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The quantitative findings presented in this report are based on an online survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in November 2009. Ernst & Young commissioned the EIU to conduct the survey and write this report. A total of 365 senior procurement and IT executives from a broad range of industries participated in the survey, of whom 50% were C-suite or above. Roughly 33% were based in Europe, 36% in North and Latin America, 27% in the Asia-Pacific region and the remaining 4% coming from the Middle East and Africa. Participants also represented
a wide cross-section of company sizes, with 58% having annual revenue of over US$5m, and 20% with revenue of over US$5b per year. In addition to the online survey, nine executives were interviewed on the record for this report. We would like to thank everyone who participated in the research for their valuable contributions.
The Economist Intelligence Unit interviewed a small number of executives in the course of their research. We wish to thank the following people for their valuable contribution: Wim de Bruyn COO and CIO Standard Bank International Walter Curd CIO Maxim Dr Martin Elspermann COO of ASIC Allianz Managed Operations and Services SE Philip Hawker Manager Communication Networks & Infrastructure British Airways Philip Parker Chair Professor of Management Science INSEAD Kingsley Poultan Head of Corporate Infrastructure Services Standard Bank International Mike Russell Group IS Director Atkins
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Contents
Executive summary
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Playing to strengths
Networks, unified communications and partnerships Smaller companies an untapped market 26
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Conclusion
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Foreword
Here at Ernst & Youngs Global Telecommunications Center, we hear from telecommunications operators across the world about their challenges in delivering services to business, or enterprise, customers. Many of our clients face enormous fundamental challenges right now from intense competition across many areas of their business. This is no exception. One of the main conclusions in our Power of the pipe study last year, was that there appeared to be a significant revenue opportunity for operators in addressing the needs of their enterprise customers, but that there were very few examples of that being done successfully. We decided to seek first-hand evidence from the people that matter: the buyers. The conclusions perhaps won't surprise everyone. Many of our clients still have some way to go to overcome scepticism about the services they can provide,
especially if they aim to position themselves beyond the core network. I'm proud to see that our study offers our clients some clear indications for how they can improve their success in this area. Our thanks to the Economist Intelligence Unit for their research. And our thanks also to the executives who kindly agreed to be quoted in our report. This report has depended on the generous time and insight of those who make major procurement decisions every day. Finally, our thanks go to the 365 professionals who took time to respond to our survey.
Vincent de La Bachelerie
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Executive summary
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Not all telcos are starting from the same point. Some have global network footprints, while others have only regional or national reach. Some telcos have both fixed-line and mobile operations, and others run either a fixed-line or a mobile network. Despite this diversity, a survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit in November 2009 revealed large areas of agreement among respondents (representing large and smaller companies, various industry sectors and based in different geographical regions) about what they see as telcos main strengths and weaknesses. The overall message is remarkably uniform: telcos are doing a reasonably good job at providing core connectivity services, but there is still much scepticism that they can deliver non-core services. But its not all doom and gloom for telcos looking to broaden their service portfolio beyond the so-called dumb pipe. Enterprises havent ruled out telcos playing a more expansive role, but, as this report argues, to move successfully into non-core service areas, telcos will have to emphasize more of their network strengths, explore further strategic partnerships with IT vendors and heed warnings from enterprises about their shortcomings.
Telcos are doing a reasonably good job at providing core connectivity services, but there is still much scepticism that they can deliver non-core services.
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Telcos face a challenge in convincing enterprises they can be trusted providers of additional services beyond network connectivity and a few closely-related network tasks. While many business customers appear happy to let their telecoms service providers manage network security and network installation, there are high levels of resistance to letting telcos do more, particularly if it involves handling their data assets.
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Which of the following services would you NOT consider obtaining from your telecoms service provider (as opposed to IT or other service providers)?
