Despite the fact that vast engineering networks are the foundations of modern society, the services that technology companies provide over them have been a relatively neglected area of study. As a result, marketing in some technology businesses has been depressingly tactical and inconsistent. Marketers with little experience, and even less professional training, run around presenting PowerPoint decks to each other, chasing after the latest fad and throwing erratic, changing activities at the market each quarter. Many work on the unchallenged assumption that markets are fast changing and that customers only want the lowest prices. Yet this industry has liberated human imagination in the internet and convinced the world that they must have a PC and a mobile phone. Now, as a result of profound, relentless, global forces, some of the leading firms and greatest minds in it are at last turning their attention to service. With the advent of 'cloud computing' and radical changes in the engineering of some utilities, the marketing of services that are based on a technical infrastructure is about to become as important and sophisticated as in, say, consumer products. This book explores their story and experience.
"I really enjoyed the book From Products to Services by Mr Laurie Young. Encouraged by it, Haier accelerated its changeover from a traditional product-driven to a more customer-centric company. This new book Marketing Technology as a Service is another major contribution to technology companies for the cultivation of service needs worldwide." - Mr Zhang Ruimin, CEO and Chairman, Haier Group, Beijing
"Young and Burgess describe a shift in mindset and pragmatic techniques that are quite doable - Rae Sedel, MD, Global Technology Practice, Russell Reynolds Associates.
"This book provides practical and insightful advice on how to use services to turn technology into value add solutions for real people - Rudy Provoost, CEO, Philips Lighting
"Business leaders in India have been remarkably successful at offering technology based services like outsourcing across the world. Currently worth $60 billion, they intend to reach $300 billion by 2020. To succeed, the Indian business community must offer new value propositions and adapt to emerging trends, like cloud computing. Burgess and Young have put together the first comprehensive and practical guide for business leaders to meet their challenges of exponential growth." - Dr Mukesh Aghi, Chairman and CEO, Steria (India)
