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Gartner Announces Leaders in End-User Outsourcing

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Leaders In End-user Outsourcing 2013 Leaders In End-user Outsourcing 2013

 

In its recent Magic Quadrant for End-User Outsourcing Services report, Gartner acknowledged growing interest in the use of service providers to help businesses with IT processes. The report specifically looked at the popularity of outsourcing service desk, desktop, and mobility needs. While Gartner anticipates desktop support outsourcing will hold steady over the next few years, compound growth of 14 percent is expected between now and the year 2018 in the area of mobile device outsourcing.

Through its series of Magic Quadrant reports, Gartner seeks to provide insight into trends in the market. The unbiased report ranks vendors on two major qualities: completeness of vision and ability to execute. Within those two criteria, vendors are grouped into four quadrants based on their levels of innovation and depth of service.

Leaders

  • CSC: This Virginia IT company provides end-user outsourcing services using MyWorkStyle, which gives businesses five work personas.
  • IBM: With the goal of providing a virtualized workplace, IBM supports approximately 3.5 million end users.
  • Unisys: In 2013, Unisys’s end-user outsourcing business grew 14 percent, with 2,275 desktop technicians supporting users.
  • CompuCom: Based in Dallas, CompuCom has more than 600 defined personas and can pinpoint systems that need to be replaced before they become problematic.
  • HP: Supporting more than 5.4 million users globally, HP offers everything from client virtualization to Context Analytics.
  • Dell: Client solutions are tailored to meet their own specific needs, and the company plans to further customize its offerings by creating plans designed for larger clients.
  • HCL Technologies: The India-based company uses remote delivery and automation to reduce the need for on-site technical support.
  • Atos: This French IT services company provides a low-cost base price that lets clients add on services as needed.

Visionaries

  • Fujitsu: The company’s Workplace Anywhere uses its own cloud and Citrix-based technology to provide support for both mobile and virtualization.
  • Cognizant: With its monthly risk-free subscription, Cognizant has grown significantly.

Challengers

  • Xerox: The Connecticut company takes a service catalog approach for its document management offerings.
  • Pomeroy: The company has an emphasis on mobile, supporting four mobile devices for every 10 PCs.
  • Wipro: This India-based company is expected to boost its end-user outsourcing performance in the next few years.

Niche Players

  • CGI: The Montreal company hosted a technology trial and 140-day review in order to give customers a chance to try out its hosted virtual desktop service.
  • Stefanini: This Brazilian company encourages performance improvements through rewarding employees for any savings it can bring to clients.
  • Long View Systems: This Calgary-based firm has a focus on mobile technology, rebadging employees to other companies when needed.
  • C3i: C3i focuses on the life science industry, providing support for labs and medical facilities.
  • Maintech: Clients benefit from training through Maintech’s IT Infrastructure Library.

 

IBM’s 5 in 5 for 2014: How Will Your Business Be Affected?

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Each year, IT support professionals eagerly await the release of IBM’s 5 in 5 predictions. The electronics giant forecasts five advancements we can expect to see in the next five years. This is the eighth consecutive year IBM has released this list and, each year, the company takes a bold leap in declaring which of the many innovations currently in the works will change the way we live.

Your Business and Technology

When summarizing this year’s list, IBM wrote, “In the future, everything will learn.” The company predicts that computers will begin to learn from us and change its behavior based on what it learns. The result will be computers that can interact with us in a way that is more human-like than machine-like. This change will dramatically impact both the classroom and the doctor’s office, as computers determine what each student needs to learn and what course of care a sick patient needs based on DNA.

But for businesses, one of the most important items on the 5 in 5 list this year is the bold statement that local businesses will begin to beat online businesses. As technology becomes more advanced, small businesses will have the tools they need to compete with even the largest retailers. Since local businesses have an advantage when it comes to delivering locally and personalizing a customer’s shopping experience, “mom and pop” shops will begin to overtake chain stores.

Online Personalization

But even as local businesses gain an edge, customers will still seek the convenience of online shopping. These customers are increasingly expecting a personalized online shopping experience, however, complete with product suggestions and discounts based on the products they buy. By delivering exactly the experience consumers want, even smaller online businesses will begin to excel.

Thanks to the emerging popularity of data analytics, businesses have access to technology that will determine what its customers want before they even realize it. This information will allow your SMB to give your customers a level of service they will never receive from a larger retailer, therefore increasing your loyal customer base.