GSA UK Sourcing Focus Blog

NTT DATA and Ericsson forge private 5G and edge AI partnership

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:06:05 GMT

TT DATA and Ericsson have signed a multi-year partnership aimed at improving enterprise adoption of private 5G and edge AI, a deal that reflects growing market demand for production-ready connectivity.

Under the new agreement, NTT DATA will act as one of Ericsson's primary global system integration partners, delivering private 5G as a fully managed service. NTT DATA's edge AI agents will run directly on Ericsson's enterprise edge platforms, supporting real-time, autonomous decision-making at the point of data generation.

The partnership targets four key verticals, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, energy and mining, and smart cities, with several repeatable use cases designed to help enterprises move beyond pilots and into scalable production deployments.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Teleperformance looks to ramp up AI with new man at the helm

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:33:25 GMT

Contact centre giant Teleperformance has had to navigate a challenging twelve months or so with its share price down c.50% on where it was a year ago. FY25 results out yesterday tell a story of resilience rather than momentum with group revenue coming in at €10.2bn, up 1.3% in constant currency (reported revenue marginally down 0.7% as a strengthening euro took a bite out of reported figures).

Core Services which represent some 85% of the business, grew a more creditable 2.7% yoy, with EMEA and Asia-Pacific outperforming at 3.8%, off the back of growth in data services for AI, sales, care and back-office solutions. The Americas also returned to growth, albeit modestly.

Ofgem launches sweeping review of grid connections as datacentre demand surges

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:58:50 GMT

Ofgem has launched a wide-ranging review to reform grid connection processes in response to a surge in datacentre demand, proposing stricter entry requirements and new models to accelerate electricity capacity delivery.

Energy regulator Ofgem has launched a major consultation on reforming electricity demand connections, warning that a surge in datacentre applications has pushed the grid queue to unprecedented levels.

In a Call for Input published last week, the regulator said the pipeline of projects awaiting connection to the electricity network had tripled in just seven months, from 41GW in November 2024 to 125GW by June 2025.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Kyndryl shares plummet as filings are delayed

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:21:40 GMT

Kyndryl endured an incredibly painful start to the week with shares falling sharply after the company said it is delaying a number of regulatory filings, including its 10-Q.

The infrastructure services specialist, which has seen its share price drop c.55% since the start of the week, will conduct an accounting review alongside the release of its fiscal third-quarter results, which missed expectations. Although revenue increased 3% year-over-year to $3.86bn, and adjusted EPS grew c.2%, both of these came in below estimates.

The company said it is reviewing its cash management practices, related disclosures (including the drivers of adjusted free cash flow), and the effectiveness of its internal controls over financial reporting, following voluntary document requests from the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Paragon bolsters UK BPS position with Parseq acquisition

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:12:58 GMT

Further consolidation in the European BPO market as Paragon Group acquires Parseq, a Yorkshire-based business process services specialist, strengthening its position in the UK's document processing and payment automation markets. Parseq had itself been scaling through M&A having acquired The Tall Group, a secure print, payment, and online solutions provider and merged operations with offshore IT services provider Column Software Solutions in 2023.

The deal brings 350 employees and operations spanning the UK, Bulgaria, and India under Paragon's expanding portfolio, where Parseq represents a strategic addition to Paragon's outsourced services division, processing over £36bn in payments annually and digitising 70m documents for clients including the UK's top ten banks, major utilities, and telecommunications providers.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

US security chief uploaded sensitive data to ChatGPT, report

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 23:33:02 GMT

Acting US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director, Madhu Gottumukkala uploaded documents marked “for official use only” to ChatGPT.

That’s according to a report by Politico, which says Gottumukkala’s actions in August triggered multiple security alerts at CISA and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Gottumukkala was appointed to the position of deputy director of CISA in April 2025 by secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem. He became acting director a month later following the resignations of several of the agency’s senior staff.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Nationwide expands contract with AWS

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 23:21:05 GMT

British building society, Nationwide, is expanding its contract with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help improve customer experience.

Nationwide has some 17 million customers and has already been using Amazon Connect (contact centre technology) to support many of them through its contact centres and branch operations. This technology is central to the building society’s recently launched call checker service for tackling fraudsters attempting to impersonate its staff and scam its customers. The new agreement with AWS will build on this, helping the building society to deliver a much more personalised experience for its customers, faster.

Read the full article on Techmarketview here.

CGI marks 50 years with renewed STEM commitment

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 23:05:57 GMT

CGI is celebrating its 50th anniversary—the company was founded in 1976, as was I, coincidentally(!)—and the firm is using the milestone to deepen its investment in UK STEM education. Under its anniversary theme "Building what's next," CGI has announced new and extended partnerships with the Science Museum Group, Royal Observatory Greenwich, and the Royal Institution, including a renewed three-year title sponsorship of the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures.

Led by Tara McGeehan, President of CGI UK & Australia, the partnerships include a three-year STEM Circle and cybersecurity partnership with the Science Museum Group, supporting exhibitions including the upcoming Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos at Manchester's Science and Industry Museum in February.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Hitachi consolidates GlobalLogic and Digital Services businesses to accelerate AI growth

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:46:48 GMT

At the end of last week, the Hitachi announced plans to integrate its GlobalLogic and Hitachi Digital Services businesses, from April this year, as it looks to consolidate the conglomerate's digital services portfolio and accelerate growth in its Lumada 3.0 platform. Lumada 3.0 is the latest evolution of Hitachi's core digital solutions platform, designed to drive industrial digital transformation by transitioning from simple IoT/OT monitoring to an AI-native, agentic, and physical AI-focused operating model.

Global LogicThe move will combine GlobalLogic's 32,000-strong workforce with Hitachi Digital Services' 6,000 employees focused on mission-critical systems, creating a substantial digital services organisation under GlobalLogic CEO Srini Shankar's leadership. The consolidation resonates with similar recent portfolio rationalisations across IT services providers looking for scale and integrated capabilities to compete in an AI-driven transformation market.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

UK government's AI progress update

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:42:57 GMT

One year on from its AI Opportunities Action Plan, the UK government has provided an update on progress. It reports delivery against 38 of 50 committed actions, spanning skills investment, public sector productivity, and the launch of AI Growth Zones.

It highlights an ambition to upskill 10 million workers in AI skills by 2030 and the introduction of TechFirst, TechLocal, TechGrad, TechExpert and Spärck AI Scholarship schemes. On public sector deployment, the metrics show encouraging signs of scale in healthcare, including one-third of NHS chest X-rays (2.4 million scans) utilising AI-assisted diagnosis. It has also laid the foundations to begin scaling a range of i.Ai productivity tools such as Minute (an AI scribe) and Extract (converts old planning documents into geospatial data).

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Sequential growth at Wipro gathers further pace

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:32:54 GMT

Having returned sequential top line growth in the prior quarter (see here), Wipro saw its pace of qoq expansion accelerate during Q326. Revenue for the three months ended 31 December was up by 1.4% qoq (Q226: 0.3%) at constant currency to $2.64bn, albeit turnover for the period was down yoy by 1.2%. Operating margin improved by 10 bps yoy to 17.6%.

Large deal bookings, which had been one of the highlights for Wipro in the first half of the current fiscal, eased back in the third quarter. Having more than doubled yoy in H126 to $5.6bn, big wins in Q3 dipped by 8.4% to just $0.9bn. The company has, however, already comfortably exceeded this metric for the whole of FY25.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

AI hallucination contributes to police chief's downfall

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:24:30 GMT

West Midlands Police (WMP) Chief Constable Craig Guildford has retired after facing intense political pressure over the decision to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the Europa League game against Aston Villa in November 2025. This pressure stemmed in part from revelations that inaccurate AI-generated intelligence had been included in the evidence used to justify the ban.

The case raises important considerations for policing, the wider public sector and beyond – as Deloitte Australia recently discovered when forced to refund fees after delivering a government report littered with AI-generated fabrications.

In the case of WMP, there was a lack of validation before information from AI searches entered the SAG reports, the audit trail appears to have been weak, and accountability was obscured by leadership being unaware of which tools were being used within the force.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

NTT DOCOMO GLOBAL and Accenture launch Universal Wallet Infrastructure

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:53:09 GMT

NTT DOCOMO GLOBAL and Accenture are teaming up to develop and scale the Universal Wallet Infrastructure (UWI), a foundational platform to enable different digital systems to work together seamlessly. The collaboration, which also involves also NTT Digital, aims to let enterprises and governments issue, verify, and manage credentials across borders while users maintain sovereignty over their information.

Best thought of as a trusted digital intermediary, UWI will sit between individuals and every online service] they use. The average person currently juggles dozens of separate digital profiles, each with redundant personal information scattered across services that don't talk to each other. Every duplicate profile creates another potential security risk. Meanwhile, organisations spend enormous sums implementing separate systems for know-your-customer verification, fraud prevention, and document management.

Capita starts the new year with a win

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:41:29 GMT

Capita has got 2026 off to a promising start with a small but significant win in its core Local Government market. The Business Process provider has won a new four-year, £9m contract to deliver contact centre services for Kent County Council (KCC), one of England's largest local authorities serving some 1.6m residents. The deal, which includes options for three one-year extensions, represents a solid competitive win for Capita, displacing incumbent provider Agilisys, which had held the contract since 2015.

The new service will see Capita deploy its CapitaContact CX platform, which is built on Amazon Connect and can handle approximately half a million calls annually alongside webchat, chatbot, and email channels. Whilst the contact centre space has been a challenging market for Capita of late, CapitaContact does offer promise, and has been central to wins in the telco, water and electronics markets and represents a key building block of its service reinvention.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

IBM predicts a computation revolution

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 10:26:00 GMT

According to Curioni, we're on the cusp of two simultaneous technological revolutions which in combination will fundamentally change how the world uses computers to solve difficult problems.

There have only been two comparable developments in computing history, Curioni contends - the microprocessor and the internet - but those breakthroughs happened decades apart. In contrast the current contenders, AI and quantum computing, are evolving in tandem. "We are really going through two of the largest transformational technological changes in IT in the past 30 years," he said during a media event in November.

Cognizant goes large with Claude

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:31:53 GMT

Cognizant has struck a deal with Anthropic which will see the Claude family of language models (LLM’s) rolled out across the service provider's 350,000 personnel. The collaboration aims to bolster Cognizant's efforts to transition from a systems integrator to an artificial intelligence (AI) builder and the company plans to align its software engineering and platform offerings with Anthropic capabilities.

The initial focus areas for the partnership are software engineering productivity, legacy modernisation and agentification. The first of these will see Claude and Claude Code deployed with Cognizant Flowsource™ Platform to accelerate coding tasks, testing, documentation and DevOps workflows. In parallel, the two parties will also develop vertical solutions, beginning with Financial Services, which embed agentic workflows into regulated, enterprise environments.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

TCS expands Morrisons partnership with five-year transformation deal

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:26:41 GMT

Hot on the heels of its enhanced Kingfisher deal TCS has secured an expanded five-year contract with grocer Morrisons, building on a partnership dating back to 2014. The new deal will see TCS deliver end-to-end engineering services spanning retail, e-commerce, and marketing operations, with a particular emphasis on the transformation of the firm’s loyalty programme and enhancing its customer experience.

The scope of the contract includes establishing an automation factory and Business Intelligence Command Centre (BICC) to enable proactive issue resolution and data-driven decision-making. TCS will also look to modernise legacy platforms whilst embedding AI-powered solutions across Morrisons' digital estate. Notably, the arrangement has enabled Morrisons to consolidate its vendor base and improve cross-functional synergy, a recurring theme among UK retailers seeking to streamline technology partnerships

View the full article here.

IBM cuts thousands of roles to focus on ‘software growth’

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:11:59 GMT

IBM latest legacy tech employer to “rebalance” its workforce

IBM has said it will cut roles in its US infrastructure division in the fourth quarter. In a statement to Bloomberg, the company said:

"We routinely review our workforce ... and at times rebalance accordingly," the company said in a statement. "In the fourth quarter we are executing an action that will impact a low single-digit percentage of our global workforce."

IBM did not give the exact number of job cuts but given that Big Blue had around 270,000 employees at the end of 2024, a one‐percent reduction would equate to roughly 2,700 roles.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Lloyds launches agentic AI financial assistant

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:00:55 GMT

Lloyds Banking Group is launching an agentic AI financial assistant in early 2026, available to its 21 million mobile app customers. The assistant will provide personalised guidance on spending, savings and investments, with plans to expand across the bank's full product range including mortgages, car finance and insurance.

The timing is notable. Lloyds' own Consumer Digital Index found that 56% of UK adults have used AI in the past year to help manage their money, with ChatGPT the most popular platform. Yet 80% are concerned about receiving inaccurate information, whilst 69% worry about lack of personalisation. The assistant addresses these concerns by operating within a secure banking app environment, using curated bank data rather than general-purpose models.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Amazon confirms cuts of 14,000 in corporate workforce

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 16:31:28 GMT

Amazon cuts 14,000 from its corporate workforce in pursuit of agility and AI investment

The layoffs fall considerably short of the 30,000 number mooted in earlier reports.

Nonetheless, the cuts will affect almost every Amazon business, including human resources, operations, devices and services, and AWS.

The rationale behind the cuts is clearly presented in a statement from Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology, Beth Galetti.

“Some may ask why we’re reducing roles when the company is performing well. Across our businesses, we're delivering great customer experiences every day, innovating at a rapid rate, and producing strong business results. What we need to remember is that the world is changing quickly.”

Read the full article on Computing here.

Accenture launches Physical AI Orchestrator for software-defined manufacturing

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 16:29:01 GMT

Accenture has announced its Physical AI Orchestrator, a cloud-based platform designed to help manufacturers turn physical facilities into software-defined environments.

The system combines NVIDIA Omniverse technologies with AI agents from Accenture’s AI Refinery (a framework to help organisations build, train, and deploy AI models more efficiently) to create and manage live digital twins of plants and warehouses.

The idea is to bring together the physical and digital worlds of production. Virtual replicas of factories and warehouses run real-time, physics-based simulations to test changes or detect potential issues. AI agents then interpret the findings and translate them into precise actions, automatically adjusting production schedules, quality controls, or resource use across the physical site.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Capita accelerates AI-led BPO shift with new tech stack

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 16:32:45 GMT

Yesterday, Capita launched its new 'AI Catalyst Stack', as it continues to move towards what it terms "agentic BPO", a repositioning of its service delivery model around AI agents rather than traditional labour arbitrage.

Over the last twelve months, Capita has moved significantly to embed AI across its BPO operations, in particular addressing the UK public sector's evolving procurement expectations. With government increasingly mandating AI capability rather than treating it as a nice-to-have, Capita's timing fits with broader policy shifts around AI Growth Labs and digital service transformation.

Early operational metrics published by Capita suggest real impact beyond pilot-stage experimentation. The company reports 17% to 20% faster handling times and up to 35% productivity gains in customer experience operations, alongside 60% to 70% reductions in delivery cycles through repeatable AI products. These results, drawn from Capita's 'client zero' internal deployment, suggest production-scale viability.

Read the full on TechMarketView here.

Google launches Gemini Enterprise

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:19:52 GMT

Google has launched Gemini Enterprise, an AI platform combining six components through a single interface. The system integrates Google's Gemini models with a no-code workbench for coordinating AI agents, pre-built and custom agents for tasks such as deep research, enterprise data connections across Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce and SAP, centralised governance controls, and access to over 100,000 partners.

The platform includes several new capabilities. Google Vids converts presentations and other content into videos with AI-generated scripts and voiceovers. Google Meet now offers real-time speech translation that captures natural tone and expression beyond simple word translation. A Data Science Agent automates data wrangling, ingestion and exploration, whilst streamlining model development by generating multi-step training plans. The company has also introduced next-generation conversational agents with low-code visual builders and new extension frameworks for customisation.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

TCS charts AI-led return to growth

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 11:22:15 GMT

TCS continues to battle headwinds, delivering a resilient Q2 FY26 performance, posting revenues of $7.5bn with sequential constant currency growth of 0.8% but down 3.3% year-on-year. Perhaps more significantly, operating margins expanded 70 basis points to 25.2%, as the business adjusts to emerging operating environments (see TCS reduces workforce by 2% amid AI-driven skills shift).

The Indian IT services giant is pivoting heavily toward AI-led transformation, announcing plans for a 1 GW capacity AI datacentre in India and acquiring US-based Salesforce specialist ListEngage for a reported $73m. The company's ambition to become the "world's largest AI-led technology services company" gained credibility through a $10bn quarterly TCV and marquee wins including a seven-year $647m engagement with Scandinavian insurer Tryg.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

UK workers say AI agents are 'unreliable'

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 12:43:43 GMT

British employees are sounding the alarm over the rise of AI agents in the workplace, warning that the tools are unreliable, unresponsive to feedback, and in some cases creating more work instead of reducing it.

That's according to the Global State of AI at Work 2025 Report, commissioned by work management platform vendor Asana.

The study surveyed 2,025 workers worldwide, including 1,021 in the UK, and paints a picture of a workforce eager to embrace AI but held back by trust and oversight gaps.

Employees expect to hand off almost a third (32%) of their workload to AI within a year, and 41% within three years. Yet today, only one in four (25%) say they feel ready.

Even as use grows, confidence is lagging. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of workers describe AI agents as unreliable. More than half say the tools confidently produce incorrect results or ignore feedback altogether. Without clear accountability, mistakes go unresolved, undermining both efficiency and trust.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Workday confirms data breach amid wave of Salesforce-linked cyberattacks

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 11:51:14 GMT

Human resources software giant Workday has disclosed a data breach following a social engineering attack that compromised a third-party customer relationship management (CRM) platform.

In a blog post on Friday, the California-based firm said attackers accessed some information stored on its CRM systems after targeting employees in a campaign that has also ensnared multiple global organisations.

However, Workday stressed that no customer tenants or their data were affected.

"We want to let you know about a recent social engineering campaign targeting many large organisations, including Workday," the company said.

"We recently identified that Workday had been targeted and threat actors were able to access some information from our third-party CRM platform. There is no indication of access to customer tenants or the data within them.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Allianz Life data breach exposes 1.1 million customers

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 11:48:54 GMT

Hackers stole the personal information of 1.1 million customers in a July breach at US insurer Allianz Life, according to the data breach notification service Have I Been Pwned.

In late July, Allianz Life – The US arm of insurance conglomerate Allianz SE – revealed that hackers had breached a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) database, stealing the personal information of the "majority" of customers as well as company employees.

"The threat actor was able to obtain personally identifiable data related to the majority of Allianz Life's customers, financial professionals and select Allianz Life employees," Brett Weinberg, a spokesperson for Allianz Life, said last month.

Allianz has nearly 2,000 staff in the United States and serves around 128 million customers worldwide.

Read the full article on Computing here.

MIT report: 95% of corporate generative AI pilots fail to deliver returns

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 11:30:26 GMT

A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has revealed that the vast majority of corporate generative AI pilots are failing to generate meaningful financial returns, despite widespread investment.

The report, The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025, published by MIT’s NADA initiative, found that 95% of pilots stall at early stages and never progress to scaled adoption. Only 5% of projects achieved rapid revenue growth.

Based on 150 interviews with business leaders, a survey of 350 employees and an analysis of 300 public AI deployments, the study highlights a growing divide between successful AI integrations and those that remain stuck in experimental mode.

Read the full article on Computing here.

MOJ launches AI Action Plan

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 10:13:06 GMT

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has published its ‘AI action plan for justice’, detailing the potential artificial intelligence (AI) has in helping reduce court backlogs, increase prison capacity, improve rehabilitation outcomes and enhance victim services. Implementation of the plan will be led by its Justice AI Unit, which was established in late 2024, with input from its Data Science, Digital and Transformation teams.

The policy paper focuses on three AI priorities: strengthening the MOJ’s foundations, embedding AI across justice services, and investing in the people who will deliver this transformation. The MOJ intends to deliver these priorities over a three-year period through the ‘Scan, Pilot, Scale’ approach used in the UK government's AI Opportunities Action Plan.

UK CMA accuses Microsoft and Amazon of stifling cloud competition

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:53:37 GMT

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued its final report Thursday following a nearly three-year-long investigation that began with a review by Ofcom and was handed over to the CMA in October 2023.

The findings conclude that Microsoft and Amazon hold "significant unilateral market power" in the UK's cloud infrastructure services market – a dominance that the regulator says has led to financial returns far outpacing their capital investments.

According to the report [pdf], Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) each control 30% to 40% of UK customer spending in the infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) market, a segment that includes processing, storage, and networking via remote datacentres.

Read the full article on Computing here.

TCS reduces workforce by 2% amid AI-driven skills shift

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 09:16:22 GMT

IT Services giant TCS has taken the decision to reduce headcount of its global workforce by 2% (c.12,000 employees) over the rest of FY 2026 as the impact of AI drives shifting demand in skill sets.

In an interview widely covered in the Indian media over the weekend, TCS CEO K Krithivasan emphasised the rationale for the cuts reflecting skill mismatches rather than AI-driven productivity gains or demand weakness. The move will primarily target middle and senior management positions and fits with the broader SITS industry shift toward more software/product driven delivery models and agile methodologies.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Atos Renewed as a Google Cloud Partner Managed Service Provider, Supporting Continued Cloud Transformation and Innovation

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 09:08:54 GMT

Atos, a global leader in digital transformation and managed services, today announced the renewal of its status as a Google Cloud Managed Service Provider (MSP), reinforcing the strategic partnership between the two organizations. This renewal reaffirms Atos’ continued excellence in delivering cloud-native services, scalable infrastructure solutions, and end-to-end digital modernization to enterprises worldwide.

As a Premier Google Cloud Partner and a certified Google Cloud MSP, Atos will continue to provide advanced support, optimization, and AI-driven management of Google Cloud environments for customers across industries, accelerating their digital journeys to AI solutions and maximizing the value of their cloud investments. The renewed recognition highlights Atos’ proven expertise in cloud migration, data analytics, AI, security, and application modernization.

Read the full article on Atos here.

Intel to cut 24,000 jobs, cancels factory plans in Germany and Poland

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 08:24:45 GMT

The layoffs comes despite better-than-expected revenue in Intel’s second-quarter results, as new CEO Lip-Bu Tan seeks to reset the chipmaker's strategic direction amid mounting losses and fierce industry competition.

Intel reported $12.9 billion in revenue for Q2 2025, surpassing analyst expectations of $11.92 billion, but still recorded a net loss of $2.9 billion for the quarter – an increase from a $1.61 billion loss a year earlier.

The cuts represent one of the most significant restructurings in Intel's history, and Tan acknowledged their severity in a memo to employees last week.

Read the full article on Computing here.

UK workers must embrace AI or risk falling behind, warns Technology Secretary

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 12:46:11 GMT

UK workers must shift from "trepidation" to "exhilaration" when it comes to AI or risk being left behind by those already engaging with the technology, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has warned.

In a bold call to action following a roundtable with major tech companies, the Technology secretary Peter Kyle has urged employees and businesses across the country to "act now" and begin integrating AI into their daily work.

Kyle acknowledged that while breakthroughs like ChatGPT have ignited a wave of excitement and investment in AI, they've also sparked anxiety over job security, especially in sectors such as law, medicine, and finance.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Meta makes $14.3bn bid for superintelligence

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 10:37:24 GMT

Meta is making a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI. The deal sees Mark Zuckerberg’s company acquire 49% of the data labelling start-up, whose CEO, Alexandr Wang will take a top position inside a team developing “superintelligence” at the tech giant. Scale will remain an independent company but the agreement, which is described as a strategic partnership, will substantially expand commercial relationship between the two parties.

Founded in 2016, Scale provides labelled data or curated training data required to support the development of AI large language models (LLM’s).

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

The crucial role of cultural intelligence when expanding internationally

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 10:23:57 GMT

What do you make of Ethan Hunt’s leadership style? In Anglo-American business culture, Tom Cruise’s indestructible Mission Impossible agent is likely to be perceived as a pioneering hero. In Japan, he would probably be regarded as the spearhead of – but not necessarily better than – the cohesive team he works with. In Scandinavia, the concern would be how to reintegrate him into the team to ensure that no one is left behind. The franchise’s blockbuster box office revenues transcend boundaries but such a variety of attitudes does, says Randall Peterson, professor of organisational behaviour at London Business School, indicate that “good leadership looks different around the world”.

“In Australia, Canada, the UK and US, the perception would be that if you’re a leader that makes you special. In Singapore, where it is all about the power of a cohesive team, group coordination and action, such a leader may even be seen as selfish because he is preventing other members from overtaking him,” says Peterson, an authority on cross-cultural leadership.

Read the full article on Management Today here.

Mauritius’ Roadmap – from Abyss to Prosperity

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 07:57:44 GMT

The Hon. Prime Minister & Minister of Finance, Dr. the Hon. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, G.C.S.K., F.R.C.P. presented the Budget 2025-2026 which is visionary, bold and transformative marking a pivotal moment in our nation’s journey. The Budget charts a new trajectory, that is designed to navigate complex global headwinds, accelerate our economic transition, and fully leverage our national competitive advantages – anchored on 3 pillars: Economic Renewal; a New Social Order; and Fiscal Consolidation.

Read the full article here.

AI boom drives 150% surge in Big Tech emissions

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 07:54:11 GMT

A new report from the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has revealed a 150% average increase in indirect carbon emissions from four leading AI-focused tech companies – Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta - between 2020 and 2023.

The spike is largely attributed to the high energy demands of AI systems and datacentres, which account for a rising portion of global electricity consumption.

AI and machine learning contributed 0.2% of global emissions in 2021, which even then was about 10% of the entire tech sector. It has accelerated from there.

Among the worst performers, Amazon's operational emissions increased by 182% over the 2020-2023 period, followed by Microsoft (155%), Meta (145%) and Alphabet (138%).

Read the full article on Computing here.

Cognizant open sources its agentic AI platform

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 23 May 2025 09:19:36 GMT

Global solution provider Cognizant Thursday said it has open sourced its Neuro AI Multi-Agent Accelerator technology for prototyping and building agent networks across any industry vertical.

The Neuro AI Multi-Agent Accelerator is the platform and framework that Cognizant uses to build multi-agentic systems safely and at scale, said Babak Hodjat, chief technology officer of AI at New Jersey-based Cognizant.

Cognizant uses its Neuro AI Multi-Agent Accelerator to create multi-agent systems for internal use and for its clients, but is now bringing it to open source to promote the creation of multi-agentic systems, Hodjat told CRN.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Why AWS doesn’t let AI run the show (yet)

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 23 May 2025 08:55:43 GMT

AI agents are improving quickly, helping developers and businesses work faster. But they also bring new risks. Chris outlines five simple lessons AWS has learned while building and using AI internally, which include treating AI output like any other untrusted input; keeping access credentials separate from prompts; and testing generated code in a sandbox before using it in production.

Chris also talks about the need for audit trails and transparency. If an AI agent makes a decision, users and security teams need to understand how it got there. That helps spot mistakes and improve systems over time.

Read the full article on Computing here.

NTT DATA to expand London Data Centre footprint

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 23 May 2025 08:43:38 GMT

NTT DATA, one of the largest global data centre providers, is growing its infrastructure footprint with land acquisitions across seven key markets including the UK, setting the stage for nearly a gigawatt of new capacity. This expansion, part of a previously announced $10bn investment through to 2027, is all part of the company's approach to capitalising on the healthy demand for AI-ready infrastructure.

The company is looking to both enter new markets while deepening its presence in existing ones. New market entries include Milan (128MW planned) and Tochigi, Japan (100MW), while existing market expansions in Hillsboro, Phoenix, London, Frankfurt, and Osaka will substantially increase capacity in these critical digital hubs.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Accenture and SAP launch mid-market play

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 23 May 2025 08:38:09 GMT

Long-time partners Accenture and SAP are extending their relationship to target organisations with annual revenue of up to $5bn. The joint ADVANCE preconfigured offerings are focused on finance, procurement, supply chain and workforce management.

Available in what are described as “ready-to-consume, right-sized packages”, the new solutions are tailoredLogo by industry and function. They bring together SAP Business Suite software with the IT services supplier’s design, implementation, delivery and operations capabilities. Accenture will invest in a dedicated practice of go-to-market and SAP-certified SaaS professionals to support the drive into the mid-market by the two companies.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Ukraine's techies a 'pillar of support' for national economy after Russian invasion

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 08 May 2025 13:41:08 GMT

Ukraine's technology industry has held up during Russia's invasion, with activity falling markedly less than other industries and increasing as a proportion of national exports since 2019.

The Eastern European nation's economy suffered when Russia launched a full-scale military invasion in 2022, but after three years, the tech industry has more or less recovered while other sectors have not.

Ukraine's IT services, measured as a share of GDP, fell from 4.5 percent in 2022 to 3.4 percent last year, but it remains higher than the 2.7 percent recorded in 2019. Meanwhile, agricultural products fell from 14.4 percent in 2019 to 12.8 percent in 2024, and metallurgy fell from 6.5 percent to 2.3 percent over the same period.

Read the full article online here.

Government defends NI exemption in UK-India trade deal

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 07 May 2025 13:04:34 GMT

The UK government has hit back against claims by opposition parties that the newly-agreed trade deal with India could disadvantage British workers.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the BBC there was "no situation" in which he would "ever tolerate" British workers being undercut as a result of a trade agreement.

One part of the deal extends an exemption on national insurance contributions (Nics) from one to three years - meaning people on short-term visas will only make social security payments in their home country when working abroad.

Opposition parties claim this could mean Indian workers are cheaper to employ than British workers - not least since UK employer Nics have just risen.

Read the full article on the BBC here

Is DEI dead? Evidence suggests it's evolving, not ending

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 12:45:33 GMT

If you were to believe everything you read in the media, you’d think diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is either dead or dying. But is this true?

There is evidence that the US companies who remain committed to DEI are having to change the language they use around the workplace, to keep themselves safe from legal challenges.

While several high-profile American companies have publicly withdrawn their efforts on DEI, what gets less publicity are the companies doubling down on DEI and reconfirming their commitment to making their organisations more inclusive, equitable and diverse. For example, 98% of Costco shareholders rejected proposals to roll back its DEI efforts.

Read the full article on Management Today here.

AI models are hiding their reasoning on purpose

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:13:07 GMT

Researchers from Anthropic have found that some AI models hide their ‘thought’ processes, even when they are designed to show it in full.

Simulated reasoning (SR) models are AI models designed to use logic in their outputs – equivalent to showing your work in school. The idea is to bring more transparency and safety to AI use, but researchers from Anthropic have found these models often hide the fact that they’ve used external help or taken shortcuts, despite their programming.

Models like DeepSeek’s R1, Google’s Gemini Flash Thinking and Anthropic’s own Claude 3.7 Sonnet Extended Thinking (DeepSeek and Claude were used in this research) are all examples of reasoning models that rely on a process called chain-of-thought (CoT). This is intended to display each step an AI model has taken as it goes from prompt to output.

Read the full article on Computing here.

UK convenes tech and energy giants for first AI Energy Council meeting

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:05:26 GMT

The newly established AI Energy Council brings together representatives from across the energy and technology sectors, including major power utilities, regulators, and tech giants.

The UK government convened the first official meeting of its newly established AI Energy Council on Tuesday, 8th April, in Whitehall.

The Council, first announced in January 2025, is co-chaired by Ed Miliband, Minister for Energy, Security and Net Zero, and Peter Kyle, Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology.

The group brings together representatives from across the energy and technology sectors, including major power utilities, regulators, and tech giants.

Attendees at the inaugural meeting included energy sector stalwarts including the National Energy System Operator (NESO), EDF, Scottish Power, National Grid, and Ofgem, and major tech firms including Microsoft, Google, ARM, and Amazon.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Tech industry is failing to root out forced labour in supply chains

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 08:59:35 GMT

Human rights abuses in the supply chains of the electronics we all rely on are endemic. Policies and targets are improving, but the reality for the migrant workers who make up a growing proportion of the workforce, remains bleak.

Global tech giants NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments are among dozens of firms putting the lives and livelihoods of supply chain workers at risk by failing to meet even the most basic expectations of human rights due diligence, a new report published today reveals.

Only three out of 45 of the world’s biggest ICT companies scored over 50/100 for tackling forced labour and other human rights abuses in their supply chains, and the average score was just 20/100.

Read the full article on Computing here.

UK’s new cybersecurity bill threatens £100K daily fines

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 08:46:34 GMT

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has unveiled the full details of the UK's landmark Cyber Security and Resilience (CSR) Bill, outlining sweeping new measures to fortify the nation's critical infrastructure against escalating cyber threats.

The bill, slated for parliamentary introduction later this year, includes provisions for daily fines of £100,000 for organisations failing to comply with government-mandated security directives.

The CSR bill seeks to strengthen the existing Network and Information Systems (NIS) regulations from 2018 by holding organisations accountable for cybersecurity measures.

This week Kyle outlined the bill's three core pillars: expanding regulations to encompass more organisations, enhancing regulatory enforcement powers, and ensuring the government can swiftly update cybersecurity regulations to counter evolving threats.

Under the proposals more organisations, including datacentres, managed service providers (MSPs) and “critical suppliers,” will be brought under cybersecurity regulations to protect the IT supply chain.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Atos appoints EVP and Head of “Eviden”

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 09:41:11 GMT

With Atos’ new CEO, Philippe Salle, in place since February, we now await the Capital Markets Day on 14th May to hear his vision and mid-term strategy for the Group. There is every indication that a ‘One Atos’ approach will be part of that vision, with the Tech Foundations and Eviden businesses merged (Atos Group: A new chapter). Indeed, in the first four weeks of UK&I CEO Michael Herron’s tenure, he reunited the two parts of the business in the region, a move which he stated would allow for greater clarity in developing Atos’ Value Proposition and Go-To-Market strategy (see New Atos UK&I Lead: Michael Herron).

With all that in mind, onlookers might be interested by this morning’s announcement. Atos has appointed Pierre-Yves Jolivet, previously Vice-President and General Manager of the Cyber Digital Business Line at Thales, as Executive Vice President and Head of Eviden. According to the release, “Pierre-Yves will also serve as Head of Cybersecurity business, overseeing both cybersecurity and products strategy and portfolio.”

Separating fact and fiction: How AI is changing the cybersecurity landscape

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:18:52 GMT

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a crucial tool in cybersecurity, helping organizations detect and respond to threats faster than ever before.

However, a recent survey by Sophos found that 89% of IT leaders believe flaws in generative AI could introduce new risks1. With cybercriminals also leveraging AI to refine their attacks, businesses must understand both the opportunities and challenges AI presents in cybersecurity.

A recent survey from Darktrace revealed that 74% of security practitioners acknowledge the significant impact of AI-driven cyber threats on their organizations, yet 60% fear they are not adequately prepared to defend against such attacks.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Atos selected by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as its future end user services provider

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:17:37 GMT

Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announces that it has been selected by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to transform service desk and end user services into a single coherent, agile service.

The five-year contract, worth £150m, will improve quality and efficiency of DEFRA’s service desk, which manages 34,000 users, through continuous innovation of modern technologies including AI, ML, analytics and automation.

The Atos solution will also make DEFRA’s service the most environmentally friendly and sustainable UK government digital workplace solution available today. Working with partners, Atos will repair, refurbish, remanufacture and re-issue hardware first, ensure minimal packaging and shipments for delivery and donate disused devices to charities and third-party social enterprises.

Read the full article on Atos here.

Hot off the press! £500m Win with NS&I

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:05:40 GMT

Atos has won a contract with NS&I, valued at over £500m, to support their transformation, to protect existing services and collaborate in a multi-supplier ecosystem to transform systems and processes.

Atos, with our partner Sopra Banking, will continue to run legacy services, implement new systems, and extend B2B services to UK Government customers and the UK Public – a truly critical national service.

Our solution is aligned to deliver NS&I’s key objectives for increased digital services and automation, reduced time to change, a lower cost profile and enhanced customer services showcasing the UK governments confidence in our strategy and capability.

Read the full article on Atos.

Atos strengthens its management team with the appointment of Michael Herron as Head of UK&I, Atos Group

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:59:32 GMT

Atos announces the appointment of Michael Herron as Head of UK&I, Atos Group, as of January 27, 2025.

With a strong track record in leadership as well as extensive expertise and knowledge of delivering digital transformation within the public sector, Michael will bring valuable skills to the management team in UK&I and at the Group level, as Atos opens a new chapter in its history.

Michael Herron, Head of UK&I, Atos Group, “I am delighted to join the Atos team at such a pivotal moment and look forward to working with the UK&I team to deliver operational excellence, drive growth, continue quality of service and to provide an end-to-end offering to support our customers on their digital journey.”

Read the full article on Atos here.

