CIO

Outsourcing/Offshoring

Features
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    Outsourcing: demise of the offshore captive center 01 July, 2009 04:35:00

    Citi, AXA, AOL and others have shed their wholly-owned Indian IT services subsidiaries. Analysts say sales of offshore captive centers may be more than just a sign of the recessionary times: The concept of owning an offshore services unit may have outlived its value for most companies.
    The offshore captive center was once the Holy Grail of offshore outsourcing. As companies got a taste of the cost savings possible by outsourcing IT and business process work to lower cost countries, they began to salivate over the thought of bypassing the offshore vendors (and their pesky profit margins) altogether and saving even more money by setting up their own service shops in India.
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    Offshoring? Try China and India plus a third site 22 June, 2009 22:24:00

    Expertise that varies by country is helping fuel multiple-region outsourcing plans
    China may be rising as an offshoring destination, but many companies are outsourcing to multiple countries rather than just choosing between China and India.
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    Bill would limit broadband fees based on use 18 June, 2009 06:48:00

    Broadband providers would have to show volume-based fees to the FTC
    A new bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would require large broadband providers to get permission from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission before rolling out broadband subscription fees based on bandwidth use.
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    Nine ways to save money on your next outsourcing contract 17 June, 2009 23:57:00

    By spec-ing out the scope of your outsourcing agreement, streamlining SLAs, and employing new delivery methods such as cloud computing and infrastructure-on-demand, you can cut the cost of your next outsourcing deal without sacrificing service.
    Outsourcing experts, IT analysts (and optimistic vendors) are predicting an increase in IT services deals during the second half of 2009. They foresee an uptick in outsourcing driven by enterprises looking to increase IT efficiency and cut costs.
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    Why the recession isn't driving outsourcing prices down 03 June, 2009 09:30:00

    The common perception is that IT outsourcing prices are heading south this year, to the benefit of customers everywhere who are clamoring to cut costs in this economic environment. But hold off on the Hallelujah chorus. Here's why you may actually pay more to--and get lower quality from--IT services providers today.
    There has been much discussion about the global economic recession's impact on the price of IT outsourcing services. The consensus has been that buyers keen to cut costs coupled with decreasing demand for IT services would drive prices down across the outsourcing market -welcome news for IT executives under pressure to slash their budgets while maintaining quality.
Case Studies
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    Telstra off-shoot dishes up AI 27 May, 2009 14:38:00

    Hellish voices use Australian-developed voice recognition software to sell pizzas
    When New Zealand pizza franchise Hell Pizza made the journey across the Tasman to set-up shop in Brisbane, it needed to get noticed fast.
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    Recruitment process outsourcing unlocks growth for Spinvox 25 June, 2008 12:24:16

    How do you grow a company from 50 to 350 in 18 months? Part of the answer is to call in rectuitment process outsourcers.
    Most IT managers would not think twice about employing recruitment consultants to get the staff they want, but how far should they take the process?
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    Uni fortifies Western Front with IDS 22 February, 2008 20:11:00

    Nurtured NAC keeps malware out
    The University of Western Sydney (UWS) has today gone live with a managed Intrusion Detection System (IDS) for its 5000 users.
Interviews
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    Efficiency key to Avaya's success, Giancarlo says 17 November, 2008 09:03:00

    In an interview, Giancarlo chats about the evolution of Avaya
    Charles Giancarlo spent more than a decade at Cisco Systems and was widely considered a likely heir to Chairman and CEO John Chambers before he left last year for investment company Silver Lake Partners. Then Silver Lake orchestrated a private-equity buyout of Cisco rival Avaya, and Giancarlo stepped in as interim president and CEO. In January, former JDS Uniphase chief Kevin Kennedy will take over day-to-day operations as president and CEO, and Giancarlo will become chairman. Stephen Lawson of the IDG News Service spoke with Giancarlo on Tuesday after he delivered the opening keynote at VoiceCon in San Francisco.
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    Outsourcing Tackle 01 July, 2008 08:09:25

