ITSMA’s Professional Services and Solutions, 2011 Brand Tracking Study helps services providers understand buyer attitudes and beliefs, their company’s brand equity, current and/or aspired market positions, and buyers’ perceptions of performance.

ITSMA has been of conducting the Professional Services Brand Tracking study for more than a decade, and continues to see strong brands get stronger. While the 2011 study results reinforced the dominance of a few leading brands, it also revealed plenty of opportunities in the market.

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Study Scope

ITSMA’s 2011 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study provides a balanced look at measures of:

• Brand equity. Awareness, familiarity, preference
• Market positioning. Brand attribute perception and message relevance

The study also provides data and analysis on key areas of buyers’ behavior, including:

• Outsourcing and Consulting trends. What has been the impact of the fluctuating economy on investing in outsourcing or
  consulting? What are their future buying intentions?
• Services decision influences. When there are a number of qualified providers, what is needed to stand out?
• Perceived areas of competitive differentiation. Is what’s different really different? Does it matter?
• Market knowledge. Who are the leaders and followers? Are providers recognized for their services capabilities?

In addition, the study explores buyers’ definitions and perceptions of services provider attributes, including:

• The buyers’ journey. How are buyers making decisions and what information do they need at each stage of the process?
• Use of social media. How are buyers using social media and other online sources as part of the buying process?
• Partnering with service providers. What does it mean to buyers to partner with a service provider? How important is this?
• Client advisory boards. Do buyers participate on client advisory boards or councils? What do they get out of it?

This study delivers the data study sponsors need to validate internal assumptions, improve marketing strategies and tactics, and hone their brand communication.

Study Methodology

Between August and October 2011, ITSMA completed telephone-based interviews in the US, the UK, France, Germany, Brazil, and Australia with 460 IT and business executives who either provide input into or authorize the purchase of IT professional services and solutions.

The interviews were designed to assess the brand awareness and market positioning of the major industry services providers and explore key market drivers.

In addition, ITSMA conducted 25 qualitative interviews with buyers.

For the purposes of this study, ITSMA defines professional services as:

Technology and/or related business services (such as consulting, systems integration or implementation, or outsourcing) valued at $100,000 or more.

Study respondents all held director, vice president, or C-level positions and represented organizations in seven major industries with revenue or operating budgets ranging from $100 million to over $20 billion.

This sponsored research initiative represents the 11th iteration of ITSMA’s flagship brand awareness and tracking study focusing on IT professional services and solutions.

Respondent Characteristics

Respondent Title

Source: ITSMA, Professional Services and Solutions, 2011 Brand Tracking Study

Role in Purchasing IT Professional Services

Source: ITSMA, Professional Services and Solutions, 2011 Brand Tracking Study

Respondent Perspective

Source: ITSMA, Professional Services and Solutions, 2011 Brand Tracking Study

Respondent Industry Sector

Source: ITSMA, Professional Services and Solutions, 2011 Brand Tracking Study

Organization Size

Source: ITSMA, Professional Services and Solutions, 2011 Brand Tracking Study

Pricing

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Learn about other ITSMA Market Positioning and Brand Awareness Studies

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ITSMA’s Professional Services: 2010 Brand Tracking Study helps services providers understand buyer attitudes and beliefs, their company’s brand equity, current and/or aspired market positions, and buyers’ perceptions of performance.

Based on nearly a decade of conducting the Professional Services Brand Tracking study, ITSMA saw some significant changes in the 2010 study results.

Study Scope

ITSMA’s 2010 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study provides a balanced look at measures of:

• Brand equity. Awareness, familiarity, preference
• Market positioning. Brand attribute perception and message relevance

The 2010 study also provides new data and analysis on key areas, such as:

• Outsourcing trends. What has been the impact of the economic downturn on outsourcing views and buying decisions? Which companies are already outsourcing infrastructure, application management, and business processes? What are their future buying intentions?
• Services decision influences. When there are a number of qualified providers, what is needed to stand out? What are the triggers to switch providers?
• Perceived areas of competitive differentiation. Is what’s different really different? Does it matter?
• Market knowledge. Who are the leaders and followers? Are providers recognized
  for their services capabilities?

In addition, the qualitative interviews explore in depth buyers’ definitions and perceptions of services provider attributes, including:

• Innovation
• Thought leadership
• Proactive
• Business transformation partner
• Value-centric
• Employee empowerment

This study delivers the data study sponsors need to validate internal assumptions, improve marketing strategies and tactics, and hone their brand communication.