WNS boosts Data & AI play with Kipi.ai acquisition

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 10:51:14 GMT

Further movement in the AI-led Business Process space yesterday, saw WNS acquire Houston-based Kipi.ai, a Snowflake Elite Partner specialising in data modernisation services. An acquisition that should strengthen WNS's analytics and AI practice while expanding its decision intelligence offerings across a range of sectors. Whilst the client base is currently mainly in the US, there is no reason why WNS cannot take the capabilities global.

Founded in 2021, Kipi.ai looks good on paper, claiming some 600 SnowPro certifications, 250+ proprietary AI and ML solutions, and a team of over 600 employees with data engineering expertise. The company's presence in banking, insurance, manufacturing, and healthcare complements WNS's existing client portfolio.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Accenture buys into the data centre development boom

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 10:42:38 GMT

Accenture has agreed to acquire Soben, a Glasgow HQ’d global construction consultancy which specialises in data centre development and the pharmaceutical and energy sectors. The purchase aims to boost Accenture Industry X’s capital projects capabilities in advisory as well as project, cost and commercial management for clients.Logo

Founded in 2011 as Smyth Contract Services, Soben has expanded significantly from its quantity surveying and Scottish roots. Today the firm’s services include project management consultancy, scheduling, project controls, cost and commercial management, consultancy and advisory, and carbon cost management. Soben’s 250 personnel work with leading global hyperscalers and co-location providers on major data centre construction initiatives across the UK, Europe, the US, Mexico, Brazil, India and Australia.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Government plans to boost tech adoption

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 13:02:15 GMT

The UK government has announced an overhaul of how it funds, manages and regulates digital projects, promising a “start-up mindset” as it attempts to overcome the barriers to tech adoption, save taxpayer money and boost public services.

Speaking at techUK yesterday, Peter Kyle (Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology) said the UK had suffered from a failure of optimism and pragmatism, and without change it risks being left behind. He said there is “no possible version of that future which does not have technology at its heart” and that “transparent, adaptable, pro-innovation regulation” will be central to the government’s digital and technologies sector plan.

Read the full article here.

EY, SAP & Microsoft: Leading the Automated ERP Revolution

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:53:40 GMT

Legacy on-premises systems, weighed down by years of customisation, have become a barrier for professional services firms looking to integrate AI and improve efficiency.

In response, EY is embarking on a major transformation, moving its internal business systems to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, hosted on Microsoft Azure.

EY wants to build what it calls “the first autonomous ERP business system” by embedding AI agents throughout its processes.

This positions EY at the leading edge of enterprise migrations to SAP, as organisations increasingly seek real-time analytics and automation to improve decision-making and operational speed.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

PSC LIVE: Sustainability – Q&A with Megan Youngs, NatWest

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:49:01 GMT

Speaking from the QEII Centre during Procurement & Supply Chain: Sustainability, the premier two-day event focused on sustainable supply chain practices, Megan Youngs, Scope 3 Reporting Manager at NatWest, shared valuable insights on NatWest's approach to Scope 3 emissions reporting and management.

How are NatWest implementing Scope 3 strategies in their procurement and supply chain function?

We are focusing on our top emitting suppliers at the moment. They make up around 70% of our supply chain emissions. Using data that we've collected from suppliers over the last few years via CDP and annual reports, we are identifying hotspots for engagement, going out to suppliers, asking them, ‘What's your blocker? How can we help?’

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

Newly public Hexaware fuelled by strong US growth

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:12:26 GMT

Indian IT services provider, Hexaware, has released its latest full year results highlighting double-digit revenue growth and a healthy profit. The results for the twelve months ended 31 December 2024 were fuelled by an excellent performance in the US.

Within its earnings announcement, Hexaware highlighted a number of recent client successes including: replacing Appian with AWS cloud-native solutions and ServiceNow for a large US mortgage provider; a GenAI-based application modernisation project for a major US airline; a digital banking implementation for a large South-East Asian bank, and delivering cybersecurity services for a global provider of financial markets data and infrastructure (headquartered in the UK).

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Government delays new AI Bill for six months

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 14:48:20 GMT

The government has delayed until summer publication of its AI Bill, a new law intended to regulate AI, following on from the EU AI Act which came into force last year.

The government had been expected to introduce such a bill shortly after it was elected in July, which would have demanded that companies provide their AI models to the UK’s AI Security Institute for testing. The aim of the bill was to assuage fears that AI could pose a risk to humanity, or be misused by nefarious actors by having new models vetted by the Institute.

However, fears of a backlash by the new American administration have repeatedly delayed the introduction of the bill, which has now been put back to summer at the earliest.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Microsoft cancels datacentre investments over AI growth concerns, report

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 14:36:40 GMT

Fresh from questioning whether AI will provide all the economic benefits it is expected to deliver over the next five years, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is now pulling the company back on a number of datacentre investments.

That’s according to investment bank TD Cowen. Its sources indicate that Microsoft has cancelled leases amount to “a couple of hundred megawatts with at least two private datacentre operators”, pulled back on completing a number of others, and re-allocated datacentre spending from international markets to the US.

These and other factors, the investment bank suggests, indicates “a material slowdown in international leasing” for datacentre space after a two-and-a-half year boom.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Global outsourcing leaders predict industry evolution through 2030

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 17:24:08 GMT

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — Industry experts predict artificial intelligence will augment rather than replace most global outsourcing jobs through 2030, though growing nationalism and potential U.S. service tariffs pose significant risks to the sector.

Leaders in the global outsourcing industry gathered at a Global Technology and Business Services Council (GTBSC) webinar to discuss the future of outsourcing, highlighting both opportunities and challenges facing the sector in 2025 and beyond

Read the full article on Outsource Accelerator here.

The Procurement Act 2023 is now live!

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

At 00:01 this morning the new Procurement Act 2023 came into force - heralding a new era of transparency, simplicity and greater commercial flexibility.

This is a fantastic milestone which has involved collaboration right across the whole public sector, with practitioners, businesses and suppliers, as well as procurement experts, academics, and lawyers all working together to get us to this point. We are grateful for everyone’s contributions and ongoing support from all our stakeholders as we move forward into this next phase of implementation and start to realise the benefits of the reforms.

The Act commences with three strong new operational elements, all live from today:

A new Central Digital Plat
A new Procurement Review Unit and National Security Unit for Procurement

DXC develops AI platform for the European Space Agency

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 12:02:11 GMT

DXC Technology has extended its existing relationship with the European Space Agency (ESA) with the award of a new contract to develop an AI platform that will enable the Agency to build and deploy AI-powered solutions. The ESA is an intergovernmental organisation that collaborates internationally and supports economic growth via space technology and research.

The new platform will be named “Ask ESA” and is to be designed and built by DXC. The platform will run on NVIDIA and utilise GenAI from French startup Mistral AI, which specialises in the development of large language models (LLMs). The project has been initiated by Francois Margottin, the ESA’s Head of Application Services.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Atos secures UK Life and Pensions transformation deal

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:43:06 GMT

UK insurance group, Utmost Life and Pensions (formerly Reliance Mutual) has selected it longstanding partner, Atos, to lead a full transformation of its IT estate. The two companies have an existing managed services relationship that began in 2012. Under the terms of this latest agreement, Atos will oversee the migration of Utmost’s IT systems to the Microsoft Azure cloud.

Utmost Life and Pensions, selected Atos to lead the IT transformation project based on its deep understanding of Utmost Life and Pensions’ operational needs and its established reputation in transformational outsourcing. Mark Francis, CFO at Utmost Life and Pensions said: “It’s vital that we have a best-in-class IT foundation to provide a reliable and responsive service to the over 290,000 policyholders that Utmost Life and Pensions protects and helps save for the long term. The cloud platform provides us with the scalability we require to meet our ambitious long term strategic growth goals.”

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

NTT Data highlights AI priorities in banking

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 10:36:17 GMT

NTT DATA has published the findings of its latest research exploring the use of generative AI (GenAI) in the banking sector. The report, entitled “Intelligent banking in the Age of AI”, highlighted a significant increase in adoption of the technology with 58% of the financial services institutions fully embracing GenAI, up from 45% in 2023. Interestingly, the survey indicates that only 50% of the banks surveyed are looking to GenAI as a method of improving productivity and efficiency, whilst 49% believe the technology can help to reduce operational IT spend.

The findings of NTT Data’s new research indicate that the use of GenAI technology in the banking sector varies in terms of the motivation behind the investments being made. The disparity between the drivers of GenAI adoption in banking vary globally, with almost 59% of US banks looking to reduce their IT budgets and 47% keen to cut operating costs. However, only 43% of European banks highlighted cutting IT budgets as a priority whilst 36% were focused on reducing operating costs. Productivity was highlighted as the most important factor for European banks by 46% of respondents.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Experian partners with UST on AI proposition

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 12:39:50 GMT

Global data and technology provider, Experian has extended its eight-year relationship with US-headquartered IT services provider, UST with a new AI-focused proposition. The new strategic partnership is designed to help financial services organisations accelerate innovation and enhance their offerings using AI technology.

The new partnership will initially combine UST’s GenAI Sandbox with Experian's Aperture Data Studio product, to enable more informed decision-making. UST’s GenAI Sandbox enables businesses to experiment with AI in a safe test environment. Meanwhile, Aperture Data Studio incorporates self-service data with pre-built Experian datasets in a data quality and enrichment platform.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Kyndryl expands Defra contract

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 12:33:45 GMT

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced a one-year extension to its existing contract with Kyndryl to support its core network infrastructure.

The extension, worth £2.28m, is to enable Defra to continue to bring down its technical debt as it moves to cloud. Kyndryl will be helping Defra modernise and manage the systems that run the department’s critical services to citizens. Aspects of the contract include modernising the Animal Disease Testing Service application and aiding the adoption of tech such as 5G-enabled edge computing and software-defined networking.

Government is a key market for Kyndryl in the UK, as is Financial Services. The firm also recently announced a strategic agreement with Co-operative Bank to migrate existing on-prem applications to Amazon Web Services.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Sopra Steria to acquire in the Consulting space

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 12:30:20 GMT

Back in December we heard at Sopra Steria’s Capital Markets Day the firm’s plan for the next three years which included a commitment to doubling its consulting business to 12% of revenue while targeting 60% from digital services. This shift towards higher-value services, coupled with their strong vertical focus in public sector, aerospace/defence, and financial services, is to be key to differentiating in a competitive marketplace.

The company also flagged up a €1bn M&A war chest signalling serious intent to consolidate its position in its key European markets. It looks like some of that money is going to be spent on acquiring French management consultant Aurexia, a boutique firm founded in 2006, with expertise in financial services, particularly in areas such as operational efficiency, compliance, and digital transformation. With 140 consultants and projected 2024 revenue of €20m (80% from France), Aurexia has demonstrated solid growth, expanding revenue 11% last year.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Cognizant lands £40m Home Office deal

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 10:50:58 GMT

Cognizant’s expansion into the UK Public Sector has taken another significant step forward in the shape of £40m win at the Home Office. The four-year call-off contract is for the provision of technical architecture services.

The award is the second sizeable success for the firm with department. In June 2023, Cognizant secured a £23m deal the provision of consulting, software development and support services for the Person Centric Data Platform (PCDP) which underpins the management of immigration. This latest announcement also comes just a couple of weeks on from the news that the company had picked up a £19m engagement with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

LTIMindtree names new CEO

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 10:48:06 GMT

LTIMindtree has appointed Venu Lambu as the CEO (Designate) & Wholetime Director with immediate effect. He will replace Debashis Chatterjee, who has been leading the offshore IT services company since its formation three years ago. No specific date for the formal passing of the baton has been published with the pair set to work closely together over the coming months “to ensure a smooth and seamless transition”. Lambu’s tenure will run until January 2030.

Based out of London, Lambu is no stranger to either his new employer or the current CEO. The two executives were colleagues at Cognizant between 2012 and 2019, before reconnecting at Mindtree twelve months later. Lambu left LTIMindtree in January 2023 to take up the helm at Randstad Digital, a Netherlands-based digital marketing company. He will bring a strong sales orientation to the new role.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Stefanini’s Commitment to Excellence – Recognized in the 2024 German IT Sourcing Study

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 15:16:46 GMT

Stefanini has been recognized as an ‘Exceptional Performer’ in Workplace Services and General Satisfaction in the prestigious 2024 German IT Sourcing Study by Whitelane Research. This acknowledgment highlights our continued success in delivering world-class workplace services that drive efficiency, innovation, and security for businesses across Germany.

Key points from the study include:

41% of German businesses are increasing their reliance on external IT providers to meet evolving workplace needs.
Stefanini’s services are designed to optimize costs, scale effectively, and enhance operational resilience.
We proudly maintain a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 73.8 in 2024, continuing a strong upward trend in client satisfaction over the past four years.

Read the full article here

Forward Emphasis Announces Significant Growth in its insurance services and further Investment in its RegTech Solutions as it unveils Bold New Brand and Vision

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 11:54:49 GMT

15^th January 2025; Ireland and UK based Forward Emphasis, celebrating 25 years in business, today announces its new brand and vision following its success in specialist insurance services, with a 23% growth surge in 2024, which has led to the opening of a second site and laid the groundwork for a greenfield campus in 2025 to support over 400 new jobs.

This growth underscores Forward Emphasis’s pivotal role in providing tailored, high-compliance services to insurers and financial institutions, reinforcing its dedication to fostering investment and job creation in rural communities.

Last week Forward emphasis was selected to join the Central Bank of Ireland’s inaugural Innovation Sandbox, one of 7 companies out of 40 applicants. Partnering with Pasabi they will develop and test a Motor Insurance Application Fraud Analytics solution, leveraging AI-driven behavioural analytics, machine learning, and pattern recognition to detect fraud in the pre-sales process.

The company is also accelerating its investment in RegTech, blending human expertise with emerging technologies and developing AI-driven solutions and automation tools to enhance compliance, streamline operations, and drive engagement, delivering solutions specifically designed to meet the evolving needs of the insurance sector.

CEO Paula Kennedy Garcia comments: “As we enter 2025, we are excited to launch our new brand and vision to fully convey the transformative potential of AI and emerging technologies in the regulatory space. Innovation is at the heart of our expansion plans, not only driving new capabilities but also generating economic growth and creating jobs. This new chapter reflects our unwavering commitment to shaping the future of compliance, technology, and customer service.”

Visit www.forwardemphasis.ie to see the new brand and vision.

Research: LLMs can compete with humans on creative tasks

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 11:46:21 GMT

1. Contrary to received wisdom, large language models can not only replace routine and repetitive work tasks, but they can also handle creative tasks as well as small groups of humans can.

2. The exception to this is creative writing, where humans continue to outperform AI. But with the sophistication of AI increasing all the time, even creative writing could be under threat.

The conventional wisdom that generative AI will replace only routine and repetitive work tasks, allowing human beings to concentrate on being innovative and creative, has, it seems, lulled us into a false sense of security. A new study from Cambridge Judge Business School finds that large language models (LLMs), such as generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs), can handle creative tasks just as effectively as small groups of humans can.

Read the full article on Management Today here.

Emerging ‘middle powers’ well-positioned to seize share of gen AI market

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 18:37:49 GMT

As gen AI becomes increasingly integrated into our lives and businesses, it should come as no surprise that the US and China have emerged as frontrunners in the field.

More than half (57%) of the top-performing large language models (LLMs) have been developed by, or in partnership with, US-based companies or academic institutions. US-based gen AI start-ups have also received unparalleled private investment – a total of $65bn since 2019.

This is according to research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which highlights how gen AI is transforming industries and becoming a more pivotal factor in geopolitics, requiring governments and businesses to adapt to stay agile in the face of evolving dynamics.

Read the full article on Management Today here.

SAP launch Green Ledger to transform carbon accounting

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:33:03 GMT

Following six months of piloting with seven selected customers, SAP has announced global general availability of its Green Ledger solution – designed to tightly integrate carbon accounting with customers’ financial accounting processes.

Designed with support from SAP partners (including EY, Deloitte, Accenture, and TCS, Green Ledger works by allocating carbon emissions to specific economic activities and transactions that are captured by SAP’s other solutions. This provides an ERP-centric approach that enables it to track and account for carbon emissions in relation to their financial impact, with data available to all business decision-makers – helping carbon accounting become more traceable, accountable, and auditable.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Survey highlights public concerns over data use and AI adoption

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:20:44 GMT

A new report from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has revealed that while public trust in data practices is improving, concerns about data security and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) remain widespread.

The findings from a survey that captured the perspectives of over 5,000 people, show that the public increasingly sees data as beneficial to society, particularly in creating products and services that improve lives. However, anxieties persist, with fears of unauthorised data sales, surveillance, and a lack of control over personal information being key worries. Older individuals were found to be especially concerned, reflecting themes frequently highlighted in news coverage.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Meta to lay $10b subsea communications cable around the world

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 13:02:24 GMT

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is planning to lay a $10 billion (£7.85bn) subsea communications cable that will straddle the world.

Meta will be the sole owner and operator of the 25,000 mile/40,000 kilometre cable: a first for the company. Meta has invested in around 16 other major subsea communications cable projects over the past decade, but hasn’t owned any of them outright.

The cable will route down the US east coast, cross the Atlantic to South Africa and curl around the horn of Africa before crossing the Indian Ocean. It will connect at Mumbai and navigate around India’s coastline, with a spur off to Chennai, before routing back to the US west coast, via Darwin in the north of Australia.

Read the full article on Computing here.

MoD hit by major cyberattack

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 12:58:26 GMT

The cyberattack, believed to have been perpetrated by Russian hackers, has exposed sensitive information of both military personnel, civilian staff and defence contractors.

As reported by The i, the stolen data includes email addresses and login credentials for the Defence Gateway portal, a critical online platform used by British military personnel.

While the system itself doesn't store classified information, it is essential for internal communication, HR services and access to health records.

The majority of the affected employees are based in the UK, but a number are stationed overseas in countries like Iraq, Qatar and Cyprus, as well as mainland Europe.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Amazon launches ‘Nova’ AI foundational models

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 12:29:32 GMT

Amazon has launched a range of new AI foundation models, dubbed ‘Nova’, as it seeks to keep pace with Microsoft, Google and Meta. With the ability to process text, image, and video as prompts, customers can use Amazon Nova-powered GenAI applications to understand videos, charts, and documents, or generate videos and other multimedia content.

Amazon has of course already invested billions in its partnership with Anthropic and already developed its own LLM called Titan. However, it seems the hyperscaler has no plans to solely rely on its partnership with Anthropic, and much like Google is seeking to advance its own IP creation, offering an alternative for customers as they seek to balance cost and performance.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Unlocking £111bn: How embracing new digital technologies could revolutionise UK business growth

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:48:34 GMT

It’s almost unfathomable, considering the seemingly infinite possibilities afforded to businesses through adopting emerging technologies, that the process of digital transformation could have stalled altogether in some UK firms in recent years.

But that is the suggestion of a recent report, which also found that if all British-based firms had increased their digital technology usage in 2021, the economy could have seen a boost in turnover in 2023 – to the tune of £111bn.

Read the full article on Management Today.

FCA launches new 'AI Lab' for financial services sector

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 09:57:02 GMT

The FCA has launched a new ‘AI Lab’, seeking to support innovators as they develop new AI solutions while deepening its own understanding of the risks and opportunities AI presents to the financial services sector.

The AI Lab has four components:

AI Spotlight, providing space for firms and innovators to share real-world examples of how they are leveraging AI, and to share emerging AI solutions. A showcase day will be held on 28 January 2025, and applications are already open;
AI Sprint, a policy sprint to be held on 29 and 30 January 2025, bringing together industry, academics, regulators, technologists, and consumer representatives to focus on how the FCA enables the safe adoption of AI in financial services. Applications will open soon, and interest can be registered now;
AI Input Zone, an online feedback platform that will open in the coming months, where stakeholders can have their say on the future of AI in UK financial services; and
Supercharged Sandbox, where the FCA will run AI-focused TechSprints and enhance its Digital Sandbox infrastructure through greater computing power, enriched datasets and increased AI testing capabilities.

Read the full article on Slaughter and May here.

AI in recruitment: ICO publishes recommendations

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 09:54:07 GMT

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published the outcomes from a number of consensual audits it conducted on the use of AI tools in recruitment in its audit outcomes report (Report). The ICO concluded that there were “considerable areas for improvement” regarding how personal data is being used by AI sourcing, screening and selection tools. While the ICO recognised that AI can innovate the recruitment process and noted many encouraging practices, they also identified a number of concerns. As a result, the ICO put forward almost 300 recommendations to the organisations involved in their audit, all of which were accepted.

Read the full article on Slaughter and May here.

CGI wins again at long-term client, CPS

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 10:48:00 GMT

CGI’s relationship with the Crown Prosecution Service can be traced back to 2001 when the non-ministerial department decided to improve its handling of cases by reducing reliance on the physical file. Logica, as was, signed the COMPASS contract, with an initial focus on a new electronic case management system. The contract evolved over the years to become a full outsourced ICT service and was extended multiple times.

CGI has maintained a strong footprint, including an Apps and Hosting contract, which has been extended to November 2025. Now, it has announced a further win as CPS’ Application, Database, and Infrastructure Management Services (ADIMS) partner. The focus of the contract will be on elevating the digital backbone of the CPS’ Future Casework Tools Programme; the Programme provides digital solutions to increase efficiency, enhance casework quality, and improve user experience.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

ATM Management Announces The ATM Group, a Major Milestone for the CX Group, Expanding its Operational Footprint and Multilingual Capabilities

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 14:28:17 GMT

London, 5th November, 2024 AT Management Limited is delighted to announce the formation of The ATM Group, operating across the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, and South Africa.

This expansion combines the expertise of AT Management (UK and Ireland), TCMS Solutions (Netherlands), SA Commercial (South Africa), and The Verity Centre (UK), marking a major milestone for the group.

With a team of over 1,000 colleagues and years of experience, The ATM Group provides tailored solutions, optimising processes to improve outcomes while handling more than 25 million customer interactions annually.

Founded by Andrew McArthur in 2007, The ATM Group has evolved from its beginnings in Bristol to become a leader in Revenue Generation (RX) and Customer Experience (CX), specialising in customer engagement at every step of the customer journey.

By leveraging AI, automation, and technology-led solutions, the group delivers significant efficiencies, enriching partner and customer experiences alike, particularly in the home, health, and leisure sectors.

“Our creation of The ATM Group marks an exciting new chapter of our ability to deliver even more innovative CX solutions” says Group Managing Director, Vimal Prema.

“Expanding our operational footprint also enables us to combine our UK expertise with a global perspective, helping partners create solutions that offer clear ROI. Our colleagues’ dedication to meaningful results is central to our overall success.”

Andrew McArthur, the company’s founder, adds, “This is about more than just geography; it’s about shaping the future of our industry. We are entering a pivotal year, and this new phase is designed to deliver a truly optimised experience for our colleagues, clients, and their customers. 2024 is our launchpad, and it’s only the beginning.

About:

The ATM Group’s core values of bravery, collaboration, and humility continue to guide its approach to both client and colleague relationships.

Its multilingual capabilities, covering over 10 languages, further enable tailored solutions for a diverse and growing global customer base. For more information, please visit www.atm.group

For media enquiries, please contact:

The ATM Group

Email: media.enquiries@atm.group

How Digital Tools are Transforming Supply Chain Management

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 12:31:31 GMT

Enterprises across Europe are turning to service providers who can offer IoT, predictive analytics, automation and AI in their supply chain management systems to increase resilience and reduce risk.

That's according to a new report report published by Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens Supply Chain Services report for Europe finds service providers in Europe have adopted a highly-targeted approach to the design and delivery of their supply chain services based on each client's digital maturity.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

Globality Secures US$47m to Propel AI-Driven Sourcing

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 12:27:36 GMT

Globality, a leader in AI-powered autonomous sourcing, has secured an additional US$47m in funding to drive its ongoing expansion.

It comes as Gartner finds interest in AI procurement use cases increased by 17 times in 2023 compared to the previous year.

The boost for Globality arrives through a Series D-1 and D-2 preferred stock offering, involving both existing shareholders and new investors such as Rollins Capital.

With this latest investment, Globality’s total capital raised stands at an impressive US$356m, continuing to fuel its growth in the competitive AI-driven procurement market.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

Are UK organisations embracing AI-driven transformation?

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 12:17:57 GMT

It is against the backdrop of these uncertainties that UK businesses are nonetheless pressing forward with AI initiatives, and, according to new research from BearingPoint, they’re bringing greater gusto to the task than elsewhere.

The consulting firm, which surveyed more than 700 C-suite executives around the world, found that 15% of UK companies are embracing AI enthusiastically, the highest proportion among the countries included in the research.

Furthermore, while only 12% of companies globally class themselves as active adopters with mature implementation of AI technologies across their organisation, this proportion is nearly double (21%) for UK businesses

Read the full article on Management Today here.

IBM Consulting Advantage provides new AI services for clients

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 12:08:38 GMT

IBM Consulting Advantage is an AI-powered services platform aiming to enables IBM’s consultants to embed best in class technology and AI assets in solutions. To further expand this new capability, IBM has announced the Granite 3.0 large language models has become the default platform for IBM Consulting Advantage.

The third-generation Granite flagship language model can outperform or match similarly sized models from leading model providers on many academic and industry benchmarks, according to IBM. This means IBM’s 160,000 consultants around the world can now easily access Granite to assist in client use cases from customer service to IT modernization, helping maximise clients’ return-on-investment for AI.

Read the full article on Consultancy.uk here.

Atos finalises Worldgrid disposal

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 11:55:46 GMT

Five months on from revealing the intent to sell its Worldgrid business to ALTEN , Atos has signed the binding €270m Share & Asset Purchase Agreement with the French Engineering and IT services specialist. The finalisation of the deal, which will close before the end of the year, follows Atos’s recent announcement that all of its planned financial restructuring transactions are expected to be completed between November 2024 and December 2024/January 2025

Worldgrid, which is focused on the energy and utilities sector, provides specialist consulting and engineering services. The business, which currently employs around 1,100 people, generates annual revenue of approximately €170m. ALTEN is itself an established player in the energy and utilities sector and is also the company that acquired UK-based Methods Group in 2022 (see: ALTEN acquires Methods).

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Hitachi Digital Services expands relationship with Mitchells & Butlers

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 11:03:42 GMT

Hitachi Digital Services continues to progress in the UK announcing a new two-year digital partnership with Mitchells & Butlers to manage digital engagement across its 17 High Street Brands.

Mitchells & Butlers is undergoing its own transformation looking to grow its digital business and develop an agile culture to support innovation and growth. Hitachi Digital Services has partnered on the deal with “Global digital services agency” Valtech, to support customer interaction across mobile, web, order and pay at table and home delivery. The new partnership is designed to drive efficiencies as well as enable new revenue streams via an ability to launch new digital features/business opportunities quickly.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

ABB: Using Sustainable Sourcing to Reduce Carbon Footprint

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:13:02 GMT

ABB reinforces its commitments to sustainable sourcing through a new partnership with ArcelorMittal, using XCarb steel to reduce its carbon footprint

ABB, a technology leader in electrification and automation, is partnering with ArcelorMittal to introduce XCarb steel, which is made with high levels of recycled steel, as well as 100% renewable energy for its trusted Kabeldon power distribution system.

The sustainable sourcing agreement helps reduce the carbon footprint of key electrification equipment by 29%.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

Aggreko: Are CEOs Balancing Net Zero Goals With Profit Needs

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:09:51 GMT

Aggreko, based in Glasgow and known for its energy solutions expertise, has released a fresh report detailing how CEOs are approaching their net zero targets amidst complex market conditions.

This report, built on a survey of 400 business leaders from across Europe, reveals shifting priorities and new challenges as executives face the energy transition.

Aggreko’s findings reveal a trend toward decentralised energy systems, with 87% of surveyed leaders now deploying energy solutions like on-site power generation or energy storage to align sustainability with financial stability.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

Finance leaders look to AI to help restore trust in non-financial data

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 09:00:06 GMT

An overwhelming majority of finance leaders are concerned about the integrity and reliability of their organisation’s non-financial data, according to EY’s latest Global Corporate Reporting Survey, but there’s hope that AI could provide some much-needed answers.

The survey collected responses from more than 2,000 finance leaders and 815 institutional investors around the world regarding the state of corporate reporting.

Among the key findings is an “almost universal” concern among finance leaders that the non-financial data produced by their organisations is not fit for purpose to support decision-making.

Legal AI tech startup Genie AI raises £13.3m

Shivani Kaura — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 21:44:18 GMT

Genie AI, a London based startup developing an agentic AI legal editor has raised £13.3m in Series A funding led by GV (Google Ventures) and joined by Khosla Ventures.

The company was founded by CEO Rafie Faruq and CTO Nitish Mutha back in 2017, with the aim of creating an AI legal editor that enables everyone to draft, review, edit, and negotiate legal documents more efficiently.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

TCS and NVIDIA deepen alliance for tailored industry AI

Shivani Kaura — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 21:36:40 GMT

TCS is planning to bring more tailored offerings to its customers through an expansion of its existing relationship with NVIDIA.

The pair have been partnering for five years and this deepening of their relationship is to support TCS as it helps more customers to scale their use of AI. TCS vertical experts have worked with NVIDIA (notably around the NVIDIA AI Stack, including AI Foundry, AI Enterprise and NIM Agent Blueprints) to create industry-specific solutions. For example, in Manufacturing using LLMs to turn raw data into actionable insights

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

How to build diversity into your transformation programmes

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 11:31:01 GMT

Transformation programmes offer golden opportunities to bring new ways of working to an organisation. Done well, they can subtly or profoundly change the culture of “how we do things around here”.

Step one is to know what the words “diversity”, “equity” and “inclusion” mean in an organisational context.

“Diversity” is not just demographics. True diversity is where people who bring difference do not have to assimilate into the prevailing organisational culture to succeed, thus giving leaders the opportunity to tap into different ways of thinking. “Equity” recognises that some people face more barriers and therefore need different support and resources to reach the same place as those with fewer barriers. The most powerful barriers are often intangible. “Inclusion” involves bringing differences into decision making, problem solving, and the development of ideas and strategies.

Read the full article on Management Today here.

Cargill & Nestlé: Leading Sustainable Chocolate Procurement

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 09:56:11 GMT

Nestlé, the Swiss food giant, is working towards halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with the ultimate aim of achieving net zero by 2050.

A key player in helping Nestlé achieve these targets is Cargill, one of its top suppliers, which plays a critical role in the company’s drive for sustainability by focusing on responsible procurement of cocoa.

It’s about rethinking the entire cocoa supply chain to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers, protect natural resources and enhance transparency.

Together, Nestlé and Cargill are developing new methods for sourcing ingredients and establishing agricultural practices that can significantly lower environmental impact, while ensuring long-term economic security for farming communities.

FCA launches an AI Lab

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 09:42:52 GMT

Highlighting the transformative effect that AI technology is expected to have on the financial services sector, regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has revealed the next step towards developing better governance. In a speech delivered at an FCA Innovation 10th anniversary event, the regulator’s Chief Data, Information and Intelligence Officer, Jessica Rusu announced the creation of an AI Lab to fuel collaboration around the development of future AI oversight.

The FCA’s new AI Lab is designed to help firms to overcome challenges faced as they develop and implement AI solutions, whilst also supporting the Government’s work around safe and responsible AI development. The creation of the AI Lab follows the launch in April this year of the FCA’s AI & Digital Hub, created in conjunction with the DRCF (Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum) and providing cross-sector guidance on AI solutions

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Microsoft and CCS sign new public sector pricing arrangement

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 09:41:35 GMT

Microsoft and the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) have signed a new agreement that will enable eligible public sector organisations to access cost savings across Microsoft’s suite of productivity apps and cloud services.

CCS first agreed a pricing arrangement with the company in 2020, providing beneficial terms for public sector organisations to use Azure Cloud Services. It was followed a year later by a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), called the Digital Transformation Arrangement 2021 (DTA21), which included Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

New Atos CEO from Feb 2025: Philippe Salle

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 10:29:39 GMT

It’s probably worth a roll-call of the Atos CEOs of the last few years. The last period of managerial stability for the Group was during Thierry Breton’s tenure as CEO for 11 years through to 2019. Since then, we have seen a further six CEOs in position, with another one revealed to be just around the corner

Now, the Group is looking ahead to another CEO starting in February next year. Atos has appointed Philippe Salle as Chairman of the Board of Directors with immediate effect and as Chairman and CEO from 1st February 2025. Mustier will act as CEO for the company until 31st January, with Atos keen to highlight its aim to ensure an “orderly, constructive and effective transition”; during that transition period he will be responsible for monitoring and ensuring the proper implementation of the accelerated safeguard plan

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

£6.3bn investment in UK data centres to power AI innovation

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 13:33:42 GMT

The UK government has announced £6.3bn of foreign investment into UK Data centre infrastructure, as part of a total £63bn in private investment committed at the International Investment Summit.

The new data centre investment will provide the UK with more computing power and data storage, so that Britain has the necessary infrastructure to train and deploy the next generation of AI technologies. The investment came from four companies:

CloudHQ
ServiceNow
CyrusOne
CoreWeave

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Three ways the environment megatrend is impacting procurement leaders

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 09:15:24 GMT

As the pressures of environmental degradation and diminishing natural resources increasingly impinge on the supply chain, procurement can play an essential role in nurturing a more resilient future. According to new research from H&Z, organisations must adapt to growing environmental pressures, from CO₂ management to circular economy initiatives.

“The Procurement Pathfinder 2024 is the result of a collaborative effort between H&Z, The Procurement Initiative, and The University of St. Gallen’s Supply Chain Institute. The Pathfinder 2024 is more than just a trend analysis; it’s an essential compass for procurement leaders,” the experts note.

Read the full article on Consultancy.uk here.

Public sector lags behind UK companies in AI adoption

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 09:11:46 GMT

UK businesses have emerged as AI leaders with more than a fifth of companies implementing AI technologies across their businesses.

This is according to a global study from consultancy BearingPoint, which found that while the UK statistics are nearly double the global average (12%), the country’s public sector is lagging behind on adoption of AI (13%) – despite the new government looking to explore future opportunities for growth with AI.

Read the full article on Management Today here.

How Kargo’s AI is Solving Critical Supply Chain Challenges

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 09:02:33 GMT

AI builds resilience by mitigating risks and improving decision-making through accurate, real time data. One of the biggest challenges in today's supply chains is inaccurate or outdated inventory data, which can lead to stockouts, over-ordering, or delayed responses to disruptions.

AI helps solve this by providing real-time, accurate insights into inventory levels, allowing procurement teams to make more informed decisions.

For example, by capturing inventory data at the dock door and updating existing inventory management systems, Kargo enables teams to realise inventory faster than manual processes. With Kargo, companies see a 30-50% improvement in inventory integrity.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

Researchers expose flaws in LLM reasoning abilities

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 09:00:24 GMT

A new study from Apple's AI researchers has exposed significant limitations in the reasoning capabilities of large language models (LLMs).

In a newly released paper titled "GSM-Symbolic: Understanding the Limitations of Mathematical Reasoning in Large Language Models," the researchers argued that LLMs, despite their impressive language skills, demonstrate a troubling degree of inconsistency when solving mathematical problems.

The study found that these models struggle with even simple mathematical problems when presented with even slight changes in the wording of queries.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Indian tycoon Ratan Tata dies aged 86

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 08:26:18 GMT

Indian tycoon Ratan Tata has died aged 86, says the Tata Group, the conglomerate he led for more than two decades.

Tata was one of India's most internationally recognised business leaders.

The Tata Group is one of India's largest companies, with annual revenues in excess of $100bn (£76.5bn).

In a statement announcing Tata's death, the current chairman of Tata Sons described him as a "truly uncommon leader".

Natarajan Chandrasekaran added: "On behalf of the entire Tata family, I extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones.

"His legacy will continue to inspire us as we strive to uphold the principles he so passionately championed."

Read the full article on the BBC here.

Meta teases AI video generation tool

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 14:28:42 GMT

Meta has now teased its own AI text to video tool, ‘Meta Movie Gen’. Not only will you be able to generate videos from user prompts, you can also use it to edit existing videos, and add sound (something Sora cannot currently do). Users can also use photos of themselves to create a personal video of them doing an action such as painting on a canvas.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Launching in 2025… The Procurement Survey

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 14:16:04 GMT

In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, effective procurement and supply chain management is critical for business success and resilience. Global disruptions, sustainability demands, and evolving technology are transforming how organisations operate.

At Procurement Magazine we are dedicated to empowering businesses with the tools and insights they need to adapt and thrive.

Launching The Procurement Survey in 2025 furthers this ambition to be part of the conversation, tell the success stories, share the strategies, and highlight best practices from those dedicated to innovation and sustainable business practices.

