Slashing Telecom Expenses in a Looming Recession

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - July 8, 2008) - As companies face additional pressure to control expenses and maintain profitability in a recessionary environment, a new report from Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), demonstrates that companies actively controlling their telecom expenses reduce them by over 30% compared to companies that do not analyze their telecom costs at all.

The report "Slashing Telecom Expenses in a Looming Recession" demonstrates that companies must invest in new organizational capabilities and technologies to excel in telecom lifecycle management. The expenses related to telecom go far beyond direct landline and mobile device costs. In today's expanded telecom environment, telecom expenses now also include categories such as asset insurance, contract negotiations, procurement, security, federal compliance, and dispute resolution.

"In today's recessionary environment, every CIO needs to get leaner and more efficient. As mobile devices have evolved into the computer-on-a-belt, there are exponentially more concerns and expenses related to telecom," said Ralph Rodriguez, senior vice president of technology and author of this report. "A comprehensive telecom lifecycle management solution will allow any company with a significant telecom or mobility investment to cut its expenses."

To accomplish best-in-class savings goals, companies should evaluate their internal processes, policies, and systems to develop:

--  Technological tools for telecom contract negotiations and enforcement
--  Automated billing, invoice reconciliation, exception reporting, and
    dispute resolution capabilities
--  A centralized inventory of all corporate assets, services, and mobile
    software
--  Interdepartmental executive level involvement in telecom cost
    reduction plans
--  A consistent workflow to move personal cell phones to corporate
    accounts
    

"Slashing Telecom Expenses in a Looming Recession" provides companies with a quantitative framework to benchmark their current telecom lifecycle management solutions. The study explores both wireline and wireless telecom costs from a holistic viewpoint and provides actionable advice for companies at every stage of telecom lifecycle management from contract negotiation to service termination.

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Asentinel, Anchorpoint, Tangoe, and Veramark. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4909.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

© 2008 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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Telephone: (617)854-5200
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Contact Information: Media Contact: Hyoun Park Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (617) 854-5385 Hyoun.park@aberdeen.com