Competition fierce in services market

Here are some of IDC's key observations from a new report that analyzes and compares the top 20 services firms:

• The services market is highly fragmented with the top 20 providers representing just over a third of the market opportunity in 2003. IDC expects that the top companies will become increasingly dominant as acquisitions continue to play an important part in their growth strategies. Meanwhile, SMBs will comprise a greater share of the purchasing market with demand for low cost and rapid implementations.
• New entrants will continue to put competitive pressure on the major incumbents. Some of the most notable emerging players today are: CGI Group, Dell Services, Infosys, LogicaCMG, Tata Consulting Services (TCS), and Wipro Technologies.
• The firms that can demonstrate their ability to integrate technology, data, and business processes with an explicit measurement of cost savings and value creation will be the ones that win the battle for the growing BPO and transformational outsourcing opportunity.