Study Methodology

Between May and July 2010, ITSMA completed telephone-based interviews in the US, the UK, France, Germany, Brazil, and Australia with 510 IT and business executives who either provide input into or authorize the purchase of IT professional services and solutions. The interviews were designed to assess the brand awareness and market positioning of the major industry services providers and explore key market drivers.

In addition, ITSMA conducted 25 qualitative interviews with buyers.

For the purposes of this study, ITSMA defines professional services as:

Technology and/or related business services (such as consulting, systems integration or implementation, or outsourcing) valued at $100,000 or more.

Study respondents all held director, vice president, or C-level positions and represented organizations in seven major industries with revenue or operating budgets ranging from $100 million to over $20 billion.

This sponsored research initiative represents the 10th iteration of ITSMA’s flagship brand awareness and tracking study focusing on IT professional services and solutions.

Respondent Demographics

Respondent Title

Source: ITSMA, Professional Services and Solutions: 2010 Brand Tracking Study

Role in Purchasing IT Professional Services

Source: ITSMA, Professional Services and Solutions: 2010 Brand Tracking Study

Respondent Perspective

Source: ITSMA, Professional Services and Solutions: 2010 Brand Tracking Study

Respondent Industry Sector

Source: ITSMA, Professional Services and Solutions: 2010 Brand Tracking Study

Organization Size

Source: ITSMA, Professional Services and Solutions: 2010 Brand Tracking Study

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• Learn about other ITSMA Market Positioning and Brand Awareness Studies
• Email ITSMA for more information

ITSMA’s IT Professional Services: 2008 Brand Tracking Study helps services providers understand buyer attitudes and beliefs, their brand equity, current and/or aspired market positions, and perceptions of performance.

The 2008 edition of this survey represents the tenth annual installment of ITSMA’s flagship multiclient brand tracking research focused on the IT professional services market.

Study Scope

ITSMA’s 2008 IT Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study focuses on providers of IT professional services and solutions. This study delivers the data study sponsors need to validate internal assumptions, improve marketing strategies and tactics, and hone their brand communication. Included are new data and analyses on key market indicators and topics, such as:

• Market knowledge. Who are the leaders and followers? Are providers recognized for their services capabilities? Are they making credible claims?
• Provider preference. To which firms do clients turn first? Are they familiar with others? ?
• Services decision influences. When there are a number of qualified providers, what breaks the deadlock?
• Competitive differentiation. How do buyers perceive the key players? What are the sources of differentiation? Where is the “white space?”
• Report card. Are professional services firms meeting expectations? Which ones are hitting home runs?

Study Methodology

ITSMA recruited sponsors for its 2008 IT Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study in late 2007 and early 2008. Sponsors of the study included Capgemini, Cognizant, and British Telecom.

ITSMA conducted 400 telephone interviews with US-based senior IT and business decision makers (CXOs, vice presidents, and directors). The sample includes two types of professional services buyer (information technology executives/CIOs and business executives) and spans eight industry segments, including:

• Communications
• Energy/utilities
• Financial services
• Healthcare
• Life sciences
• Manufacturing
• Public sector
• Retail trade and hospitality

Organizations eligible to participate in the study reported annual revenue or operating budget of $300 million or greater. Participants qualified for inclusion based on their decision-making authority. ITSMA donated money to charity in return for participants’ contribution to the study.

Respondent Demographics

Figure 2.1 Respondent Title

Source: ITSMA, 2008 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study

Figure 2.2 Respondent Role in Purchasing IT Professional Services

Source: ITSMA, 2008 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study

Figure 2.3 Respondent Perspective

Source: ITSMA, 2008 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study

Figure 2.4 Respondent Industry Group

Source: ITSMA, 2008 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study

Figure 2.5 Organization Size by Annual Revenue or Operating Budget

Source: ITSMA, 2008 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study

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This report provides critical insight into the prevailing buying reality for IT professional services and solutions providers. By breaking new ground, pushing the envelope, or exceeding expectations, IT professional services leaders stake their ground in ways that are reinforced by perceptions of their brands and market positioning. Understanding the participants in IT professional services purchase decisions is the first step in addressing the sourcing conundrum.

The 2007 edition of this survey represents the ninth annual installment of ITSMA’s flagship multiclient brand tracking research focused on the IT professional services market.

