DMR

Escape the Bit Pipe Trap

Daniel dos Reis, Stefan Gärtner — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:13:09 +0200

Smart pipe models offer strategic differentiation potential for network operators. Starting points include the provision of a differentiated transport service featuring QoS classes as well as new kinds of wholesale services via open APIs.

FTTx is not “DSL Sales Reloaded”

Daniel Joisten, Hilmar Woyczechowski, Markus Buchwald, Ursula Struben — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:30:09 +0200

Unlike DSL, which could be installed as an upgrade of an existing network already in place, the creation of an optical fiber network is an even more strategic challenge for network operators. On the one hand, the infrastructure measures must be in line with commercial opportunities; on the other hand, a complex marketing campaign ahead of the decision to expand the network is unavoidable. Detecon describes ways to strategically solve this dilemma in FTTx marketing.

Compete or cooperate?

Michael Fritsch — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:08:23 +0200

Companies entering emerging markets are faced with special challenges. Partnering with an established player in such markets can be a viable option. This case study demonstrates successful partnering as a market entry strategy based on the example of a new entrant into the ICT Outsourcing Services market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

How to differentiate in ICT with customer experience

Dr. Jan Hartmann, Dr. Volker Rieger — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:56:51 +0200

Decision-makers in ICT industries are under increasing pressure to formulate new strategies of sustainable differentiation as cross-industry trends, such as cloud computing and everything-as-a-service, are accelerating commoditization of ICT products and services. While customer experience is widely recognized as a key source of differentiation, existing strategies often lack a holistic understanding of the underlying economic principles. A deeper look at leading industry players demonstrates how long-term business excellence requires both process- and technology-driven approaches to differentiation through customer experience.

IT Benchmarks

Andrej Budo-Marek — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:23:32 +0200

“Am I paying a price usual on the market for my IT services?” This question can be answered with the aid of a price benchmark – provided it is used correctly. That means taking selected services and subjecting them to a systematic comparison with other companies.

Successful Business Transformation

Dr. Verena Schmidtmann, Uwe Weber — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:29:29 +0200

Successful companies implement an efficient business platform by skillfully combining process and IT building blocks. The “foundation for execution” enables the concrete implementation of a strategy in processes and IT – as well as differentiation from the competition.

Between Scylla and Charybdis

Dr. Hans-Peter Petry, Dr. Stefan Schnitter, George Salisbury — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:12:36 +0200

Even the most modern telecommunications networks are struggling to keep up with the promises made by marketing departments. As we watch, the need for presence and speed at all levels of the network is outstripping reality which, of course, is restricted mainly by commercial conditions. We are approaching a situation in which a familiar problem is mutating into a life-threatening condition for operators.Is this really the case, and – if so – why is it happening now? How can network operators escape the clutches of the problem without falling into the cost trap?

The Heavens Open

Martin Jeske, Thorsten Claus — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:51:48 +0200

Lufthansa Magazine, Spiegel, Stern: the attention currently enjoyed by cloud computing in the media is comparable to that usually reserved for celebrities. Yet nothing is more urgently needed than a demystification because the value of services presently offered is just barely enough for a “one-hit wonder.” A divided market and debundled business models beyond “fast and cheap” are in the offing so that cloud computing will find broad acceptance in complex IT environments as well.

The Value of Value

Anna Kuruvilla, Raffaela Wintergerst, Rüdiger Weiss — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:33:15 +0200

A pragmatic approach ranging from diagnostics to the derivation of target models demonstrates how to form and implement a successful corporate culture. It is based on Detecon’s many years of experience in ICT companies and its profound understanding of the production factor “corporate culture“ which is both critical for success and a differentiation criterion.

Mayflies and Legends

Christine Klein, Nicole Panchyrs, Philipp Werner — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:21:03 +0200

Differentiation is frequently defined in terms of product differences related to service, advertising, or brands. But an oversimplification of differentiation to nothing more than these factors would be fatal for the long-term success of a company. Instead, the prerequisites for sustained competitive advantages in the form of the ability to change through flexible organizational structures, processes, and a corporate culture which encourages creativity are indispensable.

The End of the “Watering Can Principle”

Andreas Penkert, Carsten Schulz, Tobias Kares — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:41:56 +0200

Nowadays companies can‘t offer every customer equal, best possible service quality, this would be neither economically nor appropriate. Integrated formulation for customer equity calculation serve as a basis for individualized and differentiated Customer Services.

Internal Control Systems as a Point of Differentiation

Borsu Soltani-Shirazi, Daniel Stengel, Thomas Deuser — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:59:32 +0200

Although the 8th Company Law Directive of the EU poses new challenges for European companies, it also opens up great opportunities. The study “ICS – Internal Control Systems as a Point of Differentiation” provides an overview of the objectives of the new regulations. It analyzes the degree of implementation in Germany and Austria and describes concrete points for beginning optimization. Companies can find tips here for improving their internal control system (ICS) as a way to set themselves apart proactively from the competition.

The Grass Roots Innovation

Dr. Heinrich Arnold, Joseph Noronha, Peter Möckel — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:47:56 +0200

The iPhone embodies a new wave of innovation within the ecological system for mobile applications. Network operators are confronted with the question as to how they will participate in this wave and, moreover, how they can set themselves apart from the crowd in an environment of keen competition.

City and Country – Feast AND Famine?

Stefan Kistler, Stefan Omlor, Ulrike Eberhard — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:22:35 +0200

The demand for greater bandwidths keeps growing and growing. The marketing departments at NGA operators are now on the spot: achieving market share critical for success simultaneously with a high take-up rate is the determining factor for profitability.

Brand Monopoly

Dr. Oliver Börsch — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:56:09 +0200

The Lego Principle

Dr. Philipp Hucke, Dr. Stephan Wygoda, Nicole Panchyrs — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:00:14 +0200

The Lego principle also applies to organizational design. It represents the ideal balance between cost pressure and an organization’s need to distinguish itself from the competition: As many standardized components as possible, as few differentiated components as needed!

The Google Case Study

Thorsten Claus, Yasmin Narielvala — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:42:21 +0200

How can a business solve the dilemma to differentiate, while also leveraging maximum economies of scale in a commodity market? This case study of Google doesn’t focus on specific innovations, but instead looks at how and where Google chooses to innovate. We will explain what defines strategic value chain elements for Google, Google's two strategies of dominating or commoditizing these elements, and how this approach affects product and service innovation as well as partnerships and strategic positioning. In our analysis we share lessons-learned of how and where telecoms can copy Google's approach, what does not work and why, and how telecoms can leverage similar strategic approaches in their markets through orthogonal business models.

Ice the Cake

Alexander Luyken, Patrick Eberwein — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:49:33 +0200

What can companies do to make the experiences of their customers both unique and profitable? How can they create an emotional bond between their customers and themselves? Detecon analyzes these questions in a new market study. Recommendations targeting goal-oriented customer experience management offer important ideas and suggestions for the ideal management of customer interactions.

Future of Cloud (IX)

Thu, 06 May 2010 11:22:11 +0200

In March 2010 Detecon's Thorsten Claus spoke with John Keagy, CEO and C-Founder of GoGrid and ServePath. John explained why he thinks that telecoms will get marginalized if they only concentrate on network buildout, and how potential partnerships and services could look like.

Future of Cloud (VIII)

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:23:16 +0200

NSV partner Jamie Allen met with Detecon’s Thorsten Claus to share his views of the industry evolution, including some insights into how he believes telecoms can work together to create a new force in the market.