'Service providers must join forces to address IT requirement'

Service providers should join forces to address enterprises' increasingly complex IT requirement as the solutions they offer do not always meet the expectations of the enterprises, according to a new global study.
The study commissioned by Tata Communications reveals that the solutions that network service providers offer don't always meet the expectations of enterprises, who rank security (52 pc), cloud (43 pc) and mobility (32 pc) as their top technology priorities.
Conducted by IDC amongst enterprises and service providers across 32 countries in Africa, Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East and North Africa, the research also shows that enterprises see partnerships as key in their decision-making process, indicating that by finding the right partners, service providers could win more business from this market segment.

The study shows enterprises consider service providers best equipped to increasing their network capacity or reach (73 pc), or delivering hybrid networking (66 pc) services, while around half (48 pc) of enterprises feel their network service provider is best suited to address their cloud needs.
Approximately a third (31 pc) of enterprises feel that having access to cloud services developed by their service provider would help support them better on their cloud journey.
"Through the right partnerships, service providers are able to open up new revenue streams in growth areas such as cloud and unified communication and collaboration (UCC), without having to invest in developing their own solutions from scratch," said James Parker, President, Global Sales, Tata Communications.

"By joining forces with like-minded organisations, service providers are best-placed to address their customers' increasingly complex IT requirements and facilitate their digital transformation."

The research suggests that close to a half (41 pc) of service providers don't have a definite stance on partnering.
In contrast, more than half (57 pc) of enterprises say that when choosing a service provider, it is important that they find the right partners to fill gaps in their offering or extend their reach.
Additionally, service providers overestimate the importance of reputation in enterprise decision making by a third (30 pc).