In June 2011 I was interviewing the COO of a California-based bank as part of an application strategy engagement. At the end of the conversation, he asked if Alsbridge had any data on the number of contracts in which the client repatriated all of the services. My answer was, “Off hand I don’t know, but [...]
The cloud computing business model is one based on conformity. In exchange for that largely standard approach to technical delivery and service levels, customers can gain access to cost-effective solutions for everything from desktop support to infrastructure to business applications with minimal capital investment or ongoing management. “The vast majority of providers will leverage a [...]
The general IT outsourcing marketplace has matured rapidly over the past 15 years. Unfortunately, outsourcing of lending and other core banking systems have not matured in the same fashion. Alsbridge will host a complimentary eSeminar from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET (10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CT), on Thursday, October 6th, to provide important [...]
Behind each award-winning global outsourcing relationship is a fascinating story of extraordinary people, excellence in service delivery, lots of sweat equity, some painful bumps in the road, a mutual willingness to constructively solve problems, and trust earned. Contracts were awarded as a result of a competitive bid, so they started with a blank recipe card. [...]
When you begin evaluating service providers the basic requirements are straightforward. You want a provider with expertise in your industry, a deep understanding of your processes and a proven track record of superior delivery. The provider should be responsive, communicate clearly and demonstrate that it wants your business. However, because these are table stakes in [...]
Most of us have been down on our knees praying that the relationship does not blow up over an error. Perhaps the cutover was delayed because the provider did not conduct sufficient user acceptance tests, or an employee committed fraud within a client account because controls were inadequate, or the client did not provide the [...]
Buyers of outsourcing services want their service providers to invest in technologies that bring continual improvement to the outsourced processes. Providers want to invest only where it is also beneficial to their margins in the long run. Therein lies a conflict. Are there reliable predictors of a buyer’s intent for a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship [...]
By now you’ve probably read at least one of the 1,300 plus articles penned about the recent Amazon Web Services service interruption (including mine). Treff LaPlante, CEO, WorkXpress, sees a silver lining in the thunderstorms surrounding this event. “Even though none of us wanted to see this happen, it has become a beneficial educational experience [...]
While reducing cost is typically the primary benefit of outsourcing, you also want an outsourcing agreement that allows you to realize your immediate and long-term delivery needs, provides contract flexibility and ensures that you receive maximum value for the money you will be spending. To meet those objectives, pay careful attention to the five “gotchas” [...]
Most companies that outsourced a portion of their finance and accounting (F&A) functions in the early to mid-2000s generated great savings but are probably overpaying now for the service levels they are receiving. More than $2 billion dollars of outsourcing contracts will expire in the next 12 months, and sourcing buyers need to be prepared [...]
Ben Trowbridge responds Technology is great when it works. What does a buyer of cloud services do when something goes wrong, creating a service disruption? That question became a reality for users of Amazon Web Services on April 20. Its Northern Virginia data center suffered a service outage for its hosting service at 10:41 p.m. [...]
There’s no shortage of methodologies and advisories on best practices and risk mitigation strategies for the transition phase of outsourcing relationships. Even so, many buyers encounter situations they didn’t foresee when structuring their arrangement, which cause costs to rise and delay time to value. Outsourcing Center studied these types of situations by surveying companies nominated [...]
Outsourcing is no longer a risky undertaking; it’s a mainstream business strategy. However, despite the strong adoption, many outsourcing relationships continue to fail. This white paper takes a look at what drives outsourcing success and presents detailed information about six key success factors. The paper cites findings from studies of such firms as Gartner and [...]
Outsourcing a help desk can appear to be an easy strategy for reducing cost and improving service levels. However, there are significant challenges and pitfalls that can erode the return on investment. The top challenge is partnering with the right vendor. This white paper pinpoints the 11 biggest mistakes that companies make when choosing an [...]
As GE’s Jack Welch states, mistakes can often be as good a teacher as success. In studying outsourcing relationships through Outsourcing Center’s annual Outsourcing Excellence Awards program since 1996, Outsourcing Center has aggregated and analyzed the lessons learned – mistakes and successes – by hundreds of buyers and providers of outsourcing services. These lessons learned [...]
In studying outsourcing relationships through Outsourcing Center’s annual Outsourcing Excellence Awards program since 1996, Outsourcing Center has aggregated and analyzed the lessons learned – mistakes and successes – by hundreds of buyers of outsourcing services. These 100 lessons learned focus on issues related to each phase in the outsourcing life cycle – provider selection, contract [...]
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