyLink, one of the world’s largest Tier 1 ISPs.
In this 9 minute podcast Theresa Knutson, a director at TC2, David Lee, TC2’s Technical Director, and Andrew Brown, the Chairman of TC2 and the Managing Partner of LB3 discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt how this outage occurred. You’ll also hear why companies operating in the new cloud-based world need to demand more from the “daisy chain” of multiple ISPs, cloud providers, carrier neutral facilities, and network operators.
Last month the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an Order in the ongoing robocalling proceeding and, unfortunately, it could spell trouble for enterprise customers engaged in any form of customer outreach by phone. While the FCC’s intention may have been good, it was short-sighted and failed to clearly define the process carriers should use to distinguish between blocking illegal calls while letting the legitimate calls go through.
Listen to this 9 minute podcast as Sara Crifasi, a lawyer at LB3, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt discuss where the FCC came up short in the robocalling Order and why you, as an enterprise user, need to make your voice heard with the FCC.
In late April 2020 the FCC adopted sweeping new rules that will allow potentially hundreds of millions of new WiFi access points and other unlicensed devices to transmit on the same 6 GHz frequencies that are currently used by public safety agencies, energy companies, telecom carriers, and many other licensees for point-to-point communications. This is a really big deal. What will happen if those hundreds of millions of unlicensed devices somehow cause interference on the airwaves?
Listen to this 8 minute podcast as Jeff Sheldon, a Partner at LB3, discusses with TC2’s Joe Schmidt the impact this ruling has for users of these devices and airwaves. Jeff also offers some recommended actions that you’ll want to take right now.
If you’re a new management or a new private equity investment team, what do you need to do to understand the company that you’ve inherited and how to derive savings? This is often the big question that’s asked because savings are usually one of the main goals of mergers and acquisitions.
On this 12 minute podcast, Laura McDonald, a Partner at LB3, and Pat Gilpatrick and Joe Schmidt, Directors at TC2, discuss how management can develop short and long term plans for achieving ICT cost savings and offer some specific opportunities that can significantly reduce ongoing operating costs.
Companies are always looking for ways to drive cost savings, and in today’s uncertain environment it’s more important than ever. Invoices from network services providers are complex and that complexity leads to waste or spending money on things that you don’t use or shouldn’t be paying for in your network budget.
In this 9 minute podcast, TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson and Joe Schmidt describe how a TC2 contract compliance and optimization (CCO) project works and the benefits an enterprise can realize. You’ll hear how this “audit on steroids” goes deeper than just checking that contract rates are correctly invoiced and how it has the likely potential to return eight to ten times the cost of the engagement in savings.
Following up on an article they recently wrote, Jack Deal, one of TC2’s Managing Directors, and Mark Sheard, TC2’s UK Managing Director, discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt whether enterprises should still be using legacy time division multiplexing (TDM)-based networking and what the alternatives are if they decide to decommission the service.
In this 8 minute podcast you’ll hear why this is a service that may finally have come to end-of-life. We also explain why the landscape for the continued use of TDM-based networking is becoming increasingly challenging and why developing a strategy to move away from TDM voice is more important than ever.
In this second episode of the two-part podcast series, Laura McDonald, a Partner at LB3, and Pat Gilpatrick, a Director at TC2, continue their discussion with TC2’s Joe Schmidt about what companies need to do to achieve maximum benefit from their ICT contracts when working through a merger.
In this 7 minute podcast, you’ll hear what steps you need to take once you’ve reviewed existing contracts, including gathering data, completing your financial analysis, and determining what commercial and legal provisions are most advantageous for the combined entity. You’ll also hear how the remaining term of a contract can help (or hinder) your supplier negotiations.
One thing is certain for businesses - company mergers and acquisitions will always be a fact of life. If you work for a company that is merging, what do you do when two ICT contracts exist for the same supplier or the same services? What do you need to know, and more importantly, what do you need to do once the work trickles down to the IT team?
