As more businesses depend heavily on third-party IT services, the need to support those operations becomes vital. Having technology delivered from more outside sources creates inherent complexity and allows businesses to expand the footprint of the technological systems. Business process management software can enable companies to better integrate technologies being delivered from a variety of sources, ensuring that IT investments are able to deliver operational gains.
Third-party services on the rise
A recent study from the Information Services Group found that the third-party service market is rising. The sector experienced the second-largest sequential growth on record during the third-quarter of 2012. This increase in the industry comes as a year-over-year decline. However, that statistic is skewed by one major deal that took place last year and inflated the market.
John Keppel, partner and president of research and managed services at ISG, explained that the sequential market expansion in the third-party services sector represents strong momentum in the industry.
"These results bear out our prior expectation that the second half of 2012 would improve upon the first," said Keppel. "Third quarters are typically the weakest of the year, but the global market continues to build momentum in key segments."
The third-party IT services sector also experienced considerable growth. Sequentially, the market climbed by approximately 8 percent during the third-quarter 2012. The Americas and the Asia-Pacific region were especially active from an IT services perspective, the study found.
Importance of BPM
As more companies turn to third-party services, particularly for IT solutions, companies have to handle a much more diverse operating environment. Sales may depend on a few vendors, while marketing is built around two different service providers. Both of those departments may interact with an IT team that works with multiple third-party services. In an era when operational silos are being eliminated and sales and marketing teams increasingly interact, the diverse third-party service landscape can be difficult to navigate.
This is vital when depending heavily on third-party solutions because it enables businesses to eliminate silos and get the most out of the technological systems they are using. This can help employees function more effectively and overcome any of the operational barriers created by the complexity of depending on diverse service solutions.
Ben Farrell
Director of Corporate Communications
