Sourcing Interests Group webinar about sourcing complex IT services using a broker. The advantages are - better services, better prices, and lower risk. Find out how to use a broker to stretch your budget and meet business objectives.

1. The SIG Webinar will begin shortly. Once the webinar begins, the sound will come from your computer speakers.
In the meantime, please take a look at the upcoming SIG networking events listed on the right side of your screen and plan to join us if you are in one of these cities this fall.
NETWORKING EVENTS
GLOBAL SUMMITS
Mar 10-12 2015 –Amelia Island
SYMPOSIUMS
Nov 12 –San Francisco Bay Area
REGIONAL ROUNDTABLES
Feb 4 –Seattle, WA
For more information and to register for all SIG events:
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•Attending an event
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3. RECENT POSTINGS
The SIG Career Network is bursting with opportunities.
New jobs are posted daily by some of the best known global companies in the world for those seeking careers in sourcing, outsourcing, procurement and related functions.
For more information go to: www.sig/career-center.org
NEW to the Career Network!
•Air Canada –posted November 5:
•Strategic Procurement Analyst
•Country Financial–posted October 31:
•Supervisor, Vendor Management
•MylanInc. –posted October 28:
•Sr. MgrStrategic Sourcing
•HolcimCanada –posted October 28:
•Category Manager -Procurement
•Assurant –posted October 24:
•Procurement Analyst
•Beckman-Coulter –posted October 23:
•Strategic Sourcing Leader
•Wellmark–posted October 13:
•Asset Licensing Analyst
•AXIS Insurance –posted October 8:
•Category Manager –Indirect Services
•Sun Life Financial –posted October 7:
•Sourcing Specialist

4. New Topic Each Week2:00 pm Eastern
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November 18, 2014
Drive Staffing Supplier ROI with Proven Communication Strategies
Presented by PeopleFluent
November 20, 2014
Take the Guesswork Out of Your Portfolio Strategy
Presented by DTZ
December 4, 2014
Solution Deep Dive: Managing Non-Contracted Spend with Business Networks –Tips on Addressing Spot Buys to Increase Efficiency, Visibility and Control
Presented by SAP/Ariba
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For more information and to register for all SIG events:
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5. Upcoming Town Hall Teleconference:
November 12th
Best Practices for Risk Assessment
Presented by:
Cathy Luoma
Director, Sourcing & Procurement
American Family Insurance
SIG Town Hall Teleconferences
bring a small group of buy-side ONLY attendees together for a facilitated discussion on top-of-mind issues in an open-mic, private conversation. Town Hall Teleconferences are NOT recorded.
Calendar of Town Hall Teleconferences
Taking place at 1:00 pm Eastern on the following dates:
February 12July 9
March 12August 13
April 9September 10
May 14 October 8
June 11November 12
For more information and to register for all SIG events:
www.sig.org

6. SIGSymposiums and Regional Roundtables provide education and local networking for members and invited non-member corporate users
Symposiums: Minneapolis –Feb 6
Toronto, Canada –Jun 9
Columbus –Sep 24
New York–Oct 29
San Francisco Bay Area –Nov 12
Regional Roundtables:
Hartford –Mar 12
Seattle –Apr 30
Chicago –Jun 9
Seattle–Feb 4 2015
For more information and to register for all SIG events:
www.sig.org

7. A SIG Global Summit is…
•Non-commercialized
•Almost 70% buy-side
•Global brands
•3 days of networking
•Executive Roundtables
•Multiple keynote sessions
•Nearly 50 breakout sessions
69% at director level or above, of which 43% are VP/C-level
www.sig.org/summits.php

8. Use a Broker to Source IT Services –Better Terms, Better Prices, and Lower Risk

9. Today’s Presenter
Jay Schwartz –COO and General Counsel
StrataCore
Special Guests
Paul Farrall–VP of Operations
Big Fish Games
WaysonVannatta–VP of Technology
Infospace

10. About StrataCore
•Premiere, global Data Center, IT Infrastructure, Connectivity, and Cloud Services Agency
•Access to top IT service providers
•Insight to make the right decisions
•Fast, unbiased solutions, competitive landscape, optimized terms
•Save clients time and money -reduce risk
For more information, please visit www.stratacore.comor call us at 206-686-3211

