Global

TOP TEN: Outsourcing Acronyms

Posted: 09/06/2016 - 05:47
Author: Jamie Liddell

Many, many moons ago we put out a call for outsourcing acronyms, humorous or otherwise, for a future Top Ten feature – and then, as submissions completely failed to flood in, we pretty much forgot about it and moved on. Until now… An odd flurry last week means we have a full complement – and very pleased we are too, as some of these are genuinely eye-opening (not to mention extremely droll). Do you know your vodka from your ZIPPO? Your Mimi from your Batgirl?

The future of work: your robot coworkers

Posted: 08/11/2016 - 20:06
Author: Pat Geary

From the invention of the wheel and steam engine to fax machines and desktop computers, technology has always shaped the way we work - but in the last few decades, the pace of innovation has sped up exponentially, forcing employees and those who lead them to constantly blaze new ground and determine new paradigms for the way things are done. The biggest recent change in work and workplace culture is the introduction of robots.

Q&A: Nipun Sehgal, Enlighta

Posted: 08/05/2016 - 19:56
Author: Nipun Sehgal

Outsource: Nipun, welcome to Outsource. As is customary with our Q&As, let’s begin with some scene-setting: could you please tell our audience a bit about Enlighta and your own role within the organisation?

Nipun Sehgal: Enlighta is a leading provider of supplier performance, risk and compliance, and relationship management solutions enabling enterprises to derive more business value from global and local supplier relationships.

Walk a mile in your BPO provider's shoes

Posted: 08/05/2016 - 19:54
Author: Adam Cummins

Organisations that enter business process outsourcing (BPO) transactions inevitably experience challenges with BPO providers – often resulting from unmet expectations, difficult transitions and erratic steady state delivery. While it is reasonable to expect the value promised by a provider to be delivered quickly and consistently, walking a mile in a BPO provider’s shoes can help buyers understand the typical challenges BPO providers face when taking over execution of business processes from their clients.

Are you ready to outsource your CIO?

Posted: 07/27/2016 - 02:34
Author: Dean Coleman

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.

Partners or pawns? (Part 2)

Posted: 07/25/2016 - 23:38
Author: Damian Scallon

(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?”

EMEA As-a-Service boom contrasts sluggish traditional outsourcing activity

Posted: 07/23/2016 - 02:52
Author: John Keppel

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.

Why it’s time to lift the “paper weight” from your business

Posted: 07/21/2016 - 20:05
Author: Andrew Morrison

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.

Pokemon Go means business: why B2B needs to get its game face on

Posted: 07/19/2016 - 21:00
Author: Al Tepper

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.

Horacio Falcao and the value of value negotiation

Posted: 07/15/2016 - 02:12
Author: Kate Vitasek

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.

Partners or pawns? (Part 1)

Posted: 07/13/2016 - 20:05
Author: Damian Scallon

“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.”

Brexit: a black swan with unexpected relevance for outsourcing contracts

Posted: 07/12/2016 - 20:08
Author: David Frydlinger

Europe is in turmoil after Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. Those who now claim to know what will happen now – in outsourcing or in other areas – will make two big mistakes: First, they will show that they don’t understand what Brexit is. Brexit is, to use the words of author Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a “black swan”: an unexpected event with largely unforeseeable consequences, just like 9/11 or the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy filing. Second, they will simply be wrong.

It isn't a technology play

Posted: 07/11/2016 - 20:01
Author: Bobby Varanasi

Business services are usually at the core of organisational endeavours, structured to build and manage a variety of workflows and dependencies in a concerted manner. The end goal for all such services is the smooth functioning of an organisation, built around some strategic goals usually manifested in revenues, growth, competitiveness and shareholder value. Over the course of more than two centuries, industrial advancements – enabled through scientific and technological innovations – have assisted with building and sustaining complex workflows, products and services.

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