In this 8 minute part one of a two-part podcast series, industry experts Laura McDonald, a Partner at LB3, and Pat Gilpatrick, a Director at TC2, join TC2’s Joe Schmidt and discuss the first steps to take in the M&A planning process to realize the maximum benefits from your ICT contracts.
The Universal Service Fund, or USF, is a government program that provides money to vendors so that they can provide subsidized connections to high cost or rural areas, schools and libraries, low income people, and rural health care centers that rely on telemedicine. Annual funding for the $10 billion program comes from carrier revenues that they, unsurprisingly, pass on to you the end user, by applying a surcharge to certain kinds of “assessed services.”
Listen to this 11 minute podcast as Andrew Brown, the Managing Partner of LB3 and the Chairman of TC2, along with TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson and Joe Schmidt, discuss why the USF system is broken and steps you might want to take now to keep this increasing cost in check.
Automation is everywhere and is quickly being adopted by service providers to streamline how they provision and support their technology and services. Enterprises need to be prepared as automation in IT service management is becoming an increasingly important component of managed network services deals.
Listen to this 10 minute podcast as TC2 Managing Director Ben Fox discusses with Joe Schmidt what automation of IT service management looks like for the enterprise, and steps to take in your next procurement that will improve your managed network services performance and lower your costs.
In this first installment of a two-part podcast series, Andrew Brown, the Managing Partner of LB3 and the Chairman of TC2, along with TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson and Joe Schmidt, talk about the ever increasing costs imposed by carriers on enterprises in the form of a Universal Service Fund, or USF, surcharge. Until the FCC takes action to reform the program, the USF surcharge will continue to rise, and carriers will continue to pass-through the surcharge onto the enterprise’s bills, causing a budgeting headache for companies.
Listen to this 8 minute podcast to hear why the USF contribution factor continues to march higher and steps you might want to take now to limit this telecom invoice shocker.
In this 5 minute second part of the two-part podcast series, Larry York, TC2’s Executive Director, along with Directors Tony Mangino and Joe Schmidt, continue their discussion of how COVID-19 is impacting enterprise network services and related contracts. In this podcast we look at what ICT service providers might be offering so that companies can gain some short-term contractual relief. We also highlight how these supplier concessions could have lasting negative long-term effects on the enterprise and provide some guidance on how to prevent your suppliers from removing your contractual flexibility and leverage.
The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has had a profound impact on companies and have forced most to take a close look at their network services and related contracts. In this two-part podcast series, Larry York, TC2’s Executive Director, along with Directors Tony Mangino and Joe Schmidt, provide some guidance for helping enterprises during these difficult times.
In this 7 minute part one, you’ll hear what enterprises are doing as a result of the pandemic and receive some practical tips on what you need to do now.
In this part two of the two-part podcast series, Andrew Brown, LB3’s Managing Partner and TC2 Chairman, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt discuss some of the novel contractual and sourcing issues facing enterprises during the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. Force majeure, for example, is a contract provision meant to address events that are never going to happen … like a global pandemic. It’s also doubtful that service providers contemplated “business downturn” might apply to nearly all customers.
In this podcast Andrew and Joe explain the types of provisions you’ll want to look for in your contract and steps you’ll want to take now.
The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 is having a major impact on enterprise networks and how employees are using telecom services. Yet, it’s amazing how quickly companies and people have adapted to this situation and been able to transform how they use the available communications services, professionally and personally.
In this part one of the two-part podcast series, Andrew Brown, LB3’s Managing Partner and TC2 Chairman, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt discuss how the global pandemic is impacting telecom usage and highlight some of the steps you’ll want to take to keep costs in check without limiting service performance.
In this 10 minute part two of the two-part podcast series, LB3’s Laura McDonald and TC2’s Mark Sheard and Joe Schmidt, continue their discussion on how enterprises can achieve maximum value from the contracts they negotiate when using a portfolio strategy to buy internet transport. Laura, Mark, and Joe highlight the terms and conditions that are important to include in your internet transport contracts and implications of leaving them out. They also explain how your approach to completing a contract with an incumbent supplier may differ from how you work with a new supplier.
