This is one of a series of IDC Customer Needs and Strategies studies that examine how customers are using business-to-business integration software and services. In this case, we discuss Crossgate’s software-as-a-service offering, align Crossgate customer purchases with overall B2B purchasing trends, and highlight four customers and why they selected this vendor’s offering.

When companies started expanding their operations beyond their own geographical borders, they struggled to find new ways to remain profitable in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Labor arbitrage seemed like a perfect solution: By leveraging labor markets in countries where salaries were lower, companies could transfer tasks that were traditionally performed in-house to offshore providers that could do the work faster and cheaper, reducing staff and overhead costs.

What is the one defining factor that makes your company unique and successful within its ecosystem? Perhaps it is your emphasis on the consistent quality of your products. Or maybe it’s the depth of knowledge your staff brings to the services you provide.

The one thing that should not be your unique value proposition, however, is how you connect and communicate with partners in your business networks. While the role that your company plays within its networks will become a fundamental source of differentiation in a commoditizing global economy, the means by which you connect with your partners is not.