" The best way to predict the future is to
invent it."

-- Alan Kay

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Change was once slower than it is today. In the '70s, softwares were supposed to last at least 10 years. Early adopters of IT used their initial softwares for decades together. Today, nobody expects their softwares to last even a couple of years. ROIs of over 18 months do not get approval of the CFO. Every software is expected to connect to the Internet or be web based The Internet itself changes at breakneck speeds. So much so that we have "internet speed" added to our vocabulary. When webizus.com was booked from Network Solutions, it cost more than $120 for 2 years & a customer service representative called us up in India to confirm the transaction. The credit card (which we used to book the domain) issuing bank made us undergo some elaborate paperwork as required by FERA & strongly advised against using the card to make purchases from the Internet. Everything of that has changed today. You can pick & choose your domain registrar, pay just $19 for 2 years in most local currencies by using a credit card that may not even have international acceptance. It pays for companies to be focused in their service offerings, so that they have a certain level of expertise & experience in their chosen domain.

Partners, not competitors

With the Internet itself in a state of flux, companies like ours that provide web based solutions are experimenting heavily with new business models and pricing methods. To survive, these companies have to innovate & innovate successfully. Innovation does not stop at the products or services offered. Everything the company does should be done in a way that provides a competitive advantage.

A company that provides a wide range of services will find it difficult to survive in today's marketplace. It will soon realize that every other IT vendor is a competitor & will have to increase marketing budgets & cut down on profit margins to provide a cost advantage to the client. Providing high levels of customer service will become almost impossible in such cases. Low rates of customer retention & repeat orders will force the company to spend more in quest of new customers. Cost cutting would adversely affect the R&D department that faces the mammoth task of keeping abreast with cutting edge technologies in various fields. But again, no client wants to deal with a number of specialist service providers. The client would ideally like to have a single interface with an IT vendor who can provide end-to-end services. The solution lies in specializing in core competencies & partnering with specialist companies for other technologies.

Partners, not clients

The biggest worry for clients implementing an IT solution today is not the stability of the solution; it's the stability of the IT firm providing the solution. Generating & retaining long-term customers is the biggest worry of IT vendors. Forging a strategic partnership seems to be the solution here. Almost every IT vendor today speaks of being one. They tag themselves as IT partners rather than IT vendors. There is a huge difference in being an IT partner rather than an IT vendor for the client. Unfortunately, most IT companies fall flat on this promise as they fail to understand this difference.

IT vendor	IT partner
Achieves required project goals	Helps achieve client's business goals
Understands technology	Understands both technology & client's business
Uses a well defined design & development methodology	Adapts to the client's needs by tailoring its design & development methodology to achieve optimum results
Delivers 'integrated modules' & maintains expected quality	Delivers value to the customer & helps achieve ROI in the expected time frame
The client is typically dealing with a number of other vendors specializing in various technologies	The IT partner takes on the role of prime contractor, arranging matches between the company and other IT vendors, typically by partnering these service providers & providing a single point of contact to the end client
Maintains proper communication, especially during the initial stages of the project like negotiations, service agreements & requirement gathering	Maintains proper communication flow throughout the project, and on a periodic basis thereafter, studying the changes in client's business processes & suggesting ways in which IT can be leveraged to better them

Keeping up with bleeding edge technologies, innovating constantly to better internal processes & partnering the client to achieve a long-term relationship is a tough balancing act. Partnerships are the mantra to long term survival. No wonder, IT companies today look at the number of partners they have as a key indication to the company's success.

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