In assessing the IT services market, Gartner differentiates among pure utility relationships, which focus on cost reduction and consistent service delivery; enhancement relationships, which improve time to market and other measures of business productivity; and transformation relationships, which key on innovation. Customers must do a better job of managing all three kinds of relationships; Gartner estimates that less than 30 percent of companies have a formal structure for doing that. As a result, benefits accrue mostly to the IT service supplier, or the relationship deteriorates entirely.
No coincidence, then, that Gartner predicts half of customers will consider their IT service relationships unsuccessful this year. In the absence of creative, truly flexible new approaches by vendors and customers alike, even that prediction sounds optimistic.
Post a comment or question on this story.
Discover the benefits of scalable backbone and network services for application and cloud providers.
Network automation is gaining momentum. Here's how you can drive this powerful technology to its full potential.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