Working with Stakeholders for Sustainable Procurement

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 14:14:02 GMT

Stakeholder engagement is vital for procurement, to promote sustainability across supply chains. DP World shares how it makes working together work

Engaging with stakeholders is crucial for sustainability in procurement, as it creates an environment in which collaboration can flourish, transparency can be found and all parties can align on goals towards a number of issues — including sustainability.

By working alongside these groups, organisations can improve their decision-making, mitigate environmental and social impacts and build strong, more resilient processes.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

Transforming Public Procurement - National Procurement Policy Statement survey

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 16:25:13 GMT

The Government is changing the way it governs this country - setting long-term goals and breaking down silos. Mission-driven government means raising our sights as a nation and focusing on ambitious, measurable, long-term objectives that provide a driving sense of purpose for the country.

The Cabinet Office wants to understand how a new, mission-driven approach to public procurement could support delivery of the Government’s missions alongside local priorities.

Complete the survey here.

Indian businesses eye the UK for global expansion

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 16:13:35 GMT

Indian businesses are eyeing expansion campaigns in the UK, according to research from Grant Thornton. However, while 89% of India’s mid-market see the UK as the top market to grow into, many feel that a lack of a free trade agreement between the nations could be holding them back.

In spite of mounting human rights concerns relating to India’s incumbent nationalist government, UK businesses are clamouring to get tap into the country’s market. The country’s GDP is anticipated to expand by 8.2% in the current fiscal year, in spite of the global economy’s slower performance – and its huge population of 1.4 billion people, alongside its historically cheap labour market, means there is plenty of room for further expansion in the coming years.

Workday and Cognizant land Matrix deals worth £144m

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 16:00:55 GMT

Workday and Cognizant have been appointed as the enterprise resource planning (ERP) and systems integration (SI) services suppliers for the government’s Matrix Programme. This will see a single shared service centre established to deliver corporate services across finance, HR and payroll for nine departments led Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The ERP component of the contract with Workday is for ten years, with the Cognizant SI element running for five years; both parts can be extended by up to two further years. The maximum values of the deals are £81m and £63m respectively.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Cambridge spin-out Neutreeno raises funds for supply chain emissions mapping

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 10:28:30 GMT

University of Cambridge spin-out Neutreeno has raised $3m in seed funding in a round led by Regeneration.VC, with participation from Remarkable Ventures Climate Fund (RVC), Closed Loop Partners, Prequel Ventures, Scania Invest and Beacon Venture Capital.

Neutreeno’s tech uses proprietary process networks, material and energy flow analysis, and advanced “uncertainty models” to generate emissions data that enables enterprises to map their product lines faster—according to the company, providing insights based on as few as 10 data points per supplier whilst tracking 1,000s of products.

Read the full article here.

Accenture targets Agentic AI with Nvidia

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 10:16:19 GMT

Accenture has announced a significant ramping-up of its collaboration with the AI chip giant through the launch of a new Accenture NVIDIA Business Group.

The move will see the services provider train 30,000 of its staff on Agentic AI systems in areas such as process reinvention, AI-powered simulation and sovereign AI.

At the core of the initiative is Accenture’s AI Refinery™️, which both leverages the full NVIDIA AI stack (NVIDIA AI Foundry, NVIDIA AI Enterprise and NVIDIA Omniverse etc) and will be available on all public and private cloud platforms.

Read the full article here.

EY UK&I appoints first female boss

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 10:12:44 GMT

EY UK and Ireland has appointed Anna Anthony as its next managing partner effective from 1st January 2025. The first women to head the region, Anthony replaces Hywel Ball, who will continue as UK chair until a separate selection process for this post is completed early next year.

Anna Anthony became a partner at EY over 16 years ago and has been leading the firm’s UK financial services vertical since 2021. In her current role, she is responsible for over £1bn of revenue, 250 partners and 5,000 employees

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Cognizant UK positions for growth

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 10:04:43 GMT

The firm has been having a tougher time of it for the last eighteen months or so, albeit the company’s latest set of quarterly results both saw an acceleration in sequential revenue growth and pointed to an improving outlook for the remainder of the year. Although reporting that both the strong trading headwinds in this country persist and client purse strings around discretionary expenditure here remain tightly drawn, UK Head, Rohit Gupta had positive news to report. There have been notable recent successes on the large deal front here and the firm’s expansion in the UK Public Sector also continues apace.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Procurement Act go-live date delayed - what now?

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:17:59 GMT

On September 12th 2024, the Cabinet Office announced that the scheduled 'go-live' date for the 2023 Procurement Act was to be pushed back.

Instead of commencing on October 28th 2024, the Act will now come into effect on February 24th 2025 - a roughly 4 month delay.

In a Written Parliamentary Statement submitted on Tuesday 12th September, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office, Georgia Gould MP, explained that the Act's go-live date needed to be pushed back to provide time for the government to update the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS).

Read the full article on Tussell here.

SSCL announces partnership with PolyAI

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 09:23:24 GMT

Shared Services Connected Ltd (SSCL) has announced a partnership with conversational AI supplier PolyAI, as it launches Customer Experience Management, a new offering seeking to “revolutionise” traditional contact centre services with next-generation AI technology.

SSCL was fully acquired by parent company Sopra Steria in 2023, having previously been a joint venture founded by Sopra Steria and the Cabinet Office. The company provides a range of business support services for the largest UK government departments and agencies, including the Ministry of Defence, and police forces. Sopra Steria had a mixed H1 amid challenging market conditions, with the election acting as a drag on its SSCL Business Process Services operation.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Another DWP win for Capgemini

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 09:19:45 GMT

Capgemini has landed deal worth up to £10.8m with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to support its Management Information (MI) Foundations and Transformation initiative. The 21-month call of contract, which contains an option to extend for a further five months, will focus on delivering improvements to DWP’s core MI application, as well as its migration to a new AWS platform.

DWP has become one of the more significant UK Public Secor accounts for Capgemini, which continues to top TMV’s Central Government SITS Supplier Rankings.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Firstsource acquires Ascensos

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 10:04:44 GMT

Customer management outsourcer Firstsource has strengthened its position in the UK with the acquisition of Scottish-headquartered contact centre business Ascensos.

Ascensos has extensive operations in Scotland with business centres in Motherwell, Clydebank and Stranraer and has moved nearshore into Romania and Turkey, and more recently into South Africa and Trinidad. According to Companies House it generated operating profits of £0.7m on turnover of £64.1m in 2023 (FY 2022 £63m).

CGI wins major NI deal

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 09:57:15 GMT

CGI has won a substantial contract with the Department of Justice, Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS), which will run for a total of 20 years with a value of £85m.

The company will be NICTS’ delivery partner for its business and IT modernisation program, Themis (part of NCITS’ Vision 2030 Portfolio). The vision is of a digital-first, paper-light environment allowing for greater transparency, faster case delivery and increased accessibility through virtual services. Under the ‘build and run’ contract, CGI will collaborate with the existing Themis team to implement a five -year roadmap involving a new IT solution incrementally replacing legacy systems.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Financial Services Calls for AI and ESG Regulations to Realise Benefits, Says DLA Piper

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 09:00:34 GMT

Artificial intelligence (AI) and environmental, social and governance are some of the industry’s favourite terms to throw around. AI promises to make a huge impact on every aspect of financial services, while ESG principles are important to abide by to ensure firms look after the planet and their people.

In its global report, ‘Financial Futures: Disruption in global financial services‘, DLA Piper found that eight in ten respondents are optimistic about future industry growth prospects for the financial services industry, with UK (93 per cent) and US organisations (90 per cent) reporting the highest confidence. While banks appear to be the most optimistic (88 per cent), respondents from global fintechs feel the least positive about the future (72 per cent).

Read the full article on The FinTech News here.

UK struggling to build AI skills of disadvantaged communities

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 15:15:32 GMT

The UK stands to gain more than £700 billion from the impacts of generative AI, according to a new study, with close to half of all working hours in line to be disrupted by the technology. However, according to a new study from Accenture, some 8 million still lack basic digital skills, meaning they could be left behind during a potential realignment of the employment market.

Since generative AI has burst onto the scene, Accenture has worked on over 700 projects for clients exploring the technology’s potential. While it is still unclear what that potential is – beyond broad statements about improved efficiency, reduced costs, and more accurate, faster analysis of data – this has positioned Accenture well when it comes to reading the proverbial tea-leaves, and forecasting what kind of a future economy GenAI might help to build.

Read the full article on Consultancy.uk here.

Mansfield Building Society strikes deal with TCS to boost digital customer experiences

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 09:48:57 GMT

Tata Consultancy Services has announced a new deal with Mansfield Building Society to enhance member and intermediary experiences. The digital transformation will boost the building society’s customer service function, while supporting its ambitious growth plans.

A survey of customer service entities by McKinsey & Company shows that leaders are broadly agreed on the need to get digital right. Over half of respondents told the strategy consulting giant that the share of inbound contacts that take place through digital channels will exceed 40% in the next three years.

Read the full article on Consultancy.uk here.

Zevero raises $7m to expand AI-powered carbon accounting

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 09:44:06 GMT

London and Singapore-based Zevero has raised $7m (£5.3m) in a seed funding round led by Spital Capital, with participation from East Ventures.

Zevero’s AI-powered carbon accounting platform focuses on measuring emissions across supply chains in the fast-moving consumer goods sector, providing tools to help clients both meet their regulatory reporting obligations and also take steps to reduce their carbon impact.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

The three steps to achieving strategic agility

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:44:41 GMT

Strategic agility is the ability of a company to reinvent itself over time, changing its market focus, offerings and business model as needed in order to remain competitive and win in tough markets. Corporate history is full of examples of companies that failed to change when needed, either by ignoring or failing to notice market signals, or being unable to implement transformation.

Microsoft shifted from an operating systems company to enterprise and cloud services, then consumer electronics and, more recently via substantial investments, towards incorporating AI into its key offerings.

Read the full article on Management Today here.

Cognizant comes into bat for the ECB

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:37:28 GMT

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cognizant have announced a partnership which is set to offer recreational cricket fans, players and volunteers an improved digital experience.

The collaboration will also aim to provide a streamlined and inclusive digital experience that facilitates a more meaningful engagement for all participants with the game. The first phase is due to become operational in 2025.

Cognizant comes to the ECB relationship with significant experience of supporting major sports governing bodies in the UK.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Metro Bank looks to Infosys to drive its transformation

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:35:15 GMT

UK challenger, Metro Bank has struck a long-term deal with Infosys as the high street retail bank looks to reduce its cost base and turn around its fortunes by transforming its IT and business operations. Metro Bank has tasked Infosys with enhancing its IT and support functions, while digitally transforming many of the bank’s processes.

The collaboration with Infosys is designed to enhance Metro Bank’s digital capabilities, improve automation, refine data, and embed AI capabilities into the bank’s processes. To achieve this Metro Bank will leverage Infosys Topaz, an AI-first offering using generative AI technologies to deliver a consistent customer experience.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

The importance of authentic DEI integration

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:29:03 GMT

In recent years, many organisations have reassessed their approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This shift is partly driven by political narratives, especially in the US, where there’s a trend towards downplaying the need to drive the agenda, reintegrating DEI initiatives back into HR departments, and mis-using the term ‘woke’ with negative connotations. But according to Gita Singham-Willis, this approach risks undermining the very essence of what DEI stands for.

DEI cannot be confined to HR practices alone. DEI has to stand as much more than a set standard of initiatives, serving as a fundamental aspect of organisational culture and a crucial driver of long-term business sustainability.

Read the full article on Consultancy.uk here

Oxford Dynamics secures £2m GenAI deal with MoD

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 10:01:15 GMT

AI start-up Oxford Dynamics has secured an Enterprise Agreement Lite with the UK Ministry of Defence, worth up to £2m for its generative AI technology to assist with the searching, interrogation and summarising of complex data. This is the first AI-focused EA Lite contract of its type to be awarded by the MoD to a company, demonstrating the desire to use the innovative technology from UK start-ups to solve government challenges.

Oxford Dynamics was founded in 2020 by Shefali Sharma, Dr Edward Jackson and Mike Lawton, bringing together a blend of serial tech entrepreneurial and space industry expertise and unique AI research.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Generative AI boosts productivity in Indian IT sector: TCS exec

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 09:29:13 GMT

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT firm in India, is leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) to boost productivity in the rapidly expanding field of engineering research and design.

According to Sreenivasa Chakravarti, vice president of Internet of Things and digital engineering at TCS, this technological advancement signifies a major shift in the industry.

In an interview with Reuters, Chakravarti highlighted that generative AI has enabled TCS to cut product development cycles for its engineering clients by up to 20%.

Read the full article on Outsource Accelerator here.

Ransomware targets London branch of China's ICBC

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 14:38:21 GMT

One of the world's largest banks, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), has been hit by a ransomware attack.

According to The Register, cyber group Hunters International has claimed responsibility, saying they have stolen over 5.2 million files from the bank's London branch.

Hunters International, a relatively new ransomware-as-a-service operation, has threatened to release the stolen data if ICBC does not meet their demands by today's deadline.

The leaked data reportedly amounts to 6.6 TB of sensitive information. At the time of writing, ICBC has not issued a public statement regarding the ransomware attack.

OpenAI unveils new AI model that can mimic human thought processes

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 14:29:57 GMT

OpenAI has announced the release of o1, the first AI model in a new series designed to excel at complex reasoning tasks.

The highly anticipated model, codenamed "Strawberry," demonstrates "exceptional capabilities in fields like science, coding, and math," according to the company.

"We've developed a new series of AI models designed to spend more time thinking before they respond," OpenAI explained.

"They can reason through complex tasks and solve harder problems than previous models in science, coding, and math."

Serco looks to make an impact

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 10:43:49 GMT

Business Process Operations specialist Serco continues with its ambition on moving up the value chain with the launch of a new consulting business called +impact.

Serco’s new consulting brand is geared towards not only providing advisory but linking into the running of operations – as such Serco is looking to deliver the initial phases of a project right through to implementation and the running of operations. Much of this expertise already exists within Serco but has been lost in how the firm has gone to market. +impact should therefore help Serco engage at a more senior level and move up the food chain from operations into the C-Suite.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Garage sales nets Accenture £40m

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 10:41:20 GMT

Accenture has been awarded a contract worth up to £40.8m by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for the support of its Intelligent Automation Garage initiative. The call off agreement, which is for an initial term of two years with extension provisions for a further twelve months, is for the provision of digital, data and technology specialist resources.

Launched in 2017, the Garage is a collaborative facility which employs agile working methods to test and explore innovative ideas across a range of modern technologies, including Robotic Process Automation and Chatbots. Accenture’s work will span the production of deliverables and outcomes for both The Garage Delivery Factory and Live Service Teams.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

A Major Tilt Towards Technology in the NHS

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 10:40:53 GMT

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged the "biggest reimagining of our NHS since its birth" in a shake-up that prioritises wide-scale digital transformation of healthcare.

He revealed the government is developing a new 10-year plan to radically reform the NHS, describing it as "so different from anything that has gone before". The plan will be framed around three shifts in approach: 1) moving from an analogue to a digital NHS; 2) moving more care from hospitals to communities; and 3) moving from sickness to prevention.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

AWS makes £8bn investment commitment to UK data centres

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 10:28:43 GMT

Amazon Web Services (AWS) had said it will plough £8bn into its UK data centre infrastructure over the next five years.

The funding will support the building, operations, and maintenance of data centres. The precise locations of the new data centres has not been revealed, but the plan is to place them to support demand in London and “areas to the west”. The government is also in discussions with AWS about investments in other locations across the UK.

Since 2022, AWS has invested £3bn in facilities in London and Manchester. It is evidently money well spent with the hyperscaler continuing to grow strongly in the UK (if slower than historic highs). This is against a backdrop of a shrinking total software and IT services market in 2023 (our latest full year analysed).

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Mansfield BaNCS on TCS

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 10:18:47 GMT

TCS’s Financial Services platform BaNCS continues to prove popular with FS providers with Mansfield Building Society the latest to sign up.

The IT Services giant has announced a new deal to drive digital transformation within the 150-year-old building society, that is looking to grow the customer base of its mortgage and savings products. Specifically, TCS will deploy its BaNCS for Core Banking platform alongside its Digital Home Lending Solution, migrating the Building Society’s systems to the cloud. This is all designed to help improve customer and intermediary experience across all the main channels and streamline the mortgage process.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

EY: Tackling Sustainable Supply Chain Transformation

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 10:09:53 GMT

EY is widely recognised as an organisation committed to helping clients increase the value of sustainability and supply chain strategies.

By managing risk, building trust and improving decision-making in this space, businesses stand to achieve a number of positive results including reduced costs and enhanced operational effectiveness.

In recent years, there has understandably been a discernible shift at EY towards supporting clients as they harness the power of technology to achieve supply chain sustainability.

Read the full article on Supply Chain Digital here.

How are Mondra and Microsoft Reducing Scope 3 Emissions

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 10:04:10 GMT

Mondra is helping to make value chains more sustainable by reducing Scope 3 emissions with its apps, now available via Microsoft's Azure Marketplace

Mondra, part of the BRC Mondra Coalition, is working with more than 85% of the UK grocery sector to help them measure and improve the environmental performance of their products and reduce Scope 3 emissions through scaled product footprinting.

Retailers include Tesco, M&S, Co-op, Ocado Retail, ASDA, Lidl and Sainsbury’s, whilst major brands include Starbucks and Nando’s. Its suppliers span the likes of Avara, Samworth Brothers, Greencore, Pilgrims UK, Dunbia, Cranswick and Bakkavor.

How is Unilever Reducing Emissions Across the Supply Chain?

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 09:13:34 GMT

Launched in 2021, Unilever's Supplier Climate Programme saw a growing number of businesses within the supply chain accelerating their climate action.

Focusing its support on a subset of key suppliers whose materials contribute the most to its climate impact: around 300 suppliers that are equal to approximately 44% of Unilever's 'Scope 3' GHG emissions (outside its operations and within scope of our net zero ambition) that are related to raw materials, ingredients and packaging.

NEW RESEARCH SAP and Sibros take top spots in sustainability tech

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 11:51:24 GMT

Today, TechMarketView launches the first instalment of the Sustainability Technology Activity Index for 2024 with a sneak peek at Q1’s supplier data

The Index tracks “milestone events” that indicate a state change in the development and production of sustainability-related solutions

SAP and software-defined vehicle specialist Sibros came out on top in Q1, in terms of their level of sustainability activity worldwide. Our research also shows that, behind the major tech suppliers, there’s a very long tail of smaller companies involved in just one or two activities, indicating a fragmented market of niche (and less active) players.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

EY mulls appointing first woman as UK CEO

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 11:37:37 GMT

In 2023, EY named Janet Truncale as its next chief executive officer. The move was a landmark appointment at the top table of the professional services industry – with none of the Big Four auditing and advisory firms having previously been headed by a woman beyond an interim capacity.

One year on, EY could be about to see the same thing in its UK practice. EY’s UK business is the second-largest firm in its international network, behind the US – and to date, it has never had a woman in its top role. But a shortlist on which two-thirds of the candidates are women suggests this could be about to change.

How Microsoft is Tackling Emissions from Purchased Goods

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 11:29:26 GMT

Microsoft has announced the creation of a dedicated decarbonisation team tasked with reducing Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services

Microsoft has confirmed a trio of appointments specifically designed to help the company address its Scope 3 emissions.

They are:

Sofia Khan, former Net Zero lead for Meta and sustainability manager at Quantis;
Tim Hopper, a Microsoft veteran with over 20 years of experience across sustainability efforts;
Ray Waweru, former lead for sustainable procurement at Google and responsible sourcing manager at WeWork.

KPMG’s Sharad Somani stresses sustainability goals require a multi-faceted approach

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 08:29:52 GMT

With rapid urbanisation and industrial growth in Asia, waste management has become increasingly critical. The challenge of handling the vast volumes of waste generated requires companies to play a pivotal role in implementing innovative solutions and driving progress towards a more sustainable future.

Offering invaluable insights in this landscape is Sharad Somani, who leads the infrastructure advisory practice for KPMG Asia Pacific and is also the Head of KPMG ESG at KPMG in Singapore. His areas of expertise include project financing, economics and regulatory advisory, as well as energy transition.

A new MD for Capgemini UK

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 11:04:36 GMT

After six years at the helm of Capgemini UK, Paul Margetts is moving to pastures new within the group and will become the CEO of Capgemini Asia-Pacific as from the 1st October. The vacancy created by this move has been filled by Rob Walker, who most recently served as President of Global Growth Markets at Cognizant.

Paul, who joined the company in 1992, has successfully presided over a c.60% increase in regional revenue during his time as UK MD. The territory was not only the fastest growing of all Capgemini’s geographic units in 2023, but also again the best performing region in terms of profitability (see here). He has been both a champion of the Group’s push towards Net Zero and a leader within Capgemini’s on its progress to increase inclusion and social value. He leaves large shoes to fill as he heads east.

Sustainability Isn’t In A Recession, It’s Graduating From High School - The Dust-Up Over Unilever’s Recent Reframing Of Its Sustainability Commitments

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 08:19:30 GMT

It's been a dynamic and unsettling year for Unilever — from a major CEO transition and the decision to exit the ice cream business to a significant restructuring. The company, known for its global leadership position on sustainability, also announced that it was evolving its broad sustainability agenda, refocusing its resources on allocating to its biggest sustainability priorities.

Read the full article on Forbes here.

Implementing GenAI remains challenge for majority of firms

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 09:39:37 GMT

The excitement around generative AI continues to struggle to manifest genuine gains for businesses, according to a new report from Capgemini. While almost two-thirds of organisations have piloted initiatives with the technology, three-quarters say that large-scale deployment across their operations would be very difficult.

The importance of generative AI has risen steadily on the corporate agenda, over the last 18 months. The hype around GenAI, and its purported potential to reduce costs and boost efficiency and output has led to its fast-tracked adoption by businesses across the industrial spectrum – with one poll in mid-2024 suggesting 62% of respondents thought it would be crucial in the coming three years. Meanwhile, 57% said they were at least exploring use cases, and 58% were already piloting initiatives involving the technology.

Read the full article on Consultancy.uk here.

The Power of Responsible Sourcing

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 08:37:39 GMT

Embracing responsible sourcing is known to unlock new growth opportunities for businesses.

Climate change, circular economies, ESG and sustainability have all become business priorities over the past few years, with global supply chains sitting right in the middle of these issues – both as a major contributor to the problem and as an area of focus for improvements. Businesses must, therefore, purchase materials and products from companies that can show that they have good sustainability practices, from both a labour and manufacturing point of view.

Read the full article on Sustainability Magazine here.

Unleash the Power of Sustainable Sourcing in Supply Chains

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 08:34:27 GMT

Sustainability often starts in the supply chain. Without an effective sustainability program within the sourcing and procurement and supply chain functions, the rest of the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) footprint can quickly disintegrate.

Why it matters: To maintain competitiveness, organizations must build a diversified and resilient supply base that embeds sustainability into business operations. A key element of sustainable operations is sustainable sourcing.

Read the full article on Protiviti here.

TCS expands Primark relationship

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 09:15:17 GMT

In recent years, TCS has become one of the leading providers of IT Services to the UK retail sector developing an impressive roster of clients that includes the likes of Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, ASDA, Kingfisher, M&S, and Co-op. TCS has worked with fashion retailer Primark since 2016, having helped the company improve the reliability of its IT systems, notably around cybersecurity. TCS has now announced an expansion of this relationship with a new five-year deal to transform the retailer’s IT systems to help accelerate new store openings. Specifically, the IT services provider will look to drive standardisation and consistency within Primark’s IT estate with a “product-based operating model powered by intelligent automation and DevOps”.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Teleperformance Strengthens Its Governance to Accelerate Its Growth and Prepare for the Future

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 09:04:50 GMT

Teleperformance, a global leader in digital business services, announced today significant changes to its governance in order to accelerate its growth and foster innovation.

Its Board of Directors has decided to adopt a new structure to meet these three main objectives:

integrate best governance practices by differentiating the powers of the Board of Directors from those of management;
strengthen the DNA of the Teleperformance Group, in particular as it relates to entrepreneurship and its business development culture;
strengthen top management and implement a succession plan managed by an Ad Hoc Committee.

Read the full article on Morning Star here.

Klarna plans to cut workforce by nearly half with AI

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 14:10:55 GMT

Klarna, the prominent "buy now, pay later" fintech company, plans to significantly reduce its workforce as it continues to invest in the AI technology.

The firm, which is based in Sweden and has already shed over 1,000 jobs in the past year, aims to brings its employee count to as few as 2,000 in the coming years to streamline operations and prepare for a potential stock market listing.

In an interview with the Financial Times, CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski revealed that AI has played a crucial role in driving efficiency and reducing costs, enabling Klarna to achieve substantial savings by replacing human workers with AI-powered solutions.

McKinsey Offers Retailers Roadmap to Cut Scope 3 Emissions

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 08:57:55 GMT

Retailers could reduce their Scope 3 emissions by 15% by 2030 using existing technologies, or achieve up to a 50% reduction with new technologies, according to a recent report from McKinsey & Company.

Scope 3 emissions are the indirect emissions generated throughout a company’s value chain, covering activities from sourcing and manufacturing to transportation and beyond.

Unlike Scope 1 and 2 emissions, which are directly controlled by businesses and usually account for only about 5% of total emissions, Scope 3 emissions represent the vast majority of a retailer’s carbon footprint.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

KPMG lands huge civil service contract

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 08:49:06 GMT

A 14-month deal with the Cabinet Office will see KPMG manage learning and development services across the UK’s civil service, including overseeing courses on policymaking, communications and career development. It has been reported that the Big Four firm will “manage the catalogue of products and services” outlined in the deal. It will not directly supply training for accredited qualifications – those services will instead be delivered by universities, business schools and specialist providers.

Read the full article on Consultancy.uk here.

Generative AI can transform procurement, says Roland Berger

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 09:52:34 GMT

As the search continues for AI’s best use cases, a new report has suggested it could prove highly effective in the world of procurement. According to the report, generative AI in particular could have a key impact on strategic procurement functions.

With the world still in the grips of multiple supply chain crises, the role of technology has long been touted as a lifeline for the procurement function. Over the past 12 months, companies have turned to AI to automate processes, create content, and uncover new insights. But in the world of procurement, this can mean predicting disruptions long before humans can spot them or optimising inventory to meet fluctuating demand.

Read the full article of Consultancy.uk here.

Agile leadership is a must for future business success

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 09:32:35 GMT

The fast pace of digital, people, political and economic change means leadership teams must respond quickly and positively to new challenges and opportunities. Eman Al-Hillawi, CEO of business change consultancy, Entec Si, explains what agile leadership looks like, and how leaders can encourage their staff to follow suit.

Embracing change is the main principle of agile leadership. Leaders across sectors constantly face unpredictable situations and known unknowns when faced with new opportunities or breaking new ground.

Read the full article on Consultancy.uk here.

Bangladesh ends government outsourcing, moves workers to revenue sector

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 09:29:36 GMT

In a landmark decision, Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus, announced the termination of outsourcing practices in various government departments.

This strategic move will transition outsourcing employees to the revenue sector, providing them with permanent status. The decision is a response to increasing demands from workers and their representatives for enhanced job security and equitable treatment.

Read the full article on Outsource Accelerator here

AI to transform software developer roles at AWS, CEO predicts

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 14:05:51 GMT

Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Matt Garman has suggested that the rapid advancement of AI technology in the near future could lead to a significant shift in the roles of software developers at the company.

In a leaked recording of a recent internal fireside chat, Garman predicted that within the next few years, many coding tasks could be automated, forcing developers to acquire new skills and focus on more strategic aspects of their work.

"Being a developer in 2025 may be different than what it was as a developer in 2020," Garman said, according to Business Insider.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Teleperformance opens door to 800 new jobs

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 08:22:07 GMT

Teleperformance, a global giant in the business processing outsourcing (BPO) sector, is increasing its footprint in Jamaica with the opening of a new branch in this western parish.

The new branch will offer jobs to 800 more Jamaicans with Teleperformance which already has a staff complement of 3,700 in the island.

“We have never had anything of this magnitude in the parish that will seek to employ young people in the parish. Westmoreland is known for crime and violence. There was a time when we were number one for [crime]. This facility is a beacon of hope and is a rising star in the west,” added Perrin.

He supported Delancy, who said the launch is a significant milestone for not only Teleperformance but also for the people of Westmoreland.

Read the full article on Jamaica Observer here.

CGI to deliver MOJ’s digital service desk

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 09:30:07 GMT

CGI has been awarded the contract to deliver a Digital Service Desk for the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The deal will see the IT and business consulting services firm provide first line support and first contact resolution for IT services across the Department.

The 5-year contract, which has a total potential value of c.£35m, was awarded via the Technology Services 3 (RM6100) framework. It includes an initial term of 44 months followed by an optional 16-month extension period, potentially taking it to the end of May 2029.

CGI has been providing the service desk for MOJ since 2019. The new deal, which was awarded by competitive tender, will see CGI work with the Department to transform the service, including implementation of new services and delivery of increased efficiencies.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

ESG Regulatory Essentials

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 09:23:54 GMT

This is a regular publication from KPMG's EMA Financial Services Regulatory Insight Centre, providing key updates on the latest ESG regulatory developments impacting financial services firms in the UK and the EU.

2024 is a year of elections, and both the EU and UK saw a pause in major regulatory announcements as a result in the run-up to the summer break. In the UK, the new Labour government has committed to making the UK `the green finance capital of the world' via key initiatives on credible transition plans and aligning UK sustainability disclosure requirements with the ISSB and TPT frameworks. In the EU, policymakers will be challenged to enact a more competitiveness-focused agenda without downplaying climate aspirations.

Read the full article on KPMG here.

Forward Emphasis International Appoints New CEO

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 08:48:40 GMT

Paula Kennedy Garcia Appointed to Lead the Organisation into Its Next Era of Growth and Innovation.

Dublin, 21st August, 2024 – Forward Emphasis International (FEI), a leading provider of BPO and complex CX services in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector, is pleased to announce the appointment of Paula Kennedy Garcia, a seasoned award winning BPO leader and industry-recognised innovator, as its new Chief Executive Officer.

This strategic leadership appointment marks a significant milestone in FEI’s 25-year history of supporting market leaders in complex, regulated industries with a highly skilled, Central Bank of Ireland-accredited workforce from rural and remote areas in Ireland.

As FEI embarks on a new era of growth, the company, authorised by both the FCA and Central Bank of Ireland, is well-positioned to embrace the evolving landscape of CX and AI technologies. FEI remains deeply committed to fostering talent and innovation in rural communities, offering organisations a unique solution that combines advanced skill sets with attractive commercial models to sustain nearshore delivery.

Fiona Burns, CEO and Co-Founder of FEI, and now Executive Chair comments; “This is a dynamic leadership change and will mean our organisation and clients can further empower communities as we continue to expand our global impact. Paula brings outstanding leadership experience and a dedication to excellence. It is the perfect time for her to join us as we advance our strategy for innovation, growth, and development.”

Commenting on her new role, Paula said; “I am incredibly excited to lead FEI through this next era of growth. I will be looking to invest in innovative technology development and pioneer partnerships that will help clients navigate new horizons enabled by artificial intelligence (AI). Along with our highly qualified workforce, positioned to support brands across multiple verticals, our aim is to better support clients with long-term innovative CXM strategies as they integrate AI automation.”

Established in 1998, FEI has sites in Malin Head, Buncrana and Belfast and, as the first of their new growth plans has recently announced 40 new flexible working roles.

What is digital transformation?

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 08:36:52 GMT

Digital transformation is the rewiring of an organization, with the goal of creating value by continuously deploying tech at scale

That’s because technology, which is constantly evolving, is becoming further integrated in business. For example, given the growing importance of AI in generating business insights and enabling decision-making logic, any digital transformation should also be an AI transformation.

An estimated 90 percent of all organizations are currently undergoing some kind of digital transformation, according to McKinsey research.

Read the full article on McKinsey & Company here.

DLA Piper strengthens renewable energy practice

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 08:29:56 GMT

Within its renewable energy practice, DLA Piper has appointed Maddison Hardiman as a senior associate based in Melbourne.

This comes after a recent round of promotions within the DLA Piper renewable energy team, including the elevation of special counsel Simone Bajraszewski and senior associate Lisa Huynh, which corporate energy partner Chris Mitchell said would help the firm reach its strategic goals in this area.

“We’re currently advising on more renewable energy deals than any other law firm globally and continue to play a leading role assisting our clients to execute on their energy transition objectives across Australia and the broader APAC region,” he said.

Read the full article on Lawyers Weekly here.

How innovation can accelerate industry momentum

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 08:29:13 GMT

Sparking a new surge of growth through innovation can benefit an entire industry, but those who light the spark tend to gain the biggest rewards.

Our past analyses have shown that roughly 80 percent of a typical company’s growth comes from its core business. This is often interpreted to mean that if a business happens to be in a high-momentum industry, simply riding that wave will yield significant growth.

Read the full article on McKinsey & Company here.

AI to transform 92% of tech jobs, industry giants call for upskilling

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 09:14:38 GMT

Tech giants have released a report on the transformative impact of generative AI on the information and communication technology (ICT) sector and how upskilling and reskilling are needed to remain competitive.

“The Transformational Opportunity of AI on ICT Jobs” report was released by the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium, comprising major tech companies like Google, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, Intel, Cisco, Accenture, Indeed, and Eightfold AI.

Analysing 47 ICT job roles across seven job families, it found that AI will impact 96% of entry-level and 84% of mid-level positions.

Read the full article on Outsource Accelerator here.

Get perspective: How diversity can help you consider new ways of thinking

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 08:57:54 GMT

The data doesn’t lie: companies that are committed to diversity and inclusion outperform those that aren't. But the benefits of having a diverse workforce extend beyond the financial. There’s a strong correlation between diversity in influential company leadership roles and multiple indicators of holistic impact across workforce, community, and environmental components.

And diverse teams, with their unique experiences, perspectives, and knowledge, tend to bring more innovative ideas to the table compared with teams that are more homogenous.

Read the full article on McKinsey & Company here.

What does the future hold for India?

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 08:51:24 GMT

As India anticipates a century of independence in 2047, it is committing to sustainable and inclusive growth in its goal of becoming a developed economy. To understand how Indian enterprises can achieve the growth necessary to help propel the nation towards its centennial aspirations, McKinsey analyzed publicly traded companies over a 10-year period. The results of the research were clear and impressive. While most companies performed in line with national economic growth, one in five companies achieved a rate that was more than two and half times the GDP growth rate during the same period.

Read the full article on McKinsey & Company here.

Government orders review of tech sector shortages

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 09:31:30 GMT

The UK government has announced a comprehensive review of the IT and engineering sectors to address persistent labour shortages.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to investigate these sectors' reliance on international workers, amid concerns over high levels of immigration and years of failed promises by both Conservatives and Labour to control migration numbers.

In a letter sent on Wednesday, Cooper called on the MAC to identify specific roles within the tech and engineering sectors that are experiencing shortages.

She asked the committee to assess whether pay, training and working conditions in the UK are contributing to these gaps, and to explore how companies have adapted beyond hiring from abroad.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Top 10: Strategic Sourcing Platforms

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:23:17 GMT

Procurement is vital to the success of any business. Within this, strategic sourcing is a critical component for finding cost-saving opportunities and enhancing efficiency by optimising the supplier base.

The platforms listed in our top 10 are tools that can help businesses leverage their purchasing power to achieve the best-possible value when it comes to cost, quality and delivery.

This involves a comprehensive analysis of an organisation’s spending patterns, supplier market conditions and procurement needs to develop and implement long-term strategies for acquiring goods and services.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

CIPS: Procurement and Supply Chain Influence Ever Increasing

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 13:26:31 GMT

CIPS, in partnership with GEP, has published the Global State of Procurement and Supply 2024 report.

The document collected valuable insight from Chief Procurement Officers operating in today’s landscape, alongside Procurement Directors and Heads of Procurement and Supply, within 122 organisations with a combined turnover of US$73bn, uncovering how the environment is currently evolving for procurement and supply chain leaders.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

The UK government must widen scope of AI bill before innovation flatlines UK's approach risks damaging user trust

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 08:28:36 GMT

Already a leading global force in the AI revolution, the UK has established itself as a welcome home for digital innovation, with AI startups accounting for 22% of all UK tech investment.

But a threat to this growth looms on the horizon: as the Government remains vague on its plans for AI legislation, consumers' and businesses' fears about how their data is used by AI firms are steadily building.

Access to data is the very lifeblood of AI tools, models and businesses. And growing reluctance from consumers and businesses alike to share their data risks arresting our innovation in this space – and throwing our leadership in AI into jeopardy.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Accenture Finds Science & AI Double Transformation Success

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 08:33:58 GMT

Accenture’s latest report has found 96% of global organisations plan to invest more than 5% of their revenue in change initiatives in the next three years.

