Global Survey Demonstrates Growing Importance of Affordable Financing

  • 06/29/2000
IBM last week revealed the results of a global survey that showed financing plays a critical role in expediting e-business implementations. The survey findings support a growing trend that software and services financing have become vital to a company’s transition to e-business.

The purpose of the research, commissioned by IBM Global Financing, was to identify financing trends within the global e-business marketplace. Of the 2,500 large and midmarket companies polled worldwide, more than 50 percent currently finance their IT solutions. The most important business issues that can be resolved by IT financing include: the flexibility to add IT capacity, the ability to reduce risk of technology obsolescence and the opportunity to decrease total cost of ownership, according to these companies.

The survey also suggests that financing is just as important to a sales offering as the hardware or software components. Of the companies polled, more than 50 percent consider financing a critical factor when selecting a vendor to meet their e-business IT requirements. And, the survey indicates a growing trend towards one-stop financing, which typically includes obtaining hardware, software and services financing from a single source. Among the respondents interviewed, 50 percent of all companies worldwide who are investing in e-business technologies and services prefer to finance software and services as part of a total solution.

“Access to flexible and competitive financing options is a vital component of e-business implementation. The lack of capital or budget constraints can be key inhibitors to customers as they transform their businesses to meet market and competitive challenges in the networked world,” says Linda Ryan, VP of marketing for IBM Global Financing. “For this reason, IBM Global Financing provides a single source of financing for all solution elements which can be tailored to specific budget requirements.”

Related Information:

  • IBM Global Services Page (new window)

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