IT Outsourcing: Are telecoms and computing being redefined?

The market in 2004 and forecasts upto 2009.

The evolution towards full IP is forcing a rethink of the traditional dividing lines between computing and telecommunications

Businesses and large administrations are returning more and more to their core business area for reasons of in-house expertise and financial efficiency
- Businesses began by outsourcing their computer systems, before taking a look at their telecommunications
- Companies have a vast array of outsourcing options available to them: definition of geographic perimeters and functions, outsourcing contracts, the take over of assets and personnel, creating joint ventures.

Now having to contend with a decline in revenues generated by classic corporate services (telephony, corporate network), operators need to redefine their service portfolio
- In addition to corporate network management, what services to market: hosting, LAN-WAN integration, messaging and collaborative work tool management, CRM platforms
- Which strategies to choose: strategic alliances with software publishers and hardware manufecturers, short-term partnerships, develop software companies operations through takeovers or internal expansion

As a result of applications' convergence towards IP, software companies are seeing new opportunities arise
- Managing all of a companies' servers, including VoIP
- Developing unified messaging and collaborative work applications
- Managing the WAN and contracts with telecom operators

Services analysed
- LAN management
- PC and desktop applications management
- PBX management
- WAN management
- Outsourcing fixed and mobile voice contracts
- Messaging and collaborative work tools
- Consulting
- Business applications: CRM, ERP, SCM