11. Benefits of Using a Broker
Save time and money
•Thoroughly investigate all viable options for complex IT services
•Help develop relationships with decision makers and special pricing teams at top providers
•Keep current on industry trends, service levels, and low-pricing benchmarks
•You don’t pay, ever! –brokers earn a small residual commission from the provider that would otherwise go to a direct sales representative

12. Polling Question #1
When sourcing IT services, how do you incorporate benchmarking into your provider engagements?
A.Understand low-pricing benchmarks, prior to contracting, for all services/geographical areas to safeguard competitive rate structures
B.Include a benchmark provision to ensure your contract remains price competitive throughout the service lifecycle
C.Thoroughly understand the IT service cost drivers to enable an effective SLA performance credit structure or cost reductions
D.All of the above

13. Benefits of Using a Broker
Client advocacy -industry contacts
•Greater leverage than sourcing directly through a provider
•Expedited issue resolution through provider executives and decision makers
•Awareness of new providers offering improved services
•Constantly building relationships with industry leading providers
•Aligned interests -no gain for recommending solutions that don’t satisfy your needs

14. Polling Question #2
What are your tactics for effectively mitigating risk?
A.Understand the service process flow and analyze where there may be operational risk
B.Monitor financial strength of provider
C.Ensure each provider candidate has a business continuity plan and effective SLA structure
D.All of the above

15. Benefits of Using a Broker
Scalable solutions and long-term relationships
•Introductions to providers with fast, scalable systems -allows your business to stay nimble at the right price and under optimized terms
•Ensures each provider has a viable solution –only gets paid once you contract for services
•Works with you on an on-going basis, quickly recommends appropriate solutions, does not tout a single solution from a single provider –transparently communicates pros and cons

16. Polling Question #3
What metrics do you consider when negotiating a SLA?
A.Measurements that reflect the service cost drivers
B.Metrics that reflect factors within the provider’s control
C.Measurements that are easily collected and baselined
D.All of the above

17. Use Case -Big Fish Games
The challenge
Big Fish Games works with 500+ third party developers to distribute free play and other types of games. The company was looking to build out a hybrid cloud infrastructure to host these games. They needed to be able to quickly spin up the infrastructure for games when they came on-line, and grew in popularity, as well as quickly scale down as player demand decreased.
The solution
We worked closely with Big Fish Games to negotiate the best price and terms for their chosen solution. Big Fish implemented a customized hybrid cloud service that enabled utilization of their existing bare metal infrastructure. The solution also enabled Big Fish to add a new private virtual infrastructure where they quickly scaled up and down with player demand.
The result
The final provider was selected from a field of five candidates. The general criteria were based on the provider’s ability to deliver a customized hybrid solution that met Big Fish Games’ business needs and greatly increased their speed to market.

18. Use Case -Infospace
The challenge
Infospace’s evolving cloud strategy eliminated the need for bi-coastal data centers. As a result, they decided to shut down their east coast facility in favor of a single, west coast site. Their existing west coast data canter contract was nearing the end of its term—a ‘renew or relocate’ decision was pending. Infospace engaged with Stratacore to conduct a market analysis for a possible replacement provider.
The solution
Infospace needed a strong business case to justify a move into a new facility. We worked with Infospace to understand their requirements, concerns, and goals before qualifying a list of provider options. After data center tours in California, Oregon & Washington, Infospace’s “move justification” came in the form of a much less expensive contract with more favorable terms from a top tier data center operator in Seattle. They also received credits for multiple months of service in addition to free 10 Gig connectivity to be used for the data migration from the old site to the new one.
The result
In a few short weeks, Infospaceentered into a new provider contract and transitioned to a new location under favorable terms with lower costs and reduced risk.

19. Thank You!
Jay Schwartz
COO & General Counsel
StrataCore
jay@stratacore.com
Phone: 206-456-5810
2320 2ndAve Suite, 2100
Seattle, WA 98121
206.686.3211
info@stratacore.com
www.stratacore.com