Customer call centers IT help desk Network installation and maintenance Conferencing (web, video, audio) Business consulting Governance and compliance Network security Cloud computing SaaS Data centers (managed hosting) Domain and web hosting Data backup and retrieval
0 10 20 30 40 33% 45% 50 60 70 32% 49% 44% 46% 29% 50% 50% 37% 51% 62%
Although telecoms spending by enterprises is holding up fairly well in the economic downturn, with 75% of survey respondents saying their companies telecoms budget will either remain the same or grow somewhat during the next two years, purse strings are not going to be loosened dramatically any time soon. Add in the fact that the survey respondents make it abundantly clear that price and reliability are by far their top two considerations when weighing up the performance of their current telecoms service provider, telcos can expect no let up from business customers trying to get more value for their money (with the veiled threat they will go elsewhere for their core telecoms services if they are not satisfied on price).
What are the three most important criteria for evaluating the performance of your current telecoms service provider?
Reliability of service Price Quality of support Geographical coverage Range of products and services Scalability Privacy/security credentials Personalized/customized offering Transparency of billing Corporate social responsibility credentials (e.g., low carbon footprint) Other
0 13% 10% 9% 5% 2% 2% 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 30% 27% 25% 83% 78%
Percentage
Source: EIU
Enterprises have also warned telcos that they shouldnt take for granted that enterprises will continue using them for core telecoms services. In fact, 66% of survey respondents say it doesnt make any difference from whom they buy telco services, as long as those companies, acting as resellers, can deliver comparable quality.
Percentage
Source: EIU
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Which of the following services are you currently buying or would consider buying in the next 12 months from your telecoms service provider (as opposed to IT or other service providers)?
Customer call centers IT help desk Network installation and maintenance Conferencing (web, video, audio) Business consulting Governance and compliance Network security Cloud computing SaaS Data centers (managed hosting) Domain and web hosting Data backup and retrieval
0 Source: EIU 18% 19% 12% 15% 25% 36% 39% 20% 20% 40% 15% 25% 22% 41% 29% 10 20 30 18% 40 50 60 70 23% 21% 21% 20% 23% 13% 17% 26%
Percentage
The high regard that enterprises have for telcos ability to provide real-time services might call into question the sincerity of survey respondents who claim it doesnt make any difference to them where they buy telecoms services. After all, it would be easier to resolve network performance issues with the telco directly rather than with a reseller, and there isnt much survey evidence of enterprise customers actually deserting their telecoms service providers (see Customer loyalty looks can be deceiving, page 21). While enterprises are clearly warning telcos that they should not be complacent, their apparent open-mindedness towards resellers might partly be explained by a wish to keep telcos on their toes (and to lower their prices), particularly by those requiring service level assurances on network performance. The survey also gives encouragement to telcos wishing to play a more prominent role in non-core areas. Although half of respondents say they would not consider their telco for business consulting a service far removed from their core expertise more than 40% are either currently paying for business consulting from their telecoms service provider or would consider doing so. Progress of this sort shows it is not beyond telcos capability to reinvent themselves in the eyes of many enterprise customers.
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A surprise survey finding, perhaps, is that there is no strong correlation between offering a reliable core service and the propensity of enterprises to take on additional services from their telecoms service provider. The 36% of respondents who see no current drawbacks with their current service are on the whole no more willing to buy non-core services than the overall sample.
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Moreover, the 17% of respondents who agree strongly that their telco has a clear menu of services (assuming that clarity is related to the core connectivity services on offer) are also, on the whole, no more likely to buy (or consider buying) non-core services than those who dont hold companies views on service menu clarity. A similar picture emerges when comparing the service-buying intentions of those who agree that telcos SLAs make it easy to evaluate performance with those that neither agree nor disagree on this matter. Working hard on getting the basics right for core services will only take telcos so far, it seems, in persuading enterprise customers to take on additional services. Customer satisfaction does not necessarily lead to successful upselling.
Which of the following services are you currently buying or would you consider buying in the next 12 months from your telecoms service provider (as opposed to IT or other service providers)? (Whole sample compared with those who see no drawback with their current telecoms service.)
