CS&T cuts workforce for global restructure

Corporate Software and Technology (CS&T) has axed 20 per cent of its UK workforce as part of a global restructuring operation.

The staff losses, 20 in total, have been made from the company's back-office operation, in-sales processing and finance. David Cumming, CS&T's vice president of Technology Services, said the cuts were part of the reseller's shift of focus to boost its services.

'The perceived value of reselling is falling and margins are smaller,' he said. 'Historically, we have been more focused on selling software, but implementation is now the key to success. We are shifting to provide a range of services because the way people implement and manage their software is crucial to how it will benefit their business.'

Cumming said software asset management (SAM) will form the central framework of the company's global shift in emphasis and will focus on services relating to audit, year 2000, consulting and support, education and licence management. This will extend to providing Euro-compliance and NT5 services in the future, he said.

The company, whose customers include Nat West and British Airways, will turn to the internet to do much of the work previously done by operational staff in areas such as order processing. CS&T is designing a Web page that will enable customers to check their order status via the internet.

This will eventually be extended to allow customers to place a purchasing order online, Cumming said.

The company, based next to Terminal 4 at Heathrow airport, will move into its own offices in Egham, Surrey in September. This, according to Cumming, will allow CS&T to conduct more 'client facing activities'.