VAR500: Sapient Reports On IT Trends; HP Services Wins Medicare Contract

VAR500 Solution Providers In The News

VAR500 solution provider CDW, in its IT Monitor report, suggested that budgetary purse strings might not be loosening any time soon. The IT Monitor found 60 percent of companies are unlikely to increase their IT budgets in the next six months. There was one bright spot though...

In other VAR500 news, Sapient introduced a new annual report on IT trends, HP Services won a Florida contract, Accenture got kudos from a major partner, and Datapipe was recognized for its environmental efforts.

CDW: Budgets Are Tight, Try Health Care

VAR500 solution provider CDW found some lowered expectations among business leaders in its recent IT Monitor report.

Only 40 percent of IT decision-makers expect to increase their overall IT budgets in the next six months, a figure that is down eight percentage points year-over-year and the lowest level since October 2009.

Even more discouraging is that 22 percent of small business IT decision-makers anticipate IT budget increases in the next six months. However, that number is up three percentage points from June.

One area of growth is in health care, where 66 percent of health care IT decision-makers expect to spend more on solutions in the next six months, up seven percentage points from June and 21 percentage points from April.

Sapient Study Reveals Mobility Challenges

SapientNitro, part of IT solution provider Sapient, has launched Insights 2012, a new annual report that examines the key consumer marketing trends and digital technologies that will impact businesses in the year ahead. The current report focuses on mobile technology, and finds that years after the first smartphone arrived in the market, sophisticated mobile experiences remain in development. In addition, the key to accelerating mobile payment adoption will be loyalty programs, easy-to-use offer redemption/couponing, and real-time offers. Download the free report here.

HP Services Wins $172 Million Medicare Contract

HP Enterprise Services has signed a renewal service agreement to manage Florida's Medicaid Management Information System. The $172 million, three-year renewal extension contract will help the state transition to a managed care environment. The agreement extends HP's contract through June 2016. HP has provided business process outsourcing services to Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration since July 2008. HP is helping the agency prepare for pending health-care changes by assisting it through the mandatory managed care transition, implementing federal HIPAA 5010 requirements and supporting the move to ICD-10 procedure coding.

Accenture Wins HP Partner Award

For the first time, Accenture earned a 2011 HP AllianceONE Partner of the Year Award in the category of Global Alliances -- Systems Integrator. The HP AllianceONE Partner of the Year Awards are presented to an exclusive set of HP alliance members in recognition of their accomplishments in the development and delivery of innovative solutions aimed at business excellence and client satisfaction.

Datapipe Earns Green Award

The New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) has recognized Datapipe’s commitment to sustainability with an Environmental Quality award. One of the NJBIA Awards for Excellence, the Environmental Quality Award, is presented annually to a company that has done outstanding work to preserve or enhance the quality of the environment in New Jersey. The VAR500 IT solution provider powers all of its U.S. data centers with 100 percent renewable energy. Datapipe is the only IT company in New Jersey and one of only 13 nationwide to be a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Leadership Club.

’Datapipe is honored to win this year’s NJBIA Environmental Quality Award,’ said Robb Allen, Datapipe CEO. ’New Jersey is our home. Going 100 percent carbon neutral is the right thing to do for our kids, our communities and our state. We continue to encourage and support sustainable initiatives in the IT industry worldwide.’