Steps to Buying Remote Access

Step one

  • Identify the needs of your organisation and the users. Find out which departments and personnel will benefit the most. It is also important to include HR (Human Resources) or your personnel department if you have one, as it may affect people’s contract of employment. It may also have an impact on company insurance.
  • Understand your requirements – this can be achieved by talking with perhaps two or three remote access providers.
  • If possible see a couple of ‘live’ demonstrations in order to evaluate how effective the system is.
  • It is important to implement a remote access policy outlining the following:
  1. Who is eligible to use the remote access facility?
  2. Ensure that any equipment provided to an employee remains the property of the organisation.
  3. Provide directives and rules as to what constitutes acceptable use, i.e. a remote user will no doubt use the                    organisation’s laptop for personal use but it must be made very clear what they can and can not access on the internet.

Step two

  • Make sure that you view systems that meet your organisation’s needs, e.g. if you organisation requires personnel to access bespoke or specialised software, for example with CRM you must ensure that the remote access software will still allow access to this.
  • Remember that you may need to subscribe or pay for updates after the first year. Find out how much annual subscriptions cost, and factor that in when comparing prices. Check for any special offers that include extra annual subscription.

Step three

Identify the right partners/providers.

  • Use Conjungo’s ‘Find Remote Access suppliers’ search facility on the right of this page
  • Who has the experience of working a company of the right size and profile as yours?
  • How many similar installations have they made?
  • Ask for references – ensure that the company is capable and reliable.
  • Ask to speak with a couple of their customers in order to see what benefits have been gained.
  • Get a credit check to ensure that they are financially stable. You can get this directly from the supplier details found in Conjungo.

Step four

Request a proposal from three or four of your preferred suppliers.

Step five

Select a proposal.

  • Who best demonstrates that they understand your business and your requirements?
  • Is the solution flexible and scalaable and therefore able to meet future demand? You don’t want to find out later that by investing a little more money now will save you money later.
  • How will your potential supplier support and maintain your system afterwards?
  • How much will this cost?
  • Have you spoken to a couple of your preferred supplier’s customers?
  • Agree on financial terms – you may be required to pay a deposit but do not pay the whole amount in advance of delivery.