News Article -- September 08, 2008

Computer Sciences to enhance presence in Asia

Source: Business Times Online by Goh Thean Eu

US-BASED Computer Sciences Corp (CSC), which manages the networks of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the US Navy, aims to become one of the top three computer service providers in Asia within five years.

Currently, only five per cent of its sales comes from Asia, including China and Japan - a small contribution compared with rivals IBM and Hewlett Packard that have over 15 per cent contribution from the region.

"Asia hasn't been a big focus for us until recently. We also have to remember that outsourcing in the traditional things CSC does, hasn't been that popular across Asia. You don't see the same maturity in the outsourcing business in Asia as you do in the US or Europe.

"We have really only been in the Asia market for 10 years, but we are a 50-year-old company. So, it's still a pretty new emerging market for us," CSC Asia president Mike Shove told Business Times in Petaling Jaya recently.

Shove has three main strategies to grow the Asian market.

"The first is through acquisition. The second is to grow organically - if our customers grow, and if we do a good job, we will grow with them. The third strategy is to win new customers," he said.

Shove said one way to measure the company's progress is via customers' feedback.

"We always ask our customers: Will you recommend us to your customers?" he explained.

Recently, CSC completed the privatisation of Computer Systems Advisers (M) Sdn Bhd (CSAM), making it a wholly-owned unit.

"We expect the privatisation to benefit both organisations by increasing efficiency and savings through integrated accounting processes and sharing of resources," Shove said.

He said CSAM was chosen because of its solid track record plus its wide range of expertise. CSC expects Asia to grow faster than the US and Europe over the next few years.