There are eight major IT services issues that companies
and their suppliers must consider in 2009, according to
Ovum.
The analyst firm said new
business process outsourcing (BPO) models,
cloud computing,
quality assurance and
supplier management will top IT services agendas in 2009.
"In this challenging economy, IT services providers will need to
navigate a host of new and continuing challenges as they attempt to
maintain and grow their business," said Ovum analyst Eamonn
Kennedy.
"The 'Ovum Eight' highlights some of the key issues we are
talking with clients about every day. Providers must get ahead of
these trends as they work to capture new customers and keep the
ones they have," he said.
The Ovum Eight
Competing for the cloud
Cloud computing
can encompass and potentially disrupt "traditional" models of
infrastructure and applications outsourcing, third-party managed
services and software as a service. Cloud Computing is quickly
becoming one of the most competitive markets in IT as services
firms attempt to leverage these technologies and others to deliver
new value-added services to the market.
Quality assurance and information
security
The worsening economic environment is
driving demand for improved value from applications,
applications-led outsourcing and other IT services. In practical
terms, this means demonstrable and sustainable cost effectiveness
and reduced time to market. Pressure is growing on developers and
outsourcing service providers to raise the twin bars of quality
assurance: ensuring products and services are fit for purpose and
being right first time.
High-pressure IT
IT services suppliers
will argue that their IT delivery is done under high pressure,
although for many this is more hyperbole than truth. Ovum believes
high-pressure IT is about delivering IT services on the biggest
stage, under the highest level of scrutiny, and with no room for
mistakes.
Retained organisations
Outsourcing
decisions driven by short-term requirements to save costs are
potentially the most difficult kinds of contract for retained
organisations to derive business benefit from. Negotiated in haste
and not necessarily with a medium- or long-term strategic intent,
such contracts will require significant skill on the part of
retained organisations to make them work effectively for the client
organisation while also delivering the savings they have been put
in place to achieve.
Fixing BPO
In 2009, white-collar business
process outsourcing will overshadow the importance of IT in the
outsourcing market. Consolidation among IT services and BPO
companies will bring the two industries closer. IT suppliers that
do not have a considered stake in the BPO market, either directly
or indirectly, will miss out on a sea change in the way that IT and
IT services are delivered to client organisations.
Waste not, want not
The efficient use of
people and resources should be a core discipline for all CIOs, IT
managers and IT services providers. It means a focus on disciplines
such as
ITIL and a drive to improve infrastructure maturity - to
standardise, consolidate and rationalise IT infrastructure and
processes. Now there are new demands for IT to improve its
efficiency around energy, the environment and IT's consumption of
resources.
Enterprise 2.0
Enterprise 2.0 is about
enabling stakeholders to affect services and offerings and achieve
more meaningful business-driven interactions between people and
systems through community collaboration, sharing and "debating" of
ideas, concepts, services and products. This sounds great from a
philosophical perspective, but
how is it going to deliver business benefits to the adopters of
such technologies?
Economic flux
Even in the darkest reaches
of a recession, user businesses will continue to expect quality
services delivered at appropriate pricing levels with continual
improvements to both. It is vital that suppliers retain a sense of
perspective: the recession will end demand for IT services will
recover. The market will continue to evolve and suppliers'
strategies must evolve with it.