Accenture and EDS are the strongest IT-infrastructure outsourcing service providers, says the Forrester Wave study for the second quarter of 2007. They are leaders in terms of their “formidable delivery capabilities and strategic focus,” says the study. As expected, other large companies like CSC, Capgemini, HP and IBM also get their place in the list.

The large offshore players like India’s HCL, Infosys, TCS and Wipro are also part of this list. Customers are increasingly relying upon these companies to manage their infrastructure needs. (See Table for other leaders in this area.)

(To read more on offshore companies emerging as leaders in IT infrastructure services, read Global Services’ Opting for Offshore IT Infra Management.)

In the Forrester study, Accenture won because of its “global delivery model and implementation capability — built on a consulting foundation,” says the study. While EDS’ strength as an IT infra service provider can be analyzed by the size of deal it has signed with KarstadtQuelle, which is the biggest IT outsourcing deal of the month in May 2007. It is an eight-year outsourcing deal, which is worth one billion dollar. Under the terms of the contract, EDS will control a 74.9% stake in Itellium Systems & Services, a subsidiary of KarstadtQuelle — which will retain the remaining 25.1%. EDS will provide KarstadtQuelle with the management of desktops, laptops, Personal Digital Assistants, printers along with application development and management.