Voice and data communication–the fourth-largest operating expense for most companies–has historically not been managed in a rational way. But outsourcing solutions are now evolving to a compelling value proposition with a Total communication Management model.
We keep you abreast of significant developments that affect outsourcing strategies for both buyers and suppliers. Read about the recent advances in voice-over-IP and satellite communication technologies that affect mobile workforces, Homeland Defense, globalization and multi-location enterprises.
Business transformation becomes the No. 1 reason to outsource.
Buyers are interested in transformation, says Joe Ragusa, vice president, Transformational Outsourcing for IBM Global Services, based in Somers, New York. They see outsourcing vendors as change agents who can provide the skills, processes and technology they need to enter the brave new economy. IT is enabling, adds Ragusa. The Web has created some strange bedfellows. Heated competitors are now working together in business-to-business (B2B) exchanges…
There was a huge up tick in business process outsourcing (BPO) in 2000, says Julie Giera, vice president at Giga, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based research and advisory firm specializing in the technology industry. She attributes BPO’s double digit growth to the popularity of Web-enabled offerings. BPO soared because companies are seeing the benefits of using an application service provider (ASP). Giera defines the ASP model as application rental over the Web.
International outsourcing involves complexity and risks not found in typical domestic outsourcing. These risks are cultural, political, financial, technological, managerial and legal. Ultimately, these multiple international risks show up in the process of drafting, negotiating and enforcing the contract. Freedom of contract varies according to the governing laws and attacking the legal issues requires initiatives from the beginning.