Carrier cooperation: a new business imperativeHow carriers can help enterprises in the collaborative era

Joining forces

Let’s face it, the enterprise network market has been cutthroat for decades.

While every carrier has worked hard to innovate, deliver new services and harness new technologies for their enterprise customers, there was always one place no carrier wanted to go: cooperating with their rivals to deliver better services.

This is understandable. But with today’s more open, integrated tech ecosystems — and more collaborative, interconnected business models — it’s also unjustifiable. That’s because carriers that insist on delivering 100% of every solution they offer aren’t doing what’s best for enterprises.

We think it’s time for that to stop.

Our commitment

We’ve been thinking a lot about how to best support our enterprise customers’ new needs and help make a real impact on their business.

And the conclusion is clear: we need to open up and deliver services and solutions that accept our customers’ mixed technology and networking stacks. To help them make the choices that suit them best, not just the ones that suit us.

This eBook is a quick overview of some ways we’re doing that, and how it can help enterprises like yours.

2Sprint Business Carrier cooperation: a new business imperative

The case for an open approach

The case for an open approach

For years, telco players have only supported solutions built 100% on their own devices, services, and network connections.

But why shouldn’t carriers offer solutions that work with or alongside services provided by their competitors?

And why should a vendor insist you switch to their broadband just because you use them to provide SD-WAN services?

It’s time to change the status quo and put the performance of customers above any other consideration.

Continuity and consistency

Services provided by carriers touch every part of your business. Swapping out these services can be a big deal.

It can be disruptive and expensive, taking time, funds and energy that could otherwise be used to serve your customers.

So the last thing you want is to rip out important carrier services every time you need to add a particular solution offered by a different carrier.

Freedom and agility

Ten years ago, having a network that worked brilliantly for your existing business was more than you could wish for. But we all know this isn’t enough anymore.

You now need a network that works for the business you’re becoming.

The ability to scale up (or down) and change course is becoming a prerequisite.

Winning enterprises tend to be those able to innovate faster than the other guys. You need to know you can swap out parts of your network as you need to.

In short

Being locked into one provider for all your network services represents a business threat.

4Sprint Business Carrier cooperation: a new business imperative

The case for an open approach

Competitive prices

It’s hard to negotiate pricing with your vendor when they know how difficult it is for you to replace out all their services in one swoop.

But if your vendor knows you can swap out aspects of your network without huge disruption, you’re in a better position to push for more competitive prices. New services shouldn’t lock you in.

Pleasing your people (and helping them become more productive)

Carriers are in a great position to help your people get the work-life balance they need while maintaining — or even improving — their productivity.

Making it easy and secure for them to use their own devices at work is an important first step. After all, no one wants to use two phones.

If this means carriers have to offer managed services that embrace a BYOD device on another carrier’s plan, then they should do so.

It’s about what works for you.

Paying for what you need

You don’t want to over-provision services just to be able to meet future demand.

A flexible model helps you avoid provisioning unnecessary services and pay for exactly what you need instead. And if another carrier offers a better deal, you can spin down the old service and make the switch.

5Sprint Business Carrier cooperation: a new business imperative

Putting our money where our mouth is

Putting our money where our mouth is

A world in which carriers cooperate happily together might sound like a fantasy to some enterprises.

But we’ve been taking steps to make it a reality. Here’s what we’re doing.

Providing SD-WAN services that play nicely with others

SD-WAN is becoming really important. It helps your network become more agile and gives your business more bandwidth. It eases the burden of running an enterprise network — removing complexity and maintaining security.

Now let’s say you want managed SD-WAN services while keeping your existing broadband provided by another carrier. That’s not a problem for us. You can use your existing MPLS and broadband connection (including Cable, DSL, LTE…).

If it’s working for you (or if it doesn’t make financial sense to adjust any more aspects of your network) we’re more than happy to work with that. We’ll still manage the whole thing so you get the flexibility and control that SD-WAN promises.

A solution to the BYOD conundrum

Helping your people use their own devices for work while ensuring rock-solid security should be the responsibility of carriers.

Our solution to the BYOD conundrum is called Sprint MultiLine™.

Sprint MultiLine™ gives everyone a secure, managed second line on the phone they’re using — no matter which carrier they’re going with.

Because employees only need one phone, they can get work done on their own time, while maintaining their privacy.

Meanwhile, you as an enterprise get to protect your sensitive data and apps without intruding.

7Sprint Business Carrier cooperation: a new business imperative

Putting our money where our mouth is

Managing multi-vendor mobility, network and security services

In addition to Sprint MultiLine™, we offer multi-vendor, multi-OS Mobile Device Management (MDM) that gives you enterprise-grade security, control and policy enforcement at the device level and app level.

It’s a single device management solution, covering as many carriers’ devices as you have.

Collaborating with the best of them

We also work closely with tech leaders to provide unified communications and collaboration tools that work across all carrier devices, including Microsoft 365, G Suite, Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution, and Skype for Business.

We give you all the support you need to use these tools, including access to consultations with our mobile experts, regardless of which carrier is being used.

8Sprint Business Carrier cooperation: a new business imperative

The benefits to an integrated approach

The benefits to an integrated approach

Agnostic, multicarrier solutions offer a fundamental change to the traditional services that carriers have offered enterprise customers…

It delivers some compelling benefits:

Your business becomes more profitable. Because your tech is better tailored to your needs — and is therefore more powerful and more efficient.

Your business is better able to respond to change and seize opportunities. Because you don’t find yourself locked into parts of networks that don’t serve your needs properly.

Your people become more productive. Because it’s easier for them to use the devices and apps they want, when they want, where they want.

You simplify your IT. With single solutions that embrace mixed environments.

10Sprint Business Carrier cooperation: a new business imperative

A new future for carriers

There are many ways carriers can help your business succeed. It’s up to us to put those measures into action. If that means working with other carriers, so be it.

We have to be prepared to do whatever is necessary to adapt to your evolving needs, to give you choice and flexibility, with less complexity and lock-in. We need to help you save money and resources, to scale up or change course, to seize opportunities.

In short, we want to make a big, measurable impact on the things that are important to your business. Open collaboration will help you in this new era. So that’s what we’re committing to.

11Sprint Business Carrier cooperation: a new business imperative

Let’s talkWe think there’s a much better way to deliver carrier services to enterprises. A way that’s optimized for agility; that makes it easy to pivot; and that lets big businesses innovate for customers and shareholders as fast as the upstarts.

If that sounds like it might work for you, we should talk. Give us a call on 1-877-633-1102 or visit sprint.com/business