By Dan Berthiaume
If you are a BPO professional and have had a sneaking suspicion in the past five to 10 years that contracts are getting more complex, it’s more than a hunch. For reasons including the growing importance of IT to the BPO equation, increased sophistication of BPO buyers, and the evolution of BPO beyond a means of lowering transactional labor costs, BPO contracts are growing more and more complicated.
Lack of Skills and Expertise Driving Data Analytics Outsourcing
March 8th, 2012
By Robert L. Scheier
Most IT outsourcing customers are looking for a way to save money, but a need for expertise is also driving more and more businesses to turn to outside service providers. This is especially true of businesses trying to make sense of the truckloads of information arriving daily at their data warehouses. They want people with specific industry knowledge and the skills to extract maximum value out of all that data – and even use that data to predict the future.
Globalize and Optimize Your Shared Services Operations
February 22nd, 2012
By Brad DeMent
Shared services operations (SSOs) have transitioned from a simple means to gain quick cost savings to a critical component of corporate strategy. Historically, transactional services offered such as accounts payable processing, payroll, and IT help desks have been no-brainers for domestic SSO inclusion. The new norm for SSO has expanded to smaller, higher-value services such as accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, HR recruiting, and application development. This expansion has companies asking, “Why service only one country with SSO? What can be leveraged to service a region, or even all global locations?”
Small Outsourcing Deals Pose Their Own Big Risks
February 15th, 2012
By Dan Berthiaume
Driven by needs such as lower costs or specialist expertise, more and more BPO and IT outsourcing customers are turning to smaller contracts with a larger number of providers. According to the 2011 ISG TPI Index, the number of contracts in the $25 million to $99 million range grew considerably in the past year compared to those worth $100 million and more.
Ah, but smaller deals don’t necessarily mean smaller worries for clients.
Nearshore Agile Development Needs to Fix Major Flaw
January 31st, 2012
By Katy Demong
Companies that want to grow their bottom line while saving money by speeding software cycles are turning increasingly to Agile development. But how can companies combine the cost savings of Agile with the economies of Nearshore while protecting themselves from miscommunication and the mismanagement of time and resources?
Sourcing Motown? Detroit Aims to Be an IT Hub
January 16th, 2012
"Spirit of Detroit" sculpture in downtown Motown.
By Dennis Barker
Is another player shaping up to compete with Latin American IT outsourcing companies? Proponents of America’s former Car Capital of the World want to transform that struggling city into a technology center that can deliver software to businesses currently outsourcing work to the Nearshore and other offshore locations like India. They say that American sourcing companies based in or near Motor City can compete even on cost with other countries.
Brazil’s 2012 Outlook: It’s Time to Scale Up, Gear Up and Get Real about Talent
December 29th, 2011On the record: Brasscom, Tivit, Neoris point to some immediate requirements
By Felipe Pacheco
With the World Cup just around the corner, the world waking up to it’s formidable economy and the expanding demand for sophisticated IT services – Brazil is just now entering a powerful new era. To get some perspective on the year ahead, and to hear what Brazil’s technology service providers need to do and deliver to help their outsourcing customers succeed, we talked with five prominent members of the Brazilian IT scene.
From the Black Forest to Brazil Fever: GFT Sees Profit in Banking
November 21st, 2011By Filipe Pacheco
Santos, Brazil Country Manager, GFT
GFT is a German company focused on technology services and consultancy for the financial industry. So why would Mr. Ulrich Dietz, global CEO who founded this company in 1987 in the middle of the Black Forest, be so interested in the Brazilian market? If there is one industry in which Brazil stands out as one of the best models in the world in terms of innovation and professionalism, it is the financial business. Marco Santos, who is the country manager for GFT in Brazil, agrees that local competitors are highly qualified and the industry is well established — but he says there is quite a lot of room to grow for those who offer IT solutions in niches or application areas that are not yet adequately addressed. Mobile banking systems would be one good example.
Sonda Still Has Money to Spend, But Where?
October 6th, 2011
In Chile, Sonda plots its next move.
By D. Barker
If you had a couple hundred million to buy a company that would expand the reach and depth of your IT services firm, what company would you buy?
More specifically, if you were Chile-based technology giant Sonda, what would you buy? The largest IT services company in Latin America has not hidden its intentions to become even larger. Company executives have stated this publicly, although not with any details. “We have our foot on the accelerator, focusing on acquisitions that add value to Sonda,” one financial officer said.
Brazil’s Got Talent But Don’t Expect a North American Mindset
September 26th, 2011
English is "limited' in Brazil
By Dennis Barker
Outsourcing is all about relationships, which means outsourcing is all about people. Finding the right people, and enough of them, is what keeps HR directors and talent scouts awake at night. Brazil — well, parts of it — has acquired a rap as one of the most difficult places in the world to hire IT talent. For a first-hand account of what it’s like to search for skilled workers in Brazil, and for some good advice, we turned to Julio Mosquera-Stanziola, Talent Acquisition Senior Manager for Dell.
