ENTERPRISE NEWS
Autotask in Europe to remove hodge-podge EPAM acquisition adds
in a lock.”
EUROPE
“We have agreements in placed with three UK financial sector clout
US-BASED Autotask Corporation, specialist in distributors – all focused on Managed Services
EUROPE
web-based business management software for for outsource IT service companies. We are
outsource IT service companies, has opened in in negotiations with distributors in the above EAST European outsourcing player EPAM Systems
London to reach Europe. mentioned countries/regions in Europe at this has acquired US-based IT consultancy B2BITS Corp
“At this time, we are focused on UK, Benelux, time.” as it aims to boost its presence in the financial
Scandinavia, Middle East and Africa. Autotask, the From the new office, Autotask is working services sector. Although B2BITS has no direct
product, is currently available in English only. While closely with its existing customer base (which has presence in Europe, its CEO Mark Bisker will head
we have some customers in Germany and France, been steadily expanding through organic growth, up a new Capital Markets Competency Centre
we understand these countries require a fully he says), as well as with industry organisations, division. Competency Centre consultants will be
localised product,” says David Salzberg, Managing global and local managed services vendors, channel located in all major financial centres across the US
Director at Autotask UK. partners, and IT distributors. and Europe.
The London office opened on January 15 “And we are evaluating our staffing The new business unit is supposed to gain
and has produced immediate results with new requirements for the UK operation. We do not EPAM more face-to-face contact with prospective
customers in the UK and Scandinavia, he says. anticipate opening other European offices this year, customers in a sector sometimes loath to
Salzberg tells IT Europa, “There is a critical need however.” outsource its IT, and then point them in the
to move IT service companies from a hodge-podge www.autotask.co.uk direction of its delivery centres in Russia, Hungary,
of home-grown management tools, to a purpose-
OUR ANALYSIS
Belarus, and Ukraine.
built solution. We’re very gratified by the response “The acquisition gives us more opportunities to
to the opening of the London office and look Yes it needs localising as a priority, but the market perform front and middle office work which clients
forward to meeting the tremendous need here.” for web-based management is already quite are normally quite reluctant to offshore,” says
“IT service companies throughout the world complex, with, as he says, a lot of home-grown EPAM CEO Arkadiy Dobkin. “EPAM has been careful
have different styles and strategies of operation, tools. in using targeted acquisitions to improve its service
but very similar business needs,” he says. But when we speak to the big players they offering in specific areas.”
“They all generate huge amounts of information are also identifying this market as they move “We are always on the look out for the
related to project and service management, issue down the food chain, and it may not be easy to engineering talent specialising in particular domain
resolution, resource allocation, time and billing, displace the incumbents, particularly in those other knowledge [...] to address specific business needs
and more. If these companies want to operate European countries further east. We’re thinking of corporations in a selected vertical. Spreading
smoothly, efficiently, and profitably, automating this is another business that needs to step up the process consulting service with the focus on
and managing that information is an absolute its communications to partners and potential financial segment across EU is a part of our near-
necessity, and that’s where Autotask fits, like a key customers. Get that brand moving! term plans,” he adds. www.epam.com
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enterprise news round-up
Nokia and the Swiss Federal Institutes of embassies have told the government in
Technology in Lausanne and Zurich (EPFL the latest round in a visa dispute. European Support Services Center in Egypt. In
and ETH Zurich) have established a joint diplomats said the visa dispute may be on the co-operation with the Ministry of
long-term research program. Nokia Research agenda when Dmitry Medvedev, who will be Communication & IT, Oracle is training
Center will open a laboratory in Lausanne in sworn in as president next month, attends the students, professionals and teachers to
June creating a community linking researchers next Russia-EU summit in June. become technicians to handle support. During
from Nokia and the Institutes of Technology. calendar year 2007, over 1,000 professionals
This open model of collaboration has already Revenues from IBM’s Polish office grew faster were trained on Oracle, most of whom
been successful for Nokia Research Center last year than those of the firm’s offices obtained Oracle Certified Professional (OCP)
elsewhere, it says. in Brazil (14%), Russia (30%) China (33%) or India certifications. Armed with its ISO90001
(38%). “I cannot give the exact figures, as the Certification, Oracle’s new facility will become
VimpelCom is the first operator to introduce company does not reveal this, but the [Polish] one of the largest technology centres in the
the BlackBerry service to Russia, selling a growth was larger,” says Dariusz Fabiszewski, Middle East, hosting over 520 professionals
contract to the Russian unit of the world’s general manager of IBM Polska in the Warsaw with multiple languages and dialects including
second-largest cigarette maker, British Business Journal. This means that the local Arabic, English, French and Spanish.
American Tobacco. office could potentially get a significant chunk
of the $1.5bn (€950m) which IBM plans to Lithuania’s inflation rate rose to 11.3%, the
Russian immigration red tape is so invest in fast-developing countries. highest since January 1997, in March, led by
cumbersome that many Europeans are leaving food and housing costs. Prices rose a monthly
rather than trying to comply, European Union Oracle this week opened a new Global 1%, compared with a 1.1% gain in February.
18 APR 2008 7
It0807 - 4-7_enterprise_news.ind7 7 16/04/2008 10:55:36
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