Outsourcing Study: What do European Firms Look For in an ITO Partner?
November 27th, 2010Coventry, United Kingdom– IT Sourcing Europe, a UK-based nearshore IT Outsourcing (ITO) market research and advisory firm, announced today the completion of its All-EuropeanITO research 2010. The research was conducted between April and November 2010 and aimed to explore the major trends, challenges and problem solving among the European companies outsourcing their software development (SD) function offshore (at least 2 time zones away from thehomeland), nearshore (no more than 2 time zones away) and/or within own country. As a result, 1,557 companies from eight countries – United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden – took part in IT Sourcing Europe’s study.
The study results show obvious similarities and differences in theways how outsourcing companies from different countries behave in terms of outsourcing destination and vendor selection processes.
According to the study findings, low cost of software development …
ACS Seals IT Services Contract Extension with Hallmark
June 1st, 2010DALLAS, Jun 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS), A Xerox Company /quotes/comstock/13*!xrx/quotes/nls/xrx (XRX 9.20, -0.11, -1.18%) , recently signed a five-year extension of its information technology (IT) agreement to provide infrastructure services to Hallmark Cards, the privately held personal expressions and greeting card giant, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.
As part of the contract extension, ACS will continue to provide information technology infrastructure and associated support for Hallmark’s global operations including:
– …
Google and EA Want Bold and Brave IT Outsourcing Partners
May 14th, 2010By Dennis Barker
“Outsourcing demands input from the right side of the brain. Partners have to fit in culturally, socially, and generationally” – says Jamie McClellan, CIO at JWT, third from left. Speakers at last night’s Times Square “IT Innovations” Conference included (l to r): Mihai Pohontu, VP, Development Services, Electronic Arts; Martin Migoya, CEO at Globant; McClellan, Guilbert Englebienne, CTO at Globant, Patrick Chanezon, Client and Cloud Advocacy Manager at Google; Kevin West, VP of Operations at PRNewswire and Kirk Laughlin, Founder/ Editorial Director at Nearshore Americas.
NEW YORK CITY – IT outsourcing service providers that want to work with major tech companies had better, in the immortal words of James Brown, “get up, get into it, and get involved.”
Representatives from several leading-edge sourcing buyers made it clear at a panel discussion here at the NASDAQ Building in Times Square last night that they’re looking for providers who aren’t just skilled developers but who also know how to engage as real partners in a project. Taking orders and typing code won’t be enough. Oh, and playing video games can also be important.
Risky Behavior Encouraged
Representatives from Google, Electronic Arts, global adverting giant JWT, and PR Newswire—all of them technology talent scouts—emphasized that above all they are looking for people who are innovative.
U.S.-Driven IT Outsourcing to Grow to Nearly $80 Billion this Year
April 13th, 2010The US IT services market will return to its pre-downturn growth rate of 5% in 2010, going by the strong IT hardware demand seen in the last two quarters, Forrester Research has predicted.
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Driven by Demand for IT Outsourcing, CSC Posts Strong Quarterly Numbers
February 11th, 2010Computer Sciences Corp. said Wednesday its fiscal 2010 third-quarter results jumped 31 percent as the company benefited from increased demand for outsourcing of information technology services.
CSC earned $211 million, or $1.36 per share, in the quarter ended Jan. 1, compared with $161 million, or $1.06 per share.
Revenue remained flat at $3.95 billion. CSC won $6.8 billion in new business during the quarter.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters forecast a profit of $1.23 on revenue of $4.03 billion.
CSC expects outsourcing demand will continue to boost earnings in the current quarter.
The company reaffirmed its guidance for fiscal year 2010 ending in March. It expects earnings of $4.80 to $5 per share on revenue between $16 and $16.5 billion.
Analysts expect annual earnings per share of $4.96 and revenue of $16.25 billion.
The Perils of “Multi-sourcing” for the CIO
January 7th, 2010Multisourcing spreading work among several service providers, can offer many advantages to IT shops, from competitive pricing and increased flexibility to access to a deeper pool of talent. But working with multiple vendors can also mean exit costs are multiplied if the arrangement doesn’t work out, warns Bob Mathers, principal consultant with Compass Management Consulting.
“The problem is that the cost to exit any single small deal is not that different from the cost to exit one big deal,” Mathers says. “As such, while multi-sourcing can potentially optimize flexibility and responsiveness, the costs of transitioning multiple agreements can be paralyzing.”
The end-of-life complications for a multi-sourced environment are no different than a single-sourced deal. They include resolving contractual issues, knowledge transfer costs, software licensing fees, re-training and start-up costs for the new deal, and the expense of internal resources needed …
Nearly Half of CIOs Complain They Are Understaffed
December 15th, 2009NSAMERICAS STAFF REPORT
A new survey suggests many technology executives may share a common holiday wish: more support. Forty-three percent of chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed said their IT departments are understaffed in relation to current workloads.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm. It was based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CIOs from companies across the United States with 100 or more employees.
CIOs were asked, “How would you describe the staffing level of your IT department in relation to current workloads?” Their responses:
Very understaffed 10%
Somewhat understaffed …
