1st August 2009

Edenhouse article from Government Technology magagine

Since the 1990s and the expansion of telecommunications and the Internet, there has been considerable growth in the offshoring of IT services and the creation of large offshore call centres in places such as India. Back office systems such as SAP have also followed, with the lure of lower costs and cheaper service.

Recently however, the benefits are being questioned. For instance:

• the rate of inflation in India rose to 11% in 2008 which represented a 13 year high, and Indian salaries have increased much faster than the rate of UK inflation.
• off-shore staff retention in an ongoing concern, meaning that consistency in client support can be difficult to maintain.
• off-shore SAP support is not as flexible as support within the UK, where providers can have consultants at the client site within hours if needed.

As a result, the SAP market is now experiencing a return to local service provision and Edenhouse Solutions is one such company targeting this market. With UK-based and security cleared consultants, Edenhouse is well positioned to meet the needs of the public sector market.

Having worked for some of the leading SAP consultancies in the UK, Edenhouse’s team has managed both UK and offshore delivery models. Believing strongly that an offshore strategy and SAP were not complementary, Edenhouse was established as a new SAP consultancy business in 2006. The focus was on delivering SAP implementations and supporting the UK market with UK-based experienced and high-calibre consultants.  This decision has so far proven to be right, with a number of both private and public sectors customers partnering with Edenhouse, including a recent deal announced with Plymouth City Council.

The Edenhouse team has extensive experience in local government, NGO and Ministry of Defence projects, with the ability to offer the full breadth of SAP services.  It has a large number of security cleared consultants, meaning that it can provide the relevant SAP or project management support on or offsite quickly and according to its public sector clients’ needs.

Speaking on behalf of Edenhouse, chief executive Paul Solomon said, “The Public Sector is all about delivering value for money services. It is not only about providing the right price but also about delivering projects and services using people that understand the cultural differences of working within this sector. Quality, reliability and being able to develop, communicate and deliver the right roadmap are often seen as secondary decision points, whereas in reality, selecting the right partner from the outset enhances an organisations’ ability to see a tangible return on their investment.”