Study Scope

ITSMA’s The Sourcing Conundrum: 2007 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study focuses on providers of IT professional services and solutions. This study delivers the data study sponsors need to validate internal assumptions, improve marketing strategies and tactics, and hone their brand communication. Included are new data and analyses on key market indicators and topics, such as:

• Market knowledge. Who are the leaders and followers? Are providers recognized for their services capabilities? Are they making credible claims?
• Provider preference. To which firms do clients turn first? Are they familiar with others? Can firms leverage positive brand equity, or do they carry baggage?
• Services decision influences. When there are a number of qualified providers, what breaks the deadlock?
• Competitive differentiation. Is what’s different really different? Does it really matter?
• Alternative service delivery models. Does offshore services provision matter in a global economy? Are attitudes changing?
• Report card. Are professional services firms meeting expectations? Which ones are hitting home runs?

Study Methodology

ITSMA recruited sponsors for The Sourcing Conundrum: 2007 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study in late 2006 and early 2007. Primary sponsors of the study included Capgemini, Cognizant, Hitachi Consulting, and SAP.

ITSMA conducted 401 telephone interviews with U.S.-based senior IT and business decision makers (CXOs, vice presidents, and directors). The sample includes two types of professional services buyer (information technology executives/CIOs and business executives) and spans eight industry segments, including:

• Communications
• Energy/utilities
• Financial services
• Healthcare providers
• Manufacturing/consumer products
• Manufacturing/industrial products
• Public sector
• Retail trade

Organizations eligible to participate in the study reported annual revenue or operating budget of $300 million or greater. Participants qualified for inclusion based on their decision-making authority. ITSMA donated money to charity in return for participants’ contribution to the study.

Respondent Characteristics

ITSMA recruited 401 senior-level respondents in midmarket and large organizations and further qualified them based on their roles in selecting IT professional services and solutions firms. We imposed quotas to distribute representation across eight vertical industries and two organizational perspectives.

Figure 2.1 Respondent Title

Source: ITSMA, 2007 Professional Services and Solutions: The Sourcing Conundrum

Figure 2.2 Respondent Role in Purchasing IT Professional Services

Source: ITSMA, 2007 Professional Services and Solutions: The Sourcing Conundrum

Figure 2.3 Respondent Perspective

Source: ITSMA, 2007 Professional Services and Solutions: The Sourcing Conundrum

Figure 2.4 Respondent Industry Group

Source: ITSMA, 2007 Professional Services and Solutions: The Sourcing Conundrum

Figure 2.5 Organization Size by Annual Revenue or Operating Budget

Source: ITSMA, 2007 Professional Services and Solutions: The Sourcing Conundrum

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This report provides critical insight into the prevailing buying reality for IT professional services and solutions providers, analyzed by respondent perspective, vertical industry, and size of organization. By breaking new ground, pushing the envelope, or exceeding expectations, IT professional services leaders stake their ground in ways that are reinforced by perceptions of their brands and market positioning. Challengers are ever present.

Study Scope

ITSMA’s Leaders and Contenders: 2006 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study focuses on providers of IT professional services and solutions. This study delivers the data study sponsors need to validate internal assumptions, improve marketing strategies and tactics, and hone their brand communication. Included are new data and analyses on key market indicators and topics, such as:

• Market knowledge. Who are the leaders and followers? Are providers recognized for their services capabilities? Are they making credible claims?
• Brand equity. How familiar are buyers with each firms’ brand? Who would they call first? Are their impressions favorable?
• Provider preference. To which firms do clients turn first? Are they familiar with others? Can firms leverage positive brand equity, or do they carry baggage?
• Services decision influences. When there are a number of qualified providers, what breaks the deadlock?
• Competitive differentiation. Is what’s different really different? Does it really matter?
• Alternative service delivery models. Does offshore services provision matter in a global economy? Are attitudes changing?
• Report card. Are professional services firms meeting expectations? Which ones are hitting home runs?

Study Methodology

ITSMA recruited sponsors for its Leaders and Contenders: 2006 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study in early 2006. Primary sponsors of the study included BearingPoint and SAP. Cognizant, EDS, and Hitachi Consulting joined as secondary sponsors.

