DNV works with large organisations in the IT and telecoms industry to ensure sustainable performance and operational excellence. This helps them to manage risk and maximise business opportunities in this fast-growing sector.

The IT and telecoms industry has proven to be very turbulent. A period of explosive growth in the 1990s was followed by recession and consolidation in the industry, leading to a smaller number of truly global players. Over the past few years, the industry has been revitalised. The growth initially took place in Europe and North America, but there is now a shift towards emerging markets. Indian companies, which have demonstrated aggressive growth due to outsourcing from North America and Europe, are now entering these markets directly.

More complex value chain
The boundaries between the IT, telecoms and media sectors are disappearing, and these three industries are gradually converging to form one huge industry sector. This makes for a market where the only constant is change. Organisations are struggling to find their place in an increasingly complex value chain. More global and cross-industry competition in the communications market, including new devices which have alternative uses beyond phone calls, makes flexibility and efficient processes essential to decrease the time to market.

While the extensive use of IT-dependent processes has undoubtedly improved organisations’ business efficiency, it has also increased those processes’ overall complexity and potential to be a source of vulnerability within organisations.

Furthermore, the continued trend towards outsourcing is changing the face of system integrators and IT service providers. In order to meet customer expectations, they need to offer outsourcing and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) solutions on an increasing scale. This requires more mature internal processes and a further increase in personnel capabilities.

Tailor-made solutions
DNV’s objective in the IT and telecoms sector is to help customers achieve sustainable performance through services centred around process performance. Basically, we provide three main types of services. Our expertise related to corporate responsibility, risk management and operational excellence can be incorporated into tailor-made effective solutions that cover customer-specific needs. DNV can help to bridge the gap between corporate governance and practical implementation in the engineering department and on the factory floor worldwide. DNV provides solutions within four delivery modes: assessment, consulting, certification and training.

Outlook
More demanding customers and other stakeholders, more software in increasingly sophisticated products, a shorter time to market, a more complex and continuously changing value chain and greater outsourcing and globalisation will heighten the business risks in the IT and telecoms sector. This, combined with higher accountability for company directors, will increase the need for professional service providers with world-class expertise.

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