Adoption of Open Standards in Today's Technology Roadmap Points toward the Creation of Service-Oriented Enterprises of Tomorrow, Says Capgemini Survey; Customer Experience Becomes Prime Profit Driver in the ''SOE of the Future''.

BOSTON -- As a customer's overall experience becomes the biggest driver of profit growth, corporate technology departments increasingly look to service-oriented architecture (SOA) technologies to make the entire organization flexible and market-centric, according to the results of a survey of almost 150 participants attending the Siebel Customer World conference in Boston this week. According to the pulse survey conducted by Capgemini U.S. LLC, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing, while almost half (43%) of enterprises currently use SOA technologies, more than seven in ten (71%) plan on utilizing these technologies in the near future, driving towards the creation of service-oriented enterprises. SOA also emerged as the number one driver of corporate IT infrastructure investments in 2006 for nearly half of respondents (44%), compared to smaller percentages for business intelligence (35%) and outsourcing/labor arbitrage (25%).

At Siebel Customer World, the top three trends in customer relationship management (CRM) mentioned by respondents are the return of rework of previous CRM implementations (40%), focus on process reengineering (27%) and return of custom development (18%). Respondents were four times as likely to point to improvements in the customer experience (63%) driving future profits than competing on price to increase margins (only 15%).

"This survey demonstrates that the emergence of service-oriented enterprises will facilitate collaboration between all stakeholders in a way that redefines the enterprise as being truly 'open' for business," said Izzy Franco, Global Customer Relationship Management Leader for Capgemini. "Rapid adoption of open standards and SOA technologies will drive the transformation of customer relationship management and IT in general while creating the service-oriented enterprises of tomorrow. These technologies will unleash the full potential for applications, just as the Web unleashed the awesome power of connectivity."

As M&A deals continue to reshape and redefine the industry in 2005, more than six in ten (63%) of the organizations surveyed suggested software integration would be the greatest benefit for end-users from a consolidating software industry, as opposed to only one in five (20%) who point to lower prices as a likely outcome. Respondents also gave a bullish outlook on the information technology industry, as nearly two-thirds of organizations (63%) forecasted an IT budget for 2006 that either increases or stays the same.

Other key findings from the Capgemini pulse survey at Siebel Customer World:

--While the vast majority of those surveyed hailed from the United States (87%), others came from Canada (9%), and the remainder came from Europe and Central America;

--More than half (55%) came from companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue;

--A large majority (80%) identified themselves as IT architects, while 16% were in sales and marketing and another 4% identified themselves as CIOs or CTOs;

--The top levers for companies to leverage in order to improve their customer experience are "accurately identifying customer segments and business goals upfront" (36%) and "prioritize initiatives, build roadmap and business case for success" (28%);

--The two industry sectors which will be most affected most by the consolidating software industry will be Financial Services (38%) and Manufacturing, Retail, & Distribution (22%);

--More respondents believe IT inside their organization is viewed as "project-based" (41%) than a "cost center" (32%) or "strategic" (21%)

View Full Siebel Customer World Pulse Survey Results: http://www.us.capgemini.com/news/PulseSurveys/SiebelCW_101705.asp

About the Capgemini Group

Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of Consulting, Technology, and Outsourcing services, has a unique way of working with its clients, which it calls the Collaborative Business Experience. Through commitment of mutual success and the achievement of tangible value, the company helps businesses implement growth strategies, leverage technology and thrive through the power of collaboration. Capgemini employs approximately 60,000 worldwide and reported 2004 global revenues of 6.3 billion euros. More information about individual service lines, offices and research is available at www.capgemini.com.