The global economy is treading an unfamiliar path. For the first time in nearly 200 years, western economies are no longer the prime growth drivers. As Europe and the US struggle with the after-shocks of the 2008 financial crisis, growth is now being powered by emerging economies, and in particular China and India.
The figures tell the story. At the turn of the millennium China and India together accounted for just 5.1% of global GDP. Since then they have more than doubled their share to 11.8%.
Along with the other major Asia-Pacific economies – Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Australia – the region now represents 24% of global economic value, according to the IMF.
Apart from being a historical juncture, this means more of the trend we have seen for the last two decades - of western businesses expanding into Asia – but it also means Chinese and Indian firms are now actively seeking growth opportunities outside the region.
For businesses going global, the IT and telecom functions are strategic. The choice of partners is a critical one. Whether it's running secure transaction platforms, mining customer data for sales leads or providing collaboration tools for a far-flung office network, a lot rides on a global corporation’s technology capabilities.
Businesses need leading edge communications and reliable connectivity to serve their customers and suppliers. To do this they need IT and telecom partners that can understand and respond to their business needs globally.
That doesn't just mean owning global networks, but being able to offer decisive business knowledge and experience in all those markets.