ITSMA interviewed, by telephone, 400 U.S.-based senior IT and business decision makers (CXOs, vice presidents, and directors). The sample includes two types of professional services buyer (information technology executives/CIOs and business executives) and spans eight industry segments (communications, financial services, healthcare payer, life sciences, manufacturing, public sector, retail trade, and transportation). Organizations eligible to participate in the study reported annual revenue or operating budget of $200 million or greater. Participants qualified for inclusion based on their decision-making authority. ITSMA donated money to two charities in return for participants’ contribution to the study.

The 2006 edition of this survey represents the latest in nearly a decade of ITSMA’s multiclient brand tracking research focused on the IT professional services market.

Respondent Characteristics

ITSMA recruited 400 senior-level respondents in midmarket and large organizations and further qualified them based on their roles in selecting IT professional services and solutions firms. We imposed quotas to distribute representation across eight vertical industries and two organizational perspectives.

Figure 2.1 Respondent Title

Source: ITSMA, Leaders and Contenders: 2006 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study

Figure 2.2 Respondent Role in Purchasing IT Professional Services

Source: ITSMA, Leaders and Contenders: 2006 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study

Figure 2.3 Respondent Perspective

Source: ITSMA, Leaders and Contenders: 2006 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study

Figure 2.4 Respondent Industry Group

Source: ITSMA, Leaders and Contenders: 2006 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study

Figure 2.6 Organization Size by Annual Revenue or Operating Budget

Source: ITSMA, Leaders and Contenders: 2006 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study

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• Establishes a baseline of brand awareness and equity for network services firms
• Provides insight into brand awareness and positioning for leading market participants and study sponsors
• Explores the market and competitive positioning of the study sponsors and other leading network services firms
• Generates insight regarding key customer purchase criteria for networking services
• Establishes the sources of information used by decision makers and influencers of network services purchases
• Assists network services firms in developing ongoing differentiation strategies
• Assists in refining these strategies for the three EMEA subregions: Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, and MEA/Central Asia

Key Trends

• Market opportunity. No provider can lay claim to “owning” the EMEA market, although Cisco does enjoy some advantage. Many smaller players are stepping up to establish market share in B2B niche areas.
• Buyer goals. Buyer priorities for purchasing services from outside vendors are clear: improve profitability, reduce costs, and generate new revenue. Suppliers who can translate these priorities into compelling value propositions will be in an excellent position.
• Customer priorities for the supplier selection process. The three most important network services firm attributes deal with delivering on promised service levels, understanding the customer’s business needs, and employing the best skilled professionals.
• Marketing opportunity. Buyers of network services rely on the recommendations of their peers. Investing in strengthening relationships with existing customers and third-party influencers will result in the ability to maximize sales opportunities in new and existing accounts.

Study Methodology

In 2005, ITSMA conducted 301 telephone interviews with EMEA-based senior IT/network and business executives involved or influential in the purchase of telecom services. (Only companies that had plans to purchase network services from outside companies in the next 12 months were deemed eligible to be interviewed.) Study questions were designed to assess the brand awareness and market positioning of the major industry services firms.

Respondent Demographics

Study respondents primarily held management-level positions or higher and represented organizations in three major telecommunications industry segments: fixed, mobile, and cable. Just over half the study respondents classified themselves as network executives as opposed to corporate or business management.

Nearly 60% of respondents represented Western Europe, followed by 31% representing Central and Eastern Europe. The remaining 11% were sited in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia.

ITSMA examined the data by size of subscriber base. Detailed characteristics of the study respondents can be found in the report, respectively showing how decision making varied by geographic subregion; how size of subscriber base varied by geography; and how the network technology type segments varied by geographic subregion.

Companies Covered

3Com, Accenture, Alcatel, AT&T, Belgacom, BT Global Services, Capgemini, Cisco Systems, COLT Telecom, Dell, Deutsche Telekom, EDS, Equant, Ericsson, Flextronics, France Telecom, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Huawei, IBM Global Services, Italtel, Juniper, KPMG, KPN, LINKdotNET, Lucent, MCI WorldCom, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Siemens, Sun Microsystems, TDC, Telecom Italia, Telenor, Telindus, and Vodafone.

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ITSMA’s Enhancing Customer Value from Business Intelligence/Analytics Applications and Services benchmarks the brand equity of full-suite application providers, integrators, and niche application developers. It also explores the customer decision process for buying enterprise BIA software solutions and services. In particular, the report addresses issues such as:

• What priorities drive the decision-making process when large and midsize firms and institutions buy BIA software applications and services?
• What marketing investments will be most effective in building brand and improving competitive position?