Meanwhile, research also indicates that only a small proportion of companies have mastered the ability to achieve value from these change initiatives.

Digitisation, automation, AI and technological advancements are shifting the way in which big businesses are working. The pressure to keep up and remain competitive is on, now more than ever.

The potential for disruption is also at a high, meaning the ability to navigate change must become a priority for industry leaders, including procurement professionals.

Read the full article on Procurement Magazine here.

Telefónica Tech completes integration of Incremental Group and Adatis

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 09:03:39 GMT

Telefónica Tech UK&I has reported that it has successfully completed the integration of Incremental Group and Adatis, which is acquired back in 2022. The combined businesses are now operating under a single global brand and end-to-end portfolio.

The UK&I business has also been in the midst of a strategic transformation which has seen the business launch a new cybersecurity brand NextDefense in March (, along with a renewed focus on levelling up its cloud capabilities, leveraging AI Copilot solutions for the workplace, and enabling low code app development and automation.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Greener Supply Chains: IKEA, Schneider Electric & npower

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 08:37:22 GMT

Green supply chains are revolutionising the logistics and distribution sectors by integrating environmentally sustainable practices into every phase of the supply chain.

This approach focuses on minimising environmental impact through the efficient use of resources, reduction of waste and adoption of renewable energy sources.

A report by DP World, in collaboration with studioID, highlights the financial benefits of this shift. According to the report, 82% of respondents indicate that embracing sustainability has enhanced their organisation's financial performance.

Read the full article on SupplyChain Digital here.

EXL to create enterprise-wide data and AI applications for insurance, healthcare, banking, retail and other industries using NVIDIA AI

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 08:56:40 GMT

EXL’s adoption of advanced AI technologies, powered by NVIDIA AI, aims to revolutionize the provision of fast and scalable AI in complex enterprise production environments. As a leader in helping clients redesign customer journeys and reinvent business models by integrating data, analytics and AI directly into critical workflows, EXL will play a key role in fine-tuning and applying the NVIDIA AI platform to highly specialized use cases.

Read the full article on Yahoo Finance here.

NTT DATA partners with Lynx Tech

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 09:00:22 GMT

NTT DATA UK&I has been expanding its Financial Services ecosystem of late (NTT DATA and iPipeline target growth in UK Insurance) announcing a new partnership with Lynx Tech, a fintech specialising in AI-driven fraud detection.

Lynx is looking to NTT DATA to help scale its activities in Europe initially focusing on the UK, Irish, Spanish, LATAM, and DACH markets, with particular emphasis on the UK and Ireland due to the upcoming Payment Systems Regulation (PSR) changes in October, which will mandate banks and payment service providers to reimburse scam victims.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

UK and India announce joint Technology Security Initiative

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 09:03:41 GMT

The United Kingdom and India on Wednesday announced the launch of a new Technology Security Initiative in a move to bolster economic ties and address critical global challenges.

The ambitious partnership aims to enhance telecom security, stimulate investment in emerging sectors, and foster collaboration in critical areas such as semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, biotechnology and critical minerals.

Read the full article here.

Sustainable Supply Chains: Industry Urged to Collaborate

Shivani Kaura — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 08:34:53 GMT

Industry leaders RS Group, CIPS, Schneider Electric & Siemens emphasise collaboration and circularity as crucial to sustainable supply chains

Supply chain sustainability is rapidly becoming a crucial topic for industry leaders, with many focusing on Scope 3 emissions and electrification.

One report from Accenture found that supply chains account for approximately 60% of global carbon emissions, whilst, notably half of all CEOs now view supply chain responsibility as integral to their sustainability strategy.

Read the full article on SupplyChain Digital here.

Cognizant launches AI research Lab

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 12:35:06 GMT

Cognizant has launched its Advanced Artificial Intelligence Lab, which will operate out of San Francisco. The lab is part of the firm’s plan to invest $1bn in generative AI over the next three years.

The Lab is focused on the science of AI, IP (it has 75 issued and pending patents), and research. A combined team of AI “pioneers”, PhD level researchers, and developers will work with other research institutions, customers, and startups to create cutting-edge AI technologies. Cognizant is looking to create the next wave of AI tech and wants to demonstrate it is at the forefront of innovation in artificial intelligence

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Capita reports £107mn annual losses, blames cyberattack

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 12:30:31 GMT

Capita, the outsourcing behemoth, has revealed staggering annual losses totalling more than £106.6 million ($135.5 million), with a significant portion attributed to a cyberattack it suffered last March.

The attack, identified as a ransomware breach orchestrated by the notorious Black Basta group, wreaked havoc on the company's financial health, resulting in direct costs of £25.3 million ($32 million).

Initially estimating the incident's impact at £20 million, Capita's revised figures underscore the extensive repercussions of the attack.

Read the full article on Computing here.

The Future of ESG

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:05:49 GMT

The ESG landscape is quickly evolving, and so is KPMG. We're keeping a strong pulse on how regulations and reporting demands are expanding. But more importantly, as we enhance our capabilities to best support companies on their ESG journeys, we’re dedicated to keeping financial value creation and business strategy front and center.

Read the full article on KPMG here.

Sustainability matters to tech buyers but cost remains top priority

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 14:26:08 GMT

When asked what was driving ESG within their businesses, more than half - 56% - of IT leaders cited a simple motivation to do the right thing. Admittedly, 32% had an eye on cost savings (which certainly ties in with a strategy of reducing waste), while matching up to industry best practice was the third most popular driver.

This suggests that industry standards matter, and are an effective way of encouraging individual organisations to raise the bar.

Read the full article on Computing here.

UK insurtech raises £8m

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 15:11:57 GMT

London-HQ’d algorithmic underwriting insurtech, Artificial Labs has secured a further £8m in Series A+ funding. The round was led by Augmentum Fintech, with participation from existing investors MS&AD Ventures and FOMCAP IV. This latest investment brings the total raised to date by the company to over £20m. The additional monies will be used to support both product development and continued expansion.

Founded in 2013, Artificial Labs has built a platform which uses cloud-based tools and machine learning techniques to facilitate fully automated, algorithmic underwriting.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

DSIT launches AI assurance toolkit

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 15:06:23 GMT

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has published a new ‘Introduction to AI assurance’ report, the first in a series of guidance to help organisations upskill on topics around AI assurance and governance, and build trust in deploying AI systems.

The document focuses on the underlying concepts of AI assurance, and aims to provide an accessible introduction to both assurance mechanisms and global technical standards, to help industry and regulators better understand how to build and deploy responsible AI systems.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

JP Morgan Leading way on Supplier Diversity in FS

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 11:45:52 GMT

Major financial services company JPMorgan Chase & Co is increasing diversity across its supply chain through a bespoke programme of initiatives.

The company’s Global Supplier Diversity programme promotes equity and inclusion across its value chain, facilitating the growth and development of businesses it helps.

“Building strong relationships is the cornerstone of our success,” the company says. “We place particular value in our supplier partnerships. It is thanks to the help of a diverse range of suppliers and advisors that we we are able to serve our clients, shareholders, communities and employees more efficiently.”

Read the full article on Supply Chain Digital here.

HSBC and Google Cloud partner to support climate technology

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 09:27:18 GMT

Banking giant, HSBC has formed a new strategic partnership with Google Cloud focused on supporting climate technology innovation. In 2022 Google Cloud launched Google Cloud Ready (GCR) - Sustainability designed to vet the validity of organisations in the climate/carbon reduction sector. Meanwhile, HSBC has made a commitment to deploy $1bn of finance to support climate technology.

The new collaboration will see the bank provide financing for companies wanting to participate in the GCR Sustainability programme.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Post Office inquiry told that fixing bugs was too costly and time consuming

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 09:20:57 GMT

The Post Office inquiry heard from two former Fujitsu staffers yesterday

A software developer at Fujitsu who raised the issue of bugs within the Horizon software that the Post Office rolled out from the late 1990's has told the inquiry into the Post Office scandal that the company did not fix the bugs because it was too expensive and too time consuming. It isn't the first time the inquiry has been made aware of damaging decisions being made due to worries about cost.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Accenture takes a flyer on Redkite

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:36:51 GMT

Accenture has bought London-based Redkite Data Intelligence Limited. The purchase complements that made nearly two years ago by the firm of UK cloud and digital transformation consultancy Infinity Works. The acquisition sees 230 professionals join Accenture’s Data & AI practice in this country. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Founded in 2018, Redkite’s capabilities range from data strategy development to architecting and implementing modern data platforms.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Supply Wisdom Fortifies Leadership to Accelerate Innovation and Growth

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 12:13:37 GMT

Supply Wisdom, the market’s only full-stack, real-time risk intelligence SaaS platform powered by AI, today announced that enterprise software executive Tom Thimot has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Atul Vashistha, Founder, Chairman, and former CEO of Supply Wisdom, will remain as Chairperson of the Board.

Supply Wisdom’s full-stack AI-based SaaS platform turns open-source data into risk intelligence and is the market’s only software to cover all major risk domains in real-time: financial, cyber, operational, ESG, compliance, Nth party, and location-based risk.

Read the full article on SupplyWisdom here.

Atos and WWF announce sustainability-themed partnership

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 09:21:40 GMT

Atos has announced a three-year strategic partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to leverage technology and expertise in pursuit of twin sustainability goals: supporting biodiversity conservation, and helping companies decarbonise their operations.

Four main initiatives have been announced. The first sees Atos developing “responsible IT solutions” for WWF and its partners, spread across three projects: combining AI and geospatial imagery to automate biodiversity surveillance; developing a machine learning algorithm that focus on hotspots for the emergence of zoonoses (diseases that jump the species barrier); and improving existing spatial monitoring and reporting tools already widely used by 50,000 WWF agents in wildlife and ecosystem conservation projects across 80 countries.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

CGI announce partnerships in health and education

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 10:16:47 GMT

CGI has announced two strategic partnerships today, in the fields of healthcare and education.

Firstly, a tie-up with specialist Field Service Management software provider Totalmobile, designed to “reshape how health and care services are delivered” across the latter’s UK client bases, in an era of growing demand for services that often exceed staff capacity; and secondly, with Edinburgh Naper University, to bring the latter’s research capabilities to areas such as “improving health and security outcomes for society” by leveraging CGI’s own IT and business advisory services expertise.

On the education front, the Edinburgh Napier partnership sees the university sign up to CGI’s Sustainability Exploration and Environmental Data Science (SEEDS) programme.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Capita plc (‘Capita’) today announces it has secured a new contract to manage the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) for the Cabinet Office from September 2025 in a deal worth £239m over 10 years.

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 15:34:06 GMT

The CSPS is one of the largest public sector pension schemes in the UK.

Under the new contract, Capita will modernise pensions administration systems through enhanced system design and digital innovation.

We will integrate generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology to transform the pension experience for CSPS members, providing them with personalised and engaging digital channels to better plan and manage their retirement savings.

Enhancing the end-to-end customer experience will create more intuitive and innovative interactions for both our client and pension members, while providing the insights to support a data driven approach for employers within the scheme.

Read the full article on Capita here.

OpenAI staff demand board resign over Sam Altman sacking

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 15:27:07 GMT

Staff at OpenAI have called on the board of the company to resign after the shock dismissal of former boss Sam Altman.

In a letter, they question the board's competence, and accuse it of undermining the firm's work.

They also demand Mr Altman's reinstatement.

The sacking on Friday of a man who is one of the leading figures in artificial intelligence (AI), shocked the tech world.

Natwest and IBM enhance CX with Gen AI

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 10:32:10 GMT

Natwest and IBM are enhancing the bank’s virtual assistant, Cora, with generative AI to enable customer access to a wider range of information through conversational interactions.

The move is part of the bank’s wider strategy “to help customers achieve financial wellbeing through personalised support”.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

The road to reform - Procurement Act 2023

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 09:25:10 GMT

The long-awaited Procurement Act 2023 (“the Act”) has finally received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023.

This will see the UK adopt its own bespoke set of rules to govern public procurement from October 2024.

The new regime will not only move away from the universal language of the EU Directives but will also consolidate the currently separate sets of regulations governing public sector contracts more generally and those specific to utilities, defence and concessions.

Read the full article on TLT here.

Capita extends Eircode contract

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 09:23:21 GMT

Capita has won a three-year extension to operate Eircode, its contract with Ireland’s Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) to develop, rollout and operate the National Postcode System in Ireland. Capita first won the contract back in 2013 in what has become one of its highest profile and most significant public sector contracts in Ireland.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Biden Issues Executive Order on safe use of AI

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 09:21:32 GMT

As we gear up for the UK AI Safety summit this week, where numerous tech companies and international governments will be attending to discuss how to control and govern the development of AI, the U.S clearly did not want to give the UK all the limelight. Yesterday, President Biden issued an Executive Order outlining a host of new U.S. standards for AI safety and security.

Within the order there are a large number of actions outlined across; new standards for AI safety and security, protecting Americans privacy, advancing equity and civil rights, supporting workers, protection for consumers, patients and students, promoting innovation and competition and ensuing responsible and effective government use of AI.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Crown Commercial Services signs with Arvato

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 09:17:41 GMT

Berkshire-headquartered Arvato CRM Solutions the business process operations specialist, has won a three-year contract to provide financial analysis and due diligence services for the Crown Commercial Services (CCS).

The new contract will see Arvato CRM Solutions help CCS assess the financial strength of companies competing for government contracts as part of its due diligence process. Arvato will receive relevant financial information, supporting documents and commentary, checking the data’s accuracy before assessing whether each business is financially capable of delivering the work they are tendering for, and then making a recommendation to CCS.

Read the full article on TechMarket View here.

Cognizant to help one million individuals acquire digital skills

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 12:56:03 GMT

Cognizant has announced the official launch of its Synapse training initiative which aims to equip more than one million individuals with digital technology skills by 2026. Working in collaboration with governments, academic institutions, businesses, and other strategic partners, Cognizant will leverage AI technology and its tech services capabilities to help prepare individuals for the future workforce. Cognizant also intends to build a consortium of partners for training and jobs which then will employ individuals who are upskilled through the Synapse program.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Webhelp Applauded by Frost & Sullivan for its Superior Customer Experience (CX) Solutions, Relevance, and Market-Leading Position

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 09:19:11 GMT

Recently Frost & Sullivan analysed the customer experience outsourcing services industry, and based on its findings, recognizes Webhelp with the 2023 Americas Nearshore Company of the Year Award. The company designs, delivers, and optimizes game-changing customer journeys to enhance experiences in a business-to-consumer and business-to-business environment.

Webhelp adopts the right mix of people, processes, and technology to bring reliable and agile transformation capabilities to its clients, and partners with companies to speed up their time to market and provide continuous process enhancement rooted in ongoing innovation initiatives

Why we organise digital training for girls — NGO - Women Connect

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 09:15:23 GMT

As part of efforts to empower girl child, a non-governmental organisation, Women Connect, organized a digital training in Lagos for young girls between the ages of 7-16, in commemoration of this year’s International Day of The Girl Child.

The Founder, Women Connect, Oyinlola Sale, stated that the platform was established to inspire, empower and inform women. “Like the saying goes, you train a girl child and you train a nation. Girls are the future of the world and we need to train them to be independent leaders that will make the world a better place. That is what inspired us to create the Girl Child Empowerment Programme in partnership with Devnaija Academy Ltd.

Read the full article on Vanguard here.

Supplier Diversity is the Present and the Future

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 08:45:31 GMT

NMSDC finds that companies with diverse supplier bases show 133% greater return on procurement investments.

Investing in supplier diversity programs can also impact a company’s talent recruitment and retention. In a survey conducted by Hootology on behalf of UPS, 52% of respondents said they consider a company’s supplier diversity and inclusion programs when seeking employment.

Corporate leaders with diverse supplier bases, like Microsoft, Target, and UPS, have more efficient procurement processes and higher supplier retention rates.

Read the full article on Supply Chain Management Review here.

Teleperformance recognized as a global leader in customer experience management services for 9th year by Everest Group

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 08:30:24 GMT

It’s the ninth year that Teleperformance has led the CXM PEAK Matrix by Everest Group, an independent research firm focused on strategic IT, engineering services, business services and sourcing.

In positioning Teleperformance a global leader in CXM services, Everest Group cited the Company’s strengths including its global size and scale which allow it to serve most major industries in more than 300 languages and dialects; its variety of as-a-service models to support clients with hiring and onboarding, operational efficiency and productivity improvement; and Teleperformance’s proprietary generative AI platform.

Read the full article on Director's Club here.

KPMG UK launches Advisory – a new business that unifies Deals and Consulting

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 08:26:08 GMT

KPMG UK has announced it will combine its Consulting and Deal Advisory arms to create a new practice called Advisory.

The combined business simplifies the firm’s organisational structure and better meets KPMG UK’s client needs with an ‘end-to-end’ service under one roof.

The combination is already working successfully in other KPMG member firms and aligns to KPMG’s multi-disciplinary model, enabling its people to access greater professional development and broader experience. The new Advisory business will be led by Lisa Fernihough and will start serving existing and new clients from 1 January 2024.

How gen-AI is getting faster and learning to admit it doesn't know

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 11:32:01 GMT

The arrival of user-friendly large language models has shoved the possibilities of generative AI firmly into the public consciousness.

These capabilities have led some analysts to predict an annual 27% growth rate for AI over the next ten years.

But even their biggest fans would have to admit that these applications are not perfect.

"Computers can do many things way faster than humans, but in this case the state of the art is slow," says Jonathan Ellis, CTO and cofounder of DataStax.

Read the full article on Computing here.

Cabinet Office selling SSCL stake to Sopra Steria

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 10:01:37 GMT

Sopra Steria is set to fully acquire SSCL, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of the Group. The purchase price is £82.3m in cash (not far off half of the £200m extra investment that the Government, a few weeks ago, committed to the NHS this winter). So, on top of the savings already realised by UK Government due to back-office improvements (in excess of £750m), there will now be an extra boost to the public purse. For Sopra Steria, SSCL will be “accretive to (the company’s) net result and EPS from Day 1”.

Over the last ten years, SSCL has grown substantially both in terms of customers served and the services on offer. The JV’s foundation customers were DWP, Defra, Cabinet Office, and the Environment Agency

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Customer Care BPO Market expected to Witness a Sustainable Growth over 2021-2032

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 08:47:17 GMT

There are several key trends in customer care BPO technology. One is the move towards more integrated and automated systems. This means that companies are using more software to automate tasks and to manage customer interactions. This can help to improve efficiency and to reduce costs.

The Customer Care BPO Market report includes players such as Alorica Inc, Foundever Operating Corp, Simply Contact International, Webhelp Inc, Telus International Cda Inc, Arvato, Sykes Enterprises, West Corporation, Infosys BPM, and Concentrix Corp.

Read the full article on Digital Journal here.

ESG momentum: Seven reported traits that set organizations apart

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 08:33:22 GMT

More than nine in ten respondents say that ESG subjects are on their organization’s agenda. While environmental topics are recently the ones making headlines, just one-third of respondents rank environmental issues as their organization’s greatest ESG priority.

Survey respondents report that their organizations are not just paying lip service to ESG: many say their organizations are making meaningful ESG changes that have demonstrable benefits. More than two-thirds of respondents say their organizations have achieved broad impact from their ESG efforts in the past three years.

Read the full article on McKinsey & Company here.

AI, M&As to drive Stefanini’s investments by 2026

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 08:22:02 GMT

Brazilian IT multinational Stefanini projects investments of 1bn reais (US$200mn) over the next three years, concentrated on AI development and acquisitions.

Generative "AI is revolutionizing the market,” CEO and founder Marco Stefanini told reporters on Friday.

Stefanini, which competes in services with the likes of Accenture and TCS, is partnering with big techs such as Microsoft on genAI products. Amazon, IBM, Google, Salesforce, SAP, ServiceNow, Siemens and Honeywell are some of its other traditional tech partners.

Brand image key driver of supplier diversity - supplier.io

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:43:23 GMT

Organisations are turning to supplier diversity programmes to enhance their brand image, a new study shows.

The study – the State of Supplier Diversity 2023 – is from Supplier.io, an SaaS-based data analytics provider that helps companies optimise and scale supplier diversity programs.

It claims that the business value of supplier diversity remains “strong and broad”, with companies investing in supplier diversity to enhance their brand image (53% of respondents), win new business (46%) and to align with corporate culture and workforce inclusiveness (81%).

Read the full article on SupplyChain here.

LRQA launches ESG initiative based on UN SDGs

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:29:04 GMT

Leading supply chain ESG assurance specialist LRQA has launched a sustainability initiative based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals that is designed to help other businesses follow suit.

LRQA consults on, and certifies, the ESG performances of global industries and their supply chains in a broad range of sectors.

Its new initiative – Our Planet, Our Plan – outlines the company’s internal ESG commitments over the next seven years, using verifiable third-party data to substantiate its sustainability claims. Data is made transparent and accountable by an online dashboard that publicly tracks its performance.

Teleperformance launches TP Configuration, an AI-driven platform to enhance service delivery

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 08:33:30 GMT

Teleperformance, a global leader in digital business services, today announced it has launched a new AI-driven digital solution for clients that enables faster, more efficient, and improved business processes.

TP Configuration is an integrated, unified and scalable platform for managing the end-to-end agent lifecycle and improving operational performance.

Teleperformance clients using TP Configuration in their programs have seen significant efficiency, accuracy and customer experience benefits across a variety of industries.

Read the full article on PR Newswire here.

Exl Service : EXL releases fourth annual Sustainability Report

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 08:27:36 GMT

EXL , a leading global data analytics and digital operations and solutions company, announced that it has published its fourth annual Sustainability Report, which highlights its progress across key environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance metrics.

"Sustainability holds a central place in our company's mission and purpose and we integrate sustainability into our strategic vision, organizational culture, brand identity, and the solutions and services we provide to our customers," Rohit Kapoor EXL's vice chairman and chief executive officer.

Procurement workers urged to adopt AI, but finance needed

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:36:22 GMT

Research carried out by Globality & Art of Procurement has found that nearly two-thirds of procurement leaders want their companies to adopt & invest in AI

Procurement professionals have urged their companies to act now and adopt AI for their businesses, having asked for financial assistance to make this a reality.

The ultimate goal of AI in procurement is to automate various aspects of the procurement process and therefore enable organisations to make better and more informed decisions, optimise resource allocation and drive operational excellence.

90% believe AI adoption will make procurement more strategic

Read the full article on Procurement Mag here.

Three good reasons to be cheered by California carbon reporting law

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:33:40 GMT

Tech giants among others will have to disclose carbon emissions under new California law

A first of its kind Californian law will soon require companies with annual revenues above $1bn to disclose carbon emissions - both direct and indirect.

The law was signed last weekend by Governor Gavin Newsom and is catchily known as Senate Bill 253 (SB253.) It doesn't sound at first like a wildly exciting development, but SB253 is a radical piece of legislation and if enacted as intended it is likely to have a significant and positive impact on global emissions.

After Accenture acquires Objectivity, it now acquires The StoryTellers

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:26:29 GMT

Accenture has acquired The Storytellers, a London-based creative management consultancy.

Founded in 2003, The Storytellers focuses on helping business develop and deliver compelling narratives to support both the execution of internal transformation initiatives and the deployment of new business strategies. The firm employs more than 30 professionals with expertise covering facilitation, skills-building, creative communications, and immersive digital and live event production.

We aim to export $9bn worth of outsourcing services by 2026: Communications Minister

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:22:45 GMT

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly visited the Smart Village, where he met with five of the largest international companies in the field of information technology and outsourcing services. He was accompanied by Amr Talaat, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

The Prime Minister emphasized that this visit reflects the government’s support and encouragement for foreign direct investment in Egypt, as well as its efforts to boost the export sectors and develop the outsourcing and cross-border information technology industries.

Read the full article on Daily News Egypt here.

AWS partners with EXL, EduBridge for imparting cloud education in India, Philippines

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 08:27:09 GMT

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has partnered with digital solutions company EXL and workforce development company EduBridge to impart cloud education to unemployed individuals in India and the Philippines, a statement said.

EduBridge in the statement said that the 12-week cohort-based workforce development programme equips learners with foundational knowledge and skills for entry-level positions across cloud technology, IT operations, site reliability, and infrastructure support.

Read the full article on India Retailing here.

New Technology Giant Emerges From Concentrix, Webhelp Merger

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 08:23:05 GMT

Concentrix, a leader in customer service and technology, and Webhelp, a global provider of customer experience and business solutions, announced the completion of their merger on Tuesday. The new company will operate under the temporary name “Concentrix + Webhelp” until a new name is chosen.

The merger positions Concentrix + Webhelp as a global leader in the customer experience sector, with an expanded portfolio of AI solutions and digital capabilities. It also enhances the overall customer experience value proposition with one of the strongest and most balanced global footprints in the sector, helping the world's top brands transform customer experiences and reach their business goals.

CGI & University of Leicester launch Sustainability Lab

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 09:28:07 GMT

CGI is continuing to invest heavily in sustainability initiatives, and the fight against climate change, in the UK. On Monday this week, it launched a new Sustainability Lab in partnership with the University of Leicester.

The University of Leicester is a founding member of CGI’s research initiative, Sustainability Exploration and Environmental Data Science (SEEDS).

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

AI is a 'top investment priority' for CEOs: KPMG survey

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 08:12:38 GMT

Artificial intelligence is a top investment priority for business leaders.

More than two-thirds of US CEOs rank investment in generative AI as a primary priority for their company, according to a new KPMG survey of 400 US chief executives.

"This is not hype," KPMG US chair Paul Knopp told Yahoo Finance Live. "It will be disruptive, and CEOs are paying close attention.

IBM CEO has no intention of eliminating a single programmer through AI

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 09:05:13 GMT

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna has made it clear that his intention is not to lay off any programmers due to AI but rather to increase hiring.

Speaking at the Fortune's CEO Initiative conference in Washington, DC, Krishna stressed the importance of dispelling the misconception that associates productivity gains with job losses.

He provided insight into IBM's own experience with this shift, arguing that the technology would in fact generate more jobs than it would eliminate and that AI would enhance the productivity of programmers by up to 30%.

HyperAutomation - Pursuing productivity through accelerated digital transformation

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 08:56:34 GMT

The UK automation scene remains a maturing market that continues to change and develop rapidly, with users, buyers and suppliers of associated solutions all struggling to surface maximum business value among the confusion and hype.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

India’s IT moonlighting plummets 70-90% — tech experts

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 15:16:07 GMT

The practice of moonlighting in India’s tech sector dropped significantly due to a subdued job market, limited freelance gigs, and a return to office-based work.

Prasadh M.S., head of workforce research and analytics at staffing company Xpheno, said there is a 70-80% reduction in moonlighting compared to last year, mainly due to fewer projects available for software developers and UX designers.

Similarly, Sunil Chemmankotil, CEO of staffing firm TeamLease Digital, said the fall in moonlighting underlines that it is “no longer a candidate’s market.”

India-Canada rift could stall new outsourcing deals

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 15:11:29 GMT

Ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and Canada may hinder Indian IT companies from finalizing new outsourcing deals with Canadian businesses.

Indian IT firms favour Canada due to its straightforward visa processes and pro-business environment. Canada contributes about 4-5% of revenues for India’s major IT firms.

IT giants like Infosys and Wipro have expanded in Canada, while Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) partners with Canadian entities such as Bombardier and Payments Canada.

At the same time, numerous Canadian companies also operate their Global Capability Centres in India.

Tech firms power India’s 2023 IPO boom

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 15:07:09 GMT

Despite global economic headwinds, India emerged as the top IPO market in 2023 thanks to its booming technology and communication sectors.

According to a report by GlobalData, of the 750 IPOs worldwide raising US$147 billion in January-August 2023, India secured the top position in the number of IPOs with 152, totaling US$3.8 billion.

GobalData Company Profile Analyst Murthy Grandhi said India stood out in the first eight months of the year despite global economic uncertainties and geopolitical conflicts.

Read the full article on Outsource Accelerator here.

EXL Opens in Dublin

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 15:00:18 GMT

EXL, the data and analytics focused Business Process Services (BPS) player, is expanding its operations into Dublin with the establishment of a new headquarters.

EXL has been one of the stand out performers in the BPS space of late, posting growth of over 25% last year . The BPS provider’s largest business unit focuses on analytics and it’s here where EXL has carved a real niche

DXC lands CPS service desk partner contract

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 14:57:22 GMT

DXC has landed a contract with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for England & Wales as its Service Desk Partner. The £9m, “multi-year” contract will, according to Derek Allison, VP UK Public Sector, Aerospace, and Defence, see DXC “evolving on-demand IT support to an agile service desk model” to better support the CPS’ 7,000 staff in delivering casework quality.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

P&G India And WeConnect International Unveil ‘Women Entrepreneur Development Program’

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 08:27:39 GMT

Procter & Gamble India (P&G India) in partnership with WEConnect International, conducted the next edition of the Women Entrepreneur Development Program (WEDP).

About 30 women entrepreneurs, who were selected via an application process, graduated from the two-day program aimed at their capacity development.

As part of the program, senior leaders from P&G conducted training and workshops with case studies covering various aspects of building a sustainable business including professional skills like business strategy, finance capital, new customer outreach and more, including strategic inputs for driving business growth.

Read the full article on Everything Experiential here.

A new era for procurement: Value creation across the supply chain

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 08:19:04 GMT

It’s increasingly clear that the resulting shifts in how people live, work, and play are not temporary but structural, beginning a new economic era characterized by volatility, regionalized supply chains, AI dominance, and talent scarcity.

To succeed in the new environment, organizations are currently embedding agility, technology, and innovation into every aspect of their value chains.

Read the full article on Mckinsey & Company here.

Steve Waygood: ‘We will come clean if we fall short of our net-zero goal’

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 08:11:51 GMT

Aviva Investors’ chief responsible investment officer was on the advisory committee that helped create the Principles for Responsible Investment in 2006 — the UN-backed network of financial institutions that promotes environmental, social and governance factors. It was the same year he joined the £221bn asset manager.

In March 2022, Aviva published its first climate transition plan, setting its sights on achieving net zero by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s 2050 target.

Waygood says Aviva Investors will own up if it fails to meet that commitment. “It’s something we want to do and put our best foot forward in trying to achieve. But we’re not saying we’re going to do it at all costs no matter what the circumstances are in the future. And if we don’t deliver it, we’ll be very open and honest about that and say why.”

Teleperformance named among the top 10 Best Workplaces in Europe

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 09:02:17 GMT

Teleperformance, a global leader in digital business services, announced today that it was named among the top 10 Best Workplaces in Europe™ 2023 by Great Place to Work®. The company ranked the 7th Best Workplace in Europe among multinational companies in France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey and the U.K.

Teleperformance employees across Europe participated in the annual confidential survey, which rated the digital business services company on trust, company values, leadership and innovation.

NGOs call for higher budget to fund conservation projects

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:56:32 GMT

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are urging the Federal Government to prioritise environmental conservation for Budget 2024.

Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) president Vincent Chow said allocations for environmental projects in previous national budgets had been insufficient.

“We want the government to give its full commitment to protecting the country’s environment,” he said.

Read the full article on The Star here.

Concentrix closes Webhelp deal

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 08:12:49 GMT

Earlier this week, US-headquartered customer services giant Concentrix signed the deal to buy French-headquartered rival Webhelp, in an acquisition first announced back in March (see Concentrix agrees to buy Webhelp for $4.8bn).

The combined business is likely in due to course to get a new name and identity and is expected to have c.$9.8bn in revenue for FY 2023 on a pro forma basis. The new combined operation is to be led by current Concentrix CEO Chris Caldwell.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

KPMG launches global ESG Academy, in collaboration with Microsoft

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 08:16:40 GMT

KPMG has launched the KPMG ESG Academy in collaboration with Microsoft and some of the world’s leading universities and institutions. The scalable, turnkey academy leverages the KPMG Learning Enablement and Analytics Platform.

The Academy course material is structured around the latest business thought leadership in environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics, with content developed by globally recognized ESG specialists from leading universities and institutions, in collaboration with KPMG subject matter professionals in sustainability.

Read the full article on KPMG here.

One in ten IT leaders say AI will help solve talent crisis - but twice as many think it will cost jobs

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 08:13:33 GMT

Organisations are turning to AI to automate a host of business processes, Computing research finds

Among 120 senior IT leaders polled in Computing's recent research into IT strategy, 47% said they were actively using more AI/ML products and in their businesses more than last year. A further 30% said they were consuming more AI passively, since it is increasingly present in the products and services they use.

Read the full article on Computing here.

UK risks falling behind in the global race for green investment

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 08:38:46 GMT

Simon Virley CB, Vice Chair and Head of Energy and Natural Resources for KPMG in the UK, said:

“Large-scale business investments in the industries of the future, like electric vehicles and low-carbon heating technologies, and their accompanying supply chains, are only possible if there are stable, long-term policies in place.

The constant uncertainty that comes with changes in target dates and commitments, simply makes it harder to attract the investment we need to boost the UK economy and reach our legally binding Net Zero goals. The risk now is that the UK will continue to fall behind in the global race for green investment, and our homegrown businesses will lose out.”

Read the full article on KPMG here.

AWS helps NatWest to embrace generative AI

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 09:00:57 GMT

Leading UK bank, NatWest Group, is expanding its use of AWS in order to accelerate its utilisation of AI as part of its ongoing transformation. The bank is building on its existing strategic relationship with AWS as it looks to develop a range of new, AI-powered financial products and services.

As a result of NatWest’s latest move, specialists from AWS’ newly launched $100m Generative AI Innovation Center will work with NatWest employees in an effort to develop AI products on top of the foundation models that are made available via APIs through Amazon Bedrock.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Hilary Eastman joins KPMG UK to lead on ESG reporting

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 08:29:57 GMT

KPMG UK has appointed Hilary Eastman as a partner in its accountancy advisory services wing. She joins the firm to lead the support it provides clients as they look to comply with new ESG reporting requirements.

As environmental, social and governance (ESG) becomes more important to consumers, who are increasingly inclined to shun companies with poor ESG track-records, companies are struggling to adapt while still performing well as a business. This is seeing a growing demand in the $9 billion market of sustainability consultants, who can help proactively improve upon ESG issues without diminishing business outcomes.

Read the full article on Consultancy.uk here.

EY goes large on AI

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 10:26:37 GMT

EY has joined the growing stampede of IT and business services companies making big bets on Artificial Intelligence. The Big Four firm has announced the launch of EY.ai, which it describes as a unifying platform designed to accelerate enterprise adoption of AI. The product of a $1.4bn investment, the platform brings together the firm’s internal capabilities with an extensive AI ecosystem.

The latter includes include Microsoft (which provided EY with early access to Azure OpenAI capabilities), Dell Technologies, IBM, SAP, ServiceNow, Thomson Reuters and UiPath.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Netzero wins 2023 edition of KPMG Tech Innovator Competition

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 08:59:51 GMT

KPMG announced Netzero as the winner of the third annual KPMG Private Enterprise Tech Innovator competition on 6 September 2023, recognizing the most impactful and promising start-up in Saudi Arabia.

Netzero, provides solutions for companies in Saudi Arabia to offset their carbon emissions by streamlining nature-based solution deployment and afforestation in a cost effective and transparent manner.

According to Mohammad Alkhalid, Founder of Netzero, this solution would ensure developing sustainable communities, promote good health and well-beings by improving air quality and finally would support climate action by promoting a greener ecosystem in harsh environments.

The road to net-zero: How businesses are managing the climate transition

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 08:48:28 GMT

The research shows that companies across sectors and around the globe are committed to net-zero and are already pushing ahead with the delivery of transition plans in the short-term. However, they are facing challenges on that journey. The most important barrier to developing a net-zero plan – named by 50% of companies overall – is costs and scale of capital expenditure. This is closely followed by three related roadblocks: lack of feasible technological solutions; regulatory challenges; and difficulties in measuring and monitoring impact.

Read the full article on Zurich here.

Revealed – the biggest challenge to AI deployment

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 08:38:01 GMT

Insurance-focused global law firm DLA Piper has released a report outlining the challenges to artificial intelligence (AI) deployment.

The report analysed the connections between AI, governance, and risk and explored how organisations deploy AI programs and the challenges they face.

“While the transformative potential of AI seems boundless, it also presents risks. This report emphasises the pivotal role of good governance in unlocking AI's transformative potential in a fragmented regulatory landscape,” said Nicholas Boyle, partner – intellectual property and technology, at DLA Piper.

Read the full article on Insurance Business here.

CBRE becomes a Founding Corporate Partner to OutBritain, the UK’s First LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 08:19:36 GMT

CBRE has expanded its inclusive supply chain by becoming a Founding Corporate Partner to OutBritain, the UK’s first LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. Connecting with certified diverse suppliers is integral to CBRE’s Supplier Diversity Program and to achieving its goal of spending at least $3 billion with diverse suppliers by 2025.