In this two-part podcast series, LB3’s Laura McDonald, along with TC2’s Mark Sheard and Joe Schmidt, explain how enterprises can approach contracting with multiple suppliers to achieve maximum value when buying dedicated internet services. As Mark and Joe described in the podcast series “Internet First – The Power of the Portfolio”, an enterprise may need to establish relationships with several suppliers to successfully use the portfolio strategy.
In this 9 minute part one of the two-part podcast series, you’ll hear about the steps to take to verify the suppliers’ contract documents reflect the agreed deal.
It’s official, T-Mobile and Sprint have officially received the green light from federal and state agencies to merge. A lot has happened since the deal was first announced two years ago, including many lawsuits and challenges to the merger. On April 16, however, the last holdout - the California Public Utilities Commission - gave its approval to the merger.
Listen to this 5 minute podcast as LB3 attorneys Sara Crifasi and Kevin DiLallo, along with TC2’s Joe Schmidt, discuss the merger and what it means for the enterprise.
In this second part of the two-part podcast series, TC2’s Mark Sheard and Joe Schmidt continue their discussion about how enterprises are saving big money by adopting a portfolio strategy when buying internet transport services. In this episode enterprises will learn what they need to do to implement the portfolio strategy, how to assess what suppliers should include (or exclude), and how to make the portfolio approach a success for the long haul.
Over the last few years, enterprises have been transforming how they architect their networks and have increasingly adopted an internet first strategy. Companies that have gone down this path have seen a favorable impact on the affordability and performance of their networks. It’s also changing how they buy their transport and the suppliers that are used.
In this 9 minute part one of the two-part podcast series, TC2’s Mark Sheard and Joe Schmidt describe how adopting a portfolio strategy can save enterprises 30% or more on their Internet transport costs.
Protecting personal information is necessary to comply with California’s CCPA and various state and federal laws, but it goes much further. Companies must protect the underpinnings of their businesses – their intellectual property, trade secrets, and highly sensitive communications – against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
Listen to this 12 minute podcast as Deb Boehling, a Partner at LB3, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt discuss how failing to address your company’s information security both internally and with your telecom and IT partners is a recipe for disaster. They also provide some tips to help keep you protected.
For nearly 15 years, telecom industry pundits have declared the death of voice, or at least the death of the traditional PSTN network. This claim that voice is dead is a bit overstated, but one could reasonably argue that it’s now on life support.
Listen to this 10 minute podcast as LB3’s Laura McDonald and TC2’s Keith Cook and Joe Schmidt take a closer look at how alternative technologies have greatly reduced the demand for legacy voice services. They also highlight some of the voice related details found in your contract that could be costing you dearly.
In this second episode of the two-part podcast series Catching the 5G Wave, TC2’s David Lee and Joe Schmidt continue their discussion on how 5G will impact the enterprise. David and Joe explain why new devices are needed to take advantage of the faster speeds, lower latency, and guaranteed service levels 5G will deliver. You’ll also discover how smartphone users will be sharing the network with upwards of 80 billion new connected “things.”
Listen to this 10 minute episode to find out how 5G will impact the enterprise and hear what steps you need to take in 2020.
5G is the newest wireless technology that promises to shake up how we use - and what we can do with - wireless services. While 5G may not be widely available in 2020, at some point it will be and enterprises need to be ready for it. In this two-part podcast series, TC2’s David Lee and Joe Schmidt explain the technical details of 5G and how it differs from previous wireless generations, why the US government is restricting the use of certain communications equipment companies, how 5G offers more than just faster speeds, and much more.
Listen to this 12 minute episode one as David and Joe describe why 5G is not a minor revision to existing wireless technology and how the US government is influencing its global roll out.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) took effect on January 1, 2019 and if you do business in California, you probably have some new obligations. The intent of the CCPA is to give California residents information about and control over use of their personal information by businesses operating in California. For businesses however, the law creates a number of new requirements.
