Both C&W and Agency.com are based here and have developed systems for C&W clients and employees. While Gialanella says C&W's IT department has 435 employees of its own in the US who worked on developing a new extranet (accessible to clients around the world) and intranet system, it was done with the technical advice of Agency.com.
The extranet and intranet systems are part of what Gialanella says is an evolutionary plan for "C&W1--one big global organization." Next week company officials will be in South America, having just returned from Europe. "This is part of the strategic planning process that began a year ago," he says. "We are looking to create one big global infrastructure--a truly global platform." Following the South America rollout will be Mexico and Central America and then Asia.
On May 14, Agency.com announced it is "undertaking a restructuring of its operations to more properly align its capacity with the demand for interactive services. The company's restructuring plan includes the reduction of its global workforce by approximately 25%, or 350 employees, including about 275 billable consultants." Also, it will take a charge from $21 to $28 million "which will consist primarily of severance," but expects savings of $55 million in 2001 as a result.
How the reduction in consultants will directly impact C&W, if at all, remains to be seen. Gialanella directed GlobeSt.com questions on the subject to Agency.com, which did not answer at its offices here nor return email requests for information.
Through Business Integration Group, of which C&W owns a controlling interest of 50% of the company and of which Gialanella is a board member, C&W is also expanding its technology presence. BIG's "big-e-real estate" product, facilities and property management system, has been contracted by Lucent to help control what Gialanella calls, "a very large property porfolio." Also, BIG is finalizing its contract with Trilium of London in a "globalization play" that Gialanella says is integral in C&W's strategy.
Lucent is, according to Gialanella, currently employing a cost-saving strategy that calls for the disposal of some space, but also more efficient means of managing its current portfolio. "What we're finding in the market today," he adds," is that companies are forced to squeeze productivity to yield core value."
Gialanella concludes, "We view technology as the golden thread that runs through any globalization. This is a 24 x 7 x 365 complete approach and we never see technology as a one-time investment. This is an evolutionary thing."
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