Without a strategy: managed services in Swiss companies

In dynamic times with diverse challenges, it is important for companies to remain responsive. This includes flexible IT operations that can quickly adapt to new technologies and support necessary transformations. Used in a planned manner and with a long-term perspective, managed services offer companies the opportunity to keep pace technologically. In addition, they create the freedom to concentrate on the core business. However, a market study commissioned by adesso from Statista, which takes into account several recent studies, shows that Swiss companies have some catching up to do when compared internationally, not only in terms of the use of managed services, but also when it comes to understanding their actual potential. Although 88% of the companies surveyed use a managed service for at least one area of their IT, there is still a lot of potential for the broad and strategic use of various services.

Today, managed services offer companies far more than just traditional outsourcing and the opportunity to close staffing gaps - even if this continues to play a role. Embedded in a long-term strategy and as part of a trusting collaboration with a technically competent partner, entire processes or business areas can now be placed in the hands of external experts. International companies have long recognized the advantages of a strategic view of managed services. They completely close their own competence gaps with corresponding offers and increasingly focus on activities that differentiate them from the competition. In other words, they are focussing on their core business and at the same time gaining speed in the continuous modernization of their IT landscape. These companies also cite the following reasons for using managed services

1. A faster pace of technology development and digital transformation (62 percent),

2. Access to new functions and possibilities (56 percent),

3. More complex cyber security threats (54 percent) and

4. A change in business strategy and business model (38 percent)

The promise of cost savings, which is often cited by companies as the main argument in favor of managed services, plays a subordinate role in the strategic approach. Above all, companies do not want to compromise on quality when outsourcing IT services. According to market research, 89% of companies in Western Europe rely on IT sourcing, but predominantly prefer onshoring (35%). Pure offshoring and nearshoring are less popular among respondents (18%). The situation is different when it comes to combining all three variants as part of so-called smart shoring. Around a third (29%) of companies use this approach to combine the highest quality with the best possible cost savings and other benefits, such as round-the-clock service. Managed service providers who can offer smart shoring using their own resources therefore have a clear competitive advantage.

“Managed services allow companies to focus more on what they do best - and thus to position themselves better against the competition,” explains Hansjörg Süess, CEO of adesso Schweiz and Business Area Leader Central Europe & Nordics.

Rainer Hiss, Head Competence Center Managed Services at adesso Schweiz, further explains: “whether application management, cloud platform support or topics related to security and compliance - these areas are extremely complex. However, they can be managed much more efficiently with experienced partners, freeing up resources for more important digital transformation projects.”