13 Oct Anam celebrates World Standards Day 2020

World Standards Day on October 14th offers the perfect opportunity to consider the crucial role standards play in our ever-changing work environments and the partners we choose to work with. Thousands of experts worldwide are working together to develop the voluntary technical agreements we know as International Standards.

Standards may not always be visible to the casual observer, but they are what make things work. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) creates standards to:

• Ensure that products are compatible, so that companies can interact seamlessly with each other
• Highlight safety issues and enable consistent compliance with relevant laws and regulations
• Share ideas, technical expertise, and best management practices to facilitate the introduction of new technologies and innovations

What Does ISO Have to Do with Your Managed Service Partners?

Technology infrastructure is becoming more complex daily, and the range of skills and expertise you need to optimise your operations is growing all the time. That is why more and more mobile operators are engaging managed service providers (MSPs) to help them extract maximum value from their technology investments and in-house resources.

A successful managed service relationship depends on a high level of trust between the two parties. This will support you as you work together toward the common objective of improving your business and making it stand out from the competitors. Knowing your MSP is ISO-certified is a key plank in reinforcing that trust.

Here we outline why an ISO certification can make a real difference in forging a managed services partnership:

1. Promotes best practices

When your MSP is ISO-certified, you know you have access to internationally recognised best practices across your business. This means you benefit from the knowledge and best practice of leading global experts in your sector. There is no need for you to reinvent the wheel. Standards have been established for everything from quality management and environmental performance to information security, risk management, and health and safety, so you know you are covered, whatever sector you operate in.

2. Mitigates cultural & language variables

Internationalisation has been a positive driver for diversity and dynamism. Global travel and the new emphasis on flexible and remote working have eliminated much of the focus on factors such as nationality, gender, and age. The result is a more diverse, dynamic, and nurturing environment where a person’s ability to do a job is their most important characteristic. Standards mean that work processes are clearly defined, documented, and monitored, so that cultural or educational biases in interpretation are minimised.

3. Safeguards your reputation

You have worked hard to build your reputation, and you need to ensure that your third-party service partners keep it intact. They are likely to have significant access to your infrastructure, so it is vital that they protect it. ISO certification ensures that your third-party suppliers have a strong track record of defining and adhering to stringent standards and guidelines and minimising the risk that their on-premises equipment could allow your network to be compromised.

4. Improves efficiency

“Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything.” So said the infamous Wyatt Earp, and his words are even more relevant today. Time and energy are precious commodities, and you don’t want to waste either on rework, especially where tight commercial timeframes or statutory deadlines are critical to

compliance or cashflow. Standards provide clearly documented and proven procedures and processes to help ensure that you do something once—and you do it right.

5. Demonstrates a progressive culture

Any MSP that invests time, people, and money in standards and best practices is an organisation that is planning for the future. By making this investment, the service provider is demonstrating its commitment to increasing its credibility and trustworthiness throughout the supply chain. This is the kind of organisation you want as a partner. You are entrusting your MSP with an important role in your business, so you want a partner that is innovative, progressive, and dedicated to a journey of continuous improvement.

Conclusion

In sum, MSPs that have made the commitment to become ISO-certified are:

• promoting best practices
• mitigating the effects of cultural variables
• protecting your reputation
• improving efficiency
• demonstrating a progressive culture

By attaining the relevant ISO accreditations and ITIL service management framework standards that apply to your business, your MSP will complement your offering and give you the peace of mind you need to pursue a mutually beneficial relationship.

In 2015, Anam became the first company in the messaging solutions space to be awarded ISO27001. This is the relevant standard for managing information security and covers requirements for establishing, implementing, and continually improving a system for managing information. We have since passed a series of external audits. In 2019, Anam’s managed services business earned ISO2/IEC 20000:2013 accreditation.

Contact us to find out how our ISO-certified technologies could help your business.

Email anam now.  www.anam.com

Alan Darcy, COO at Anam, leads the company’s ISO certification programmes.