RPA is Here to Stay with Ian Barkin

Posted: 08/29/2018 - 07:08

In this episode of the Sourcing Industry Landscape, Dawn Tiura interviews Ian Barkin. Ian Barkin is Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Symphony Ventures, a professional services firm that helps enterprises leverage automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative resourcing solutions. When it comes to implementing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) into workplace culture, Ian is sympathetic workers’ concerns.

From Compliance to Guidance: The Evolution of Outsourcing

Posted: 08/29/2018 - 00:00
The Evolution of Outsourcing

The outsourcing industry is adapting and changing rapidly. Outsourcing companies are now much closer to their clients, as technology enables clients and outsourcers to be more connected than ever before.

This technology evolution has also impacted the demand for IT workers, with more companies requiring skilled workers on a project basis. However, whereas an outsourcing company used to begin working with a client and completed any project tasks that were required, outsourcing teams have started to take on an advisory role too.

The Silent and Steady Takeover of Artificial Intelligence in Financial Institutions

Posted: 08/28/2018 - 04:54
Artificial Intelligence in Financial Institutions

Financial institutions are playing a numbers game in the core of their business: they evaluate risks and opportunities of potential transactions and if the perceived benefits outweigh the associated risks they will agree to the deal. In the case of traditional banking, this is true for the credit approval process, whereas in the case of insurance companies, the correct evaluation of risk factors determines the conditions of an insurance policy. Like weather forecasts demonstrate, assessments of future events like risk factors or return expectations may occasionally be wrong.

Augmented procurement: Just a passing outsourcing trend or a better way to buy services?

Posted: 08/23/2018 - 23:45
Operational efficiency is on the radar for many CEOs and boards in 2018. The need to shorten decision-making time, bring in higher quality suppliers and keep on top of the latest innovation is part of the game we all play in procurement. This is particularly evident in the procurement of business services, an area of spend that hasn’t yet been optimised. 
 

3 Tips for Communicating with Business Partners in Latin America

Posted: 08/22/2018 - 22:03
Working with an international team can be a highly effective way to bring new ideas and innovation to your business. However, the U.S. style of doing business may not bring about the results you desire when working with a team in Mexico, Colombia or Argentina. Each country requires a unique form of communication to reach an understanding with your team.

Outsourcing Summit & Expo 2018

Taking place in London, OSX is the premier destination for BPO, RPO and IT outsourcing service & software providers to promote themselves to over 2,500 key decision makers.

OSX celebrates the convergence of both Business Process Services and IT Services with a first-class exhibition, 2 thought-leading conferences and numerous meeting / networking opportunities.

How is automation impacting the job market?

Posted: 08/21/2018 - 21:23
 
Automation within the job market is one of the key issues of our time. It often provokes speculation of a future resembling science fiction narratives that have been around for decades.
 
On the extreme end, there’s SkyNet becoming self-aware and a team of terminators hunting humans down. On the softer end there’s WALL-E, where humans don’t have to lift a finger and grow lazy as robots cater to all their needs. Either way, humans aren’t needed for work.
 

Network Challenges in a World of Digital Transformation

Posted: 08/20/2018 - 06:49
Digital Transformation
Ask 10 people “What is digital transformation?” and you are likely to get 10 different answers ranging from smartphones to artificial intelligence to the Internet of Things (IoT). No matter how you define it, the digital transformation is here and it is having a significant impact on every organization and its networking requirements.
 

Why CIOs Should Worry About Tail Spend Management

Posted: 08/19/2018 - 05:57
“Tail spend” represents a significant cost for large enterprises. While comprising a relatively small portion of total cost, the drip-drop accumulation of spend by large numbers of small, non-strategic suppliers making ad hoc and one-time purchases adds up to represent a sizable sum. The issue is exacerbated by inefficient contract management, cumbersome payment processes and a lack of automation.
 

Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3: In the Flesh?

Posted: 08/18/2018 - 05:38
Perhaps more than any other category, the involvement of human capital in construction sourcing is paramount when it comes to outcome success or failure. The sheer volume of manpower involved in the overall process — from the acquisition to engineering to materials supply chain to hundreds of craft labor involved in the actual build — puts the management of relationships in critical focus. There is a reason that only 5 percent of construction projects meet their budget and schedule targets.

How to be a Coveted Consultant with Jeff Amsel

Posted: 08/15/2018 - 10:25

In this episode of the Sourcing Industry Landscape, Dawn Tiura interviews Jeff Amsel. Jeff Amsel began his career in accounting, earned an MBA in marketing and then was recruited to work with procurement teams. With experience working as both a consultant and within corporate consulting companies, he has a unique understanding of the needs of clients, especially when it comes to alignment with C-Suite stakeholders.

Service Level Management in the Digital Age

Posted: 08/11/2018 - 00:55
In recent years, the art and science of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) has evolved from monitoring metrics around systems and applications to a focus on business outcomes and business performance. Rather than measuring server uptime or network availability, customers want insight into how efficiently they’re shipping orders and executing transactions. 
 

Nearshoring Across the Irish Sea

Posted: 08/11/2018 - 00:33
As the war for talent and skills dominates the working world, Ireland’s position as a multilingual hub within the Eurozone is proving very attractive for UK organisations that are looking to outsource their services closer to home. In advance of Britain’s exit from the European Union, companies have looked to their neighbour to help provide their services across Europe and further afield.
 

Software Negotiations: Stakeholder Alignment and Leading the Negotiation

Posted: 08/10/2018 - 23:39
In the first half of this series, we covered the importance of collecting crucial information regarding your software spend, user details and requirements. The next step in the process is analyzing the data to understand the available next steps and points of negotiation. But, before you head into negotiations with your respective vendors and break out the pen and paper to finalize the contract, be sure you’re aligned with your stakeholders.

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