Compaq's FutureSourcing services offer customers rapid deployment of new networked infrastructure, operations management for large wide-area networks and also provide help desk services. In addition to maintaining an enterprise-application environment across multiple geographies and time zones, these services will ensure high levels of performance, availability and security at affordable prices. ``FutureSourcing will help deliver cost effective IT infrastructure, enabling global business expansion at lower cost of ownership," adds Singh.

The key factor that differentiates this approach from traditional "outsourcing" is that it takes away the `out' of outsourcing, by keeping pace with growing andfuture needs of today's enterprises, feels Som Mittal, managing director, Compaq India. For the last few years, the driving corporate strategy worldwide has been to offload IT assets and resources, and increase cash reserves. FutureSourcing help companies to extend, enhance and evolve their distributed infrastructure, thereby, equipping them to run the fast-moving, fast changing global enterprise, feels Mittal.

The company kicked off its FutureSourcing activities recently by unveiling the DeskPaq services. The services offer three years of onsite hardware maintenance and support services including helpdesks, asset licence and vendor management, with end-to-end responsibility, mail messaging and file server administration.

The company has tie-ups with firms like Reuters India, Essar Steel, Hughes Software Systems, Citibank and recently inked a pact with Elbee, a leading courier firm. Shirish Gariba, assistant vice president, information technology, Elbee said that Elbee would immediately implement the helpdesk and server management solutions at six locations in Mumbai.

He further added that though most of the companies had resources to employ skilled IT personnel, the FutureSourcing concept makes more sense as it is difficult to hold on to the employees. With companies like Compaq ready to take care of our IT-related problems, we are free to explore new business areas for growth, said Gariba.