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Innovation and IT services company: buzz or reality?

Sogeti Labs
June 25, 2013

jacques.mezhrahid@fr.sogeti.com « Holding the world in your hand now », Michel Serres, in his opening speech for the Paris New Worlds Program on January 29, 2013 explains how digital technologies dramatically reshap our approach to time, space and knowledge. The IT services companies must help by developing new usage for technologies to serve their clients. Digital technologies: a key factor in all of the economy There is no sector that can afford to do without digital services and a virtual link, as an added value to its product or service. From retail with the multi-canal to the e-administration, digital technologies is now central to the relationship between an organization and its clients, users, team members and partners. It is not the icing on the cake; it is key ingredient in the recipe. Challenge: go from being a provider to a partner While digital technologies flood all markets, expertise and support functions, they also have a significant impact on our ability to provide always quicker solutions. The IT services company model, based on the ability to offer a solution to a need expressed by a study or production department is no longer valid for not being enough agile and proactive. Nowadays, a digital company needs an IT services company that can provide the technology, the know-how that has to be integrated to strengthen or access to a leadership position, an IT services company that looks to the same direction its client does, foresees what lies beyond, suggests trajectories and takes its clients to the value before the others. Asset: promote the intellectual capital through innovation To fulfill its role as a partner, the IT services company must integrate and control the innovation process, bet on technologies, anticipate and explore integration of a large range of services. As a consequence, its most valuable capital is the intellectual one. The traditional model where value is connected to the number of team members is outdated. Just take a look at the increasing number of co-innovation or cooperation projects. Action: innovative initiatives An innovation policy can only be developed by proceeding step by step, starting with small experiments, keeping always a pragmatic and operational approach to the client’s needs. This strategy defines how the company can develop solutions and accelerators to its offering catalogues. It also provides such company with different insights and tangible examples on how to develop innovative projects while building an ecosystem. References:

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SogetiLabs gathers distinguished technology leaders from around the Sogeti world. It is an initiative explaining not how IT works, but what IT means for business.

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