MILAN, February 25, 2013 — A new study by International Data Corporation (IDC) highlights business and IT priorities in the Western European professional services industry and the consulting, accounting, legal, architecture and engineering, and IT subindustries.

The study found that:

• The issue of reducing operational cost has increased in importance as professional services companies need to find a business answer to the "new normal" that this long-lasting bad economic situation is bringing with it. This is happening in spite of the fact that the overall outlook of the industry remains quite healthy.
• Sales performance improvement is also a top business concern that has increased in importance as competitive pressure and margin erosion are obliging companies to do more with less.
• Sensitive data protection remains a core business and IT concern as the business of professional services companies is strongly tied to granting security and privacy both to respect regulations and provide high-level services.
• IT concerns are linked to the need of achieving more flexibility and granting integrated and secure access to data and applications as well as proven data privacy protection.

"The business of Western European professional services companies is changing rapidly, and companies are looking for more efficiency and a more flexible IT system. ," said Angela Vacca, research manager, IDC European Industry Solutions. "Clearly, security and data privacy remain hot concerns across the industry as they are key to provide a high-level service and address increasingly demanding customers."

The study, The Importance of IT for Business Enablement across Western European Professional Services Companies: Efficiency and Flexibility Are Center Stage (IDC #MP01V, February 2013), is part of a new report series, European IT Opportunity: Professional Services Vertical Market, which provides a comprehensive view of this industry sector.

The study leverages results from the recent IDC European Vertical Markets Survey 2012, which surveyed 1,603 Western European companies, including 228 firms in the professional services industry. To find out more about the survey methodology and coverage, please refer to IDC's free methodology study, European Professional Services: IDC European Vertical Markets Survey 2012, Methodology (IDC #MP01U, December 2012).

About IDC

IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For more than 45 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

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