    Remember the scene from the Bond movie Never Say Never Again when a middle-aged Sean Connery vaults over a banister and tackles the bad guy? Reviewers could not stop raving how an obviously well-past-his-prime Connery could be so nimble.
Opinions
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    Politics and Economics of Offshore Outsourcing 12 February, 2009 15:32:00

    Offshore outsourcing is forcing major changes in terms of job content, location, wages and job security--it's an economic reality and many are completely unprepared. Instead of debating its impact on the economy, experts suggest that the U.S. transform its social safety net (unemployment insurance, tax credit, health insurance, pensions etc.), prepare the workforce for the future, and climb up the comparative advantage ladder through innovation.
    There are two hot topics in the U.S. offshore outsourcing industry today-first, what the likely impact of the recession will be and second, what will be the likely impact of Barak Obama's presidency. While the former has attracted some good intellectual debate, with sound arguments and evidence to support both sides of the story, the latter has received pretty naive coverage, mostly from senior executives of offshore outsourcing or advisory firms desperate to allay their customer's concerns. One fundamental question that they fail to address is why Obama should care about offshore outsourcing. If it was so simple and so straightforward that offshore outsourcing is good for corporations, good for countries, good for economies, then why would Obama even consider doing anything about it?
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    How to Make Offshoring Deals Withstand Crisis Situations 17 January, 2009 07:01:00

    The Satyam fiasco. Economic recession and budget cuts. These 5 tips will help IT departments create effective contingency plans to transfer services back in house or to another service provider when the unexpected happens.
    Globalization is suffering from economic, financial and political challenges. IT organizations can improve results and mitigate risks by revamping offshore strategies. Implementing globalization no longer creates automatic competitive cost advantage. While nearly all companies have globalization programs, most were created randomly and reactively without strategic consideration. To gain competitive advantage, companies must strategically engineer the integration and synergy from service providers.
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    Satyam fraud has ramifications for outsourcers 14 January, 2009 09:34:00

    Satyam's customers and competitors should brace themselves for near-term disruptions across the outsourcing industry
    The financial fraud perpetrated by Satyam Computer Services executives could trigger near-term disruptions across the outsourcing and IT industries. Ramalinga Raju, the company's founder and chairman, resigned last week. He has admitted to inflating Satyam's cash balances and the credit amounts it was owed while understating its liabilities. This scandal has many ramifications for Satyam's customers as well as those of other outsourcing companies.
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    Offshoring and Recession: Impact on Outsourcers 08 December, 2008 10:35:00

    A few weeks ago I was at an offshore group meeting, and a debate started on the impact of recession on outsourcing. Overall verdict was that a recession will not derail offshoring and, in fact, may even significantly increase demand for offshoring. I was still left unsure about it so I thought why not get to the heart of the matter, look at the financial results and outcome from the various categories of offshore outsourcers and then, let everyone decide for themselves about what's really going on.
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    The Road to Better Outsourcing 13 October, 2008 11:58:00

    Have you ever heard the expression 'Any road will take you there if you don't know where you're going'? When it comes to outsourcing, it can sure cause long term problems if you don't invest in strategy development, goal setting and planning.
Reviews
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    Palm Pre 22 June, 2009 14:15:00

    The Palm Pre is a better iPhone in many ways, but lacks the apps and the speed.
    I have a confession to make: About two years ago I made a big mistake and bought a phone designed for mere mortals when what I really wanted was an Apple iPhone. Don't get me wrong -- my Sony Ericsson W580i has served me well -- but I'm ready to move up to a super-phone.
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    BlueAnt Q1 Bluetooth headset 25 May, 2009 13:30:00

    The BlueAnt Q1 headset adds another voice to your calls
    If you have problems figuring out the buttons on Bluetooth headsets, the Q1 could make things easier
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    Thuraya SO-2510 satellite phone 31 March, 2009 15:10:00

    The Thuraya SO-2510 is the world's smallest satellite phone.
    The Thuraya SO-2510 is a far cry from the traditional large and chunky satellite phones. In fact, it's claimed to be the world's smallest satellite phone. Although not rugged or waterproof, the SO-2510 should satisfy most users' needs in terms of reliability. Thuraya's reliance on a single satellite means coverage can be hit and miss, however.
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    Iridium 9505A satellite phone 30 March, 2009 15:00:00

