This is our final continuation in our “Wranglin’ an RFP” blog series. We strongly suggest that you read Part 1 and Part 2 before diving into Part 3. [Read more…] about Wranglin’ an RFP – Part 3 of 3
Wranglin’ an RFP – Part 2 of 3
This is the second part continuation of our “Wranglin’ an RFP” blog post series. Click here to read Part 1. Already read Part 1? Then read on to learn 3 more steps on how to “wrangle” your next RFP: [Read more…] about Wranglin’ an RFP – Part 2 of 3
Wranglin’ an RFP – Part 1 of 3
8 Steps to Reduce Total Wireless Costs
In this four-part blog series, we’ll be cover 8 steps that are crucial to making the most out of your RFP.
A wireless RFP (request for proposal) to negotiate a new carrier agreement is a simple, yet very complex process.
Sound confusing? It is much like baseball. A fairly simple game – hit the ball, run the bases, score more runs than the other team, and hopefully win. However, there are also many variable complexities. For instance, when to put in a lefty pitcher, what pitch to throw (curveball, slider, change-up), when to steal a base – you get the idea.
That is a lot like the RFP process. Except instead of scoring runs, your ultimate goal is to get the lowest price for the best fit of services to your organization. The complexity: when and how to do it, how to interface with the carriers, what way to get the best industry standards for competitive advantages?
[message type=”info”]RFP Defined: Documentation of detailed requirements by a customer in order to receive, negotiate and implement vendor offerings[/message]
The goal here is to give a quick primer for any business organization who is beginning a wireless RFP implementation. We hate longwinded introductions as much as you do so let’s get started:
STEP 1 – Determine organization wants and needs
This can sometimes be one of the trickiest parts of an RFP renegotiation process: you want everything at the cheapest price. Well, that’s just usually not reality and therefore you need to be discerning about your non-negotiables versus your wants.
This is a very customized and organization-specific decision, but here are some real world examples:
- Customer 1 didn’t care about individual liable discounts, but really wanted to get early termination fees (ETF) waived
- Customer 2 didn’t care about ETF fees, but wanted a much better discount and flat fee replacement equipment
- Customer 3 simply wanted free equipment and could live without a port-in credit
Each of these examples provides bargaining power and things that can be given up to align the real needs of the organization with the capabilities of the provider. Additionally, coverage often plays a key role in this decision as usually there is not one provider that can meet all the needs of every organization.
STEP 2 – Be reasonable about what to expect
We usually set the expectation that a well-done RFP will result in a 10-20% savings from what the organization is paying today. This is assuming the organization is already optimized and on competitive rate plans. If that is not the case, the savings are usually significantly greater.
Keep in mind some of this is difficult to quantify because there are many avoided costs in an RFP which actually never show up on a bill. For example, we have frequently negotiated a free or reduced cost for a text messaging plan. Because users did not have a text message plan before due to its expense, the organization can now add the feature free of charge and have the benefit of the productivity tool but not the cost. Here, the cost was avoided (getting a feature the organization is not paying for, therefore avoiding the cost in this case).
Also, check out our blog post for more on what businesses should pay for wireless.
Click here for Part 2 where we explain our exact strategies we use to get deep discounts and free stuff for our clients.
Bill Police reports from Android Police: Exposing HTC Security Issue
We have to love their name: the Android Police. They have discovered a problem with HTC phones where personal data can be exposed to any app that accesses the internet. (yikes!)
The devices affected are believed to be the EVO 3D, some Sensations and the upcoming Vigor.
The Android Police state, “The vulnerability, discovered by the crew at Android Police, potentially exposes a broad range of private user data, including email addresses, GPS locations and phone numbers.
The security hole appears to be a residual consequence of HTC’s latest update to the phones, which recently received a new logging tool and seems to be where the problem first showed up.”
The problem occurs in any app that connects to the Internet, specifically ones that send out the android.permission.INTERNET. We understand this is SOP for most any app that uses the web. With the HTC security problem, apps that send out such a request may have access but not be limited to the following:
- List of users accounts, email addresses and sync status for each address
- Last recorded network and GPS location, and a short list of previous such locations
- Phone numbers from the phone log
- SMS data, including phone numbers and encoded texts
- System logs (which may give access to additional personal data)
The reported fix is to “root your phone and manually remove the “APK” file that logs all your actions. Unfortunately, rooting is a process that can be difficult for users who aren’t familiar with the process.” Because of the serious nature of this problem, it is believed that HTC will be releasing a fix patch soon, but in the meantime, be very careful of what apps are used or downloaded as this can expose your data.
Here’s what we have gathered as quoted from HTC:
- There’s a big security problem with its phones that lets third-party apps access your personal data.
- However HTC has communicated that it is already dealing with the problem.
- “There is a vulnerability that could potentially be exploited by a malicious third-party application.”
- HTC says it’s working on a patch that will fix the problem, soon to be made available over the air after a short testing period. In the meantime, the company advises “caution when downloading, using, installing and updating applications from untrusted sources.”
- HTC is at pains to make clear that the logging software it installed “does no harm to customers’ data”. “So far,” the statement continues, “we have not learned of any customers being affected in this way and would like to prevent it by making sure all customers are aware of this potential vulnerability.”
Here is the HTC statement in full:
“HTC takes claims related to the security of our products very seriously. In our ongoing investigation into this recent claim, we have concluded that while this HTC software itself does no harm to customers’ data, there is a vulnerability that could potentially be exploited by a malicious third-party application. A third party malware app exploiting this or any other vulnerability would potentially be acting in violation of civil and criminal laws. So far, we have not learned of any customers being affected in this way and would like to prevent it by making sure all customers are aware of this potential vulnerability.
HTC is working very diligently to quickly release a security update that will resolve the issue on affected devices. Following a short testing period by our carrier partners, the patch will be sent over-the-air to customers, who will be notified to download and install it. We urge all users to install the update promptly. During this time, as always, we strongly urge customers to use caution when downloading, using, installing and updating applications from untrusted sources.”
No release date has yet been announced by HTC but they are working on the patch and users will soon hear from them. Stay tuned…
Apps Will Be the New Data
Is there a big change coming to the way we purchase apps?
Will applications be the new data? Being in the industry for so long we have seen lots of transitions. First voice was the hot item, then email, then data and now we see all of the options for apps.
We believe apps are going to be the new data AND they are now be able to be billed to your customer account. [Read more…] about Apps Will Be the New Data