The first LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, and independent certification body, OutBritain is the only existing UK organisation that verifies eligible businesses are majority owned (51 per cent or more) by LGBTQ individuals and can grant certified LGBT Business Enterprise status. As such, this partnership will play a critical role in connecting CBRE with the UK’s vast community of LGBTQ-owned businesses.

Teleperformance launches AI maturity assessment toolkit to help companies evaluate strategies for AI success

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 08:30:47 GMT

Teleperformance, a global leader in digital business services, announced it has launched an AI Maturity Assessment Toolkit to help companies understand the capabilities necessary to successfully implement AI to help transform their organization for employees, customers and other key stakeholders.

The free Teleperformance AI Maturity Survey is designed to help organizations understand not only the capabilities required for success, but the right combinations of capabilities across data readiness, operational strategies, infrastructure, talent and more.

Read the full article on Directors Club here.

KPMG US launches new AI and digital innovation group

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 10:35:16 GMT

KPMG US on Friday announced the establishment of an AI and digital innovation group led by newly named vice chair Steve Chase, effective October 1.

Chase’s promotion to vice chair will give emerging technology leadership a seat at KPMG’s management committee, the Big Four accountancy said in a press release.

“To support our leadership ambitions and unlock the next phase of growth for KPMG and our clients, the new AI and Digital Innovation group will set a firmwide innovation agenda that will enhance how we serve our clients, transform our operations...," said CEO Paul Knopp.

BPO: powered by technology and IT skills

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:07:00 GMT

Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a complex business requiring sophisticated and stable technology that integrates seamlessly and securely into clients’ operational systems.

CCI is taking the challenge seriously and is now turning to impact sourcing to grow its own skills.

With the experience of sister organisation CareerBox showing the effectiveness of impact sourcing, and his own life experience, Pretorius is confident that the approach of growing skills from scratch is a winning formula.

Read the full article on IT online here.

Cybersecurity in the age of generative AI

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:00:07 GMT

In the latest McKinsey Global Survey on AI, 40 percent of respondents said their organizations plan to increase their overall AI investment because of advancements in gen AI.
Nevertheless, few companies seem fully prepared for the widespread use of gen AI—or the business risks these tools may bring: 53 of organizations acknowledge cybersecurity as a gen AI-related risk, but only 38 percent are working to mitigate that risk.

Read the full article on Mckinsey & Company here.

Goldman Sachs Report Recommends Buy Rating for Everest Group: A Promising Investment Opportunity

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 09:45:13 GMT

On September 9, 2023, esteemed research analysts from The Goldman Sachs Group released a report providing comprehensive coverage on Everest Group (NYSE:EG), offering valuable insights into the company’s stock. In this report, Goldman Sachs analysts awarded Everest Group with a “buy” rating.

As of the opening on Friday, EG shares were priced at $367.22. Over the past twelve months, Everest Group has witnessed a fluctuation in its stock performance, with a low of $244.57 and a high of $394.99. This volatility indicates potential opportunities for investors to capitalize on market trends.

Read the full article on BestStocks here.

Deloitte grew 14.9% globally last year

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 11:09:53 GMT

Deloitte, the biggest of the “Big Four” consultancies, reported its global results yesterday achieving aggregate global revenue of $64.9bn for FY2023 (year to the end of May), up 14.9% in local currency (9.3% increase in US$) on the prior year.

Deloitte is also the biggest of the consultants in TMV’s UK SITS Supplier Rankings 2023 sitting just inside the ‘Top 20’, marginally ahead of rival PwC. Deloitte’s SITS activity operates within its Consulting practice which saw revenue grow 19.1% to $29.6bn last year, off the back of demand for digital transformation.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

UK government outlines five objectives for AI safety summit

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 09:53:53 GMT

The UK government has set out five objectives for its AI safety summit in November, which will be held at Bletchley park.

The AI Safety Summit will bring together key countries, as well as leading technology organisations, academia and civil society to inform rapid national and international action at the frontier of Artificial Intelligence (AI) development.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Top 10 uses for artificial intelligence (AI) in procurement

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 09:30:56 GMT

Procurement Magazine takes a look at 10 of the top use cases for artificial intelligence (AI) in procurement including

Being a fast-paced and highly competitive market, procurement faces extreme pressure to deliver cost savings, manage risk, and ensure that they meet ESG standards. To ensure the function is agile in order to keep up with changing dynamics, artificial intelligence (AI) can transition the function from reactive to proactive and push data-driven insights.

With the emergence of Generative AI, the solution has sparked a surge in investment for the technology that is expected to value at US$2 trillion by 2030.

Sourcing: Unveiling The Key To Effective Talent Acquisition

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 09:23:35 GMT

As recruiters and businesses strive to find the best talent that aligns with their needs and organizational fit, the process of talent acquisition becomes paramount. One essential aspect that plays a crucial role in this process is sourcing.

Strategic sourcing enables businesses to access hidden talent, develop a solid talent pipeline, and ultimately improve recruiting decisions. It expedites the hiring process while simultaneously helping to improve the quality of new hires, which boosts output and enhances organizational performance.

Read the full article on Brightmove here.

Unveiling the carbon code: Reimagining AI integration for a sustainable future

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 14:36:01 GMT

The interest in artificial intelligence (AI) has grown rapidly in recent years, not least with the development and launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT, investment from Microsoft and competitor tools such as Google Bard.

There has also been a marked increase in research, and development and adoption of AI by businesses has been rapid. If the IBM Global Adoption Index 2022 is anything to go by, then a staggering 35% of organisations have already adopted AI in their daily business operations, with an additional 42% of organisations reporting to be actively exploring various AI options that are right for them.

Read more on Computing here.

PwC & o9 Solutions combine on supply chain services

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 11:05:28 GMT

AI software specialist o9 Solutions has struck a strategic supply chain alliance with PwC US, the companies have announced.

The alliance combines PwC's technical capabilities and o9’ Solutions AI-based supply chain management solution, called the ‘Digital Brain'. PwC US will work as o9 Solutions' Digital Brain integrating partner in the market.

Areas of focus will be commercial planning, forecasting, demand and supply management, and integrated business planning.

Using digital and AI to meet the energy sector’s net-zero challenge

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 10:10:09 GMT

Renewable-energy and sustainability leaders from RES, Octopus Energy, and IBM discuss how digital and AI can help drive efficiency, innovation, and collaboration to reach net zero.

With digital and AI capabilities increasingly embedded in organizations over the past five years, we wanted to hear firsthand how companies focused on renewable energy and sustainability are applying them to accelerate the net-zero transition: What initiatives are being driven by AI and digital?

Read the full article on McKinsey & Company here.

AI focus pays off in profitability for Salesforce, maintains double-digit growth

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 09:57:53 GMT

Salesforce has announced it results for Q2 2024, showing revenue up 11% year-over-year in constant currency to $8.6bn.

Product-wise, recent months have seen the company focus on rolling out generative AI right across its portfolio – plus ramping up its functionality to support ESG reporting with Net Zero Cloud.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Aviva welcomes Jason Storah and Tracy Garrad in pivotal CEO roles

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 09:46:09 GMT

Aviva is a leading player in the insurance sector, recognised globally for its robust insurance solutions and services. With a broad portfolio that caters to various segments, the company has entrenched its position as a trusted name in the industry.

Jason Storah, a seasoned professional with two decades in the industry, has been appointed as the CEO of UK & Ireland General Insurance. Tracy Garrad, boasting an illustrious career in financial services, insurance, and healthcare, will be stepping into the role of CEO of Aviva Canada.

Read the full article on FinTech Global here.

KPMG appoints new CEO

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 15:29:52 GMT

KPMG executive chair Matt Prichard has announced the appointment of incoming chief executive Jason Doherty.

Doherty will step into the role on December 1, succeeding Godfrey Boyce who is retiring after 39 years with the firm, seven of those as CEO.

Doherty has held a range of leadership roles across KPMG New Zealand and has worked at both the local firm and KPMG in the United Kingdom.

Computing unveils new sustainability initiative

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 15:26:24 GMT

Sustainability is an issue that is becoming ever more important in the list of priorities for the average business.

Customers are rightly beginning to question the sustainability credentials of their suppliers and are demanding greener technology solutions.

As the UK government pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2050, the level of emissions spewed out by every industry needs to be tackled.

Read the full article on Computing here.

EXL to Participate in 2023 Citi Global Technology Conference

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 15:14:18 GMT

Exl Service Holdings, Inc. ("EXL") a leading data analytics and digital operations and solutions company, today announced that Rohit Kapoor, vice chairman and chief executive officer, will participate in the 2023 Citi Global Technology Conference in New York. A company presentation and simultaneous webcast will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Read the full article on Benzinga here.

What is diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 14:40:01 GMT

Companies that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive are better able to respond to challenges, win top talent, and meet the needs of different customer bases. With DEI in mind, companies are considering how to better support employees. Over the past few years, many organizations have taken strides to build diversity, equity, and inclusion into their policies and hiring practices.

Read the full article on McKinsey & Company here.

Kainos invests in generative AI

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 09:44:04 GMT

Digital services and platforms provider, Kainos, has announced that it is set to invest £10m in the development of generative AI as it looks to embed the use of the technology in its business processes. The Belfast-based firm says that the new investment will see it train more than 1k of its employees in the use of AI tools.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Meta EMEA: Connecting communities through supplier diversity

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:47:09 GMT

“Meta's mission is to give people the power to build community and to bring the world closer together,” says Krystle Sands, Head of Supplier Diversity for the EMEA region at Meta. “When it comes to supplier diversity, Meta’s mission is to create opportunities for diverse-owned companies to do business with Meta, and the people and communities that Meta connects.”

The supplier diversity programme at Meta is one of ambitious proportions, but it has already exceeded expectations.

How IBM and Microsoft collaborate to help supply chains

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:39:49 GMT

IBM and Microsoft are expanding their AI collaboration programme , including their procurement and source to pay solution

The partnership will help their joint clients accelerate the deployment of generative AI, and also provide a new offering of expertise and technology to innovate their business processes and also scale generative AI effectively.

It is part of a series of offerings that IBM and Microsoft have been collaborating around AI, leveraging IBM Consulting skills and Azure OpenAI Service with the target of developing potential solutions and tackle specific use cases.

Read the full article on SupplyChain here.

PwC UK up 16% as it invests £100m in emerging tech

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 13:14:48 GMT

The big SITS related announcement was PwC’s willingness to invest more than £100m in a range of emerging tech partnerships that included collaborations with Harvey (see PwC announces partnership with generative AI Harvey), Microsoft and Icertis, and ContractPodAI, alongside generative AI skills training for all staff. Cloud technologies were also cited as helping improve Audit delivery.

Professional services firms, particularly partnerships, have been criticised for being slow to invest in emerging tech, AI and automation, with a reluctance to see profits drop in the short term a significant barrier to adoption.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

The role of diversity and inclusion in tackling biased AI

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 08:50:20 GMT

The more perspectives and lived experiences that are reflected within the AI and data science workforce, the better-equipped organisations will be to actively spot even the most implicit biases that could result in unfair, reputationally damaging outcomes.

Yet the World Economic Forum has found that 78% of the global AI workforce are male – and gender diversity is only one part of a multifaceted picture.

Human oversight and inclusion in the development and deployment of AI technologies is not a nice to have – it is essential.

Read the full article on BusinessCloud here.

Teleperformance launches new state-of-the-art global shared services center in Hyderabad, India

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 08:37:36 GMT

Teleperformance, a global leader in digital business services, announced today that it launched a new state-of-the-art global shared services center in Hyderabad, India.

The new center in Hyderabad currently has 500 employees dedicated to Teleperformance's Global Business Services practice, which centralizes and provides critical support leveraging data analytics and next-generation AI technologies to administer back-office services including workforce management; technology

Read the full article on PR Newswire here.

1 in 4 Large Law Firms Expect Generative AI to Replace Jobs Internally in Next 5 Years

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 08:23:36 GMT

At least one in four top commercial law firms expect generative artificial intelligence to replace jobs within their firm within the next five years.

In the latest survey, Reed Smith, Hogan Lovells, Stephenson Harwood, and Charles Russell Speechlys all said they expected internal jobs to be replaced by the technology.

Read the full article on Law.com here.

10 questions to ask suppliers for more sustainable tech

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 13:10:30 GMT

Tech buying decisions are complex and finely balanced. Commercial considerations of efficiency, productivity and the ultimate impact on bottom line must be balanced with vendor and partner relationships, integration with legacy infrastructure and security.

However, many technology departments and organisations now include sustainability considerations (and often wider ESG criteria) when issuing tenders and also at the earlier stages of building strategy.

Read the full article on Computing here.

It’s (past) time to get strategic about DEI

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 16:29:01 GMT

Companies have committed to being more diverse, inclusive, and equitable, but many struggle to make significant progress in these areas. Here’s how they can meet DEI ambitions—now and in the longer term.

Five steps are critical for setting and achieving successful DEI strategies.

Aspire. Align on the vision.
Assess. Build the fact base.
Architect. Develop the plan.
Act. Mobilize capabilities and resources.
Advance. Measure progress to scale and sustain momentum.

Read the full article on McKinsey & Co here.

DLA Piper adds renewables partner from PwC

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 08:28:36 GMT

Global law firm DLA Piper has appointed a projects and infrastructure partner from big four accounting firm PwC, who will be based in its Melbourne office.

Luke Westmore has joined DLA Piper, having come over from PwC Legal

Mr Westmore stated: “The firm offered a clear strategy which focused on their sector strengths and commitment to ESG, which aligned with my outlook and values.”

KPMG participates in 700 volunteer activities for Community Impact Day

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 10:57:17 GMT

KPMG employees donated their time to over 475 nonprofits for the firm's second Community Impact Day, an annual volunteer day of community service.

On August 1, over 21,000 people volunteered with a wide range of organizations including Boys and Girls Scouts, American Heart, Junior Achievement, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which already collaborate with KPMG all year long. According to Jennifer Flynn Dear, Community Impact Day managing director, it's all about finding what issues are important to employees and putting their skills in the service of others.

Top 10 takeaways from the KPMG Asia Pacific Tax and Legal Summit

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 10:49:06 GMT

The days of tax being just a private compliance issue for tax teams are long gone; tax transparency is now a core pillar of sustainability, say Jenny Wong of KPMG Australia and Loek Helderman of KPMG International.

One of the key topics featured at the summit was navigating ESG and the tax environment. KPMG professionals discussed how tax transparency is now a core pillar of sustainability, leading to a movement of new global standards.

Read more on International Tax Review here.

Kavida.ai raises £900k for AI driven Supply chain management

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 10:01:34 GMT

London HQ’ed supply chain startup Kavida.ai has raised £900k in follow-up seed funding from investors, bringing the total raised to £1.2m.

Investment into improving Supply chain productivity and resilience is going to be big business over the next few years. The maturing use of AI, centralised data platforms and automation technologies in particular are increasingly important for organisations who are struggling from inflation cost pressures, business disruption and skill shortages.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Billionaire Kretinsky in talks to buy Atos unit in $2.2 billion deal

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:51:49 GMT

Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is in talks to buy Atos's loss-making legacy operations in a 2 billion-euro ($2.20 billion) deal that will refocus the struggling French company on its cybersecurity and cloud assets, and cut its debt.

Kretinsky, who made his fortune in the energy sector, is expanding his vast empire in Europe and has been on a buying spree in France, setting his eyes on assets ranging from French retailer Casino to Vivendi's publishing group Editis.

Read the full article on Reuters here.

Why is Twitter called X now? Elon Musk's rebrand explained and where it's going next

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:44:38 GMT

Twitter's abrupt rebrand to X came out of the blue on July 23, causing widespread confusion among its 240 million global users. But the reasons, which Elon Musk had hinted at last year, eventually came to the surface.

The most succinct explanation came from Musk himself in the Tweet (or is that Xeet?) below. In it, he explains that X Corp (the company formerly known as Twitter) bought the social network "as an accelerant for X, the everything app."

Read the full article on TechRadar.

EXL appoints Vishal Chhibbar as Chief Growth and Strategy Officer

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:33:28 GMT

EXL, a leading data analytics and digital operations and solutions company, announced the appointment of Vishal Chhibbar as executive vice president and chief growth and strategy officer.

In his new role, Chhibbar will draw on his leadership experience, financial expertise, and knowledge of EXL’s business to spearhead EXL's growth, overseeing areas such as strategy, marketing, sales governance, mergers and acquisitions and partnerships.

Intetics Empowers Businesses with the Latest "Vocabulary of Emerging Technologies" White Paper

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:21:47 GMT

Intetics, a leading global technology company, released a new white paper “Vocabulary of Emerging Technologies by Intetics,” covering insights and trends in emerging technologies.

In the thick of the current global challenges, businesses that are quick to invest in cutting-edge technology are the ones that will thrive. In view of this, it is crucial for businesses to stay informed about the latest developments if they want to remain competitive

KPMG to expand ties with Microsoft, will spend $2 billion in AI, cloud services

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:14:50 GMT

In a bid to include latest technologies like AI and cloud services, KPMG, will spend $2 billion on the same through an expanded partnership with Microsoft, the accounting firm said on Tuesday.

The move has come come after Accenture is heading towards the latest technologies to weather a slowdown in advisory deals. KPMG will incorporate AI into its core audit, tax and advisory services for clients as part of the five-year partnership

CBI members back lobby group in ‘crunch’ vote

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 11:43:27 GMT

The CBI has secured strong backing for its reform package in a pivotal vote about its survival that took place earlier today.

The lobby group has been rocked by allegations of sexual attacks and harassment, including two claims of rape.

Following an extraordinary general meeting in London, members backed the beleaguered business group’s reform plan in a ‘crunch’ vote.

The question posed was: “Do the changes we have made − and the commitments we have set out − to reform our governance, culture, and purpose give you the confidence you need to support the CBI?”

Gobeyond Partners Signals Ambitious Growth Plans With The Appointment of Raphael Hegeler

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 23 May 2023 09:25:01 GMT

Gobeyond Partners (Gobeyond), a leading CX Consulting firm specializing in solving complex customer journey challenges and part of the Webhelp group, has announced the appointment of Raphael Hegeler as its new Global Head of Gobeyond.

The appointment of Raphael supports Gobeyond’s growth strategy, which will focus on strengthening its CX and customer journey consulting capabilities in existing and new geographies.

We want to help organizations harness data and the best of human and technology to transform their CX and deliver game-changing customer journeys," says Raphael.

Stefanini Drives Mazda Forward With Workplace Solution Collaboration

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 12 May 2023 08:39:53 GMT

Stefanini has begun a new partnership with the major automotive brand Mazda, having been appointed to provide an end-to-end workplace solution, including service desk support, remote technical specialists, local technical support, and enterprise services such as Office 365.

With a team spanning different services and centers, based in Germany, Belgium and Romania, the project is an excellent example of the Stefanini’s ability to collaborate effectively to comprehensively meet clients’ needs.

Stefanini And Phillip Morris International (PMI) Established A New Partnership With Workplace Solution Collaboration

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 12 May 2023 08:31:40 GMT

Stefanini is building a longstanding partnership with Phillip Morris International (PMI), the international tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future, after being appointed to provide an end-to-end workplace solution.

The company has rapidly reacted to the needs of the new relationship, engaging experienced specialists with different backgrounds in response to the new partnership and the service standards expected.

Stefanini Scores Highest On Client Satisfaction For Second Year Running

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 12 May 2023 08:19:17 GMT

Stefanini has received the highest client satisfaction score in the Infrastructure and Cloud category in Partnership Benchmark 2022 study from the IT sourcing advisory and research firm S-Square for the second year running.

Stefanini topped the charts for client satisfaction with a score of 4.0, which corresponds with ‘Very Satisfied’ and was higher than any other company assessed in the category.

Quantanite strengthens its Global Customer Solutions, IT and Operational Leadership Teams in South Africa and Bangladesh

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 09 May 2023 08:14:52 GMT

Quantanite, a customer experience and digital outsourcing solutions provider for the world’s fastest-growing brands, today announced the strengthening of its Global Customer Solutions, IT and Operational Leadership Teams with 5 new appointments; 2 to strengthen its Global Customer Solutions and IT teams, as well as 3 appointments to strengthen its Operational Teams in key regions, South Africa and Bangladesh.

The move comes following 12 months of significant growth which has seen investment in its people to become better every day, deployment of better capabilities to improve client outcomes, and the devoting of resources to develop communities and give back to societies.

Teleperformance Proposes Acquisition of Majorel

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 09 May 2023 08:10:34 GMT

Teleperformance has made a move to acquire Majorel, which – if accepted – would result in the formation of a $12BN company with a large presence in all major economies.

The global digital business services company, Teleperformance, has offered €3BN cash and €1BN of Teleperformance shares in exchange for all of Majorel’s shares.

Stefanini Group names Natalia Chirițescu as Digital Solution Center Director for EMEA

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 02 May 2023 12:19:03 GMT

Stefanini Group, a global tech multinational that assists customers in their digital transformation, recruited Natalia Chirițescu, a specialist with over 25 years of experience in the IT and telecommunications sectors, as Digital Solution Center Director for EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa).

Natalia Chirițescu has worked for 16 years in the management team of Vodafone Romania, as well as on a regional level for the telecom operator.

IBM planning to replace thousands of jobs with AI

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 02 May 2023 12:14:47 GMT

IBM has said it will replace thousands of jobs with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the coming years.

According to media reports, CEO Arvind Krishna, said that hiring in certain back-office functions will be suspended or slowed down. This could mean that 30% of non-customer facing roles will be replaced by AI and automation technologies over the next five years

KPMG Appoints Danielle Rolfes as a Partner

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 02 May 2023 11:52:46 GMT

Danielle Rolfes has been named partner-in-charge of the Washington National Tax (WNT) practice of KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm.

During a time of great legislative change, an increasingly complex regulatory environment, and broad market disruption, Danielle is the right leader at the right time to help our clients navigate uncertainty,” said Greg Engel -Vice Chair – Tax at KPMG LLP.

Researchers Find Diverse Supply Chains Benefit Cities

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 08:14:21 GMT

Complex and diverse supply chains help cities by making them resistant to sudden supply chain shocks, according to a recently published paper from researchers at Pennsylvania State University,

“We found that complexity can be a good thing,” said Alfonso Mejia, the paper’s corresponding author and an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Penn State. “Cities with diverse supply chains — sources from a broad range of domestic and global suppliers — appear to be better protected against shocks, and experience less-intense shortages

Fujitsu unveils AI platform

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 08:27:10 GMT

Fujitsu has unveiled its “Fujitsu Kozuchi” platform, which gives users access to a whole host of AI and ML technologies.

The platform can be used by customers across a variety of sectors to help them test and deploy advanced AI tech. For example, through Fujitsu's AI Ethics for Fairness (for testing the fairness of AI models).

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Deloitte Legal Seals Eighth UK Partner Hire Within Last Year

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 08:25:17 GMT

The legal arm of big four firm Deloitte has continued to expand its offering in the U.K., hiring its eighth partner within the last 12 months.

Andy Casey, who was global head of corporate secretarial services at U.K. firm Eversheds Sutherland and its related arm Konexo until 2021, has joined Deloitte Legal as a partner in its legal entity management team.

KPMG is diversifying its partner rank through sponsorships and succession planning

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 08:18:56 GMT

Partners are among the most senior-level roles at accounting firms and some of the highest paid. They've also historically been one of the least diverse ranks among the Big Four.

Elena Richards, who joined KPMG in 2020, says the company has become more intentional about encouraging sponsorship relationships throughout all levels of the firm, especially between its managing directors (the level before senior leadership) and partners.

Amazon joins the generative AI train with three announcements

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 08:16:11 GMT

Amazon is launching a new cloud-based generative AI service called Bedrock. The tech giant also announced new EC2 cloud instances geared towards model training and AI applications, and a free tier to its CodeWhisperer service.

Read more on Computing here.

Aviva Looking to Invest £150m in Tech Start-Ups

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 08:10:53 GMT

Aviva announces the commitment of a further £150m to its corporate venture capital fund, Aviva Ventures. The fund will focus on delivering returns through investments into early stage businesses that bring Aviva new opportunities and insights into emerging technology and customer trends.

Supply chain needs more women in STEM roles

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 11:17:46 GMT

Digital transformation means there’s never been a greater need for STEM-qualified people in supply chain – getting more women into such roles will be key.

Some progress is being made on attracting women into STEM roles in computer science, engineering, economics, and physics, yet these areas remain disproportionately male.

Webhelp launches customer experience outsourcing program in Israel

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 11:13:49 GMT

In order to better enable companies to outsource effectively, French company Webhelp has developed a program, dubbed “The Nest,” which is designed to support start-ups and scale-ups around the globe to scale up their teams internationally and improve their customer experience operations

CGI recognized as a Solutions Partner for Microsoft Cloud

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 11:04:19 GMT

CGI has earned a Solutions Partner for Microsoft Cloud designation, completing all six Solutions Partner requirements within the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program.

The designation demonstrates CGI's extensive Microsoft-focused cloud capabilities and builds on the company's long-term success in delivering innovative cloud projects for clients across industries.

Eversheds Sutherland announces 29 promotions to partner for 2023

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 10:55:42 GMT

Eversheds Sutherland (International) is pleased to announce that it has made 29 partner promotions in its offices in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia with effect from 1 May 2023. 55% of Eversheds Sutherland’s new partners are female.

Government supplier Capita hit by IT issue sparking fears of cyberattack

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 14:55:01 GMT

UK outsourcer and government contractor Capita said Friday that it has launched an investigation into an IT failure that resulted in staff being unable to access key systems, causing disruptions to services for local authorities and some businesses.

Capita employees have been unable to access their IT systems since the early hours of Friday, sparking fears of a possible cyberattack targeting the company.

With £6.5 billion worth of public sector contracts, Capita is among the UK government's largest suppliers.

Read more on Computing here.

International law firms win chance to expand in India

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 14:45:13 GMT

International law firms including DLA Piper, Herbert Smith Freehills and Baker McKenzie are looking at opening offices in India after the country changed its rules to widen overseas access to a huge market.

The Bar Council of India announced in March that foreign legal firms would be allowed to set up in the country for the first time and advise clients on the international elements of mergers and acquisitions or appear as arbitrators, among other things.

ChatGPT banned in Italy

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 14:35:56 GMT

Italy has become the first Western country to block generative AI chatbot ChatGPT. The Italian data-protection authority said there were privacy concerns relating to the model.

Last week OpenAI confirmed it has suffered a data breach caused by a bug in an open-source library which results in users being shown chat data belonging to others and also exposed payment-related information belonging to 1.2% of ChatGPT Plus subscribers.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Alina Antonie joins DLA Piper’s Competition Department as Counsel

Shivani Kaura — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 14:32:22 GMT

As of March 2023, DLA Piper’s Bucharest office recruits Alina Antonie as Counsel in the Competition team. In her new position, she will support the department’s growing efforts to assist clients in dealing with their legal needs, always adding a human touch.

Alina is a highly experienced competition lawyer, with over 20 years of experience in different industries, strong knowledge and understanding of various sectors.

Read more on Romanian Lawyers Week here.

Google to offer AI-driven alternative to GitHub Copilot

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:57:28 GMT

Replit's Ghostwriter tool to be beefed up by Google's LLM tech

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has formed a partnership with Replit, an AI start-up, to assist developers in creating and modifying code through generative AI, a move that will help the search company compete with a similar product from Microsoft's GitHub and OpenAI.

Read more on Computing here.

Concentrix agrees to buy Webhelp for $4.8bn

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:50:59 GMT

Further consolidation in the outsourced customer management space with US headquartered Concentrix Corporation agreeing to acquire French-headquartered rival Webhelp.

The combined business is expected to have $9.8bn in revenue for FY 2023 on a pro forma basis and will be headed by Concentrix CEO Chris Caldwell.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

UK remote workers held back by poor tech, limited digital skills

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:34:32 GMT

Three years since knowledge workers had to make an almost overnight pivot to remote working and their firms support the concept of hybrid work by implementing the essential technology to make it possible, research from Virgin Media O2 Business (VMO2B) has revealed that while UK companies have tolerated hybrid working, in many cases the tech has not allowed them to drive efficiency within their organisations.

One of the key findings was that three years after lockdowns began, organisations are still limited by old tech and poor digital skills, with almost a fifth (18%) feeling held back by limited digital skills or resistance to new tech

Read more on Computer Weekly here.

Tech Nation says UK needs roadmap to help tech sector reach $4tn

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:26:29 GMT

UK technology scaleups have generated $583bn in value since 2014, and could further quadruple in value by 2032 under the right conditions, according to final Tech Nation report.

It said that the value since 2014 was achieved through exits of some form – whether an acquisition, special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) or public listing – and that to return the same rate of value to the ecosystem, UK tech firms should be targeting exists of $2tn over the next decade.

Read more on Computer Weekly here.

Teleperformance Reduces Carbon Emissions Per Employee by Nearly 50%; 4 Years Ahead of Schedule

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:20:31 GMT

Teleperformance, a global leader in outsourced digital integrated business services, today announced that it has already met its 2026 goal to reduce its carbon emissions per full-time employee1 by 49%. As result, the Company will set new aggressive carbon emissions targets later this year.

The Company reduced its carbon emissions 49% per full-time employee since 2019, including its most recent reductions of a 15% in 2021 and 9% in 2022

Google starts rolling out Bard, its answer to ChatGPT

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:53:04 GMT

Google has started rolling out Bard, its answer to ChatGPT, to a limited number of users in the US and the UK.

In a blog post on Tuesday the company invited people to sign up to test out its generative AI chatbot, which for the moment is only available in the English language and to over 18s, in order to provide feedback to aid its development.

Read more on Computing here.

Accounting expert discusses EY, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC’s move into the legal sector – Brian Murphy

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 15:34:45 GMT

Recent research from Said Business School at the University of Oxford shows that the accounting Big Four are fast increasing their collective share of the global legal services sector.

Key findings from the research show that Deloitte, EY, PwC and KPMG are expanding their legal businesses rapidly and continuously globally. This is having the intended impact of increasing their sales revenue substantially and, of course, taking this income away from traditional law firms.

PwC announces partnership with generative AI Harvey

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 15:31:11 GMT

Generative AI is starting gain traction with professional service firms with PwC announcing a global alliance with AI startup Harvey, as its looks innovate in the Tax and Legal space. This comes a month on from the announcement that law firm Allen & Overy is starting to integrate Harvey’s latest models within its legal practice globally.

Harvey, which is backed by the OpenAI Startup Fund, is built on OpenAI and ChatGPT and uses natural language processing, machine learning and data analytics to enhance various aspects of legal work. PwC will also focus on developing new use cases specific to tax.

Cognizant wins VWG Ireland CX transformation deal

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 15:27:25 GMT

Cognizant has announced that it has signed Volkswagen Group (VWG) Ireland as a client to transform its digital customer experience (CX) into an omni-channel platform designed to enhance and increase the personalisation of agent and customer experience.

VWG Ireland is faced with a siloed contact centre platform and customer experience model that has necessitated the manual aggregation of customer data. Cognizant will implement a new CX platform, based on Salesforce service cloud voice, and Amazon connect with the aim of improving VWG Ireland’s use of data and, in turn, optimise service levels for customers.

Aviva partners with developer Stories to fund £100m in UK community projects

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 13:07:22 GMT

Aviva has teamed up with property developer Stories to invest £100m (€112m) in UK real estate and infrastructure projects that will benefit local communities and promote social and environmental sustainability.

The joint venture is the first funding commitment from Aviva Capital Partners (ACP), which originates infrastructure assets using Aviva group capital.

Aviva and Stories will work with landowners and institutions such as universities, the NHS, local authorities and charities to provide the funding needed to deliver major projects from inception to completion.

Tech Mahindra appoints Infosys veteran as incoming CEO

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 11:52:45 GMT

Tech Mahindra has appointed Mohit Joshi as its new Managing Director and CEO.

Joshi has been at Infosys for 22 years and is currently in the role of President. Tech Mahindra announced over the weekend that he would take up his new role on 20th December of this year, taking over from CP Gurnani who will leave the company (retiring) the day before.

The news was welcomed by the market with shares in Tech Mahindra rallying as stock hit its biggest intraday jump in nearly three years.

Teleperformance supports youth education

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 11:50:09 GMT

Outsourced customer and citizen experience management and related digital services company Teleperformance, recently announced the annual results of its sustainability initiative to support children’s education.

Over 50 countries where Teleperformance Group operates were responsible for the effort where more than 60,000 children in situations of vulnerability were supported as part of its proprietary corporate social responsibility program Citizen of the World.

Read more on The Visayan Daily Star here.

DLA Piper welcomes new partner in the IP and technology group

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 11:45:15 GMT

DLA Piper has welcomed San Francisco-based partner Jessica Hannah to the firm’s patent litigation subgroup within the intellectual property & technology group.

Hannah boasts 15 years of experience in all stages of patent litigation. Most recently, she served as principal and senior managing counsel in the IP litigation group at Apple, where she spent eight years managing an active docket of patent litigation that spanned the globe. Within that role, Hannah oversaw patent litigation, and she contributed to management of Apple’s active docket at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as Apple’s IP-related amicus filings.

International Women's Day: How Can Digitalization Enable Gender Equality?

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 14:31:24 GMT

The inclusion of women in STEM professions is essential for promoting economic growth, maintaining and increasing innovative strength, and implementing sustainability goals for countries and companies alike.

Greater gender diversity in STEM can lead to a stronger and more inclusive workforce, especially in the supply chain, which benefits everyone.

“If women or young girls are studying the latest technologies in school, it creates a positive impact on the way the world runs in the future,” said Davis said in a recent "The Future of Supply Chain" podcast episode, “How Innovation and Technology are opening doors for women in Supply Chain.”

Zurich launches ‘Kick-Start Mentors’ Scheme to tackle Industry Diversity across four regions

Shivani Kaura — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 13:53:50 GMT

Insurer Zurich today launches ‘Kick Start Mentors’, in partnership with five schools as part of its ‘Early Careers’ programme. The initiative has been designed to attract future talent from diverse backgrounds across the country. The 80 pupils who have already signed up to the scheme will be mentored by 24 specially trained Zurich future leaders who work in various business areas across the UK.

DXC Technology goes it alone as takeover talks end

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 18:08:38 GMT

DXC Technology has revealed that its talks with an unnamed suitor about a possible takeover of the company have concluded without any deal materialising. DXC issued a formal statement yesterday indicating that, financial challenges and the current market conditions had meant that no formal proposal was received and discussions have now been terminated. DXC also stated that it does not intend to comment further on the matter.

DXC had been in discussions about a possible takeover since the latter half of 2022. The company confirmed the talks following widespread market rumours relating to an approach from a third-party.

Liberata wins £30m joint Broxbourne and Welwyn Hatfield contract

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 18:02:55 GMT

Business process specialist Liberata remains extremely active in the local authority ‘revenues and benefits’ servicing space, announcing a new seven-year contract with two Hertfordshire-based local authorities, Broxbourne Borough Council and Welwyn Hatfield District Council. Having added Swindon Borough Council to its portfolio of local authority clients in May of last year (see Liberata lands £30m Swindon deal), this is another excellent win for Liberata in the Local Government space as it returns to consistent revenue growth under the management of Japanese parent Outsourcing Inc (see The maturing of OSUK).

The Broxbourne and Welwyn Hatfield partnership is interesting for several reasons and offers further evidence that the local government BPO market is ‘waking up’ after several years in the doldrums.

Entering the Metaverse: Why Businesses Need to Invest Now to Enhance CX

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 17:51:20 GMT

The digital world of today requires personalisation, interactivity, connection, and constant innovative updating. Customers are increasingly demanding more from brands, as their expectations and behaviour rapidly change. Companies are encouraged to think outside of the box and test the borders of conventional thinking in order to meet these demands.

The expanding rate of the Metaverse is causing the boundaries between virtual and non-virtual worlds to collapse, allowing them to blend into easily interchangeable realities. It offers new opportunities for businesses and their delivery methods of customer experience, building upon omnichannel models which suit the needs of every customer. It’s being dubbed the next big thing

Customer experience has become a multidimensional, tangible concept, which ultimately adds value to a business. In fact, research by American Express has revealed that 86% of customers are willing to pay more for a better experience. Therefore, businesses need to embrace the limitless possibilities of the metaverse and expand into it as a vehicle to drive their CX management

Knowledge Process Outsourcing Market is anticipated to grow up to USD 231.4 Billion by 2032 | EXL Services, Genpact, McKinsey and Company, Moody's Investors Service

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 17:46:17 GMT

Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) is the process of outsourcing certain business tasks or processes that require specialized knowledge or expertise. KPO is a type of business process outsourcing (BPO) where the tasks or processes outsourced require a high level of knowledge or expertise. The main difference between KPO and BPO is that KPO involves tasks or processes that are more knowledge-intensive, while BPO involves tasks or processes that are more labor-intensive. KPO can be used to outsource a variety of tasks or processes, including research and development, market research, financial analysis, legal research, and medical coding and billing. KPO providers typically have a high level of expertise and experience in the area they are providing services.
Read more on Open PR here

DLA Piper launches Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics Practice with the arrival of Bennett Borden as Chief Data Scientist.

