The fastest growth for IT outsourcing services will be in the government, financial markets, services, and discrete manufacturing, the latest forecast on information technology (IT) outsourcing indicates.
Automated Reasoning MD Charles Anderson said the market opportunity for IT outsourcing services can vary largely, depending on the vertical industry.
Automated Reasoning is the South African distributor of Pro/Engineer, the 3D product design and development solution for the engineering and manufacturing industries.
“But there is certainly a place for the manufacturing sector. Not just in the United States, but in South Africa as well. Forward-thinking manufacturers, who have the right skills, can pitch for, and win, outsourcing contracts to handle product development for overseas companies,” he said.
According to the latest report by US consultancy IDC, while some verticals have been more badly affected due to the sluggish US economy, certain industries have managed to continue spending on technology and related IT outsourcing.
The IDC, a US-based global market intelligence advisory firm in IT, lays out the five-year forecast for the US IT outsourcing market within 16 vertical markets.
Anderson said IDC’s research shows that the largest US consumers of IT outsourcing are discrete manufacturers and the government.
“It certainly appears evident that some of the more promising opportunities will come from the financial markets, the government, services, and discrete manufacturing industries. With our manufacturing sector currently reeling thanks to the fact that the rand has gained 78% since 2001, cautious outsourcing, where possible, may just be one way of countering lower incomes,” he said. — I-Net Bridge