This IDC study assesses the activities on verticalization of services in the Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) or APEJ region with the objective of identifying the activities in the region around identified hotspots — service-oriented architecture (SOA), software as a service (SaaS), customer relationship management (CRM), and business analytics (BA). Simultaneously, the study aims to evaluate the opportunities and challenges for vendors and customers alike while detailing the efforts undertaken by key players in the market.

"There is an evident shift on traditional outlook toward building out an industry-specific solution, and the changing customer buying behavior is primarily driving this. While CIOs are increasingly evaluating the business impact of IT from an infrastructure as well as services standpoint, there is increased ownership with line-of-business (LOB) managers when it comes to IT spend. Businesses today are not interested in point services or products; they want IT partners that can provide IT-centric business solutions instead," says Mayur Sahni, senior market analyst, IT Services Opportunities, IDC Asia Pacific. IDC recommends that IT service providers take a more holistic, investment-driven approach toward building their intellectual properties around industry-specific offerings. "Industry-specific frameworks, best-practice approaches, and society-driven accreditations should be considered investment points," he adds.