Key topics highlighted in the report include:

• How Customers Choose
• Brand Equity
• Effective Marketing
• Purchasing Preferences

Study Methodology

ITSMA conducted telephone-based interviews in the United States with 501 IT and business executives involved in the purchase of software applications and solutions as part of a larger study on the enterprise software applications market as a whole, Enhancing Customer Value from Enterprise Software Applications and Services: 2005 Brand Tracking Study.

ITSMA separately examined the answers of 100 respondents who were asked their opinions and experiences as they related specifically to their perceptions of BIA application suite and services providers. This study examines the responses of those 100 respondents.

Respondent Demographics

Study respondents all held director, vice president, or C-level positions and represented organizations in multiple major industries with revenue or operating budgets ranging from $300 million to over $20 billion.

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In particular, the report addresses issues such as:

• What priorities drive the decision-making process when large and midsize firms and institutions buy business software applications and services?
• What marketing investments will be most effective in building brand and improving competitive position?

Key topics highlighted in the report include:

• How Customers Choose
• Brand Equity
• Effective Marketing
• Purchasing Preferences

Study Methodology

ITSMA conducted telephone-based interviews in the United States with 501 IT and business executives involved in the purchase of software applications and solutions as part of a larger study on the enterprise software applications market as a whole, Enhancing Customer Value from Enterprise Software Applications and Services: 2005 Brand Tracking Study.

For this study, ITSMA separately examined the answers of 100 respondents who were asked their opinions and experiences as they related specifically to their perceptions of HCM application suite and services providers. This study examines the responses of those 100 respondents.

Respondent Demographics

Study respondents all held director, vice president, or C-level positions and represented organizations in multiple major industries with revenue or operating budgets ranging from $300 million to over $20 billion.

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ITSMA’s The Quest for Marketing Differentiation: 2005 Professional Services and Solutions Brand Tracking Study explores the buyer decision process and benchmarks the brand equity of technology professional services and solutions providers. In particular, the study addresses issues such as:

• Important attributes in and buyer influences on the selection of technology professional services and solution firms
• Aided and unaided technology professional services and solutions firm awareness, along with familiarity with and favorability ratings
• Market positioning of technology professional services and solutions firms
• Purchasing preferences
• Overall buyer satisfaction with industry performance

Key Trends

This examination of the IT professional services and solutions market yields interesting findings related to the vendor selection process, brand equity of services providers, effective marketing, and purchasing preferences. Some of the major trends highlighted in the report include:

• Customer Priorities for the Vendor Selection Process
  The highest -prioritized attributes focus on trust and commitment; past experience with a vendor is a huge factor in the selection process
• Company Awareness
  Penetrating new accounts is difficult; professional services firms can leverage account-based marketing to improve brand positioning and lead generation
• Market Positioning
  Few professional services firms can claim true competitive differentiation
• Industry and Services Provider Report Card
  Any vendor that can truly differentiate itself on the issues most important to customers holds a clear advantage

Study Methodology

ITSMA conducted 401 telephone interviews with U.S.-based IT and business executives (director-level and above) involved in the purchase of IT professional services and solutions. Interviews were held from mid-February through April 2005. Study questions were designed to assess the brand awareness and market positioning of the major professional services providers, as well as to explore key market drivers.

Companies covered in the study include:
Accenture, BearingPoint, Capgemini, Cisco Systems, CSC, EDS, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi Consulting, IBM, Keane, Microsoft, Oracle, Perot Systems, and SAP.

Respondent Demographics

Study respondents all held director, vice president, or C-level positions and represented organizations in multiple major industries with revenue or operating budgets ranging from $300 million to over $20 billion. 70% of the respondents held an IT title, while 30% were business executives. The respondents spanned eight industry segments including:

Respondent Titles			Organization Size			Industry
Director	70%		$300–999M	22%		Government	15%
Vice President	16%		$1–4.9B	32%		Financial services	15%
President/CXO	14%		$5–19.9B	19%		Manufacturing–industrial	14%
			$20B or more	27%		Manufacturing–consumer	13%
						Retail/wholesale trade	13%
						Healthcare delivery	11%
						Communications	10%
						Transportation	9%

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ITSMA’s Enhancing Customer Value from Enterprise Software Applications benchmarks the brand equity of full-suite application providers, integrators, and niche application developers across five major application categories. It also explores the customer decision process for buying enterprise software applications—both for the market as a whole and for the following specific applications:

• Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
• Human capital management (HCM)
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Supply chain management (SCM)
• Business intelligence/analytics (BIA)

In particular, the study addresses issues such as:

• What priorities drive the decision-making process when large and midsize firms and institutions buy business software applications and services?
• How do buyer knowledge and impressions of and preference for services providers vary across and within the major categories of enterprise application software?
• What marketing investments will be most effective in building brand and improving competitive position?

