15/09-04   -   Pressmeddelande

Outsourcing - A Three-Pronged Potential Growth Area in the Nordics, Says IDC

A new IDC survey of 600 Nordic companies on outsourcing plans and attitudes shows some very surprising and thought-provoking results.

Business Process Outsourcing
Business process outsourcing has had a slow start. Trends are very specific to each of the Nordic markets; in particular in Denmark and Sweden there are areas where the number of companies planning to outsource business processes is doubling.

"Drivers of BPO turn out to be cost savings (short and long term), a focus on core business, and improving quality of services," said Per Andersen, managing director of IDC Nordic. "The most important barriers are a loss of corporate resources and service providers not able to provide the needed service quality - a very strong message to vendors in this space."

On-Demand or Utility IT Services On-demand or utility IT services are creating a lot of hype in the press and a significant number of users are interested in this new concept. The trend is clear: in countries with a high number of companies already using on-demand services there is also major interest from new companies - 10%-20% of companies are considering moving to on-demand services.

"But the fact is, that users have great difficulty understanding what on-demand services is actually about. A significant number of companies have not yet heard about on-demand services or have heard about them but do not know what they are," said Andersen.

Offshore Services
Finally, offshore services are considered a threat to local services business by many suppliers, and are seen as a competitor. However, users are sending a very clear message: between 80% and 90% of companies do not find offshore outsourcing services of any interest. However, what they do want is for vendors locally to provide services very cost effectively - even if it means for the vendor to have a global delivery organization. The threat to local vendors is therefore not as serious
as many would believe.

The IDC study Nordic Enterprise Survey 2004: Outsourcing - The Next Wave (IDC #N660425L, August 2004) is available to purchase; contact your local IDC office or visit www.idc.com.

About IDC
IDC is the premier global market intelligence and advisory firm in the information technology and telecommunications industries. We analyze and predict technology trends so that our clients can make strategic, fact-based decisions on IT purchases and business strategy. Over 700 IDC analysts in 50 countries provide local
expertise and insights on technology markets. Business executives and IT managers have relied for 40 years on our advice to make decisions that contribute to the success of their organizations.

IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world´s leading technology media, research, and events company. Additional information can be found at www.idc.com
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For more information, contact:
Per Andersen
+4539162222
pandersen@idc.com