Multi-vendor IT support is my business. I’m really interested in clients’ core needs and how my team can provide value. We recently engaged Forrester Consulting to conduct a Forrester Total Economic Impact ™ (TEI) study, which includes feedback from retail and utility businesses. The results highlight the challenges many IT leaders face — how to manage existing IT effectively while investing in new technology, such as hybrid cloud environments. The report also demonstrates the potential return on investment enterprises can realize by using multi-vendor support services. View the Forrester study.

25% reduction in maintenance and support spending

According to the study, US businesses are expected to increase their tech purchases by 5.5% in 2019, raising new technology investments to more than $75 billion. More technology often means an increase in vendors and associated support costs.

The study identifies three primary benefits enterprises experience when engaging a multi-vendor support service:

1. Those interviewed and surveyed indicated an average 25% reduction in maintenance and support spending¹

2. Reductions in hardware support tasks

3. Capital expense savings

Businesses want to reduce data center complexity, from IT maintenance to support resources and processes —without driving up costs. Multi-vendor support can simplify your environment through progressive support technologies infused with automation.

Consider these multi-vendor support investment factors 

Beyond outlining the benefits of using a multi-vendor support service provider, the study also weighs cost, flexibility and risk factors. For example, 42% of study respondents save or defer capital expenses². The information is intended to help IT leaders like you evaluate and justify an investment in multi-vendor support services.

If you’re assessing the best support plan for your enterprise, I invite you to learn more about the study for ideas.

I also discuss key takeaways from the study on a webinar, which I recorded with the Forrester consultant who worked on the study and the general manager for the IBM multi-vendor support services practice.

Additionally, explore this calculator to estimate your potential three-year cost savings with multi-vendor support services.

^{1, 2}The Total Economic Impact (TM) of IBM Multivendor Support Services (MVS), A Forrester Total Economic Impact (TM) Study Commissioned by IBM, January 2019