Key topics and trends highlighted in the report include:

How Customers Choose

• Do buyers evaluate solutions based primarily on the features and functionality of the software or on the quality of the services provided?
• Do buyers prefer full-suite providers or application specialists?
• Do buyers want to work directly with software vendors or with third-party integrators?

Brand Equity

• Which software application solutions have the highest brand equity?
• How familiar are buyers with specific enterprise application software firms?
• Do niche vendors, full-suite providers, or third-party integrators score higher in terms of favorability?

Effective Marketing

• What are the most important vendor attributes?
• Which companies are meeting customer expectations?

Purchasing Preferences

• How popular is outsourcing, application hosting, and offshoring?
• How do buyers prefer to manage their enterprise software applications?
• Are customers seeking rapid-method implementations?

Study Scope

ITSMA’s Enhancing Customer Value from Enterprise Software Applications focuses first on the enterprise application market as a whole, exploring the impact of:

• Software application category. ERP, HCM, CRM, SCM, and BIA
• Job category/perspective. IT, business
• Industry. Government, financial services, manufacturing, retail/distribution, communications, other
• Size of company (number of employees). Ranges are 100–999; 1,000–4,999; 5,000 or more
• Stage of implementation. Pre-implementation, currently implementing, post-implementation
• Preferred degree of vendor specialization. Full-suite or specialist

When asked to evaluate brand equity, attributes, and positioning, interviewers directed respondents to focus on nine full-suite providers plus two specialist firms in each of the software application areas. (Note: Data was collected prior to Oracle’s recent acquisition of PeopleSoft.)

• Full-suite providers or integrators. Accenture, BearingPoint, Capgemini, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP
• ERP specialists. Intentia, Lawson
• CRM specialists. Avaya, Siebel
• HCM specialists. Kronos, Workscape
• SCM specialists. I2, Manugistics
• BIA specialists. Cognos, Hyperion

Study Methodology

ITSMA conducted telephone-based interviews in the United States with 501 IT and business executives involved in the purchase of software applications and solutions. ITSMA designed the interviews, which took place from late 2004 through early 2005, to assess the brand awareness and market positioning of the major software application services providers and explore key market drivers. The survey instrument resides in the study’s appendix.

Study respondents all held director, vice president, or C-level positions and represented organizations in multiple major industries with revenue or operating budgets ranging from $300 million to over $20 billion.

The study was sponsored by IBM, SAP, and Capgemini.

Respondent Demographics

Application-Specific Findings: Spotlight on Five Modules

For each of the five categories listed below, ITSMA interviewed a different 100-person subset of its 501-person sample based on their decision-making involvement with the various application types. Participants in each of these “mini-studies” were asked their opinions and perceptions of nine full-suite providers and integrators along with two application-specific specialist firms.

Sample Topics Addressed in the Modules

How Customers Choose

• ERP: Vendors vs. integrators: Is there a clear-cut preference?
• CRM: When seeking implementation assistance, do customers prefer to work with vendors, integrators, or in-house staff?
• HCM: How many companies are planning to upgrade their applications or add to them?
• SCM: Who exercises more clout in the purchase decision: business or IT?
• BIA: Which verticals are more likely to build custom BIA applications than buy them?

Brand Equity

• ERP: How will the combined PeopleSoft and Oracle entity affect SAP?
• CRM: Is IBM catching up to Siebel in this market? What about the combined PeopleSoft/Oracle?
• HCM: Which verticals are the various HCM providers penetrating effectively?
• SCM: Are specialist vendors better positioned than the software giants?
• BIA: Which firms do buyers call first when they’re looking for a BIA solution?

Effective Marketing

• ERP: In an environment where purchasing is driven more by IT than business, what are the messages and attributes that resonate?
• CRM: What are the most influential factors in how customers perceive the value of CRM solutions?
• HCM: Are certain vertical industries likely to be more satisfied with their HCM providers than others?
• SCM: Are expectations outpacing performance? What can providers do to remedy the situation?
• BIA: What can other companies learn from Accenture’s strong positioning in this space?

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