Outsourcing has come a long way. I can remember publishing my first book in 2004 and still needing to explain the benefits to sceptical executives. This is not so common now that outsourcing has become an accepted part of boardroom strategy. Today, it’s more unusual to see that a company rejects outsourcing.
An almighty fight is raging for control of the RPA software market. Who is the market leader? Which is the best product? Which features really stand out? There are a number of names in the frame, but one name Daniel Dines wants you to hear is UiPath. He is its founder and CEO and he spends his day spreading the word globally about what his software can do. We caught up with Daniel, to get his perspective on RPA and the world of smart automation.
Just when multi-supplier (also known as SIAM) contracting is starting to get under control, DevOps emerges. This article looks at the interaction of the two for the design of retained and sourced IT operations. The implications for service contracts are profound and largely un-tested.
Outsourcing has always been a key component of the technology sector; however recently it has been not just basic IT services, but key CIO roles taken on by outsiders. The term ‘virtual CIO’ (vCIO) is gaining increasing momentum, and refers to an individual or service that is charged at an hourly or flat rate fee for the provision of services that incorporate technology and business strategy. vCIOs are particularly popular with small and mid-sized businesses, because they make the strategic guidance of an expert affordable.
(To read the first part of this article, click here.)
Almost a week had passed since my meeting with Jeanette and her team, and I was still reeling from the conversation. It was just so hard to comprehend how a large company can afford to alienate its supplier community. Just as I was about to hit replay on the entire situation, the phone rang.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Hey there, Dean. It’s Tino. How have you been?”
We’ve just published the latest ISG Index, which includes – for the first time – a view on the growing As-a-Service market. Whilst combined second-quarter ACV in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) market fell by 18% year-on-year to €2.2 billion, the new data reveals record growth of the As-A-Service segment, contrasting the sluggish activity in traditional sourcing.
It’s 2016 and we have digital technology at our fingertips, yet few bank accounts can be opened without printing and signing a paper form. A student can’t get their exam results until an examiner manually crosses and marks their paper. Our reliance on paper runs deep and many business workflows continue to bear the “paper weight” burden.
The summer sun blazed down upon London today, a raging nuclear inferno of staggering power – yet it was as a mere birthday-cake candle when set alongside the brilliance of the panellists on this afternoon’s Outsource Talks… Yes, today saw the fifth episode of our webinar talkshow, and if my introduction might be considered just a fractionhyperbolic we were nevertheless treated to a feast of outsourcing opinion and insight, wit and wisdom – and a few chuckles – which made for a fantastic hour’s listening and, overall, a very worthy addition
Though millions of non-profit entities exist worldwide, their activity, social impact, financial performance and effectiveness remain relatively mysterious, at least in aggregate. In order to increase their transparency, four leading non-profit organisations partnered with my company, a Polish software development firm, to build a platform that would uniquely identify social sector entities around the globe – a vital first step towards understanding the bigger picture.
Identity, Transparency and Data
Pokemon Go signals the mainstream arrival of augmented reality (AR). From here on in, virtual reality (VR) will always be the poorer cousin – or bridesmaid if you will, and never the bride – in the fight for digital’s push out through the screen into reality.
This new (albeit long-pending) medium of AR will have a huge impact on local and B2C advertising. In fact you might argue it already has, adding billions to the valuation of Nintendo after just a week since Pokemon Go launched – a truly remarkable week.
As a seasoned professional with over 25 years in the business, I possess demonstrable experience and expertise, and a professionalism which, when I recently found myself obliged to seek a new role, I expected to see mirrored in the hiring process: I believed the recruitment road to discovery to be a meticulous process underpinned by a rigorous, tried-and-tested methodology where there is due consideration for the predicament (which could, of course, feel like quite a belittling one) the candidate faces.
As another working week draws to a close, I thought I’d take this opportunity to wave you off into your respective weekends with a couple of announcements… Those of you who are members of our LinkedIn group may already have seen some of these; those of you who aren’t are missing out! Come and join us at the increasingly archaically named ‘Outsource Magazine – Global Community’ group – knock and ye shall be received…
A lot of the talk of RPA today is about bright new names challenging the established order: plucky newcomers forcing their way past the giants of outsourcing and technology. But what do the giants themselves have to say about this? Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is one such business, and it turns out they are not sitting around waiting for their business models to be hollowed out. Live Wires met Vijay Damle, VP and Head of Business Process Services, to get the TCS perspective.
Professor Horacio Falcão, a Senior Affiliate Professor of Decision Sciences at INSEAD, warns companies should not start – nor necessarily end – on “price” when it comes to negotiations.
Falcão has written on the concept of value for several years and his work includes the 2010 book Value Negotiation: How to Finally Get the Win-Win Right.
“We are nothing more than a bunch of pawns on this outsourcing checker board,” Jeanette said.
“I think you mean ‘chessboard’,” I said smiling at her.
“You know damn well what I mean, Dean. Hey, that rhymes,” Jeanette said, returning the smile.
“Sadly I do understand, and, from what you’ve described, I have to agree with you.”
