Will Infosys Need to Acquire BPO and Infrastructure Properties Before it Can Reignite Traditional Outsourcing Growth?
Recently Infosys posted better-than-expected earnings. But it also indicated an upcoming adjustment in strategy, stating it plans to pursue growth through traditional outsourcing contracts and will deemphasize its focus on software as a source of growth.
Infosys has long been a stalwart of the Indian heritage firms and built its impressive growth and profitability through the outsourcing and services space. However, the company is not as well positioned to drive growth in these areas as it once was.
Historically it was a powerhouse in application outsourcing (AO), and Infosys still maintains this strength. However, AO’s growth rate is slowing and there are fewer large AO opportunities available in the marketplace.
Outsourcing growth has shifted to both the BPO and infrastructure spaces. In these areas, Infosys is not as strong as it is in AO and is not as strong as its competitors.
Therefore, if Infosys looks to drive growth rates above the industry average in large outsourcing transactions, it will need to significantly improve its positioning in either or both BPO and infrastructure. In today’s marketplace, we believe Infosys lacks the ability to grow organically in these areas at the rate required to meet the company’s overall growth objectives.
To execute its growth path, Infosys needs to adopt an acquisition strategy and grow inorganically. Before it can grow, it needs to make a significant move to acquire assets upon which it can build and grow in the attractive BPO and infrastructure spaces.
We believe this is the most effective strategy Infosys can utilize to achieve the necessary growth rates within its investors’ time frame to meet its objectives.
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