Perot targets UK and Ireland for growth

Sells service pedigree and global delivery

The European head of Perot Systems Corp has flagged the UK and Ireland, German-speaking territories and the Middle East as main targets for growth.

Ferenc Szelényi, MD for EMEA for Perot told us the company has 107 European accounts, which although comparatively few in number were developing into long-term relationships. Engagements with customers include infrastructure management and remote support services, application development and maintenance, and consulting. 

The business has developed a strong pedigree in heathcare, financial services and manufacturing sectors, Szelényi also claimed.

“Healthcare generates around half of all Perot revenues globally, and we want to continue to grow this part of the business in the EMEA region,” he said. “We are a market leader in healthcare, with real experience in transformation programmes. We are currently dealing with the digitisation of the health service in Jordan, for example.”

As more industries look to outsourcing business services, they also look for service partners that have deep domain knowledge. This is a challenge for some providers in the IT services industry as they have the technical skills, but not always the domain knowledge necessary to improve the operational efficiencies.

He said the company was able to offer proven experience and business know-how, and an understanding of the importance of a global delivery model that is rich in technical and language skills. 

“Perot was one of the first companies to open an operation in India and we now have 8,000 people there. We have operations centres in Romania, in Ireland, and in Mexico as well.” This allows Szelényi to offer customers a blend of onshore, near-shore and offshore services that best suit specific customer needs.

Organisations are increasingly looking for the skills they need to drive greater value out of their investment in IT, and Szelényi maintains that Perot understands the importance of being able to recruit talent locally as firms are increasingly seeking trust from near shoring destinations.

New emerging outsourcing regions such Eastern Europe and the Middle East have good talent, strong education and government support, and are developing fast. Demand for these services is coming from non-EMEA based global organisations, as well as EMEA based organisations. 

Despite the global recession, outsourcing is seeing a growing focus on skills and local and industry knowledge rather than just finding the cheapest return. 

Perot Systems was founded over 20 years ago by Ross Perot, the man behind EDS, and has a payroll of 24,000 with around 1,500 in 13 countries in EMEA.

Only 12% of Perot’s revenue currently stems from business done outside of the US, and Szelényi is tasked with growing the proportion that comes from Europe.

Only a couple of quarters in the job, he claims to have had a running start. “Growth in Europe is running at 20% a year, and this excludes acquisitions.”

In the past year Perot has acquired a consulting business in Ireland, and a specialist SAP supplier to the manufacturing sector, he confirmed.

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