Customer call centers IT help desk Network installation and maintenance Conferencing (web, video, audio) Business consulting Governance and compliance Network security Cloud computing SaaS Data centers (managed hosting) Domain and web hosting Data backup and retrieval
0 10 18 % 37% 26% 53 % 39% 56 % 35 % 36 % 60 % 35 % 43 % 30 % 60 % 48 % 47% 20 30 40 50 60 70 38% 38% 63% 37% 45% 42% 61% 53% 65%
Telcos might take heart from the 36% of respondents who say they are perfectly happy with their telco service, but it isnt necessarily a sign of complete success. If the satisfied customers are typically buying only simple network connectivity at ever cheaper prices, the result is not so impressive from the telcos perspective.
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Percentage
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Comparing the services rated valuable or highly valuable by respondents with willingness to buy the service from telcos (as opposed to IT or other service provider).
Customer call centers IT help desk Network installation and maintenance Conferencing (web, video, audio) Business consulting Governance and compliance Network security Cloud computing SaaS Data centers (managed hosting) Domain and web hosting Data backup and retrieval
0 10 20 30 26% 37 % 36% 45 % 49% 42 % 58% 61 % 47 % 40 50 72 % 60 70 80 28% 26 % 44% 39 %
58% 53 % 48% 65 %
Percentage Services rated highly valuable by respondents Currently buying or would consider buying in the next 12 months from a teleco
Source: EIU
The survey revealed some industry differences. Financial services companies and enterprises in the IT and technology sector value business consulting far more than manufacturing companies. Manufacturing companies, on the other hand, are more enthusiastic than financial services companies about buying SaaS from telecoms service providers. Telcos that successfully sell non-core services will be sensitive to these kinds of nuances. To deliver a more targeted sales proposition, telcos that have traditionally focused on core services will most likely have to retrain sales teams and account managers or perhaps even partner with outside consulting professionals if they are to make a more sophisticated and successful play for the enterprise segment.
Integrated operators are well placed, but they need to up their game
Survey respondents are ambivalent about the importance of having one supplier for fixed and mobile services. Those who are enthusiastic about opting for one supplier are matched by just as many who do not see it as important. It might be that many integrated operators, which run both mobile and fixed networks, are finding it difficult to coordinate their fixed and mobile businesses to the extent where they can offer a compelling converged service.
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It is important to buy fixed and mobile services from the same telecoms service provider.
Agree strongly Agree slightly Neither agree nor disagree Slightly disagree Strongly disagree
0 5 10 14% 15 20 25 30 14% 25% 24% 24%
Percentage
Source: EIU
The prize for the successful integrated operator, however, appears to be greater than for standalone operators with only a fixed or a mobile business to their name. Of those who agree on the importance of having one supplier for both fixed and mobile services, 62% see telecoms spend increasing over the next two years compared to only 48% overall who anticipate telecom spend to increase during that time. Conversely, of those that dont agree that it is important to get fixed and mobile services from the same supplier, a sizable 25% anticipate telecom spend to decline in the next two years. One might have thought that a key driver for sourcing fixed and mobile services from the same supplier would be to reduce costs by taking advantage of discounted bundled packages, but the survey responses suggest this is an over-simplistic interpretation of enterprise thinking. It could be that those seeking a converged fixed and mobile service have higher expectations about what their telco can deliver and so are willing to spend more on additional services (and increase their telecoms budgets accordingly). On the other hand, those who prefer separate suppliers of fixed and mobile services have arguably much lower expectations of telecoms service providers capabilities and are more price-conscious. If this is the case, integrated operators are much better placed than standalone operators to drive incremental revenue from their enterprise customers.
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Mike Russell, Group IS Director at Atkins, an engineering and design consultancy with over 200 offices around the world, argues that those with a fixed-line heritage have the advantage. He believes that customers who want a single supplier are more likely to choose a fixed-line operator that has added mobile, rather than the other way around. Mobile service providers have yet to be convincing about their capacity to manage fixed networks, he says. At the same time, fixed services vendors have a wellestablished service provisioning capability. Conservatism might lead people to hang on to what they know.
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Playing to strengths
Networks, unified communications and partnerships
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Network know-how
Enterprises value telcos network expertise. The criteria in our RFP process are very challenging, says Dr. Martin Elspermann, COO of ASIC, the European IT infrastructure services provider of Allianz, an international insurance and financial services company. And experience shows that incumbent operators mostly fulfill the RFP demands.