    The Iridium 9505A satellite phone is a well-built handset that offers good reception. It lacks advanced features and is very expensive, however.
    The Iridium 9505A is a satellite phone with fast signal acquisition and a semi-rugged chassis that makes it resistant to water and shocks. Unfortunately, it is expensive and doesn't offer GSM network access.
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    Thuraya SG-2520 27 March, 2009 16:30:00

    The Thuraya SG-2520 satellite phone offers GSM network access and smartphone features. It also has a fair price tag.
    The Thuraya SG-2520 is a satellite and tri-band GSM smartphone that bundles features like a camera and a 1.9in colour LCD into a light and portable package.
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    Inside Internode's data centre 05 June, 2009 14:39:00

    Computerworld gets an exclusive behind the scenes look inside Internode's Adelaide data centre with network guru Mark Newton
    Computerworld gets an exclusive behind the scenes look inside Internode's Adelaide data centre with network guru Mark Newton
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    HP uses outside air, big fans, 12-foot raised floor to cool servers 03 June, 2009 07:44:00

    It's also cutting data center power use by painting server racks white
    Just off the North Sea coast in the United Kingdom, Hewlett-Packard Co.'s EDS unit has built a data center that largely relies on cold sea air to keep servers chilled and -- by doing so -- cut the center's cooling power needs in half.
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    HP targets the cloud with new hardware 12 June, 2009 08:27:00

    HP offers complete cloud computing package for businesses
    HP has designed a new portfolio of hardware, software, and services, aimed at reducing costs and saving resource, particularly for businesses involved in Web 2.0, cloud and high-performance computing.
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    Defence to spend $700m on ICT reform 05 June, 2009 11:13:00

    Strategic Reform Program report reveals only half of defence IT budget visible to CIO
    Less than half of the annual $1.2 billion spent by Defence on its ICT is visible to its chief information officer, Greg Farr, a new report has revealed.
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    Inside Telstra's Virtualisation Strategy 11 May, 2009 14:12:00

    Need to cut infrastructure costs driving the strategy
    Telstra is increasingly turning to virtualisation as its core strategy to both manage the rising costs of, and growth in, its data centres, according the companyÂ’s CIO, John McInerney.
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    Defence to Initiate ICT Reform Program, Expand CIO Role 05 May, 2009 11:56:00

    ERP rollout, data centre consolidation, single architecture all on the cards, according to the Department of DefenceÂ’s strategic policy white paper
    The Defence department has signaled a raft of changes to its approach to information technology under a new ICT reform program.

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    New scam email uses Australian Federal Police to gain victims' trust 03 July, 2009 10:49:00

    Fake offers of free AFP monitoring service to stop "cybernetic attacks"
    Cyber criminals have changed tack in their ongoing scam campaign against banks, moving to the use of government agencies to gain the trust of unsuspecting email recipients.
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    AFP hits $6 million identity fraud syndicate 03 July, 2009 08:25:00

    $500,000 of goods per week purchased with fake credit cards
    The Australian Federal Police (AFP) claims to have struck a major blow to a multi-million identity fraud syndicate.
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    5 steps to secure a new PC 30 June, 2009 00:19:00

    Just unwrapped a brand-new PC? Security pros share their secrets for making your system Internet-safe.
    A common misconception is that a shiny new computer is more or less secure because it hasn't yet been exposed to the Internet's sinister underbelly. But the truth is, these machines come out of the box needing scores of patches, some basic security software downloads and the disabling or replacing of items security pros don't typically trust.
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    Facebook simplifies privacy settings, calls them too complex 02 July, 2009 05:48:00

    The social-networking site is also getting ready to let members share content with anyone on the Internet
    Facebook will simplify the way in which it offers privacy options to its users, as it gets ready to give its members for the first time the option to make the content they post on their profiles available to anyone on the Internet.
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    DR a growing concern for A/NZ CIOs: Symantec 02 July, 2009 09:16:00

    Mission critical apps and cost of down-time major drivers
    CIOs in Australia and New Zealand are increasingly getting involved in the disaster recovery planning of their organisations, according to a new survey from Symantec.
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