Listen to this 10 minute podcast as LB3’s Deb Boehling discusses with TC2’s Joe Schmidt the basic conditions of CCPA, explains what businesses need to do to comply, and highlights a number of contractual provisions you’ll want to address with your IT and telecoms suppliers.
Companies face big challenges today making sure that their employees can access emergency services when they dial 911. On top of that, ensuring that accurate call-back and location information is transmitted with each 911 call is particularly difficult as companies deploy technologies like VoIP, which dramatically increases the mobility of their employees “behind the PBX.”
Listen to this 9 minute podcast as LB3 Managing Partner Andrew Brown discusses with TC2’s Joe Schmidt what the new federal 911 regulations mean for enterprises and provide guidance on what companies need to do to comply.
It’s been nearly two years since the proposed merger between Sprint and T-Mobile was announced, and the deal is still pending. Even though the Department of Justice and the FCC have granted approval, with stipulations, a lawsuit trying to stop the merger that pits Sprint and T-Mobile against a group of 14 state attorneys general, led by New York and California, is pending.
If the merger does get approved and implemented, the US wireless market may see three equally sized wireless providers in AT&T, Verizon, and the merged Sprint/T-Mobile, and Dish Network may become a viable national wireless provider.
In this final installment of our three-part podcast series on how to deal with the new challenges when negotiating a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, we highlight a number of the bad terms that will likely be introduced into your new deal, such as limiting your affiliate’s participation in the agreement and Microsoft’s audit rights.
In this podcast, LB3’s Marc Lindsey and TC2’s Joe Schmidt will also give you some tips on how to approach your next Microsoft negotiation so that you can achieve improved results.
In this second part of our three-part podcast series on how to deal with the new challenges when negotiating a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, LB3’s Marc Lindsey and TC2’s Joe Schmidt discuss how things have changed when you engage your Microsoft account team in contract negotiations. The contract structure may have been simplified but achieving deal flexibility is far from assured.
With a market cap of over $1 trillion, Microsoft is a huge and dominant provider of software and services. Your company almost certainly buys something from Microsoft – productivity software, unified communications, cloud – and you’ve probably seen a shift in Microsoft’s rules of engagement. This pivot by Microsoft is driving major contract changes and negotiation challenges for enterprises.
In part one of this three-part podcast series, LB3’s Marc Lindsey discusses with TC2’s Joe Schmidt what Microsoft is up to with its new contract structure.
When negotiating ICT deals, terms to address billing reviews and audit rights are often overlooked by enterprise buyers. Yet, telecom billing is fraught with errors, and failing to include adequate time frames for disputing charges and auditing invoices could prevent you from recovering your money.
In this second part of our two-part podcast series, Theresa Knutson and Julie Gardner, leaders of TC2’s contract compliance and optimization practice, along with TC2’s Joe Schmidt, highlight some of the key contract provisions you need to facilitate billing disputes and audits to reclaim what you’re owed.
In this 7 minute podcast, Theresa Knutson and Julie Gardner, leaders of TC2’s contract compliance and optimization practice, discuss with TC2’s Joe Schmidt the contract terms that you can negotiate to help you save some money on your ICT services.
This is part one of a two-part podcast series and in it, Theresa and Julie reveal contract terms that clients should seek to include in every carrier agreement. These provisions include, how to stop billing commencement when only some of a service’s components are installed, how to prevent billing overlap, and how to deal with incomplete service disconnections.
On November 19, Calero and MDSL, two pretty significant Telecom Expense Management (TEM) companies, announced plans to merge. The deal is being led by Oak Hill and Riverside Partners and is expected to close in late Q4 of this year or early Q1 of 2020.
Listen to this 6 minute podcast as TC2 Project Directors Theresa Knutson and Joe Schmidt discuss how this merger will reduce the number of pure play suppliers that deliver TEM services on a global scale from seven to six and what you need to consider if you’re a Calero or MDSL customer or looking to buy TEM services.
