Broadening the product portfolio and exploiting demand side synergies in cyber-security industry

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Perustieteiden korkeakoulu | Master's thesis
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Date

2021-08-25

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Major/Subject

Strategy and Venturing

Mcode

SCI3050

Degree programme

Master’s Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management

Language

en

Pages

63

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Abstract

Solutions are aimed to solve larger customer problems with a bundle of products and services customized for a specific need. This purchase of solution components (i.e. products and services) can occur through a group of specialists or through a larger solution provider. However, in both instances customers would have to face a trade-off between the performance level of the solution and the total costs. In this research, we aim to find out how a cybersecurity technology vendor could exploit their portfolio of four products to provide additional value to their customers and to themselves. This includes not only looking into the combination of the products, but also evaluating how the individual products could be expanded into solutions, and what additional services are required. This research concludes that customer’s preference of group of specialists or a larger solution provider depends on the level of importance they place on the solution e.g. whether it is aimed at protecting most prized assets. When the importance is high customers prefer specialists, but when it has lesser significance then they prefer larger solution providers that provide additional synergies. However, this perception of value is subjective, and it varies significantly not only between companies or different industries, but also between individuals within the organization. This means that one person within the organization could see something as valuable and prefer specialists, while another person in the same organization sees it as less important. This research also shows that the selected vendor gains additional value i.e. more exclusive and intimate customer information and also the ability to form tighter relationships with the customer. Ultimately this provides the case company ability to further exploit their portfolio and provide additional products to their existing customers. This creates further incentives to transform from a specialist into a larger solution provider.

Description

Supervisor

Schmidt, Jens

Thesis advisor

Tunkelo, Teemu

Keywords

demand side synergies, customer specific synergies, solutions, generalists, specialists, cybersecurity

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202108298520

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[dipl] Perustieteiden korkeakoulu / SCI