by Bill Cushard, (@BillCush)
In order for an enterprise to remain competitive in the marketplace and drive growth, it is critical to get the most out of the software it uses. After all, enterprise software has become a tool for driving business returns rather than as a cost center that improves efficiency. Accordingly, software is required to run just about any function of a business these days. software is necessary to manage projects, run a sales and service function, keep financial reports, track help desk tickets, organize human resources, and automate marketing processes, to name only a few. Software is even required to write and ship software. This is where Atlassian products come into play.
Atlassian products were originally designed to help software developers write and ship better software. These products have been so successful that myriad functions beyond DevOps have begun using Atlassian tools to manage any number of projects including improving company-wide communication and collaboration. Atlassian products have reached a point in many enterprises where financial statements are being impacted by the use of products like JIRA, Confluence, Service Desk, Stash, and Bamboo.
It used to be that companies implemented Atlassian products to improve an existing process. For example, improving the process of developing and shipping software. In this world view, selecting an Atlassian Expert Partner was mostly about the technical experience and skill of the Expert. How well an Expert knew how JIRA and Confluence work, and how it could be customized to suit the needs of the customer was valued most. Today, more and more large enterprises are asking, "How can we change the way we work through open collaboration that fosters innovation, improves competitiveness, and drives growth." In this world view, enterprises are looking for expertise that challenges them beyond improving existing processes to suggesting new ways of working.
How an enterprise selects an Atlassian Expert Partner is changing. We have written a white paper to provide a selection process and set of criteria that will help an enterprise choose an Atlassian Expert Partner in this changing world.
As an enterprise seeks software that could fundamentally change the way it does business and shape its future, it needs to select the right software, find the right help to implement it, and be challenged to use that software in ways it never thought possible. Enterprises should ask different questions when evaluating Atlassian Expert Partners, asking whether an Expert understands it's business, whether an Expert will challenge it, and whether the services offered can expand with the customer as it grows.
Selecting the right Atlassian Expert Partner for your business requires a set of criteria consisting of eleven elements that should be evaluated. This white paper will walk through each of these criteria:
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Work with a Verified Expert
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Length of Relationship
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Office Locations
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Leadership Team and Board of Directors
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Case Studies and Customer References
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Presence in Atlassian Ecosystem
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Training
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Support Channels
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Compliance and Legal
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Price Does Matter...and It Doesn't
If an enterprise uses these criteria to select at Atlassian Expert Partner, it will make a better decision, select an Expert that is a tight fit for its needs, and improve its ability to change the way it does business.
Download the white paper, "How to Select an Expert Partner: Atlassian Edition."
