This IDC study, now in its ninth year, provides IDC's analysis of the top 100 worldwide outsourcing deals for 2004. This document provides detailed information on how these contracts evolved in 2004 as associated with size of deals, length of deals, industries, service markets (e.g. BPO, IT outsourcing), geographic coverage, and vendors. Additionally, this study provides detailed analysis on trends impacting the outsourcing market and contract opportunities as well as guidance on how players can compete most effectively.

"The world of deal making for large outsourcing contracts in 2004 saw a slight decline in signings by total value, a reduced number of megadeals valued at $1 billion and higher, an increase in the number of players competing in this segment, and a shift to more business process outsourcing deals as part of the mix," said David Tapper, director of IT Outsourcing, Utility, and Offshore Services research at IDC. "These shifts, along with other key trends in the market, such as customer need to lower costs and drive increased productivity, are creating fundamental changes in the outsourcing marketplace that will require players to radically alter their delivery models to include more flexible and newer service capabilities along with globally based delivery, develop dynamically different ecosystems of partnerships, pursue "non IT" opportunities, and seek new customers in the SMB and consumer spaces as well as emerging markets with entirely new business models."