Client Profile
A national South African organisation with a large branch footprint relied on a managed WAN environment supplied by a single provider. Over time, costs had steadily increased while visibility into usage, billing accuracy, and market competitiveness had decreased.
The client suspected they were overpaying but lacked the internal resources and specialist expertise required to investigate and challenge supplier invoices.
The Challenge
The client faced several common WAN management issues:
- Limited visibility into circuit utilisation and costs
- Multiple years without a formal market benchmark
- Billing complexity across numerous sites
- Legacy circuits still being billed despite no longer being required
- Contract terms that had not been reviewed against current market pricing
- No structured process to identify and recover billing errors
As a result, monthly WAN expenditure had become significantly higher than necessary.
The JOLT Approach
Using JOLT’s core Technology Expense Management (TEM) framework, a comprehensive review was conducted.
1. Bill Auditing
JOLT performed a detailed forensic audit of WAN invoices, contracts, inventory records, and service schedules.
The audit identified:
- Incorrect billing rates
- Services billed but not in active use
- Duplicate charges
- Legacy circuits that should have been disconnected
- Contracted services that no longer matched business requirements
2. Dispute Management
Once discrepancies were identified, JOLT engaged directly with the supplier on behalf of the client.
This included:
- Raising billing disputes
- Validating contract obligations
- Recovering historical overcharges
- Ensuring future invoices reflected corrected pricing
Several billing anomalies were successfully reversed, resulting in both ongoing savings and once-off credits.
3. Managing Wastage
Actual network usage against the services being paid for was analysed.
The review highlighted:
- Excess bandwidth provisioned years earlier
- Sites paying for resilience that was no longer required
- Services remaining active after branch relocations or business changes
Rightsizing these services delivered immediate savings without negatively impacting business operations.
4. Independent Benchmarking
One of the most significant findings came from market benchmarking. Because JOLT is supplier independent, the client’s WAN costs were compared against current market rates and available alternatives.
The benchmark revealed that several services were priced substantially above prevailing market levels.
Armed with objective market data, the client was able to:
- Renegotiate existing agreements
- Optimise contract structures
- Introduce competitive tension between suppliers
- Align pricing with current market realities
The Result
WAN expenditure was reduced by more than 50%.
Historical billing credits were recovered.
Network services were aligned to actual business requirements.
Billing accuracy improved significantly.
The client gained ongoing visibility and governance over WAN costs.
Why the Savings Were Sustainable
Many cost reduction initiatives deliver a once-off benefit but fail to prevent costs from creeping back over time.
JOLT’s ongoing TEM service ensures:
- Continuous bill auditing
- Regular benchmarking
- Inventory governance
- Supplier accountability
- Contract lifecycle management
- Monthly reporting and optimisation reviews
This prevents savings erosion and ensures WAN costs remain aligned with both business needs and market pricing.
Key Takeaway
The largest WAN savings opportunities are rarely found through supplier discounts alone. They are typically uncovered through a combination of bill auditing, dispute management, wastage elimination, and independent benchmarking.
By applying these TEM principles, JOLT helped this client reduce WAN expenditure by more than half while maintaining business continuity and network performance.