In this podcast, TC2’s Theresa Knutson and Julie Gardner, leaders of TC2’s contract compliance and optimization practice, continue their discussion with Joe Schmidt about some common problems and opportunities enterprises face with network transport expenses.
Listen to this 9 minute podcast as Theresa and Julie describe how billing disputes are taking longer to resolve, why transformation projects may cost you more if you don’t disconnect legacy services, and they offer some tips to help enterprises better manage network transport expenses.
Enterprises face many increasingly complex issues trying to manage network transport expenses. The issues range from how to process credits, dispute charges, and manage internal Telecom Expense Management and Accounts Payable processes, and as service providers slash account teams the responsibility for resolving these issues has been pushed back to the enterprise.
Listen to this 6 minute podcast, as Theresa Knutson and Julie Gardner, leaders of TC2’s contract compliance and optimization practice, discuss with Joe Schmidt how using a billing credit has become more difficult and what you can do to address the problem.
In part two of our podcast about optimizing the end-user experience, we take a look at the possible tools, technologies, and services that are now available to this end. In particular, we examine the use of Cloud-Exchange service providers and Infrastructure Management solutions in the enterprise.
Listen to this 8 minute podcast as TC2’s David Lee and Joe Schmidt continue their discussion and highlight how Cloud-Exchange providers offer access to a variety of cloud service providers and deliver low latency that improves application performance, while Infrastructure Management solutions provide end-to-end cloud visibility and diagnostic capability.
IoT, or the Internet of Things, is an ecosystem of sensors, monitors, and smart devices that collect and share data wirelessly, without human intervention. But IoT could also be an acronym for the Interdependence of Transactions because the IoT ecosystem involves numerous individual components that have to work together.
Listen to this 7 minute podcast as LB3 Partner Deb Boehling and TC2’s Joe Schmidt review the components of an IoT solution and discuss some of the factors an enterprise needs to consider when buying and negotiating a contract for an IoT solution.
An important question IT organizations have to ask when evaluating their network and ICT needs is - Should I outsource or am I better off doing it in-house? Like so many questions with technology, the answer is … it depends.
Listen to this 9 minute podcast as TC2 Managing Director Ben Fox and Project Director Joe Schmidt provide their perspectives on the current state of play of IT outsourcing and managed services. You’ll hear how enterprises balance the need for cost savings with the desire to receive best-in-class vendor support that integrates with internal service management procedures and tools.
With the rapid proliferation of cloud-based apps and use of cloud-based SaaS and UC solutions, optimizing the end-user experience in your enterprise can be a significant challenge. Corporate users expect the same fast and reliable experience every time they access company resources, regardless of where they are or how they access the network.
Listen to this 9 minute podcast as TC2’s David Lee and Joe Schmidt discuss how the cloud, 5G, and changing network traffic dynamics are forcing CIOs to think differently and adopt a new approach for building and managing their network services.
Enterprises often face a difficult choice – keep my incumbent supplier or migrate services to another provider. Change can be risky and your incumbent provider knows it. But sometimes, it makes sense to make a transition.
Maybe your company is contemplating a network transformation, or you’re dissatisfied with the current supplier relationship, or perhaps your costs are just not competitive.
Listen to this 10 minute podcast as TC2 Project Directors Pat Gilpatrick, Tony Mangino, and Joe Schmidt examine when a supplier transition makes sense.
Equifax, one of the country’s largest credit reporting agencies, revealed that the private information of some 143 million consumers had been compromised as a result of a data breach. Was this hack avoidable? Could Equifax have done a better job of notifying the affected parties? What happens next?
Listen to this 10 minute podcast as Kevin DiLallo, a Senior Partner at LB3, discusses the legal fallout of the security breach with TC2’s Joe Schmidt. Kevin cogently describes what happened at Equifax that opened the door to the massive hack, reveals the possible fines and damages Equifax may face, and lays out what enterprises can do to minimize their operational and legal risks of a similar hack.