The rapid commoditization of the telecommunications market in Europe is putting significant pressure on communication service providers’ revenues and growth prospects.
To compete and thrive in this cut-throat market, providers must adapt both what they do, and how they do it, for a new digital-first era.
Back in 2016, Swisscom saw an opportunity to pivot to a truly digital business.
As Switzerland’s leading provider of communication, IT and entertainment services, with a workforce more than 19,000 strong, the organization had a rich legacy of success to build on. Counting innovation and sustainability among its core values, the company set out to digitalize both its business and its internal IT function to simplify operations, increase flexibility, and reduce IT costs.
Software testing was a central component of the transformation with a sharp focus on Agile and DevSecOps. For years, Swisscom had been dependent on several service providers and licensed tools for this critical part of the application development process. However, the company recognized that its legacy arrangement—including a centralized testing center of excellence (TCoE) with 300 people—had become too rigid and needed to adopt nimbler ways. What’s more, it was proving increasingly expensive, with 40 percent of capex expenditure devoted to testing, which was well above industry benchmarks. Swisscom wanted a more agile testing capability that would accelerate the release of high-quality software to market, while also driving down the cost.