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 17:42:27 GMT

DLA Piper is pleased to announce Bennett Borden has joined the firm as Chief Data Scientist of the newly-created Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics Practice. Borden joins alongside approximately 10 top-tier data scientists who have worked together for the past decade.

DLA Piper currently advises many of the world’s most prominent companies and governments on the legal and compliance risks of creating and deploying AI systems, and Borden and team’s unique-to-market technical and forensic offerings complement the firm’s existing capabilities in AI adoption, deployment and monitoring.

Borden, an experienced attorney and data scientist, is a leading authority on helping clients monetize and productize data, develop AI systems and algorithmic models in a legal and ethical manner, and conduct discovery and internal investigations, including the verification of AI systems and detection of algorithmic bias.

KPMG Joins Forces with Four Organisations to Help ASEAN Businesses Tackle Decarbonisation Goals and Chart the Roadmap to Net-Zero

Shivani Kaura — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 17:36:33 GMT

KPMG, a leading professional services firm, has partnered with four other organisations, through the KPMG ASEAN Decarbonisation Hub, to equip businesses in the region to meet their sustainability goals in the face of strong economic headwinds and uncertainties. Through this partnership, businesses in the region will be able to “plug-and-play” decarbonisation solutions as they undertake ESG transformation towards meeting net zero goals. They will also be able to raise green financing, gain credible accreditations and certifications, and leverage digital tools for cost effective growth. A major focus of the partnership will be to facilitate low carbon and energy efficiency project origination, structuring, financing and implementations.

The four partnering organisations are Bureau Veritas (BV), Energy Institute (EI), Maybank Singapore (Maybank) and two research institutes at the National University of Singapore (NUS) – Energy Studies Institute (ESI) and Sustainable and Green Finance Institute (SGFIN). These four organisations have each signed a Memorandum of Understanding with KPMG to provide their complementary expertise to catalyse businesses’ decarbonisation goals via the Hub.

Procurement reforms pushed back to Spring 2024

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 13:17:31 GMT

The Cabinet Office has issued its latest update on the UK Government’s Transforming Public Procurement Programme, including helpful information on the timeline for the “go-live” of the new regime. The new regime, which we know will be the most significant change to procurement law and practice for a generation, is now due to come into effect in spring 2024.

While we are still expecting the Bill to receive Royal Assent later this spring, the Cabinet Office has clarified that the six month lead in period to the new regime taking effect should start after the final version of secondary legislation is laid in Parliament

A Digital Revolution in Insurance: An Evening With DLA Piper

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 13:09:25 GMT

New technologies are transforming the insurance industry and disrupting the existing ecosystem. As an ever-increasing number of insurtechs emerge, so too has artificial intelligence (AI) – with the potential to change the way insurance firms work forever.

With these points in mind, six industry experts took to the DLA Piper stage – discussing embedded insurance; new methods of insurance distribution; partnerships within the industry; regulatory trends; AI and other hot topics.

Webhelp appoints tech industry veteran Benjamin Faes as UK CEO

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 13:00:18 GMT

Webhelp, a leading global customer experience BPO player, today announces the appointment of Benjamin Faes as CEO of the UK to further spearhead growth in the region.

Benjamin, whose experience includes 13 years at Google and CEO of AOL France, was VP of Global Sales and Marketing at Webhelp prior to his promotion.

Benjamin has had a pivotal role at crucial moments in the evolution of digital transformation, from playing a key part of Google’s acquisition of YouTube, to driving AOL’s transition from an ISP into both an online publisher and a premium ad network.

TTEC expands European capabilities, announces Adam Foster as President of TTEC EMEA

Shivani Kaura — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 12:01:29 GMT

One of the largest global customer experience (CX) technology and services innovators for end-to-end digital CX solutions, today announced that Adam Foster has been named President of TTEC EMEA.

"Our industry is rapidly evolving and ever more global. TTEC is committed to driving significant growth across Europe, Middle East, and Africa and we will continue to invest in top talent. That's why I am thrilled to welcome Adam Foster to the TTEC family," said Ken Tuchman, Chairman and CEO, TTEC.

Ken continued, "With a strong track record of executing digitally enabled growth strategies, Adam will be integral to connecting TTEC's broad set of capabilities–from CX technology to outsourcing excellence–for clients across the region."

Rebuilding resilient hi-tech SME supply chains

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 17:03:10 GMT

In this article Jerry Sanham, business development director at radio communication and RF-to-mmWave designer and manufacturer Filtronic, discusses the role of UK SMEs in the high technology supply chain.

UK businesses want to build robust, and resilient networks of suppliers, particularly in high-tech sectors. Furthermore, government and national security agencies are keen to ensure that capability, technology and resources critical for national security remain available within the UK.

Sourcing goods, services and expertise from within the UK minimises the risk of disruption and builds a self-sustaining business ecosystem that is better able to withstand external shocks and geopolitical upheaval.

Read more on Productions Engineering Solutions here.

Businesses can now hire project managers through Fiverr

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:48:34 GMT

Fiverr, the online gig marketplace for just about anything, today launched a white glove service for big-budget buyers. Called Project Partner, the service pairs customers with a project leader who manages their project end-to-end.

Shai-Lee Spigelman, the general manager of Fiverr Business states that, "Medium-to-large businesses that are outsourcing projects may also want to outsource management of those projects, our project partners are here to help right from the start to [help] complete those projects."

According to a 2020 survey from the Project Management Institute, only 46% of organizations make project management a top cultural priority. Across all organizations, 11.4% of all resources are wasted due to inferior project management processes, the same survey found.

Stefanini Group partners with Microsoft to integrate simultaneous translation platform into Microsoft Teams

Shivani Kaura — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:39:18 GMT

Millions of meetings are held daily by people who speak different languages, with varying levels of fluency, which can compromise efficient and natural communication. Considering the need for professionals to express their best ideas in any language across the world, Woopi, Stefanini Group's Artificial Intelligence (AI) company, created and launched an AI-based simultaneous translation platform, Voicero.

The product is integrated with leading collaboration platform Microsoft Teams, and is available through Azure Marketplace and AppSource. Voicero allows real-time voice translation, meaning a professional can speak Korean and others can hear it in the language of preference.

"Through our distribution agreement with Microsoft, we're confident the tool will become accessible to anyone, anywhere on the planet," says Alex Winetzki, Woopi CEO and Director of R&D at Stefanini Group.

Read more on PR Newswire here.

Teleperformance Named to IAOP® Global Sourcing 100 List for 8th Consecutive Year

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:27:55 GMT

Teleperformance, a global leader in outsourced digital integrated business services, today announced it has been named to The Global Sourcing 100® list in the Leader category for large established global firms for the 8th consecutive year by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®).

"Teleperformance has long been at the forefront in leveraging emerging digital capabilities with our vast high-touch experience and domain expertise to deliver simpler, faster and safer operations at lower cost for our clients," said Teleperformance Chairman and CEO Daniel Julien. "The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals' continued recognition of our capabilities and the impact we deliver is another testament to the success of our transformation into a digital integrated business services company."

Read more on PR Newswire here.

Beware the disruptive power of AI

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 09:50:50 GMT

There is little doubt that AI has taken the tech sector by storm in recent months. Indeed more column inches in the mainstream media than any other tech subject in a long while. I’ve been testing ChatGPT for a few months now and admit to being highly impressed. But at the same time, I can also see the dangers.

I have been at the forefront disruptive technological change for many decades during which I have seen the devastation it can wreck on established businesses. Just look at how Amazon affected bookshops, how streaming affected the music industry or UBER affected taxis.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

EXL grows revenue by a quarter

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 09:48:54 GMT

Business process operator EXL has published a strong set of FY results that sees the business increase revenue to $1.41bn compared to $1.12bn for the previous year, an increase of 25.8% on a reported basis and 27.3% on a constant currency basis. Adjusted operating margin for FY 2022 was a healthy 18.3% although down slightly on the 18.6% achieved in 2021.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

NHS pilots AI software to cut missed hospital appointments

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 09:47:43 GMT

It is estimated that there are eight million missed hospital appointments each year with an annual cost to the NHS of around £1.2bn. Last month, the NHS launched a renewed drive to reduce hundreds of thousands of missed hospital appointments every month, to help boost the recovery of elective services. AI and digital technologies are going to play a key role in improving the patient experience, aswell as reducing cost, maximising existing resources and helping to fill the labour shortage gap.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which supports a population of 1.2m people, with an average did not attend (DNA) rate of 8%, has announced it is piloting an Artificial intelligence (AI) solution that predicts likely missed appointments and offers back-up bookings.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Meta plans additional layoffs across various divisions, report

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 13:58:27 GMT

Move is part of a downsizing and restructuring effort that could affect thousands of employees

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is said to be getting ready for a fresh wave of job reductions that will impact several divisions globally.

The move is part of a downsizing and restructuring effort that will impact numerous employees, potentially reaching into the thousands.

The Washington Post reported, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, that Meta intends to shift certain leaders into positions that do not involve managing others, thereby reducing the levels of management between company CEO Mark Zuckerberg and its interns.

Read more on ComputerWeekly here.

Stefanini Debuts Transformation Office To Accelerate Digital Innovation

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 11:10:11 GMT

Stefanini Group has launched a Transformation Office to drive innovation and digital transformation on behalf of its clients.

“Pursuing large-scale innovation is a lofty task for organizations to achieve, which provides Stefanini an opportunity to drive prioritization and business value for our clients,” said Chris Schmidt, chief innovation officer at Stefanini.

“Compelling both internal and external collaboration, this office will allow cross-functional client needs and solutions to deploy in a seamless, simultaneous manner. We’re eager for clients to experience innovation and digital transformation on an even more elevated scale that significantly moves the needle as they pursue broad, complex business objectives.”

New ‘supply chain mapping’ guidance

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 10:07:03 GMT

Supply chain mapping is the process of recording, storing and using information gathered from suppliers who are involved in a company’s supply chain. Building on our existing supply chain guidance, we’re pleased to announce new guidance that focusses explicitly on this process, aimed at at procurement specialists, risk managers and cyber security professionals.

Supply chain mapping follows the principles of all good risk management; organisations need to understand the risks inherent in their supply chain, and then introduce security measures that are in proportion to the likelihood (and impact) of those risks materialising. The goal is to have an up-to-date understanding of your network of suppliers, so that cyber risks can be managed more effectively, and due diligence carried out.

Read more on National Cyber Security Centre here.

KPMG US lays off 700 employees in advisory business

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 09:52:21 GMT

KPMG

More news on

KPMG was the first US Big Four firm to cut jobs amid a weaker economy and reduced demand for consulting services – laying off 700 people in its advisory wing.

The cuts, which were announced Wednesday in an internal memo, affect nearly 2% of KPMG US’ workforce. None of the layoffs were partners.

Carl Carande, vice-chair of the US advisory business, said in the memo the staff reductions were required to “better align our workforce with current and anticipated demand in the market.”

Menopause in the Workplace

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 10:20:31 GMT

This briefing looks at the legal and practical issues arising in connection with women in the workplace going through the menopause. Although there has been an increase in discussions about the menopause in the media, there is still a stigma attached to it. We look at what employers should be considering in terms providing support, such as training managers and implementing a specific menopause policy as well as the potential legal risks if issues are ignored or badly handled.

Menopause in the workplace statistics

Women over the age of 50 have been the fastest growing group in the workforce for a number of years, meaning that more are working through the menopause (and perimenopause), which, for many, will bring challenges. Symptoms will vary and can be both physical and psychological, ranging from hot flushes and headaches to increased anxiety and depression. Employers should be aware that the average age for a woman to go through the menopause is 51 and most experience symptoms between the ages of 45 and 55. However, the menopause may also start earlier due to surgery, illness or naturally. In addition, symptoms may start years before the menopause, during the perimenopausal phase. According to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, nearly 8 out of 10 menopausal women are in work, 3 out of 4 women experience serious symptoms and one in three of the workforce will soon be over 50.

Whatever happened to the metaverse?

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 10:18:32 GMT

Remember when we were all going to ditch our humdrum lives, tedious physical needs and uninspiring friends and family, so that we could live a life of virtual bliss in the metaverse? When we could give up the endless pursuit of self-improvement and just exist as perfect avatars instead? When Facebook rebranded to Meta because, from now on, the company was going to be “metaverse-first, not Facebook-first”? It has been just one year since Meta’s fabulously dystopian Super Bowl advert for its VR headsets, in which a group of friends who have lost touch get back together in the virtual world (in the real one they were all alone, with no buddies — or lower halves).

CGI expands into Northern Ireland

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 11:25:53 GMT

CGI has announced plans to expand its UK footprint into Northern Ireland with the opening of a new Belfast-based Centre of Excellence. CGI will extend its delivery centre capability into the region that will add to its existing workforce of almost 6,000 people throughout the UK.

CGI has for several years taken a ‘place-based’ approach to developing its presence in the UK, illustrated in how it has grown scale and capability in Scotland. CGI will recruit c.50 new consultants and IT professionals in Northern Ireland (of which 16 roles have already been filled) to work alongside the company’s existing Digital Services Delivery Centre in Scotland.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Top 3 Political and Economic Disruptions for Supply Chains in 2023

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 10:09:45 GMT

Staying ahead of supply chain disruptions in 2023 requires a clear picture of all risks and the ability to act swiftly. While the year promises to bring many unknowns, here are 3 big developments to keep your eye on.

Supply chain disruption is now the market standard, not the exception. As we head into another uncertain year, failing to see disruptions coming is no longer an excuse. The only thing that is truly predictable about this year is that it will be unpredictable.

Staying ahead of supply chain disruptions in 2023 requires a clear picture of all risks and the ability to act swiftly.

Read more on Supply and Demand Chain Executive here.

Improved experience helping address the digital skills gap

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 10:08:32 GMT

As the way the world works continues to change, improving human capital to keep employees happy and engaged has never been so important

An organisation is only as good as its employees. And as technology continues to change the way the world works, improving human capital has never been as important.

A term made popular in the 1960s by American economists Gary Becker and Jacob Mincer, ‘human capital’ refers to the economic value of a worker's experience and skills, including assets like education, training, intelligence and skills.

KPMG to establish Centre of Excellence for metaverse, digital twins

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 10:03:50 GMT

KPMG is set to establish its Centre of Excellence (CoE) for metaverse and digital twins. KPMG announced this decision along the sidelines of the LEAP tech conference 2023. For this, KPMG will bring together a 'broad collective', with Microsoft bringing its infrastructure and gaming platform and Ericsson utilising its 5G tech and network, as well as Metakey as the technical partner to create three-dimensional objects, a press release shared by Zawya read.

Read more at: https://yourstory.com/ys-gulf/kpmg-to-establish-centre-of-excellence-metaverse-saudi-arabia

Customer enablement 'supply chain's biggest value' - Gartner

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 10:01:40 GMT

Gartner survey shows 'customer enablement' is most powerful value chain service but that under a quarter of supply chain organisations are offering this

Supply chain organisations that help customers meet their business goals are twice as likely to attract repeat business compared to those that focus only on customer satisfaction or ease of use, according to a survey by Gartner.

The survey also found that customer enablement is only being emphasised by 23% of supply chain organisations today, but the strategy will become the norm within five years.

ESG tops regulatory demands in finance as UK, EU rules diverge, KPMG says

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 10:00:25 GMT

Financial firms in Britain and the European Union remained under significant pressure to comply with diverging environmental, social and governance (ESG) rules over the past six months, KPMG's Regulatory Barometer showed on Monday.

The barometer, aimed at helping firms with compliance planning, also tracks the scale of the divergence between UK and EU regulations, with KPMG saying the biggest differences are in areas like customer protection and access to markets.

Half of businesses do not assess IT supply chain viability

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 11:28:10 GMT

Business leaders have once again been issued with a wake-up call regarding their IT supply chain. A new study suggests that most firms have too much confidence in their mission-critical IT contractors, with half of leaders admitting that while it could lead to outages, they are not routinely assessing their suppliers.

At the start of 2023, researchers found that organisations were too trusting of Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Despite 20% of companies hit by cyber-attacked in the last year saying attacks had come through MSPs, just four-in-ten believed they need to make sure MSPs were certified in providing cyber security essentials, while only one-third agreed personnel of providers should undergo security checks before taking on such work.

Are you ready for the changes to procurement rules?

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 11:25:50 GMT

Public procurement laws are changing. The UK Government’s Procurement Bill is working its way through Parliament and could now be introduced as early as the end of 2023.

In this briefing, David Hansom of Clyde & Co and Susan Hilgers of Proxima look at what is changing and what you can do now to prepare for the biggest changes to procurement practice since 2015.

TTEC expands European capabilities, announces Adam Foster as President of TTEC EMEA

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 11:22:16 GMT

TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTEC), one of the largest global customer experience (CX) technology and services innovators for end-to-end digital CX solutions, today announced that Adam Foster has been named President of TTEC EMEA.

TCS lands £600m Phoenix Group expansion deal

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 09:40:26 GMT

TCS’s BaNCS platform continues to be extremely popular with UK Life and Pensions providers as long-term client the Phoenix Group signs to extend its use across its latest acquisition.

Phoenix Group is a key client for TCS with a relationship going back 18+ years, having started life as a specialist consolidator of life insurance and pension funds that are closed to new business (so called ‘Zombie funds’). Alongside this, it has developed an ‘open book’ business which creates and underwrites new saving and retirement products underpinned by a strategic partnership with Standard Life Aberdeen following Phoenix Group’s acquisition of Standard Life Assurance Limited in 2018, and which signed with TCS in 2019 (see TCS purple patch continues).

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Layoffs at Secureworks, Zoom & Ebay

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 09:39:31 GMT

We saw a further round of layoff announcements yesterday, as yet more companies look to reduce costs and re-prioritise resources. Revenue growth and net income have come under increasing pressure for many organisations due to a post-pandemic slowdown and rising inflation.

Why and how to adjust your tech talent sourcing strategies in a recession

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 09:38:10 GMT

We all certainly know that business and government leaders have been challenged by a digital skills shortage for years. The scarcity of tech talent has been caused, in part, by the rapid business changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the effects of COVID-19 and the Great Resignation that followed. Now, with the added threat of economic recession, the digital skills gap has only gotten harder to fill. The 2022 Digital Leadership report published by Nash found almost 70 percent of digital leaders globally felt they couldn’t keep up with tech trends due to a lack of skilled labor.

During this Fourth Industrial Revolution, more and more companies have gone from just talking about the need to transform to primarily digital processes and practices to beginning their journey. Unfortunately, many are finding they have not yet created, hired and grown the technical talent they need. These digital transformation challenges were also accelerated by COVID-19 with companies having to learn to sell, serve customers and run their business remotely. And of course, the pandemic also caused many people to reassess their work/life balance and professional priorities.

KPMG UK announces major alliance expansion with Google Cloud

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 09:36:57 GMT

The investment underpins the ongoing alliance to help UK clients digitally transform their business through Google Cloud’s leading technology

Building on KPMG’s global alliance with Google Cloud, KPMG in the UK has announced a new five-year agreement focused on further enabling its professionals to help enterprises transform their businesses with Google Cloud technologies and solutions.

This relationship expansion will strengthen KPMG’s emphasis in the UK market on cloud transformation, sustainability, mainframe modernisation with Google Cloud’s Dual Run, cyber security managed services and innovation. The investment reflects KPMG firms’ continued strategy to invest in technology and enhance their current portfolio of strategic alliances around the world.

Dell to cut more than 6,600 jobs

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 13:11:08 GMT

American tech giant Dell Technologies is preparing to lay off around 6,650 workers due to a decline in the global PC market.

According to Bloomberg, Dell co-CEO Jeff Clarke told employees in a memo the firm is dealing with market conditions that "continue to erode with an uncertain future."

He added that earlier cost-cutting measures, such as a hiring freeze and travel restrictions, are no longer sufficient.

"We've navigated economic downturns before and we've emerged stronger," Clarke wrote.

"We will be ready when the market rebounds."

Read more on Computer Weekly here.

Google unveils AI chatbot 'Bard' - its answer to ChatGPT

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 13:09:00 GMT

Pichai says it is exciting to work on technologies that truly help people

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, on Monday announced its AI chatbot technology called "Bard", which the company claims will provide "fresh, high-quality responses" to users' queries by drawing on information from the web.

In a blog post announcing the initiative, Google CEO Sundar Pichai called the programme an "experimental conversational AI service" that will be made available to the public in the coming weeks.

"We've been working on an experimental conversational AI service, powered by LaMDA, that we're calling Bard. And today, we're taking another step forward by opening it up to trusted testers ahead of making it more widely available to the public in the coming weeks," Pichai wrote.

Read more on Computer Weekly here.

Supply Chain Trends 2023: Risk Resilience Beats Transformation Every Day Of The Year

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 09:41:28 GMT

Experts have released their latest supply chain trends, revealing an obsession with risk resilience, and who can blame them? A swath of predictions mirror the pressing concerns of a business world in search of safer harbors during turbulent times. In a recent Gartner survey of supply chain organizations, respondents said their top four priorities were commercial growth from the supply chain, real-time supply chain execution, authentic fulfillment of ESG commitments, and flexible work experiences. Here’s a quick recap of perspectives from these researchers and others forecasting how supply chain leaders will manage the challenges of 2023.

Read more on Forbes here.

Blockchain strengthening links in supply chain

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 10:29:08 GMT

Though use of blockchain solutions in supply chain is still relatively low, Tech Mahindra is among pioneers driving its adoption

Cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) tend to hog most of the headlines when it comes to blockchain, but those behind the technology understand just how powerful it can also be in transforming crucial aspects of commerce, such as supply chain.

Supply chain lends itself to blockchain-based solutions because it’s growing increasingly complex. This creates challenges around communications and end-to-end visibility that can make processes inefficient – at a time when expectations around efficiency are increasing.

Blockchain is emerging as one solution to help organisations meet these supply chain challenges.

Sitel Philippines Study: Excellent health programs top draw for BPO job seekers

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 10:26:08 GMT

BPO companies now may have to look beyond competitive compensation as a key in attracting and retaining top talents.

Findings of the recent study conducted by Sitel Philippines revealed that excellent health programs are the top draw for people considering a career in the BPO industry.

“The stress of everyday life, consequences of wrong lifestyle choices, and environmental stressors — all these can sap a person’s physical and emotional energy,” said one of the respondents during the focus ground discussion session conducted for the study.

How SMEs can bridge the cybersecurity skills gap

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 09:30:17 GMT

It seems we’re finally starting to see signs of growth in digital skills materialising. According to the (ISC)² 2022 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, the size of the cybersecurity workforce reached an all-time high of 4.7 million in 2022. However, the very same report suggests that there was still a shortage of 3.4 million security professional last year, up 26% from the figures recorded in 2021.

The crux of the problem is simple: Yes, the global cybersecurity workforce is growing, but so too is the gap in the number of professionals required to combat an ever-evolving threat landscape.

Preparing supply chains for inflation and potential recession: 5 strategies

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 09:30:10 GMT

As the saying goes, there’s no rest for the weary. Even with the supply chain impacts of COVID-19 winding down, another threat looms on the horizon. Recession, the once-in-a-decade crisis that disrupts lives and transforms global commerce, is possibly looming. Inflation rates are skyrocketing. Currency values are plummeting. Discretionary spending is slowing. It’s time to brace for changes that will have a lasting impact on your business and your supply chain.

But preparing for change doesn’t have to mean bracing for the worst. Readying your supply chain for recession now will give you the opportunity to thrive through disruption and chart a brighter future for your company for years to come.

70% of technology sourcing leaders will have environmental-sustainability-aligned performance objectives by 2026: Gartner

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 09:28:44 GMT

By 2026, 70% of technology sourcing, procurement and vendor management (SPVM) leaders will have environmental-sustainability-aligned performance objectives for their functions, according to Gartner, Inc.

Environmental sustainability has become a top 10 business priority for CEOs, demanding aligned environmental performance from souring functions. “Environmental sustainability directives require all functions to adjust in line,” said Stephen White, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner. “Sourcing, contracting and vendor management must all adapt with urgency by incorporating sustainability rigor into operations and objectives.”

Top 10 ProcureTech Strategies

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 10:08:01 GMT

Procurement is becoming increasingly bound-up with Technology, increasing efficiency in Procurement.Here are the Top 10 ProcureTech strategies...

Read the strategies on Procurement Magazine here.

Social value 'must be compulsory component in every public contract'

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 10:03:34 GMT

The UK government should include a “social value calculation” in the Procurement Bill as a compulsory component for contracts.

During a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament, Mick Whitley (Lab), told MPs a “measure of social value” should be embedded “in every contract”.

“That spending should bring direct benefits to the people of this country, not primarily to the corporations that win most contracts, and still less to those in tax havens who utilise loopholes in the law to siphon taxpayers’ money into offshore accounts,” he said.

“However, the bill does not match the scale or scope of reform to public procurement procedures required to ensure that it addresses the needs of the British people following the UK’s exit from the EU.”

Read more on CIPS here.

How to become a tech-forward business

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 10:02:00 GMT

In the face of a business environment plagued with uncertainties, organizations are turning to technology to help lower costs and optimize productivity, and with good reason. Among McKinsey-surveyed companies in 2020 that were able to successfully undergo a tech transformation, 50 percent reported moderate to significant impact on realizing new revenue streams, almost 70 percent reported impact on increasing existing revenue streams, and 76 percent reported impact on reducing costs. But modernizing technology requires companies do multiple things well to capture all the value that’s there for the taking, write partners Anusha Dhasarathy and Thomas Elsner, and senior partner Naufal Khan. Dive into these insights to understand how to compete and succeed in a digital world.

Is burnout among procurement professionals driving a rise in automation?

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 09:58:08 GMT

Pressurised working environments for procurement professionals are driving an increase in automation in the function, according to experts.

Alan Holland, founder and CEO of tech firm Keelvar told Supply Management there had been a “significant increase in demand” for automation as a result of rising burnout among buyers.

“Sourcing professionals have been swept up in a perfect storm of global volatility, geopolitical disruption, and inflation and they’re struggling to stay afloat,” Holland said.

“While predictive AI has gained some traction for helping teams anticipate future outcomes, it’s doing little to solve the workload crisis they’re currently facing. As a result, we’re seeing a significant increase in demand for automation.”

Read more on CIPS here.

Accenture Rated Highest Leader in Everest Group Salesforce Industry Cloud Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 09:56:58 GMT

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has been rated the highest Leader in the Everest Group PEAK Matrix Assessment for Salesforce Industry Cloud Services, positioned ahead of all competitors in both Market Impact and Vision & Capability.

According to the report, Accenture's consistency in winning Salesforce Partner Innovation Awards and recognition with the highest industry expertise level indicates its capability and credibility in the market. Additionally, clients recognized Accenture for its track record of successful implementations, technology-functional expertise, and a global talent pool of industry cloud resources. Accenture was the only provider to be measured 'high' in the Value Delivered and Vision and Strategy capabilities.

Teleperformance says it had assisted 60,000 children, including 10,000 from India, in 2022

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 09:47:48 GMT

Teleperformance which is into outsourced customer and citizen experience management and related digital services, said it has assisted more than 60,000 children, including 10,000 in India, in situations of vulnerability across 50 countries last year through its Citizen of the World (COTW) programme.

Founded in 2006, COTW is part of the Teleperformance Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy to meet today’s major global challenges. Since its inception, COTW has made $60 million in cash and in-kind donations to help improve lives around the world, the firm said.

IBM grows 12% in FY22 as layoffs announced

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 10:04:14 GMT

IBM announced revenue growth above expectation in Q4, and growth of 12% for FY22, however the company also announced 3,900 layoffs representing 1.5% of IBM’s workforce.

For Q4 FY22 IBM reported revenue of $16.7bn, up 6% at constant currency, though flat in real terms. IBM has seen success from its focus on hybrid cloud and AI, with good growth across all geographies.

For the full FY22, revenue was up 12% (cc) to $60.5bn, with about 4 points attributable from sales to Kyndryl. Hybrid cloud revenue was $22.4bn, up 17% (cc). Currency volatility was a significant headwind in 2022, impacting revenue by $3.5bn dollars. The planned layoffs are related to the spinoff of its Kyndryl business and a part of AI unit Watson Health. No UK specific revenue was provided, but in January IBM named Dr Nicola Hodson as its new Chief Executive for UK&I, succeeding Sreeram Visvanathan.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Dell boosts cloud offering with Cloudify acquisition

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 10:03:15 GMT

Dell Technologies has acquired the open source, multi-cloud orchestration platform Cloudify in a deal widely reported to be worth up to $100m.

Although neither Dell nor Cloudify has released a statement about the acquisition, Dell has posted a Form S-8 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission detailing share awards for Cloudify employees as part of the deal.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

SS&C Blue Prism ‘identifies’ the top 9 intelligent automation trends for 2023

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 10:01:06 GMT

2022 had proven challenging for Australia, with economic turmoil and market volatility in the face of supply chain issues, political conflicts, and talent acquisition and retention difficulties, according to robotic process auttomation provider SS&C Blue Prism.

SS&C Blue Prism says organisation leaders should prepare for challenges around procuring talent, building the right flexible workplace culture, and delivering operational resilience.

“To help organisations achieve IA success, leaders from the global SS&C Blue Prism team predict the following trends will become key priorities in 2023:

Why are we so bad at long-term thinking?

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 10:00:02 GMT

What’s riskier: a lion that’s about to pounce on you, or an iceberg melting away in the distance?

Both pose a threat to human life. But our ability to perceive and act on the long-term danger falters in comparison to our readiness to grab a spear or rock to deter the big cat.  

Our ability to focus on our immediate surroundings was once a handy mechanism to stay alive. Now, this short-term bias could be putting the world at risk. While we’re well aware of the challenges ahead, acting on them is a different story. The urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted dramatic changes, from lockdowns to virtual working; the slow-burn crisis of climate change has not had the same effect.

Wanted: startups looking to collaborate with Zurich on the future of insurance

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 09:50:25 GMT

Zurich launches the fourth edition of its global startup competition, the Zurich Innovation Championship
Startups can sign up here until Feb. 27 in five categories expected to shape the future of insurance
First three editions have resulted in 30 ongoing collaborations globally

Find out more on Zurich Insurance here.

ShardSecure® Announces Alliance with KPMG

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 09:38:01 GMT

ShardSecure, a leading provider of cloud data security and resilience software, has formed a new alliance with KPMG LLP in the United States. KPMG LLP is one of the top cyber consulting and advisory firms globally.

KPMG LLP will bundle ShardSecure's Microshard™ solution with cloud security service offerings in the US. This will provide a robust cloud security solution for our joint enterprise customers. KPMG also intends to support ShardSecure on go-to-market strategy to meet the growing need for data protection, privacy, and resilience in the cloud using jointly developed cloud security solution offerings.

Read more on PR Newswire here.

'Climate quitting': One-in-three young people have rejected a job over employers' weak ESG credentials

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 09:36:23 GMT

New survey from KPMG reveals how employers' ESG record is influencing employment decisions for almost half of UK office workers.

A third of 18 to 24 year-olds have rejected a job offer based on the prospective employers' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in favour of more environmentally friendly roles - fuelling a growing trend dubbed "climate quitting" by KPMG.

The consultancy giant today published the results of a survey of 6,000 UK adult office workers, students, apprentices, and those who have left higher education in the past six months, which found that almost half - 46% - of those quizzed want the company they work for to demonstrate green credentials.

Cognizant buys into IoT with Mobica acquisition

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 09:50:07 GMT

Cognizant is to acquire Wilmslow-headquartered former Little British Battler (LBB) Mobica as it looks to enhance its IoT software development capabilities.

We first looked at Mobica back in 2012 when they formed part of our 'Little British Battler' initiative (see here) – indeed at the time we were particularly impressed with the way the top team ‘walked the walk’ as well as ‘talked the talk’. Fast forward eleven years and they have talked and walked themselves into a deal with acquisitive SI Cognizant who is looking to expand its IoT embedded software engineering capabilities. Sensible stuff given that IoT has become one of the hottest parts of the SITS market.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

AI traffic analytics platform GoodVision raises €2.7m

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 09:34:58 GMT

London based start-up GoodVision Ltd, which provides an AI driven Advanced Traffic Analytics Platform, has raised €2.7m in funding to further scale and grow the business.

GoodVision provides automation tools for all stages of traffic projects, from AI traffic data collection to traffic modelling and real-time traffic control. The company was founded in 2017 by Daniel Stofan and Lukas Hruby and has raised €3.7m in funding to date. The latest round was led by Lead Ventures, with participation from Credo Ventures, and Bulgarian Sofia Angels Ventures.

The company’s main product is its ‘Video Insights platform’, a SaaS traffic analytics platform that automates the traffic data collection from existing camera infrastructure and provides deep traffic analytics for calibrating traffic models. They also offer products for real time traffic video analytics and video storage. Existing clients include Arup, Jacobs and the New Zealand Transport Agency.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Key trends shaping procurement in 2023

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 09:33:44 GMT

On the back of Proxima's newest CPO report, in which the industry's leading voices share their insights on the year ahead, the procurement specialist outlines the key trends impacting the commercial environment.

Proxima recently released its latest CPO report in which the industry’s leading voices share their insights on the year ahead. In this article, Proxima outlines the key trends impacting the commercial environment.

Achieving value and sustainability through technology procurement

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 09:32:45 GMT

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is the UK’s biggest procurement organisation. It uses its commercial expertise to help buyers in central government, and across the public and third sectors.

With inflation surging, and ever growing financial pressures on many organisations, there has arguably never been a tougher time to be charged with making budgets go further – particularly across the public sector. This is especially the case for public sector organisations considering their IT spend, with so many looking to digitally transform in the light of changing work patterns and consumer behaviour post pandemic.

Read more on CIPS Supply Management here.

Embracing the Metaverse: A Bold Way to Improve Customer Retail Experiences

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 09:31:50 GMT

There’s been quite a bit of hype about the metaverse — it’s the next big thing, it will transform how companies engage with customers and it will alter the way we do business. The metaverse simply integrates the physical and digital worlds, enhancing both through virtual worlds or simple contextual overlays. While companies currently interact with customers via multiple channels — mobile devices, desktop computers, email, social media and chatbots — leveraging the metaverse helps companies create immersive and interactive retail experiences for customers.

What those advanced interactive features will look like is still under development. What we do know, according to IDC analyst Ramon Llamas, is that they’ll be available across devices. “That includes via VR/AR glasses, smartphones, tablets and PCs, chat rooms with video, but also probably via up-and-coming things like holograms, digital signage, digital assets and digital content.”

Teleperformance Supported Education for More Than 60,000 Vulnerable Children In 2022

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 09:24:32 GMT

Teleperformance (Paris:TEP), the global leader in outsourced customer and citizen experience management and related digital services, announced that it assisted more than 60,000 children in situations of vulnerability across 50 countries last year through its Citizen of the World (COTW) program.

Founded in 2006, COTW is part of the Teleperformance Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy to meet today’s major global challenges. The company is committed to developing in a sustainable manner, creating meaningful connections to bring people together and create value for all stakeholders while ensuring that future generations can meet their own needs. This includes helping the world's most vulnerable infants and children meet basic survival needs and ultimately reach their individual potential.

Read more on BusinessWire here.

Google to cut 12,000 jobs

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 14:52:33 GMT

Six per cent of the workforce to go as search and ad tech giant latest to announce layoffs, wants to refocus on AI.

Google is to lay off approximately 6% of its workforce and refocus on its priorities, including AI, according to an email sent to staff on Friday by CEO Sundar Pichai. The email was followed up by a blog post.

"We've decided to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles. We've already sent a separate email to employees in the US who are affected. In other countries, this process will take longer due to local laws and practices," Pichai wrote.

Pichai said the company will be reviewing its current operations in order to make the most of its early investments in AI.

"To fully capture it, we'll need to make tough choices. So, we've undertaken a rigorous review across product areas and functions to ensure that our people and roles are aligned with our highest priorities as a company."

Read more on Computing here.

Latest Software & IT Services market forecasts

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 12:05:50 GMT

TechMarketView has released its updated outlook for the UK Software and IT Services market. In this new forecast cycle, we update the data published in Summer last year to reflect current economic conditions and market activity in Q3 and Q4 of 2022.

