Boston In its recently published report "Announcing WEBS (Web of E-Business Services)," the Yankee Group predicts that the next successful wave of e-business services will be the creation of integrated networks of service providers, which they have dubbed the WEBS. The future of the WEBS will change current technology-enabled business functions from today's situation where only a few market leaders use technology to develop customer intimacy to a much broader set of online service providers fulfilling both intermediate demand and more individualized end user demand.
"Successful e-services WEBS will be able to reach a more diverse set of end users by integrating their offerings into the service provider (SP) hubs," said Andy Efstathiou, a program manager in the Yankee Group's E-Sourcing Strategies (ESS) Planning Service. "Ultimately, we believe that the e-services WEBS that architect best-in-class offerings and solutions will result in faster payback on technology investments, both good and bad, than in the past."
Efstathiou submits words of caution as well: "The market will react much harsher on ill-considered initiatives and therefore the cost of not getting it right will be higher in 2001, and the benefits for getting it right will be higher as well."
The report's overall theme focuses on how a much broader range of vendors will establish an online service provider presence and the impact this will have on existing technology service providers. "The WEBS concept will change the technology landscape by providing ubiquitous services through the Web," continued Efstathiou. "Crafting a sustainable, compelling value proposition will require a subtle understanding of both the technologies and the competitive landscape. To date, initiatives in this area are embryonic and no competitor has achieved a sustainable momentum."
The report is available immediately from the Yankee Group's E-Sourcing Strategies Planning Service.
