Spheres of influence have become a major link for global IT systems suppliers, says Janet Paterson, editor of the latest ITWeb Informatica e-Business Handbook.
Paterson says 'spheres of influence` is a new buzzword that describes active efforts made by various groups to collaborate or network with each other.
"For the customer, spheres of influence provide ready access to development and execution skills in a one-stop shop manner via a single point of contact and responsibility."
Paterson says that for larger suppliers, they can be a highly efficient way of going to market and providing a compelling, competitive and comprehensive end-to-end offering to customers. For smaller suppliers, they offer access to massive and lucrative corporate and public sector markets.
Other trends highlighted in the new edition of the e-Business Handbook are 'softer` issues, such as collaboration and proven delivery ahead of innovation emerging as critical differentiators going forward.
'Harder` issues include how open source software will restructure the industry, the continued march of voice and data convergence, and how service-oriented architecture (SOA) is set to become a catalyst for business change.
Paterson describes SOA as being "the latest step in the evolution of software, as it strives to provide simplicity and modularity".
She says a number of key characteristics set the SOA model apart from earlier efforts: rich standards for defining and accessing services are becoming widely deployed; modular services are combined at the time of execution; and understanding of the right scale and content of a service is growing.
ITWeb Informatica`s e-Business Handbook contains a number of pieces from various IT personalities such as Martin Vergunst, MD of CSC South Africa; Thami Mtshali, COO of Wireless Business Solutions; and Shameel Joosub, MD of Vodacom South Africa.
Copies of the e-Business Handbook, or any other ITWeb Informatica products, can be obtained free at ITWeb`s Rivonia or Cape Town offices, or by e-mailing Michiel@itwebcape.co.za.
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