As we tracked quarterly supplier results and buyer sentiment/action through the second half of 2022, it became obvious that - despite some more recent reports of a slowdown in decision making - the market has continued to expand at an extremely brisk, in part inflation, fuelled pace.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

New AI research from TechMarketView and the University of Surrey

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 12:04:36 GMT

TechMarketView is delighted to be partnering with the Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI, part of the University of Surrey, to produce a programme of research. The alliance will see TechMarketView Research Directors collaborate with the institute to bridge the gap between academia and industry and enable the cross-fertilisation of research into the way AI can be applied to improve the way we live our lives (see TechMarketView partners with Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI | TechMarketView).

The first report, entitled Building AI-aided workforce resilience, is available now for TechMarketView clients to delve into. It includes analysis of the role of AI/ML in workforce resilience and advice for suppliers operating in the market.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Tackling the UK’s Productivity Puzzle

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 11:52:43 GMT

Every year our theme is designed to sum up in a few words the key trends that we think will impact the tech market in the year ahead, and this year it is Pursuing Productivity.

The UK has had a productivity crisis for the last decade. Over that time, successive Prime Ministers have sought to understand the reason why and to implement policies to ‘get the country moving’.

In other words, productivity is not a new issue. And you’d be well within your rights to question why we think the pursuit of productivity will be such a defining feature of the next 12 months.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

UK businesses overconfident in digital supply chain security

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 11:45:12 GMT

Organisations are too trusting of Managed Service Providers, according to new research. Just four-in-ten believe they need to make sure Managed Service Providers are certified in providing cyber security essentials, while one-third agreed personnel of providers should undergo security checks before taking on such work.

Managed services is the practice of outsourcing the responsibility for maintaining, and anticipating need for, a range of processes and functions, ostensibly for the purpose of improved operations and reduced budgetary expenditures through the reduction of directly-employed staff. To that end, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can help business stay flexible when it comes to resources, and can accommodate swift changes which an in-house team might not be able to respond to efficiently.

But as with any outsourcing practice, MSPs also come with a host of risks, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. As the Covid-19 outbreak opened even more avenues for fraudsters to commit financial crimes, 64% of UK companies admitted they had experienced fraud or economic crime since 2020 – and when pointing to external sources of such incidents, 20% said they had been hit by outsourced suppliers, such as MSPs

Sustainability’s deepening imprint

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 11:42:05 GMT

Companies are more active than ever in pursuing sustainability to align with values and engage stakeholders, a new survey shows. To see financial returns, though, integrating sustainability into core functions is key.

s environmental, social, and governance issues have become ever more important influencers of customer and employee expectations, organizations have tightened their embrace of the sustainability programs that address those issues. According to the latest McKinsey Global Survey on the topic,1 companies are increasingly formalizing the way they govern sustainability programs, as well as elevating the importance of diversity and inclusion.2 And a larger share of respondents than ever before say the top reason for implementing a sustainability agenda is better alignment between an organization’s practices and its goals, missions, or values.

Here’s why human-centric innovation is necessary

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 11:39:55 GMT

Even a great idea or mission can be crippled by design that doesn’t put people first. Why should human considerations—such as their needs, wants, and dreams—only come into the conversation later? By centering empathy and understanding in design research, companies can both reduce risk in the idea-generating stage and ensure people are at the heart of the process, write senior partners Ewan Duncan and Kevin Neher. These needs also include the needs of the planet, society, and what matters to us as human beings. Explore our insights to learn more about human-centric design, including how to balance designing for individuals versus everyone, why first-hand research can change the game, and why it’s important to innovate for the needs of future people too.

Supply chain is a risky business, even with visibility

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:43:35 GMT

Visibility on risk is vital if businesses are to avoid making costly blind decisions, says Chonchol Gupta CEO of risk analytics firm Rebirth Analytics

Suppliers are often in the dark over multiple factors affecting procurement, production, and provenance. You might have trusted relationships with your long-term suppliers but they might not enjoy a similar relationship with their own suppliers, who could well be withholding key information.

Or it might be that neither buyer nor supplier is aware of the impact that political, economic, or even weather risks, will have on their ability to deliver the goods.

Why automation is the best medicine for the healthcare industry

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:35:08 GMT

In the aftermath of the pandemic, healthcare workers are still feeling overwhelmed in an age when healthcare organizations are facing demands to do more for their patients with the same or even less resources. Burnout among healthcare workers reached roughly 60% in 2021.

The pandemic took its toll on health systems around the world, leading to patient care and treatment being affected, with growing waitlists and waiting times, and overburdened care workers, struggling to fill the gaps in an already understaffed and under resourced sector.

In the World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest global pulse survey, 92% of the 129 respondent countries reported some kind of disruption to services.

Are higher supply chain costs the reason just 8.5% of firms have left Russia?

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:31:34 GMT

Just 8.5% of firms with connections to Russia have pulled out of the country despite pressure to do so because of the war in Ukraine, according to research.

A report by two professors analysed Orbis company data and found of 1,404 EU and G7 companies with “commercially active equity investments” in Russia before the invasion, 120 (8.5%) had left by the end of November 2022.

After Russia invaded in February 2022 many firms including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Pepsi withdrew or suspended operations in the country following international outcry.

Local authorities in the UK responded by cancelling contracts with suppliers based in Russia.

Read more on CIPS Supply Management here.

Teleperformance : Restoring the World's Ecosystems with One Tree Planted

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:28:32 GMT

Teleperformance reinforces our commitment to making a positive impact on the planet we live in. As a Force of Good, our corporate social responsibility initiatives that focus on the planet continue to create a spark of hope, paving the way for a cleaner, better, and healthier environment.

Ourpartnership with One Tree Planted, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to global reforestation, has been fruitful. Powered by the generosity of those who donated to the environmental cause, we are on our way to strengthening reforestation efforts - as of this writing, we're well on our way towards our goal of planting 500,000 trees. With every dollar donated, a tree gets planted across North America, Europe, Asia, and in Latin America.

How To Ensure You Have Inclusive Hiring Practices

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 09:24:17 GMT

To many, “diversity” may seem like a buzzword—something leaders pay lip service to without producing tangible results. And since we’ve got a long way to go toward creating an equal workplace, diversity is still more important than ever. In 2023, diversity, equity and inclusion are table stakes for attracting top talent and running a successful business. I believe companies that choose to prioritize DEI will reap the rewards.

Business leaders cannot simply say they want to create diversity and expect a wide range of candidates to magically line up at their door. Without intention, employers could end up with the one-dimensional workplaces of the past. Businesses should be proactive about going out and finding diverse candidates.

Read more on Forbes here.

Why do buyers and supply chain execs have mismatched priorities?

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 09:46:03 GMT

A gap in priorities between procurement and supply chain teams has resulted in higher costs, longer cycle times and less resilience, according to research.

A survey of procurement and supply chain executives found for buyers the top priority was “managing costs in face of inflation”, while for supply chain execs it was “ensuring delivery amidst supply shortages”.

This misalignment in priorities was a concern in organisations, as 58% of supply chain officers reported the gaps were resulting higher costs, 47% said they caused longer cycle times, and 42% reported negative impacts on resiliency. Additionally, around 45% said it resulted in an inability to source critical materials.

Read more on CIPS here.

Supply chain resilience the goal as firms battle inflation and politics

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 09:45:09 GMT

Industry leaders say inflation is the biggest threat they face over the next two years, closely followed by the Ukraine conflict and geo-political tensions between China and the US.

The latest Trade in Transition global survey of 3,000 executives, commissioned by DP World (DPW) and conducted by Economist Impact, reports that 96% of companies are developing their supply chains to add resilience, following to the shockwaves from the Covid pandemic and geo-political issues.

DPW said: “The change has been swift. In the space of just a year, the number of companies shifting their manufacturing and suppliers – either to home markets or nearby – has doubled. This is driven mainly by efforts to reduce costs and the risk of disruption.”

Procurement Workforce Demands Change and New Solutions Amid Record Disruption, According to Keelvar Study

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 09:43:48 GMT

Keelvar, the leading global provider of autonomous sourcing and sourcing optimization solutions, today released the results of its 2023 Voices of Sourcing report. Keelvar’ s research found that 91% of supply chains have been impacted by inflation, which has increased pressure on procurement teams to cut costs. Despite the urgency to control spending, only 12% of procurement and sourcing teams plan to cut budgets for technology and innovation, which shows the criticality of enabling technology in uncertain markets.

Read more on BusinessWire here.

KPMG Survey: Expect More Mergers and Acquisitions This Year

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 09:42:47 GMT

A KPMG poll of 300+ investors shows more than half are looking to ramp up their acquisition activity.

Despite an environment of rising inflation and interest rates and with the possibility of a recession, 60 percent of healthcare and life sciences investors say they plan to increase their M&A activity in 2023.

The KMPG Healthcare and Life Sciences Investment Outlook sampled more than 300 executives on their perspective going into the new year and how that will affect their investment plans. For 2023, the theme seems to be strategic investments, as companies continue to combat continued supply chain issues, labor costs and inflation.

Read more on Healthcare Innovation here.

CHARLES RUSSELL SPEECHLYS FEATURES IN THE LAWYER’S TOP 20 CASES FOR 2023

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 09:41:31 GMT

Cheltenham-based law firm Charles Russell Speechlys has been featured in The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases for 2023.

The list includes cases with the most significant sums in dispute, with proceedings set to be heard in court during 2023.

The disputes involve high-profile parties or issues, as well as insolvencies that have caused a tumultuous fallout.

In this case, the joint liquidators of the BHS Group are seeking to recover £163 million from the retailer’s former directors in one of 2023’s largest insolvency litigation set pieces.

Charles Russell Speechlys is acting for the fourth respondent, Non-Executive Chairman Keith Smith.

Read more on Business & Innovation Magazine here.

How Companies Can Prepare Their Supply Chains to be More Green, Diverse and Compliant in 2023

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 09:52:52 GMT

Over the past few years, the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) space has grown and matured significantly. Today, over 90% of S&P 500 companies publish ESG reports, reflecting the increased expectations from employees, consumers, investors, and regulators.

Around the world, we're seeing ESG legislation turn to regulation, like Germany's Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, meaning supply chain operators must ready their reporting operations now to avoid scrambling to stay compliant later.

The truth is, many organizations are still figuring out what their most material issues are, which goals they want and need to pursue, how they track against those goals, and how best to communicate progress to stakeholders.

Here’s how they can get started.

Read more on SupplyChainBrain here.

We need to stimulate and sustain supply chain resilience to improve global trade. Here's how

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 09:51:25 GMT

Companies wanting to optimize their global value chains have always had to find a way of circumventing trade tensions and bottlenecks.
There has been a recent shift towards reshoring operations to boost resilience while decreasing transport costs to meet demand for local products.
Governments need to avoid protectionist policies and work together to increase economic cooperation and liberalize global trade.

Supply chain disruptions to ease in 2023 as firms adapt, says WEF

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 09:50:09 GMT

Just one in five (23%) chief economists expect supply chain disruption to have a significant impact on businesses in 2023, according to a report.

The World Economic Forum's (WEF) Chief Economists Outlook, produced for the WEF's annual meeting in Davos, found half (50%) of experts considered it either somewhat or extremely unlikely that there will be an adverse impact from supply chain factors.

The report said this reflected “significant stabilisation after Covid-19 restrictions and integration of war-related disruptions in business planning”.

However, the report said the outlook for the year ahead was “gloomy”.

Read more on CIPS here.

How Back Office Automation Market are made: An Overview to The Future Opportunities

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 09:45:34 GMT

Latest Study on Industrial Growth of Back Office Automation Market 2023-2029. A detailed study accumulated to offer Latest insights about acute features of the Back Office Automation market. The report contains different market predictions related to revenue size, production, CAGR, Consumption, Growth Opportunities, Market Trend and Technologies, and other substantial factors. While emphasizing the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also offers a complete study of the future trends and developments of the market. It also examines the role of the leading market players involved in the industry including their corporate overview, financial summary and SWOT analysis.

Some of the Major top players describe in the research are Automation Anywhere Inc, Automai Corporation, UiPath, Softomotive Ltd, Integrify, Pegasystems Inc., Thoughtonomy(Blue Prism), HelpSystems, Twenty57, OpenConnect Systems Incorporated, GNU cflow, Altitude Business Systems Ltd, Codeless Platforms

Read more on Digital Journal here.

How AI can mitigate supply chain issues

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 10:05:06 GMT

The supply chain crisis has been much in the news of late. It’s not difficult to understand why. The crisis has had a profound impact across industries and throughout the global economy. It has contributed to surging prices, layoffs, productivity declines and empty store shelves.

However, there is hope on the horizon and it is coming in the form of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The technology is improving the supply chain in a myriad of ways, from optimizing inventory management to enhancing warehousing and storage processes to automating critical elements of the supply chain. If properly executed, supply chain AI has the ability to improve logistics drastically at a time when every minute counts.

Intelligent Procurement–The rise of advanced business models

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 10:04:06 GMT

Jag Lamba, Founder of Certa, & Jennifer Chaplain, Solution Engineering & Customer Engagement Principal at Aera, on the Intelligent Procurement Revolution

As Solution Engineering and Customer Engagement Principal at Aera Technology, Jennifer Chaplain not only implements Aera’s core technologies, she also designs decision intelligence workflows for global companies.

Aera Technology was founded in 2017 with a vision to transform the future of work through decision intelligence. The company’s cloud platform integrates with existing systems to automate business decisions in real time, enabling global enterprises to gain agility and respond to disruption.

Digital transformation is about people & processes–not tech

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 10:02:54 GMT

Ash Finnegan, Digital Transformation Officer at Conga, reveals that most organisations attempting digital transformations are missing the point entirely

Ash Finnegan is currently digital transformation officer at Conga, which provides end-to-end solutions to help organisations transform their revenue operations (RevOps) and navigate business complexity. In her role, she works directly with customers and partners to execute these programmes in-house.

Drawing upon her 20-year-strong experience as a digital transformation consultant, she has spearheaded the development of a unique framework that empowers organisations to understand the revenue operations’ landscape and successfully tackle their transformation journeys. This assessment ensures organisations implement technology at a pace that they are ready for, only incorporating solutions that drive real business outcomes.

Blue Prism Technology Services Industry Is Projected To Reach USD 7,688 Million By 2033

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 09:58:13 GMT

MR estimates that global blue prism technology services accounts around ~20% of global robotic process automation market due to its improved automation and management technology. Consumers in search of hybrid robotic process automation technology are tend to find a right place for blue prism technology in their respective back-office processes.

Blue Prism’s development in a consistent manner over past half decade lead to its ecosystem expansion. This expansion then resulted in continued product differentiation along with new features acquisition that drives its demand among new users on the platform.The global blue prism technology services market is estimated at USD 362 Million in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 7,688 Million by 2032, growing at an exciting CAGR of 35.7% from 2022-2032.

KPMG: Retail executives’ top challenges, priorities for 2023 are....

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 09:56:27 GMT

Retail executives are worried about higher costs.

That’s according to KPMG’s latest retail executive survey in which the executives ranked inflation as the most significant concern, with the top three challenges being

increased operating costs (80%), increased product input costs (75%) and eroded margins (50%).

The survey found that retail executives’ response to inflation has changed compared to actions they took in 2022. In 2023, 84% plan to find cost efficiencies in other ways and 67% plan to renegotiate purchasing agreements, 67%. The change was passing on additional costs to consumers via price increases, down 16% from last year to 56%.

Business building: The path to resilience in uncertain times

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 09:52:31 GMT

In an uncertain economy, executives’ first instinct might be to cut costs and shore up established holdings. A better way is to build new businesses.

Many leaders are bracing for a rough economic ride—they’re girding their companies against a series of acute global risks. In addition to geopolitical instability, volatile commodity markets, and rising inflation, they anticipate continued waves of global health crises, more frequent and severe climate hazards, and major shifts in consumer and industrial demand. These developments, they feel, could put long-term pressure on their business models—thus heightening the need for resilience.1

Innovation: Your solution for weathering uncertainty

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 09:50:40 GMT

In times of disruption and great uncertainty, most organizations tend to protect what they have and wait for a return to “normal.” That’s a high-risk strategy today because we may be on the cusp of a new era. Structural supply-chain issues, rising interest rates, and sustainability challenges are just a few conditions that have become the new norm and hold critical implications for business models. Amid this much change, merely trying to manage costs and raise productivity is unlikely to overcome the growth challenge that seven out of eight organizations face today. Instead, companies need to find emerging pockets of growth that can help them secure long-term success.

The Supply Chain Is Broken: How Buyers and Suppliers Can Fix It

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 09:07:29 GMT

The global supply chain is more stressed than it’s ever been, and with fears of a looming recession looming large, it’s likely to get worse. To weather it and mitigate further damage, buyers and suppliers need to abandon their old ways of operating, and build more collaborative relationships that are rooted in trust.

The buyer-supplier foundation is shaky and needs to be rebuilt. For decades, contracting models have been adversarial and power based, with the balance shifting toward buyers. Rather than seeing suppliers as partners to help drive innovation, competitive advantage and business growth, buyers have typically viewed them as a source of cost savings.

This model needs to change. The key to securing supply in one of tightest markets the world has ever seen isn’t squeezing suppliers for discounts. As revealed in 3 Ways to Build Trust with Your Suppliers, a study conducted by the Haslem School of Business at the University of Tennessee and sponsored by SAP, it involves building and increasing trust.

NHS trials new robotic ‘Helper Bot’

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:51:43 GMT

Staff at the Milton Keynes University Hospital have been working with the Academy of Robotics to trial an automated delivery robot or ‘Helper Bot’ (named 'Milton' by staff) which aims to relieve the significant workload faced by NHS workers.

The trial began with the Helper Bot navigating itself from A to B within the hospital in late November and will continue with trials in 2023 where it will be delivering medicines on specific routes to assist hospital staff. ‘Milton’ can navigate around obstacles such as people, wheelchairs and beds inside a hospital. The trial will initially focus on tackling challenges with delays to care caused by increased demand on logistical activities such as the movement of medicines, specimens, and clinical supplies around the hospital.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

BPO Parseq scales through M&A

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:49:39 GMT

UK-based business process outsourcer (BPO) Parseq has acquired The Tall Group, a secure print, payment, and online solutions provider and merged operations with offshore IT services provider Column Software Solutions as owner Parabellum Investments looks to scale the business.

Parseq is a UK BPO with a 40+ year history that often goes ‘under the radar’ when we look at the sector. The integration of India-based Column provides access to much needed offshore technology capabilities so vital as the sector migrates towards digital business process services. The merger follows hot on the heels of the acquisition of the Tall Group earlier this month, which boosts the firm’s scale to more than 520 staff across 12 locations in the UK, Bulgaria and India. The Tall Group operates from three sites in Runcorn, Hinckley and Lisburn and counts UK banks and other blue chips among its clients.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Healthtech Peppy secures $45m funding to expand into US

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:48:40 GMT

UK start-up Peppy has secured a sizeable $45m Series B funding round to support the rapid expansion of its B2B2C gender-based healthcare platform to the US.

Founded in 2018 with a focus on menopause support as an employee benefit, Peppy has grown revenue tenfold since its $10m Series A raise 18 months ago. It now has over 250 enterprise clients, including the likes of Natwest and Accenture, and has expanded into other areas of women’s health, men’s health and early parenthood support.

Its digital platform connects employees to healthcare professionals via messaging and video calls, offering personalised care and one-to-one support from ‘human health experts’.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

OpenAI to pilot premium version of ChatGPT

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:47:37 GMT

In what is the latest news in the viral sensation that is AI chatbot ChatGPT, creator OpenAI has announced it is beginning to think about how to monetise the tool, and is planning on exploring the option of a premium ‘Professional’ version, which would provide unlimited availability, no throttling and no daily limit.

This is currently being advertised via a waitlist link published on the company’s Discord server, and is initially asking users a series of question including ‘the most valuable thing’ people use ChatGPT for, and various questions regarding what price users feel would make the tool either too expensive, or a bargain. After answering the short questionnaire, you can then register interest to be involved in the paid trial.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Webhelp expands Leadership Team further with Appointment of new MD Client Solutions

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:46:08 GMT

London – 12^th January, 2023 – Webhelp, a leading global customer experience and business solutions provider, today announces it has expanded its leadership team further with the appointment of Samantha Williams as MD, Client Solutions.

Samantha, who has considerable experience in driving large transnational deals across the CXAAS & SAAS, BPO industry, has worked with many UK and global organisations, so is well placed to deliver a new perspective and innovative customer experience solutions, in line with Webhelps’ growth strategy.

Jonathan Shawcross, Webhelp’s Chief Growth Officer said; “I am delighted to welcome Samantha to Webhelp. This is a key appointment for us as we extend our team and ability to invest in our digital transformation capabilities and CX consulting for our clients to create value driven end to end customer journeys.”

Webhelp experienced very strong client growth in 2022, globally on boarding over 240 new logo clients, and welcoming more than 25,000 game-changers to the business. In line with increased demand, it continued to bolster its Webhelp Anywhere proposition, which combines best shoring with remote, hybrid and on-site operations and tech-enabled capabilities to deliver flexible and tailored solutions.

This year, Webhelp will continue its strategic growth, expanding further into new and current key locations, as well as investments in people, technology, and innovation.

About Webhelp

Webhelp designs, delivers, and optimises unforgettable human experiences for today’s digital world – creating game-changing customer journeys. From sales to service, content moderation to credit management, Webhelp is an end-to-end partner across all B2C and B2B customer journeys. Its over 110,000 passionate employees across more than 55 countries thrive on making a difference for the world’s most exciting brands. Webhelp is currently owned by its management and Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (Euronext: GBLB), a leading global investment holding, as of November 2019.

For more information on Webhelp, visit https://webhelp.com/

SPRINKLR AND SITEL GROUP PARTNER ON CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 09:35:48 GMT

US – Customer experience (CX) businesses Sprinklr and Sitel Group have partnered to combine software and digital CX services.

Headquartered in New York, Sprinklr offers a CX management platform that allows companies to manage how customers experience their brands via external channels, including social media.

Miami-based Sitel Group offers digital and voice-based CX tools and services.

Through the global partnership, the companies aim to create a set of digital services, including social listening and engagement tools, social media strategy and design.

Red-flagging Greenwashing in procurement

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 09:34:08 GMT

What is Greenwashing? How does Greenwashing relate to procurement? What can be done to fight against it?

Greenwashing is the practice of making false or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product, service, or company. It’s often used to make a company or product appear more environmentally friendly than it really is, in order to appeal to consumers who are concerned about the environment.

Automation-as-a-Service Market: Comprehensive study explores Huge Growth in Future

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 10:56:11 GMT

Global Automation-as-a-Service Market Report from AMA Research highlights deep analysis on market characteristics, sizing, estimates and growth by segmentation, regional breakdowns & country along with competitive landscape, player’s market shares, and strategies that are key in the market. The exploration provides a 360° view and insights, highlighting major outcomes of the industry. These insights help the business decision-makers to formulate better business plans and make informed decisions to improved profitability. In addition, the study helps venture or private players in understanding the companies in more detail to make better informed decisions.

5 of the Most Popular RPA Software Solutions in 2023

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 10:55:07 GMT

Are you curious about some of the most popular RPA software solutions right now? Business gets more challenging by the day and while technology is supposed to make things easier, it sometimes introduces other hurdles. Fortunately, you can use technology to improve and still have an optimized situation at the end of the day. The five most popular RPA software solutions in 2023 are all about automating the tedious and time-consuming tasks that take away from your productivity. By automating these processes, you can focus on more important tasks, freeing up your time to work on strategic initiatives.

DXC Technology Identifies Five Cybersecurity Trends that will Impact Life and Business in 2023 and Beyond

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 10:53:42 GMT

Global cybersecurity industry to recruit 3.4 million additional professionals to help neutralize the cybercriminal threat.

DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC), a leading Fortune 500 global technology services company, has forecast five ways the digital security landscape will impact life and business in 2023 and beyond.

As one of the leading providers of cybersecurity solutions globally with over 3,000 experts helping the world's largest companies to increase resilience, DXC Technology is seeing an evolving landscape of threats, but also opportunities to tackle them.

Read the trends on DXC Technology's site here.

Zurich captive focuses on sustainability

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 10:48:18 GMT

Zurich will conduct a standard risk assessment of prospective members of the captive as well as a sustainability assessment of their carbon footprint and energy consumption.

The purpose is not to hold them to any single standard, but to provide baseline data and a report from which they can develop or adjust their sustainability strategy, Zurich said in a statement.

Prospective members of Envision Re must be within Zurich’s underwriting appetite and committed to sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint. Zurich stopped insuring companies that generate more than 30% of their revenues from thermal coal, oil sands and oil shale in 2021.

KPMG finds ‘confusion’ on applying ESG to M&A

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 10:43:50 GMT

ESG compliance is viewed as a proxy for good financial performance but the lack of accepted definitions makes data gathering difficult. Companies urged to align M&A considerations to core ESG strategy.

A KPMG survey released at the end of last year has found that there is little consensus in the business world about how ESG can be applied to due diligence supporting M&A transactions. Conducted by KPMG Finland, the survey involved 150 ‘dealmakers’ in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, including fund managers, board members and advisers.

The report stated: "M&A teams are increasingly conducting ESG due diligence on targets at an early stage. Dealmakers are actively integrating ESG considerations into their deal activities. And premiums are being paid for targets that meet ESG priorities."

Read more on KPMG here.

Unlocking the Power of ROI-Driven Decision-Making with the Cloud

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 09:33:25 GMT

Cloud migration is an excellent example of ROI-driven decision-making.

More often than not, measuring ROI can help make the move to the Cloud and become an important factor in choosing the right Cloud platform to migrate to. According to a recent report by Future Processing, 12% of respondents indicated that Cloud is the most impactful area when it comes to increasing the ROI of IT projects.

Migrating to the Cloud is less of an all-or-nothing proposition than business leaders first imagined. For instance, it can be divided into sub-processes, with some parts of the business providing better returns when held on-premise or in-house, while others benefit significantly from the switch by improving performance and lowering costs.

Journey to a sustainable future: A controlled approach to ESG reporting

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 09:32:23 GMT

UK corporates face a seemingly unending stream of new requirements around ESG reporting, from Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) to the EU and UK taxonomies and, in the US, SEC and sector specific requirements such as National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) climate related disclosures.

A diverse range of businesses will be affected by this rapidly evolving reporting environment, but financial services firms, in particular, need to be ready for a whole new swathe of sustainability reporting requirements.

Historically, much of the sustainability reporting that firms have done has sat outside the Finance function in dispersed pockets of expertise within the business. But as reporting frameworks have become clearer, requirements stricter, and expectations on quality higher, there is increasing pressure from both inside and outside the boardroom to treat sustainability reporting with the same robust, systematic, and controls-focused approach that is used with financial reporting.

Read more on KPMG here.

23 Things Every Contact Centre Manager Needs to STOP Doing in 2023

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 09:29:30 GMT

Are you guilty of doing things the way they’ve always been done? Looking to make some positive changes, but don’t know where to start?

Look no further! We asked our panel of consultants for the things contact centre managers really need to stop doing – as soon as possible – to help rejuvenate their customer service operations. Here’s what they said…

CUSTOMER DATA AND ANALYTICS ‘TOP PRIORITY’ FOR ACHIEVING CUSTOMER SERVICE GOALS

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 09:28:15 GMT

Customer service and support leaders cited customer data and analytics as a top priority for achieving organisational goals in 2023, according top new research.

In a Gartner online survey of 283 customer service and support leaders from August-October 2022, 84% of customer service and service support leaders cited customer data and analytics as “very or extremely important” for achieving their organisational goals in 2023. Eighty percent of respondents ranked digital channel effectiveness as “very or extremely important,” along with employee performance, development and quality assurance.

The Gartner survey revealed improving operations and growing the business are the two most important business goals for 2023.

Read more on Contact Centre Briefing here.

GLOBAL GOVERNMENT IT SPENDING TO GROW 6.8%, FUELLED BY TX DEMAND

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 09:25:47 GMT

Worldwide government IT spending is forecast to total $588.9 billion in 2023, an increase of 6.8% from 2022, fuelled by demand for consumer-like Total Experience (TX) strategies.

“Government organizations are continuing to modernize legacy IT and invest in initiatives that improve access to digital services as constituents increasingly demand experiences that are equivalent to online customer interactions in the private sector,” said Daniel Snyder, Director Analyst at Gartner. “The total experience (TX) framework, which helps agencies manage employee and citizen interactions, is enabling transformation and will remain among the main drivers of IT spend in 2023.”

Read more on Contact Centre Briefing here.

Retail Predictions for 2023: Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Clean Contract Data

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 09:33:37 GMT

With the arrival of 2023, change is on the horizon. The economic forecast calls for continued uncertainty across much of the world, creating persistent challenges while surfacing opportunities for businesses that harness the chance to drive effective transformation.

As inflation increases costs, consumers will continue to reduce household spending, and supply chains will continue to experience upheaval. Therefore, retailers must rely on digital tools to help manage and optimize their operations impacted by inflation. Following are some predictions help retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) producers achieve a competitive advantage.

Read more on SupplyChainBrain here.

McKinsey 5-point plan on supply chain digital transformation

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 09:32:34 GMT

McKinsey publishes digital transformation guidance for organisations seeking to mitigate disruption from ongoing supply chain shocks

‘New normal’ for supply chains looks nothing like the pre-pandemic ‘normal’. Stability and predictability have been replaced with economic, societal and geopolitcal shocks.

To combat the uncertainty and disruption that has become commonplace, businesses are increasingly looking to digitalise processes and operations, with supply chain and procurement being two areas that can deliver competive advantage if organisations have the digital visibility needed to navigate the never-ending headwinds.

Linear supply chains prone to disruption says SAP

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 09:30:49 GMT

SAP survey shows how post-pandemic perceptions of supply chains have changed, and concludes that supply networks are more robust than linear supply chains

Throughout the past two years, there’s been widespread concern across industries that the global supply chain has become too linear and vulnerable to disruption.

With supply chain issues still dominating headlines, SAP conducted a survey to determine how consumer attitudes have adapted to understand how perceptions of supply chains have evolved after living through a pandemic. As 2022 marked a shift in consumer attitudes, the landscape is now being shaped by record high inflation rates that continue to influence expectations. The survey findings provide actionable insights into the challenges that consumers are facing, which can be especially useful for procurement and supply chain leaders.

KPMG buys strategy consultancy The Arnold Group

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 09:29:18 GMT

KPMG US has acquired The Arnold Group, a Seattle-based strategy consulting firm focusing on B2B technology clients.

Founded 20 years ago, The Arnold Group specializes in go-to-market strategy development for B2B technology firms – advising on growth acceleration, commercial transitions, and simplifying customer experience. The firm’s areas of expertise include product strategy, monetization and pricing, customer and partner marketing, sales organization/process design, channel strategy and programs, and service and lifecycle management.

The Arnold Group has worked with large tech companies such as AWS, Microsoft, Dell, and SAP.

KPMG’s acquisition – which finalized on January 1 – adds all 21 of The Arnold Group’s employees, including five who join the Big Four firm as leaders in the strategy practice.

Everest Group Survey Points to a Resilient Year for Outsourcing in 2023 as Global Enterprises Prioritize Cost Savings, Talent Management

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 11:53:51 GMT

In the face of macroeconomic uncertainty, the majority of enterprises feel cautiously optimistic about 2023 and expect to tap outsourcing resources to control costs and meet the demand for talent, according to the results of Everest Group’s annual Key Issues survey. In fact, more than 80% of respondents expect their investments in outsourcing for IT services (ITS) and business process services (BPS) to stay the same or increase in 2023 over 2022, and more than 40% are optimistic about growth in their global services budgets in the coming year.

Everest Group’s 2023 Key Issues Study comprises the input of 200 global leaders across enterprises, Global Business Services (GBS) centers and service providers. Everest Group delivered the key findings from this research in a December 13 webinar, “Rise Above Economic Uncertainty and Succeed.”

2023 Supply Chain Predictions: Resiliency, Sustainability And Visibility Set New Expectations

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 11:40:24 GMT

“Making predictions are hard, especially when they are about the future.” That quote, or similar ones have been attributed to numerous people including Niels Bohr, Sam Goldwyn, Robert Storm Petersen, and Yogi Berra. So, to make some forward looking predictions this year, I decided to reach out to some of my friends in the industry to get their point of views. A few common themes emerged.

Risk Resiliency is top of mind

When it comes to supply chains, risk can appear in many forms. From a pandemic that highlighted the supply risks in our stretched global networks, to cyber security breaches across our systems, and the current challenges that inflation brings to our business, the need for a risk resilient supply chain is clear to everybody.

Read more on Forbes here.

Inflation Fizzles: Three Supply Chain Trends That Will Ease Cost Pressure

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 11:39:30 GMT

Last month’s relatively docile CPI numbers look set to finally allow the Fed to enjoy some holiday cheer. Annualized US inflation dropped to 7.1% amid somewhat lower energy costs. The war in Ukraine is still on, and yet, prices at the pump are down, and house prices are falling under the weight of higher mortgage rates. So, are we all good?

Maybe not so fast. The Employment Cost Index is now at 5% annualized and the Atlanta Fed’s wages tracker shows a 6.5% hourly labor cost increase. Press surrounding workforce dropouts, unionization drives, and stubbornly low unemployment suggest rising wage-demands are still a problem.

Read more on Forbes here.

Genpact Ranked a Leader in Everest Group's Procurement Outsourcing (PO) Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2022 for Second Year

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 11:38:31 GMT

Genpact, a global professional services firm focused on delivering digital transformation, today announced that it has earned the rank of Leader in Everest Group's Procurement Outsourcing (PO) Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022 for the second consecutive year. The report examines 21 PO service providers on market and industry deliverables and client interactions.

The report cites Genpact's operational consulting capabilities, deep domain expertise, and advanced technologies that provide end-to-end procurement services and enable digital transformation of client operations. Beyond its strategic sourcing and category management expertise, the company is also noted for its ability to successfully leverage a flexible operating model to support clients with end-to-end integrated risk management and analytics solutions.

Sitel Partners with Genesys

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 11:38:02 GMT

Sitel Group, providers of customer experience (CX) products and solutions, is partnering with Genesys, a cloud customer experience solutions provider, to help companies build and deploy omnichannel contact center solutions in the cloud and harness the power of digital and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

"This is a landmark partnership for the customer experience industry and one that will empower brands to deliver seamless CX and develop deeper relationships with customers," said Olivier Camino, global chief operating officer and co-founder of Sitel Group, in a statement. "Working alongside Genesys helps brands offer fluid, effortless interactions that are faster, smarte,r and more personalized, all via an easy-to-use proven cloud product."

"Growth in digital engagement, employee experience expectations and work-from-anywhere models are transforming contact centers globally," said M.L. Maco, executive vice president of global sales and field operations at Genesys, in a statement. "The continuous deployment of new features and functionality on Genesys gives Sitel Group ongoing access to the latest innovations to remain competitive and deliver experiences where customers are remembered, heard, and understood.

The Future of Cloud Computing: 8 Trends to Watch in 2023

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 11:36:49 GMT

Technologies such as artificial intelligence/machine learning, edge computing, virtual cloud desktops, serverless computing, automation, hybrid cloud, SASE and cloud disaster recovery are shaping the future of cloud computing.

Cloud technology is the lifeline of the latest technological progress and a new-generation trendsetter in the modern tech industry. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies worldwide began applying the work-from-home model to their global workforce and implementing various digital technologies into their businesses.

ESG driving M&A activity in the TMT sector

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 10:03:36 GMT

In early 2022, Eversheds Sutherland commissioned a global study of 1,200 business leaders to assess attitudes and approaches to M&A. Looking back on the events that have shaped the past year, it is clear that the uncertainty which pervaded the market resulted in what many would describe as a cautious end to the year. Notwithstanding this, there remains a sense of optimism for 2023, with many predicting that M&A activity will begin to increase as we move through the first half of the year. Whilst there are many factors driving this view, a rise in ESG regulation and increasing demand for ethical investments from stakeholders are two primary factors that cannot be ignored by business leaders as they innovate and adapt their existing practices to build more equitable and sustainable business models.

These views are supported by the results of our global study and demonstrate that ESG is high on the list of priorities of business leaders across all sectors, with 67% of leaders stating that ESG is important to their business strategy. In addition, 71% of business leaders operating in the TMT sector reported an increase in the value attributed to target companies with a particular focus on DEI strategies and new technologies achieving net zero.

Have we entered the decade of global risks?

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 10:01:27 GMT

Are we living in an era in which world events trigger unavoidable cascades of crises?

Crises have always rippled out into the world around them, creating far-off and sometimes unanticipated effects. However, the early years of the 2020s have demonstrated the interconnectedness of global risks with a fresh force.

