Packaging of IT Services

Information technology (IT) organizations provide their customers professional services. In many cases, the business units (i.e. internal customers) and IT organizations do not have the same world picture and objectives. Usually an IT organization does not know what the needs of customers are, and further, how they can satisfy those needs. In addition to this, customers do not necessarily know what services are available and how to use them. One way to reduce the gap between the customers and IT service organization is the packaging of IT services (i.e. productization, branding) which transforms IT services into accurately defined and marketable products. Thereby, the customers really know what the services are. The packaging of IT services according to customers’ needs adds value both to the customers and the IT organizations. It forces an IT organization to analyze and systematize its activities into well-defined processes. By means of it, the organizations can have benefits such as improved effectiveness and service quality. The packaging of IT services offers one possible way to manage an IT organization. In this paper, a method of packaging of IT services along with product development in the context of process theory is researched and a process model is introduced. Experiences and research findings from a single-case study and the benefits of the method in the Finnish subsidiary of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson are reported. Future research needs are also addressed.