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Wim de Bruyn, COO and CIO of Standard Bank International, is equally fulsome in his praise of telcos network know-how. Due to fast developments in technology, the level of expertise for telecommunications market is critical, he says. With this in mind, specialized telecoms providers are still the preferred route. In particular, most enterprises look to telecoms providers when it comes to the delivery of real-time IP-based services, such as video and audio conferencing. 66% of survey respondents say they are either currently buying or would consider buying conferencing services from their telecoms service providers. Large companies, with annual revenues in excess of US$5b, have even more enthusiasm. Sixty-six percent of this group already purchase voice and video conferencing services from their telcoms, with another 17% saying they would consider doing so. High take-up of telcos conferencing services by multinational companies suggests that telecoms service providers are capable of offering these services on a large scale, which would also set them apart from most resellers. Incorporating real-time IP-based voice and video into SaaS or unified communications propositions which IT suppliers or in-house IT departments might find difficult to implement may be one way, that telcos (along with IT partners) can bring innovative service propositions to the attention of enterprise customers and generate incremental revenue. VoIP is another area of opportunity. Although there are still pockets of resistance 17% of respondents say they dont use VoIP and have no plans to nearly 33% of survey respondents say they will have replaced their traditional fixed-line service within two years, joining the existing 15% who have already made the change. The time for VoIP may have finally arrived and many enterprises appear to be embarking on a significant network transformation. Telcos should be well placed to help enterprises manage this transformation if they want to be seen as the IP experts. Tougher economic conditions have also encouraged enterprises to invest more in virtual collaboration tools. Its a trend that should favor telcos as it plays to their strengths in the delivery of real-time IP-based services.
The time for VoIP may have finally arrived and many enterprises appear to be embarking on a significant network transformation.
How has the downturn affected the take-up of the following services?
1%
VoIP Unied communications (i.e., unied platform for voice, messaging, video, collaboration, etc.) Video conferencing
0
11%
23%
38%
6%
20%
5%
25%
39%
8% 3%
20%
13%
25%
35%
4% 4%
19%
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Slightly reduced Signicantly reduced Dont use this service Signicantly increased Slightly increased The downturn hasnt affected use
Percentage
Workforces are increasingly on the move, reflected in enterprises shifting spending priorities from fixed to mobile. Larger companies are putting more emphasis, in particular, on the mobile internet, with 61% giving a higher priority to mobile internet spending (compared with 41% of smaller companies). Its likely that many smaller companies view the mobile internet as a luxury item, while larger companies can take advantage of economies of scale and clearer productivity benefits.
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The growing use of smartphones also means IT departments are facing much bigger network security and device management challenges, which creates other potential opportunities for telcos.
Please indicate whether you expect to give the following services higher or lower spending priority in the next two years, compared to what you currently spend.
2%
Fixed line telephone Mobile telephone Fixed internet access Mobile internet access Virtual private networks (VPNs) Other private networks Other services
0 Source: EIU
13%
53%
26%
3% 1%
4%
9%
38%
39%
10% 1%
4%
5%
28%
52%
11% 0%
3%
A lot higher spending priority compared to now Somewhat higher spending priority compared to now The same spending priority Somewhat lower spending priority compared to now A lot lower spending priority compared to now
12%
33%
37%
12% 1%
6%
7% 2% 13% 1% 14%
28%
41%
9%
14%
47%
13% 2%
3%
23%
45%
8%
30%
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Dont know
Percentage
The growing use of smartphones also means IT departments are facing much bigger network security and device management challenges, which creates other potential opportunities for telcos. As trusted providers of network security and in partnership with device management software vendors telcos could offer to either manage this increased complexity on enterprises behalf, or give enterprises the tools to do it themselves, perhaps on an SaaS basis. I feel that in the future we can expect to see more control of the outfield network being offered to the enterprise by the operator and by the device manufacturer to ensure devices, users and data are kept safe from harms way, says a senior executive for an ebilling specialist.
