Niyamath Parveez

IBM are one of those companies where their name precedes them and this has seen them develop a huge awareness around the world. Even though the company has diversified slightly over the years, their IT work is becoming increasingly popular for many companies looking to outsource their IT work. This has helped IBM maintain their position as a market leader in the computing industry. One such organisation that is looking to take advantage of these services is the Essex County Council. It makes sense for many government and local council bodies to be following this way of working as there is a huge need to make cost savings and provide a better return and value for money. Outsourcing is a fantastic solution for organisations that are looking to find a lower rate of labor costs.

As is the case in many of these situations, the Essex County Council started a tendering process for the work which would eventually lead to a multi-billion pound deal for the winning company. Although price is likely to be a major factor in this line of work, there has to be quality as well. This is where a company like IBM will be able to offer a fantastic deal as they can provide quality and a low price. IBM were announced as the lucky winners in the early stages of December 2009 and next year should see the company work alongside IBM as their preferred bidder.

The leader of Essex Council, Lord Hanningfield stated;

"IBM has demonstrated its ability to help us deliver our vision of providing the very best quality of service for our residents."

In Britain, Lords tend to be people with money but not many brain cells so their opinion should not always be taken at face value but in this instance, there appears to be a lot of sense being talked. There is no doubt that IBM has the quality and consistency that is required for any company to bring fantastic service for any consumers or in this case, the local residents of Essex Council.

Although this decision is taking place in England, part of the decision making process stems from Canada. This is because IBM have achieved success with a similar project in Canada and therefore are able to indicate that they have the ability to provide the support that a local council requires. Dealing with a local council provides a different range of problems and difficulties when compared to end consumers, so it is no easy to say that any company can work in this particular field or industry.

It may not exactly guarantee a Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year for Essex Council and IBM but this deal should provide benefits to all parties involved. When both parties benefit, the outsourcing deal is always more likely to be successful and although there is a lot of money at stake, this move appears to offer a number of benefits.

When you have the expertise and qualities of IBM at hand, it would be silly to not take advantage of them.