During 2006, four leading companies within the different fields of system and software process improvement, IT service management, knowledge management, and IT security became part of DNV. They, together with DNV’s existing expertise in risk management and IT, form a new business area called DNV IT Global Services.
DNV is a leading provider of risk management services in multiple industries across the world, but has so far not had a cohesive approach to managing risks related to the inception, development, deployment and operation of IT-based systems. Now a new business area has been launched to help large organisations ensure the efficiency and predictability of their IT-dependent processes and software. This will help them to reduce risk and maximise business opportunities.
IT is now pervasive in all parts of society, and the failure of IT systems may lead to catastrophic events, critical business consequences, or severe information security leaks. DNV’s efforts are therefore concentrated on the safety and reliability of systems and software, information security, and efficient IT service management. Providing customers with predictable, sustainable and cost-efficient IT systems is the core of DNV’s services.
People, systems and IT – and how they interact – are where risk management is important. With this new business area, DNV wants to be able to deliver and develop services that use DNV’s risk expertise to create solutions for customers’ business performance and IT- related strategies.
Each of the four companies has a different background, and each company strengthens DNV’s global capacity within information technology and security.
Q-Labs
Q-Labs is an international leader in the definition and optimisation of processes related to the development and maintenance of software and systems. Q-Labs has offices in France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, China, Italy and the United States. It employs a team of 120 consultants, and has for more than 15 years specialised in shaping system and software processes to obtain competitive advantages for world leaders in the automotive, finance, telecommunications, general manufacturing, and aerospace industries.
CIBIT
CIBIT is a consulting and education company which has specific in-depth expertise in IT architecture, software engineering and quality, and information and knowledge management. Its expertise ranges from strategic knowledge and learning issues to IT-architecture, all of which are necessary to effectively support business processes.
TIRENO
TIRENO is a provider of IT management services, and helps companies optimise their business processes in a cost-efficient manner. The company has a broad service portfolio supporting the continuity and quality of IT services and managing service levels to match business needs, and it works in sectors such as telecommunications, media, retail, banking, finance, transportation, and utilities.
ECHELON
Echelon Consulting Ltd is one of the leading independent information security and safety consultancies in the UK. Echelon provides services relating to information security consultancy and safety assessment, and has managed Security Operations Centres (SOCs). Echelon is particularly strong in the UK’s central government, law enforcement and military sectors, but is also active in sectors such as transportation and utilities.
The global service offerings from the new business area are:
System and software process improvement
IT service management
IT security
Information management.
With the provision of these services, plus the ability to train organisations at various levels, DNV has the capacity to ensure a higher return on IT investments and provide sourcing strategies/ scenarios and information/system assurance as well as greater predictability, a shorter time to market, and improved quality to a wide variety of information technology users.
Building a strong team
One of the biggest internal challenges for this new business area is to build a strong, unified team that can work closely together to serve increasingly globalised customers. DNV IT Global Services will make the most of the strengths of, and complement the service offerings from, the different companies where needed.
Because DNV IT Global Services is practice-centred, compared to DNV’s three other business areas which are industry-centred, there will be many interfaces with other teams. For example, DNV Industry has industry sector responsibilities that offer certification, assessment, training and risk management services to the same customers. DNV Industry and DNV IT Global Services will develop synergies and strengths to add maximum value to their customers. Regardless, DNV’s newest business area also has ambitions to expand, as the market for global IT services is believed to be huge and growing.
Future growth areas
Software-based systems add value in almost every market segment, whether these are IT applications or embedded software, so there is a very large potential for growth within IT risk management. In addition, some segment regulations (such as FDA, Sarbanes Oxley) include an IT component. DNV IT Global Services will expand in most industries and services, with a special focus on the finance, IT, telecoms, aerospace, and defence industries, but also in DNV’s core industries maritime and energy.
Risk-based approach
DNV’s risk-based approach is a clear differentiator for this new business area. DNV has specialised in a risk-management approach for more than a century. This is the most efficient way of identifying issues that can do the most harm to business-critical processes.
DNV’s objective was established in a time far removed from IT and software systems. However, as technology becomes part of every aspect of human endeavour, including the protection of life, safeguarding of property and even preservation of the environment, managing the risks entailed in complex IT systems is a natural development for DNV.
With IT’s growing role in running successful businesses and/or adding value to products and services, DNV has since the late 1990s invested to reinforce its expertise in all aspects of information technology; its combination of a risk-management foundation and leading-edge IT technologies results in a unique consulting services portfolio.