The message from many enterprises seems to be that they want their telecoms service providers to remain specialized and focus on their historical expertise the network. With those views in mind, telcos might be better served by partnering with IT providers that can deliver the wider range of services that enterprises require. Partnership opportunities in SaaS, unified communications and mobile device management look like particularly promising areas. Moreover, enterprises are increasingly allocating telecoms spend as part of their overall IT budget, which implies a closer coordination between IT and telecoms procurement. Nearly 60% of survey respondents include the telecoms budget in their overall IT budget. The trend of combining budgets should provide a greater opportunity for telcos and their partners to sell packaged ICT services.
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Comparing larger companies ($5b+ annual revenue) with smaller companies (below $500m in annual revenue): To what extent do you value the following services? (Percentage of those answering 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale, where 5 is highly valuable and 1 is not valuable at all.)
Customer call centers IT help desk Network installation and maintenance Conferencing (web, video, audio) Business consulting Governance and compliance Network security Cloud computing SaaS Data centers (managed hosting) Domain and web hosting Data backup and retrieval
0 Source: EIU 10 20 30 40 50 20% 32% 45% 37% 37% 44% 37% 18% 28% 43% 42% 41% 56% 57% 57% 65% 60 58% 52% 64% 53% 76% 70%
26%
76%
70 80
Percentage
One might have thought that smaller companies would have seen more readily the cost and productivity benefits from SaaS and cloud computing. Perhaps a reason why many do not is because neither telcos nor software companies have managed to adequately sell the benefits, or have failed to make them attractive to companies with smaller budgets. Telcos have an advantage, however, in that they already have a billing relationship with many smaller companies for basic connectivity services, and there may be an opportunity to sell additional and generic services, courtesy of SaaS and cloud computing, as long as these services scale easily. These additional services could also be used to promote telcos core service proposition to smaller companies by bundling, say, a CRM SaaS product with broadband access. Mutually beneficial partnerships with IT vendors could be one way to achieve this. By partnering with telcos, for example, SaaS vendors would get a ready-made sales channel to many more (smaller) businesses that otherwise would be too expensive to reach directly; telcos would get the opportunity to broaden their service portfolio and increase revenue. Of course, this all sounds much easier than it is in practice. Executing on service delivery, where cloud services are synchronised with on-premise equipment, remains a significant challenge both at smaller and large companies.
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The overwhelming good news for telcos is that enterprises highly value their network expertise. This makes it hard to imagine that telecoms service providers will be relegated by large swathes of enterprise customers to a sub-contractor network role (despite their threats to do so), especially if those customers require stringent SLAs on network performance.
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Conclusion
The depth of telcos expertise on WAN optimization, managed IP/MPLS VPN services and application performance management also means telcos are in a strong position to fend off incursions by non-traditional telecoms service providers into their core territory. They also have a solid basis from which to make a successful push on coreadjacent and non-core services. Yet telcos looking to make company strides beyond their core service propositions are going to find it difficult. Enterprise customers are highly sceptical that telecoms companies can deliver a wide range of services beyond the dumb pipe, but it doesnt mean the sceptics cant be won over. Telcos can make progress by integrating their noncore services more clearly into their product offering and by addressing the individual requirements of their business customers. Network know-how is the telcos trump card, but they must play it wisely. That means partnering with established IT vendors, which should enable them to move more swiftly and more effectively into newer service areas, such as SaaS and cloud computing. Partnerships could also bolster telcos presence in other service areas, such as unified communications. Telcos cant do everything, as the survey respondents make clear, but they can leverage their network strengths to better advantage. Enterprises have sent out a clear warning to telcos that they must not repeat past mistakes of trying to be all things to all people. Given that 72% of survey respondents say that telecoms spend over the last two years has either remained roughly equivalent or increased in relation to IT spend, it is not unreasonable to conclude that most enterprises recognize that maintaining a high-performance network, allied with software infrastructure investment, is vital to increasing business productivity. This recognition should give telcos a head start in gaining a stronger foothold in the market for non-core and more IT-centric services. Even so, telcos cant afford to be complacent.
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