The Isn't the IT sector in the throes of change? The market continues to consolidate to the rhythm of the market leaders! Business & Décision acquired by Orange Business Services, D2SI by Devoteam, Econocom by Aciernet...
This 1st debate of the month asks: Beyond consolidation, what are these major IT companies looking for?
Objective No. 1: Make progress in implementing their strategy.
One example is Orange Business Services, historically a telecoms operator, which has gradually moved into storage and analytics.
"Previously, our strategy was the same as all the other operators: transport data, and only data," explains Jean Michel DUSSOUX.
The acquisition of Business & Décision will ultimately enable the operator to acquire the skills needed to offer data storage and analytics in the Cloud. This is a good example of an ESN expanding its portfolio of services across the entire IT value chain.
2nd objective: Acquire new skills by buying companies.
IT companies are making the acquisition of new skills one of the major thrusts of their external growth strategy. For example, by acquiring D2SI, Devoteam, which specialises in Google integration, is going to strengthen its skills in the AWS Cloud. Michel Sasson, for his part, has a mixed opinion on this issue, as CIOs within large groups are faced with high staff turnover despite acquisition strategies in the developer market through company takeovers. Organisational structures are not up to scratch, and buying out companies is not the only solution. In his view, this highly volatile market calls for a new corporate culture.
3rd objective: Expand internationally.
In addition to its technological diversification and skills acquisition strategy, Econocom, through its acquisition of Aciernet (a company with a strong presence in the United States), is seeking to expand internationally.
A quick comparison with the Tunisian market, with Mohamed Ali Chouchane, Chairman and CEO of Cloud Temple in Tunisia!
The Tunisian market is not at the same stage of maturity as the French market. Faced with the need for business transformation, Tunisian CIOs are expressing a real need for service and commitment from CIOs.
To date, Cloud Temple is the only provider of private cloud services in Tunisia. As for the players mentioned for France, Devoteam has a strong presence in Tunisia, providing consultancy services to help companies transform their traditional infrastructures into the Cloud.
Orange is present as a telecoms operator for foreign and multi-national companies. As far as facilities management is concerned, Ooredoo, the major operator, is moving towards a strategy of acquiring skills by buying up a number of small companies, particularly in the web sector.