Obviously, outsourcing isn't always the best option. For example, a financial organization may have a highly specialized, mission-critical application. You must critically examine cost factors before deciding to outsource. Jerald Murphy, program director for global networking strategies at the META Group, provides some general guidelines you can follow. You'll also be charged a one-time setup and management fee, which is about three times the monthly cost.
Murphy notes that the ranges reflected in device-management pricing are based on several factors.
Not surprisingly, the level of service provided is important. For instance, at the low end of the spectrum, you might receive monitoring only, whereas the higher end of the scale most likely includes trending and analysis, as well as performance reports. Before looking at vendor costs, however, you should carefully scrutinize the cost of performing the functions you want to outsource. If you're looking to outsource additional functions you're not currently performing, do a thorough evaluation of the cost to do them in-house. While this may sound like a no-brainer, it's easy to inadvertently omit important factors from this cost evaluation.