Production

In the software/services segment, the Netherlands has a large number of software and
services firms, from very small to very large firms and from hardware vendors to
Management consultants. More than 30 percent of the services market is in the hands of the top ten providers. They include: Atos-Origin, LogicaCMG, PinkRoccade, Getronics and CapGemini. While services firms in the Netherlands primarily cater to the Dutch market at this time, they are looking more and more to expand their business outside of the Netherlands, particularly in other parts of Europe. In addition to these large corporations, there are numerous small and medium-sized Dutch services providers that offer a unique service or a service targeted to a niche market.

The Dutch government announced a special programme to promote the use of Open
Standards and Open Source Software within the government. The government and
financial sectors have traditionally been major end-users of all types of software
products. The business market, with an increasing need to streamline business
processes, has also been a significant user. More recently the SME market has begun to emerge as an attractive new market for ICT suppliers, while the consumer market has also grown rapidly in recent years, due to the increasing use of the Internet, games and online gaming.

There is an ongoing tendency for larger Dutch services firms to merge or acquire other service companies and become more international. For example, on 7 March 2005 Getronics confirmed its intended offer of EUR 350 million for PinkRoccade. ICT companies focus on their core competencies. The top five companies, as displayed in table 4.9, are primarily service providers, based in the Netherlands, holding about 30 percent of the market.

Table 2.1 Major Dutch computer service companies

Source: Facts Figures Future