Opinion Pieces
Is IT bleeding the value from your acquisition?
by Charles Andrews, Celona Technology
With M&A activity once again buoyant in the telecoms market, Celona Technology’s Charles Andrews examines how financial and commercial value can be devastated by a failure to consolidate IT systems quickly and efficiently and looks at what can be done to prevent this.
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Strategic document management is the key to compliance
by Hywel Benjamin
More than ever business continuity is threatened by non-compliance with regulatory regimes; regimes that are growing in number and power. Hywel Benjamin of Iron Mountain’s Records Compliance Unit explains that strategic document management is critical, both to business survival and to business success.
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The whys and wherefores of telecoms outsourcing
by Keith Gurden
Outsourcing in telecoms used to be a controversial option, but is now a key operational strategy. Keith Gurden of Hutchison Team Telecom looks at how this has happened – and how to choose the right outsourcing
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To affinity and beyond: creating the right outsourcing relationship
by Martin Waters, head of commercial operations, Steria
The traditional outsourcing contract is on the brink of extinction. As the capabilities of modern IT become ever-more closely aligned with businesses needs, so too have the requirements around the classic outsourcing deal changed and matured. Yet despite a burgeoning trend of more strategic outsourcing relationships, the majority of contracts are still renegotiated within two years of signing and second or third generation deals are still the exception, not the rule. Is there a way to ensure modern outsourcing marriages are built on genuine compatibility and survive beyond the honeymoon period? asks Martin Waters, head of commercial operations at Steria.
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Outsourcing Data Banks
by Michael Porter, Director, Blake Newport
Recent headlines regarding the DVLA and the Child Benefit agency have highlighted how data loss as a result of negligence can springboard an organisation into the headlines for all the wrong reasons. With data controls set to get stricter, those companies looking at outsourcing data banks need to be aware of both the legal requirements, and the associated risks.
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The challenges facing BT’s new head: Ovum comment
by
Five challenges for new BT CEO Ian Livingston, courtesy of Ovum.
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DPO hits the outsourcing mainstream
by Richard Thompson, Managing Director, Pitney Bowes Management Services
The true cost of business communications encompasses more then just production. Richard Thompson, Managing Director, Pitney Bowes Management Services, outlines how Document Process Outsourcing is enabling business to reap significant savings from the hidden costs surrounding this critical business function.
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Legal process outsourcing (LPO): when to, where to, how to
by Rob Stichbury, CPA
Legal process outsourcing is a growing area of outsourcing, for many intellectual property (IP) -based businesses in partiuclar. Rob Stichbury of CPA (Computer Patent Annuities) examines the options.
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Best practice in offshore data security
by Jed Mooney, MD of Datahold
Best practice in offshore data security is not that difficult to achieve, says Jed Mooney. And his advice on how to achieve it suggests that onshore, public sector data security in the UK is woefully inadequate.
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Outsourcing in the pharmaceuticals sector: the pros and cons
by Marty Boom, WCI Consulting Ltd
Is it plain foolishness, stubbornness, the fear factor, or all three that make pharma companies ignore the benefits that outsourcing can bring? Intense scrutiny and regulatory pressures mean that a culture of extreme caution has developed when it comes to new ways of working, says Marty Boom of business intelligence consultancy WCI Consulting Limited.
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When two tribes go to war: Successful mediation in outsourcing
by Paul Cornelisse
How to effectively resolve sourcing issues and conflicts through the art of mediation, by Paul Cornelisse, principal consultant EquaTerra incorporating Morgan Chambers, the Netherlands.
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Resolving Disputes in Outsourcing
by Mark Amsden, National Head of IT Disputes Group, Addleshaw Goddard
Outsourcing disputes cost a great deal of time and money and are generally a loss maker for all concerned. It isn’t only cost – it can also seriously damage reputations. Brand damage and loss of shareholder confidence can arise from the perception that organisations are unable to handle outsourcing arrangements effectively.
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Agile methodology - bringing flexibility to IT
by Sergey Karas, Vice-President, Luxoft
Agile development is an exciting new development methodology taking the ITO industry by storm. Throwing off the shackles of the waterfall method, Sergey Karas, Luxoft, explains why agile's inherent flexibility can deliver great results for some companies.
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The Big Questions: March 2008
by Chris Middleton and Nick Mayes.
Nick Mayes is senior consultant at Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) (http://www.pac-online.com), a leading European market research and strategic consulting firm for the IT and software services industries. Nick shares his views in this month's Big Questions, posed by Chris Middleton, on offshoring, skills, and remote infrastructure management.
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Outsourcing Finance & Accounting - Why you Should Keep it Under Consideration
by Andy Kitcher, Partner & Head of FAO Practice, Alsbridge
Whilst most companies have either not outsourced or have dismissed BPO as a delivery model for their F&A activities, Andy Kitcher explains why this is set to change
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