Few decades have had a less auspicious beginning. In 2020, COVID-19 swept across the globe, spreading to over half of the world’s countries in just three months and causing knock-on economic, political and social shocks. At the same time, the frequency and the cost of natural disasters have continued to increase: in 2020 alone, 389 major climate change affected almost 100 million people and caused USD 171 billion in damages. The pandemic was beginning to abate when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered food and energy crises which fueled a rise in inflation and left us on the brink of a global recession.

Talent still the top issue keeping business leaders up at night

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 09:57:19 GMT

Digital transformation and cyber security follow in top three priority list – concerns about remote working decline

Talent – recruiting, retaining and upskilling staff – is the number one issue facing Australian companies heading into 2023, KPMG Australia’s annual survey of business leaders shows.

In the fifth edition of ‘Keeping us up at night’, 473 senior executives detailed the key challenges facing their organisations and the nation both in the next 12 months, and over the next 3-5 years.

Read more on KPMG here.

What is the metaverse—and what does it mean for business?

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 11:50:08 GMT

No one quite agrees on how to precisely define the metaverse, but there is no denying that we are already seeing glimpses of it and what it might become. In this episode of the At the Edge podcast, Cathy Hackl—foremost futurist, metaverse expert, and author—joins McKinsey’s Mina Alaghband to share her informed take on what the metaverse is, how it’s currently manifesting, and what it might evolve into in the future. She also discusses the potential opportunities—and responsibilities—for businesses as the metaverse develops.

Listen to the full podcast or read the transcript here.

Four Ethics and Compliance Trends to Track in 2023

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 11:17:22 GMT

As supply chain leaders continue to tack against the winds of change in the workplace, issues relating to ethics and compliance (E&C) abound.

It can be challenging to engage employees amid such dizzying change. A recent Gallup report found that employee engagement rates in manufacturing are the lowest of any industry in the U.S., with only 25% of the workforce considered to be “engaged.” Reinforcing company values through E&C training programs can help in many ways.

In fact, an industry-specific segment of data from the LRN Benchmark of Ethical Culture reveals an opportunity to improve the state of ethical culture in the manufacturing sector by strategically and proactively reinforcing company values, especially within production teams.

Looking ahead to 2023, following are some of the top trends that will affect supply chain leaders in the E&C space.

Read more on SupplyChainBrain here.

ESG Goals Require Technology Boost

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 11:12:31 GMT

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices are the cornerstones of sustainable businesses. The widespread adoption of technologies for ecosystem preservation and environmental problem management highlights the crucial role technology plays in catalyzing ESG ambitions.

The Malaysian government has not wavered in its commitment to prioritize any ESG-focused development initiatives and technological innovation. Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), for instance, has issued the 2022-2026 Financial Sector Blueprint that emphasizes their goals for sustainable growth, which concurrently promotes the 12th Malaysia Plan’s goal to make Malaysia ‘prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable’.

According to the KPMG 2022 CEO Outlook survey, 71 percent of CEOs in Asia Pacific agree that their organization’s digital and ESG investments are inextricably linked. Having reliable information and appropriate technological solutions are crucial to push the organization’s ESG agenda forward.

Why investing in supply chain tech 'is a marriage'

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 10:20:55 GMT

Companies must invest in training alongside use of new supply chain technology to maximise its effectiveness, according to a report.

The Global Risk Landscape 2022 report, by consultancy BDO, said investment in improving supply chain resilience and efficiency had risen during the pandemic as the cost of disruption grew.

A survey of over 500 C-Suite executives across the globe found 40% had invested in new supply chain technologies, but to “bring that tech to life, you’ve got to look at the business case for investing in your team”.

Read more on CIPS Supply Management here.

How making the most out of GovTech's boom will strengthen public services

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 10:18:51 GMT

GovTech refers to the public sector’s use of emerging technologies and digital products, often provided by start-ups and SMEs.
GovTech solutions address problems across the entire spectrum of public tasks with the potential to digitally transform the public sector at large.
Strengthening GovTech requires a better understanding of innovative solutions in the public sector and a stronger focus of public procurement on those solutions

Teleperformance Named to PEOPLE’s Annual List of "100 Companies that Care" for 2022

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 10:17:35 GMT

Teleperformance (Paris:TEP), the global leader in outsourced customer and citizen experience management and related digital services, was named to PEOPLE’s "100 Companies that Care" for 2022. This is the sixth year that PEOPLE has partnered with Great Places to Work® to spotlight employers that have gone above and beyond to create positive workplaces for their staff and the community at large. Companies That Care is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on the level of care and concern for their employees, their communities, and the environment.

Read more on BusinessWire here.

ESG at KPMG: Investing in people is key

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 10:15:35 GMT

As head of global ESG at KPMG International (and head of ESG, KPMG UK), John McCalla-Leacy is responsible for embedding ESG practices into KPMG’s global strategy – and its UK firm’s strategy. He also leads on the delivery of ESG solutions, products and services to KPMG’s clients.

Here he reveals his insights into the direction of travel for ESG and the sustainability skills challenge in conversation with Environment Analyst’s Steve Gilmore.

UK broadens scope of cyber regulations to cover outsourced IT providers

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 09:04:42 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Wednesday it would strengthen its cybersecurity laws to better protect essential services like water, energy and transport by bringing outsourced information technology services under the scope of existing regulations.

"The services we rely on for healthcare, water, energy and computing must not be brought to a standstill by criminals and hostile states," cyber minister Julia Lopez said.

The government said it would update 2018 regulations which were designed to make sure companies providing critical services improved their cyber security.

Citing cyber attacks like 'CloudHopper', in which hackers targeted big tech companies, Britain's digital department said the rules needed to be updated to cover companies that provide services such as security monitoring and digital billing

Supply chain goes from linear to networked ecosystem

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 09:03:18 GMT

An outlook on the importance of building supply chain sustainability.

In brief

Supply chain practitioners are increasingly adopting strategies to build a vigorous system.
Cost reduction is not the only focus of organizations, as was earlier
Technology can help digitize the supple chain and make it more transparent and resilient.

Read the full article on EY here.

Unilever's new CPO unveils 'procurement with purpose vision'

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 09:45:57 GMT

Unilever’s new chief procurement officer Willem Uijen has outlined how the company is using its sourcing strategy and supplier collaboration to “raise industry standards”.

Uijen, who started the role in September, said in a blog suppliers who demonstrated action taken on sustainability standards would be prioritised.

Read more on CIPS supply management here.

US Companies Are Looking to Colombia for All Their Sourcing Needs

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 09:43:22 GMT

During the last International Business Matchmaking Forum, an event organized in Houston by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism of Colombia and ProColombia —the country's promotion agency— business appointments were made between 215 Colombian companies, of which 76% (164 companies) were MSMEs, and 118 international buyers from 15 countries, with the Americans being the true protagonists.

Read more on PR Newswire here.

Can Outsourcing Your IT Support Adds Value to Your Growing Company?

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 09:41:53 GMT

More and more businesses are choosing to outsource their IT support to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape of technology. Outsourcing IT support can offer a wide range of benefits for any growing business, from cost savings to greater flexibility and access to expertise. This article will explore ways outsourcing your IT support can add value to your company.

Supply chain difficulties in public sector contracting

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 11:29:37 GMT

Tackling rising prices within the parameters of public procurement.

One of the main symptoms of the current economic crisis is rising prices, for individuals and businesses. Brexit and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are just two contributory factors in fuelling increases in prices across the supply chain in the UK, particularly the cost of raw materials, labour and transport.

Public-private sector contracts often have to be publicly procured and if you are involved in public procurement, whether as a procuring authority or a bidder, high inflation and rising prices only bring uncertainty. The question on the minds of suppliers and authorities alike is what this means for the successful delivery of projects, and whether the new Procurement Bill is likely to provide additional assistance?

3 Steps to Prepare Your Supply Chain for the Next Crisis

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 11:28:36 GMT

No one can say they weren’t warned about the likelihood of a global pandemic or a war in Ukraine. And, in the light of President Xi Jinping’s recent comments at the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, where he reaffirmed his government’s commitment to take control of Taiwan one day, no one can say that companies should not think about what comes next.

Indeed, most of the risks that a company will face do not fall into the category of what the mathematician and philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb termed “black swan” events: random, highly improbable events that have enormous impact. A trade dispute, a viral epidemic, a product failure, a cybersecurity breach, a tsunami — these are not “black swans” but, as the business writer Michele Wucker memorably puts it, “gray rhinos”: highly probable, highly predictable, high impact, but neglected threats that are charging toward the company like a crash of rhinos (who show visible signs of aggression and whose attacks can thus be predicted nearly 100% of the time).

Read more at Harvard Business Review here.

Embracing neurodiversity in business: What you need to know

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 11:26:55 GMT

Five years ago, in 2017, a Harvard Business School Professor opined in the Harvard Business Review that neurodiversity is a competitive advantage which employers should embrace within their workforces1. The Review’s article identified that the sometimes extraordinary skills of many neurodiverse individuals were not being tapped into by employers because of the traditional way in which companies found and recruited talent and decided who to hire and promote.

Fast-forward to 2022 and this thinking is gradually becoming mainstream. Employers are increasingly recognising that the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce are considerable, including access to more of their employees’ talents and diverse perspectives that can help their business to increase competitiveness.

ChatLingual and HGS Announce New Partnership to Pioneer Multilingual CX

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 09:52:54 GMT

London, 25^th October, 2022; Multilingual messaging provider ChatLingual is thrilled to announce its partnership with HGS UK, a leader in providing world-class customer care and digital innovation for contact centre operations.

The partnership marks an exciting time for international brands looking to make advancements in their customer experience. With HGS’ decades of expertise and their shared vision with ChatLingual, this partnership will be sure to help companies to support their multilingual customers. HGS UK will be able to support customer support transactions in over 100 languages across all non-voice channels combined with native or bilingual agent voice support. This empowers HGS to provide better support to meet their client's needs now and in the future.

“This partnership is a fantastic opportunity for HGS to better support its international clients by providing a more effective level of multilingual support for customers. Recruiting and retaining multilingual staff has become more challenging and expensive as a result of global pressures including Covid labour shortages, and the cost-of-living crisis. Partnering with ChatLingual helps us address multilingual support for all digital channels which today represents the largest share of overall demand. Through using their award-winning platform, the need to attract native speakers is dramatically reduced, and with digital contact now representing conservatively 70% of demand, the remaining 30% of voice contact requiring native support becomes much easier to manage.” Graham Brown, Chief Revenue Officer, HGS.

“Partnering with HGS is an incredible opportunity for us to help bring our leading-edge multilingual technology to the BPO space and we are looking forward to the innovative ways in which HGS and ChatLingual can pioneer a modern CX frontier. We are elated to be partnering with HGS to bring innovative solutions to companies looking to modernise their CX,” commented ChatLingual CEO, Justin Custer.

About HGS

HGS provides world-class customer care and digital innovation for contact centre operations locally and globally. Their solutions ensure high-quality conversations, in the customer channel of choice resolving contacts first time all underpinned by great people, cloud technology, digital innovation (automation, analytics, and artificial intelligence) and a collaborative partnership to optimise and future-proof.

HGS UK has over 3,000 employees making a difference to some of the world’s leading brands, central and local government partnerships. Although locally managed, they are part of the HGS group, a multi-million-dollar business, bringing global best practice, backing and investment.

Connect with HGS:

Website:https://hgs.cx/locations/uk/

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/showcase/hgs-uk

About ChatLingual

ChatLingual provides the world’s most comprehensible multilingual messaging platform; supporting customer interactions in over 100 languages in real-time across chat, email, SMS, and social channels.

Trusted by enterprises around the globe, ChatLingual enables companies to quickly provide multilingual customer support, allowing agents to converse with customers in their native language—no bilingual hires or translators required.

ChatLingual brings multilingual support to companies across verticals through its messaging solutions:

● ChatLingual Agent Desktop

● ChatLingual App for Salesforce

● ChatLingual App for LivePerson

● ChatLingual App for Zendesk

● ChatLingual App for Genesys

● ChatLingual Translation API

Connect with ChatLingual:

Website: https://chatlingual.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chatlingual/

Notes to editors

For media enquiries please contact Tina Stanley TSA PR tina@tinastanleyassoc.com or +447909967657

Main risks of supply chain management

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:33:22 GMT

It is hard to overestimate the importance of supply chains in the modern world. The global economy pretty much depends on its smoothness and uninterrupted flow. Rapid expansion is the name of the game right now, and the faster you can move materials, resources, tools, and products around, the higher your chances of success are.

As with any system with a lot of interconnected components, supply chains can be extremely vulnerable to a large number of factors. They can vary from simple schedule problems and untimely deliveries to global disasters that change the very economic landscape these chains are built upon.

Where To Start with ESG? Technology. Here's Why

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:31:47 GMT

I heard someone say recently that companies that have not yet started to create environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reports are data-rich but information-poor. So true.

These organizations have utility bills, data on workforce demographics, training metrics, customer privacy and data security policies, commitments to human rights, sourcing and supplier diversity statistics, and countless other sources flying around their data ecosystem, but no ESG insights or reports.

Ensuring a fair and inclusive digital future

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:30:14 GMT

Murielle Lorilloux, EU Cluster and Enterprise Americas & Asia Pacific Director, Vodafone Business, and Eva Kaili, Vice President of the European Parliament share their priorities to secure an inclusive, sustainable, and economically successful society.

Read the full interview on The Parliment here.

Ashurst launches virtual NewLaw programme for students

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:28:12 GMT

Global law firm Ashurst LLP is launching a virtual experience programme for students, as part of an initiative to promote access to careers in the NewLaw division of the firm.

The free-to-access programme offers students the chance to increase their commercial awareness through experiencing an alternative legal career path to encourage innovation in an ever-evolving legal market.

Students will complete tasks that replicate the work of the Ashurst Advance team, allowing them to gain an understanding of how to shape and manage a NewLaw service delivery model for a client's lending project.

Apple puts pressure on manufacturing partners to decarbonise their operations through yearly audits

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 11:23:12 GMT

Apple’s manufacturing partners will be made to participate in yearly audits to keep tabs on how their efforts to decarbonise their production lines are progressing, as part of the consumer electronics giant’s push to become carbon-neutral across its entire global supply chain.

The process will see the firm’s manufacturing partners put under greater pressure to curb the Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions generated by their Apple-related workloads, with the firm stating that it wants to work with organisations that are “working with urgency and making measurable progress towards decarbonisation”.

Read more on ComputerWeekly here.

UKCloud in liquidation: Troubled public sector cloud provider hit with winding up order

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 11:21:09 GMT

Public sector-focused sovereign cloud provider UKCloud has been placed into liquidation more than a year after its accounts revealed that the firm was in need of a £30m funding injection to continue trading.

Winding-up orders for UKCloud and its parent company, Virtual Infrastructure Group, were issued on Tuesday 25 October 2022, and Gareth Jonathan Allen has been appointed official receiver by the court to oversee the liquidation of both parties.

According to sources who spoke to Computer Weekly on condition of anonymity, the Cabinet Office is understood to have started briefing the firm’s customers at the start of this month to begin transitioning to new suppliers in anticipation of the company collapsing within three weeks.

Read more on ComputerWeekly here.

Top Robotic Process Automation Companies

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 08:27:04 GMT

Robotic process automation (RPA) software is used to coordinate the use of one or multiple robots along a specific process or set of processes. This now includes highly skilled functions such as product assembly, welding, and finishing. Additionally, RPA software is the glue that brings together business processes with organizational workflows and the actions of intelligent automation. RPA software also encompasses bots used for such things as chat and many office productivity functions.

Successful Digital Transformation: What’s the Secret?

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 10:20:42 GMT

Transformation is going nowhere in a hurry; it’s still the number one business critical project among major enterprises around the world. But succeeding with your transformation project is easier said than done. Adrian Odds, Marketing & Innovation Director at the agency CDS, believes a simple focus on a few core areas could make all the difference…

Digital transformation is difficult. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And a lack of C-suite leadership may be the single biggest risk factor in whether your ‘transformation’ will succeed or fail. But the second biggest consideration is most likely to be a failure to design your change – and the new services that sit around it – with the human needs of your internal and external customers at the centre.

Supply Chain Resilience: Opportunities for SITS providers

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 10:19:47 GMT

Global Supply Chains have been under increasing pressure over the last few years triggered by the pandemic and subsequently made worse by raw material and skills shortages, the war in Ukraine, an energy crisis and ratcheting inflation. Supply Chains that were optimised for cost and quality of service are having to increasingly accommodate the need for resilience and the necessity of sustainability. Such a challenging environment is however, presenting opportunities for Software and IT Services (SITS) providers where technology will have a significant role to play in offering solutions to the plethora of threats and risks.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Resilient supply chains: Why every supplier counts

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:20:49 GMT

Supply chain shortages are causing widespread manufacturing disruptions.
Procurement from suppliers should not rest solely on cost savings, but also on revenue impact.
Business leaders must develop incentives that recognize protecting continuity of supply chains.

Seven Mistakes To Avoid During Supply Chain Transformations

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:19:23 GMT

Considering a supply chain transformation? Many companies are, as the supply chain impacts their top and bottom lines. In fact, the effects are not only on revenues and costs but also on cash flows.

Being critical for the company's profitable growth, supply chain transformations can become a vehicle for greater earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; improved cash flows; and higher customer satisfaction.

Read more on Forbes here.

Durban fast becoming a global hub for business outsourcing

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:18:38 GMT

Starting with just one client and a workforce of 100 people across two floors of Webhelp’s Umhlanga Ridgeside office in October last year, this global consultancy and customer experience organisation has quickly shown the demand for Durban as a business hub.

“BPO (business process outsourcing) is one of the fastest-growing sectors in South Africa with significant year-on-year growth. We’ve had significant government and stakeholder support leaning into the incredible job opportunities this sector creates for young, unemployed individuals with little or no work experience,” commented Tammy Chetty, managing director of Webhelp South Africa.

Read more here.

The world’s top companies improving on climate reporting, but more progress is needed in key areas of sustainability & ESG

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:17:37 GMT

The latest findings from KPMG reveal that sustainability reporting has grown steadily, with 79 percent of leading companies providing sustainability reports
There has been marked improvement in companies reporting carbon reduction targets, but action remains too slow in key related areas, with less than half of companies currently recognizing biodiversity loss as a risk
Among the thousands of reports analysed, less than half of the world’s largest companies are providing reporting on ‘social’ and ‘governance’ components of ESG
KPMG outlines a series of recommendations, including companies shifting from a narrative-driven approach and making better use of data to drive change and provide evidence of action
From recent local data and discussions with our community, Maltese companies appear to be lagging the global trend presented in this survey, although there are promising developments, including reporting by 17 companies under the Malta ESG Platform. Transparent ESG reporting and action will be crucial if Maltese companies are to remain relevant to international business and align with the broader values of Malta’s residents.

Beyond gaming: The real metaverse opportunity

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:16:05 GMT

What happens when virtual reality meets reality? With the metaverse — interactive, virtually enhanced spaces that can be accessed by multiple users via avatars — it has led to the shaping of uniquely immersive and authentic experiences that have opened up new ways for businesses, communities and individuals to create value, socialise and solve problems.

To explore a new world of opportunities present in this bold new universe, KPMG recently conducted a consumer survey gathering perspectives, expectations and feelings towards metaverse participation.

Read more on KPMG here.

KPMG report shows cybersecurity and privacy expectations increase

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 13:20:02 GMT

As organisations place advanced data and sophisticated analytics at the heart of their operations and reshape customer experiences with innovative digital services, new cybersecurity and privacy challenges are emerging that require corporate leaders to take digital trust seriously.

Building and protecting trust is integral to how businesses interact with stakeholders. KPMG’s 2022 ‘Cyber Trust Insights’ report has surveyed 1,881 executives to outline five key steps to building trust through cybersecurity and privacy.

Weaving cybersecurity and privacy into organisations, building internal alliances, evolving the role of the CISO, securing leadership support, and collaborating with other partners in the corporate ecosystem is key to increased trust.

DXC initiative provides support for neuro diversity

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 11:03:38 GMT

DXC Technology is launching a major UK initiative, focused on providing opportunities and support for neurodivergent individuals. The DXC Dandelion Programme was initially trialled within Australia and New Zealand and now, following the success of the initiative those territories, it is being expanded across Europe and APAC.

The Dandelion Programme has been designed to help people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other neurological conditions to establish careers within the IT industry. The initiative is particularly active in the UK where DXC has just completed a successful twelve-month pilot. In total, the Dandelion Programme in the UK has so far resulted in opportunities for 25 neurodivergent individuals.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Driving sustainability and value for money through technology procurement

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:42:16 GMT

As part of its mission, Crown Commercial Service (CCS) helps to manage over £10 billion of technology spend each year on behalf of public sector customers, and in the last 18 months, the technology team has increased commercial benefits for technology customers from £431 million to £1.2 billion. In this interview, Dr Philip Orumwense, Commercial Director and Chief Procurement Officer for Technology at CCS, explains what it takes to achieve such commercial success.

20 sustainability heroes making waves in 2022

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:41:24 GMT

From reducing litter through glow-in-the-dark bins to the company pioneering a low-cost heat pump revolution, these are the winners of the 2022 Global Good Awards

Sustainability – whether it’s around the environmental impact of the underwear you just bought, or how you heat your home – is a topic on many people’s lips. Although we tend to hear more about the laggards than the leaders, there are scores of people, projects and companies driving real change. Each year, the Global Good Awards champions the best of the best.

In 2022, given the urgency needed, the panel of judges has introduced strict new thresholds and will no longer award ‘gold’, the top level of recognition, solely because an entrant has scored the highest in a category. Instead, the winners will have to reach minimum scores of 80 per cent for gold, 75 per cent for silver and 70 per cent for bronze.

HOW SOURCE-TO-PAY HELPS MANAGE ASSET LIFECYCLE AND MAKE BETTER SOURCING DECISIONS

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:40:11 GMT

So, let’s recap. Back in August, we discussed Phase 1 of the asset lifecycle, “Evaluate & Acquire,” where you benchmark future inventory and forecast existing well performance using insights.

Next up was Phase 2, “Design & Develop,” which allows you to run simulations and understand the asset’s impact from different variables on productivity, using historical and proprietary data.

Now armed with data and forecasts to justify asset development, we’re ready for Phase 3, where we source materials and services and kick off your project. A phase that supports the execution of a company’s operations.

Clutch Recognizes Intetics Among Poland’s Top B2B Companies for 2022

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:38:57 GMT

Clutch evaluates technology service and solutions companies based on the quality of work, thought leadership, and client reviews.

Companies must exhibit an unusually high ability to deliver top-tier work to their clients to be eligible for a Clutch Leader Award. Receiving this award is no small feat and is an exceptional recognition.

"Clutch is a customer's opinion and choice leader in the custom software development market; it's an honor to be recognized."
Boris Kontsevoi, Intetics CEO and President

“The Ukrainian IT Industry Is Alive and Healthy”: Intetics CEO and President for Forbes Technology Council

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:38:04 GMT

The Ukrainian international IT services industry emerged from the Soviet Union's admired mathematical education and Ukrainian scientific school of early computer science in the '90s and, in the last two decades, has become a nearly $7 billion export industry with about 285,000 specialists.

Yet on February 24, 2022, Russia started a full-scale war against Ukraine. Even with the experience of a similar invasion in 2014, many clients and prospects understandably began to worry for their teams, products and future this time around. Boris Kontsevoi shares his view on what happened to the Ukrainian IT industry after six months of the war in the new article for Forbes Tech Council.

Webhelp Partners with Leading Certification Company SGS for Global Trust and Well-being Initiative

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:37:01 GMT

Webhelp, a leading global provider of customer experience and business services, has partnered with SGS, the leading certification company, for a long-term initiative to safeguard content moderator health and well-being.

This partnership led to SGS developing the Wellness and Content Moderation (WellComo) label to assess the strength and maturity of practices that businesses use to protect the health of content moderation colleagues on the front line.

Webhelp supported by sharing its considerable experience in the field and by offering several operational sites for pilot audits. Webhelp’s approach to well-being as an overarching component of working methods is one of the many ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives that the Group has undertaken as part of its ongoing commitment to health and wellness.

Read more on BusinessWire here.

Small businesses bullish on future growth despite recession concerns: KPMG survey

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:35:54 GMT

A new KPMG survey has found Canada’s small and medium-sized businesses are banking on strong growth in the next three years, even as a possible economic downturn remains top of mind in the near term.

The survey of 503 small and medium-sized businesses said 83 per cent are feeling optimistic about their growth over the next few years, with 82 per cent feeling confident about their industry as a whole.

The optimism comes from companies in the consumer and retail sector, manufacturers, and those in the real estate and construction industries.

Law firms grapple with ‘how to innovate’ question

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:34:39 GMT

A law firm set an unusual mission for its staff last year: to boldly go where they had not gone before. Baker McKenzie’s Reinvent challenge was set up to promote innovation across the organisation, and the inspiration was outer space. Participants, known as “BakerNauts,” went through a range of training and exercises before tackling some challenging problems faced by clients. Among the prizes on offer to staff were opportunities to speak to astronauts and visit space centres. This creative effort is one example of how the legal industry is responding to developments in legal tech and new client demands by working to deepen its own innovative capabilities.

Wipro Marches On

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 10:52:38 GMT

Mid-guidance sequential growth of 4.1% saw Wipro’s Q223 revenue reach $2.8bn. The 12.9% yoy constant currency increase in sales for the three months ended 30th September was accompanied continuing flow of large deals wins. This helped to lift the company’s order book at the end of the period by nearly a quarter over the same point in the prior year. Operating margin, which had declined in each of the five previous quarters (see here), held firm qoq at 15.1% but landed 270 bps down against Q222.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Artificial Intelligence Enables Smarter Sourcing

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 08:53:41 GMT

Westfall Technik has adopted Arkestro’s predictive procurement software to wring savings and more reliable deliveries from a historically challenging supply chain.

Built through the acquisition of 17 companies over approximately a 4-year timespan, the company has seen continued solid organic growth from their customers in their target markets of healthcare and consumer packaged goods and continues on their new customer acquisition journey. Westfall’s corporate methodologies backed by their “Stacked Integration Model” certainly delivers as it relates to their value proposition but also has magnified the need for continuous improvement in key areas given its growth. This has resulted in a corporate structure which poses unique and nuanced supply chain challenges. The company provides end-to-end manufacturing capabilities, including product design, moldmaking, injection molding, assembly and more to a broad range of customers, and as David Schultz, VP, Chief Supply Chain Executive puts it, Westfall Technik counts “all the biggest logos” amongst its customers.

The Freelance Revolution Is Ahead Of Schedule

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 13:51:20 GMT

It’s widely accepted that by the time journalists publish a “news breaking” cover story, its novelty has already peaked in the real world.

A good example: the emergence of freelancing as a significant player in the future of work. While many of us were writing about the value of freelancing, its global scale, and the necessity of treating it as a fundamental part of the future of work, independent professionals and companies were already making it happen.

It turns out that the freelance revolution is, if anything, ahead of schedule.

Read more on Forbes here.

Is net-zero by 2050 a pipe dream?

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 08:32:35 GMT

Climate change is the defining crisis of our time and a rapidly escalating issue that has left many with a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. Thankfully, new initiatives and developments are taking shape, giving public sector authorities and certain industry segments some power to take action to reduce emissions. Collective efforts are instrumental to combatting this crisis, and companies that commit to reaching their net-zero targets will become the most significant agents of change for our future.

Insourcing v outsourcing - how can firms decide?

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 08:31:46 GMT

The issue of whether to outsource a transformation project or lean on in-house expertise is a question many Executives wrestle with. It may seem safer to keep control and offer personal development to in-house teams – after all they have the legacy system knowledge. But will playing it safe differentiate you from your competitors?

True innovation relies on deploying the latest thinking and technology, which offer unique experiences. Existing in-house resource can often be pulled in different directions across multiple conflicting projects. This can make delivering a growth agenda whilst running BAU difficult, to almost impossible. However, for many the default option remains managing these projects in house. Whilst there are advantages to this approach, it also has limitations.

How AI Is Changing the Future of Digital Marketing

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 08:30:38 GMT

By: Anushka Lokesh, the Head of Growth at Breinify, an AI-powered predictive personalization platform.

Artificial Intelligence is the process of analyzing millions of patterns through machine learning. By studying these patterns, AI can make well-thought-out decisions that humans simply can’t.

AI and data science are used in every sector to automate and ease processes. Marketing is no different. The use of data science in digital marketing plays a critical role in any campaign. And organizations making proper use of it are getting huge advantages over their competitors, including:

Dynamic audience segmentation
Personalized product recommendations
Consumer journey optimization

Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting Market will Grow Exponentially by 2028 | EY, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey & Company, KPMG, PwC, etc

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 08:29:31 GMT

Report on the Global Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting Market shows how the market is doing right now, worldwide. Additionally, it denotes crucial elements that help consumers make important company decisions and advance the expansion of Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting market share. The research also consists of basic product definitions, applications, industrial chain, and classifications of the market. Additionally, it describes various market policies, industry economic and technological frameworks, and Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting market dynamics.

KPMG: 85% of tech and telco CEOs are preparing for a recession

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 08:27:51 GMT

KPMG said that its survey of 110 tech CEOs and 75 telco CEOs found that 85% see a recession as likely and most of them are asking themselves how to prepare for it.

KPMG’s 2022 CEO Outlook Survey identified key challenges and opportunities that tech, media, and telco CEOs face.

TCS juggernaut rumbles on

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 09:25:06 GMT

UK SITS market leader TCS continues to post strong rates of quarterly revenue growth at both the Global and UK levels. Q2 results out yesterday afternoon saw TCS report Global year on year revenue growth of 15.4% (in constant currency) to $6.9bn (Q2 FY22 $6.3bn). Operating margins declined 1.6% YoY to 24% (Q2 FY22 25.6%) although ticked up on the previous quarter (Q1 FY23 23.1%).

TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan pointed to strong demand for its services with “Strong, profitable growth across all our industry verticals and in all our major markets. Our order book is holding up well, with a healthy mix of growth and transformation initiatives, cloud migration and outsourcing engagements".

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Supply Chain’s Return to Normal Pits Experts Against New Indexes

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 09:18:59 GMT

In supply chain circles battered by more than two years of upheaval, the word “normal” is creeping into the outlook for 2023.

In the latest Logistics Managers’ Index, “September’s future predictions hint at normalization and a return to business as usual over the next year.”
Analysis from Sea-Intelligence, gauging the amount of bogged-down shipping capacity, shows “all three models suggest we should be back at the ‘normal’ 2% capacity loss baseline by early 2023.”
The year-to-date improvements in New York Fed’s Global Supply Chain Pressure Index “suggest that global supply chain pressures are beginning to fall back in line with historical levels.”

Supply chain resilience: supporting the NHS in challenging times

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 09:16:37 GMT

NHS Supply Chain manages the sourcing, delivery and supply of clinical consumables, capital medical equipment and products such as food and office solutions for NHS trusts and healthcare organisations across England and Wales. It currently has over 60 per cent of the market share in these areas.

It manages 7.7 million orders per year, across 129,420 order points and over 16,000 locations. NHS Supply Chain delivers over 35 million lines of picked goods to the NHS annually and its systems consolidate orders from over 930 suppliers, saving trusts time and money in removing duplication of overlapping contracts.

Effective Deal Sourcing Strategies in a Competitive Market

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 09:15:33 GMT

Finding and acquiring the ideal target at exactly the right price is every private equity executive’s goal. However, the perfect deal is elusive. Successful private equity firms and investment banks are looking at unique ways to source quality deals quicker in hopes of yielding optimal returns upon exit. As a result, the role of the business development officer at private equity firms has continued to grow and evolve.

For these reasons, in July the Association of Corporate Growth convened a roundtable, sponsored by Cyndx, to discuss how private equity firms and investment banks are sourcing deals more efficiently than ever and achieving success in today’s uber competitive dealmaking environment.

Biodiversity, Corporate Risk and Responsibility: COP15 and Beyond

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 09:14:17 GMT

Negotiators are heading to Montreal for another round of meetings in December 2022 (known as COP 15, Part 2) under the auspices of the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Their ambition is to try to conclude a much-needed international agreement to tackle the World’s biodiversity emergency.

This article explains the background to the pending negotiations and what can realistically be expected to emerge from them. It also explains why the global biodiversity crisis represents a clear threat and opportunity for clients across sectors and geographies, irrespective of the COP 15 talks.

Read the full article on DLA Piper here.

ESG Driving Systemic Change in Financial Services Sector Reveals KPMG Report

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 09:07:54 GMT

The financial services sector has no choice but to embrace environmental, social and governance (ESG), according to a new KPMG report, which describes ESG as the ‘great behavioural driver of system change’.

Thirty-two industry commentators, CEOs, CFOs and board members from across the world have contributed their views on the future of financial services for KPMG’s Voices on 2030: Financial Services Reinvented Report.

The world’s financial services sector is changing at a faster pace than ever before – and systemic change is expected within the next decade, the industry leaders and experts concluded.

Ukraine: Corporate reorganization during the ongoing war

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 08:58:42 GMT

Russia’s full-scale invasion has seriously affected business within Ukraine. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) estimated that, as of May 2022, capital losses from the destruction of enterprises, residential buildings and infrastructure amounted to US$100 billion – equivalent to 50 percent of the country’s GDP for 2021.

However, despite continued challenges, disrupted business processes are largely back on track, and some sectors, such as information technology, are even showing growth.

Below are key considerations that should be taken into account today during a global reorganization transaction involving businesses in Ukraine.

Teleperformance : Rise Above the Great Resignation

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 08:57:28 GMT

In this infographic, we tackled the "great resignation," which refers to the ongoing difficulties in recruiting and retaining talent as a result of the stiff competition in the job market triggered by the global pandemic.

Many factors can be attributed to increasing unemployment rates and employees leaving their jobs. Initially, most experts believed that it was caused by uncertainty sparked by COVID-19. However, it soon became clear that most workers quit because of safety concerns during a global pandemic, and because their companies didn't provide enough remote work options.

Ashurst launches NewLaw Virtual Experience Programme for students

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 08:55:27 GMT

Global law firm Ashurst announces the launch of its Advance Virtual Experience Programme for students as part of the Ashurst Advance team’s commitment to innovation in talent and initiative to promote access to careers in NewLaw.

It’s time to future-proof your supply chain on The Rebound Podcast

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 08:54:06 GMT

Listen in as Abe Eshkenazi and Bob Trebilcock talk to David Glick, Tom Raftery and Rick Watson about the most important trends shaping the future of supply chain management, from technology to sustainability to talent. You won’t want to miss this episode of The Rebound, recorded live at this year’s ASCM Connect.

Sure, we’re all still dealing with supply chain disruptions. But, the best organizations are looking beyond the present to the future and asking: What are the steps we need to take to build resiliency, agility and a customer focus into their processes? Is it technology? Is it talent? And, how will the focus on sustainability and diversity shape our organizations going forward?

Read more on Supply Chain Management Review here.

Contact And Call Centre Outsourcing Market demand and future scope with Russia-Ukraine Crisis Impact Analysis

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 08:53:09 GMT

Mr Accuracy Reports , Contact And Call Centre Outsourcing market report contains detailed information on factors influencing demand, growth, opportunities, challenges, and restraints. It provides detailed information about the structure and prospects for global and regional industries. In addition, the report includes data on research & development, new product launches, product responses from the global and local markets by leading players. The structured analysis offers a graphical representation and a diagrammatic breakdown of the Contact And Call Centre Outsourcing market by region.

The global market size of Contact And Call Centre Outsourcing will reach (2028 Market size $$) million $ in 2027 with a CAGR of % from 2022-2027.

Is the RPA market in trouble?

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 08:37:54 GMT

Automation Anywhere, one of the best-funded RPA providers with over $1 billion capital raised to date, went the debt route this week, securing a $200 million loan from Silicon Valley Bank, SVB Capital and Hercules Capital.

Debt raises aren’t necessarily a bad thing — they’re a useful tool, particularly for companies with high annual recurring revenue — but the magnitude and timing of the Automation Anywhere raise suggests it was more out of necessity than choice.

Procure-to-Pay Outsourcing Market 2022 Segments Analysis by Top Key Players :Accenture, Capgemini, IBM, GEP, Infosys, TCS, WNS, Invensis Technologies, Everest Group

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 08:36:05 GMT

The report investigates the current status of the Procure-to-Pay Outsourcing Market and analyses the future trends of the Procure-to-Pay Outsourcing market. The report explores the market opportunities available in the Procure-to-Pay Outsourcing market. The report assesses the Procure-to-Pay Outsourcing market sourced from the currently available data. The report provides in-depth information of the Procure-to-Pay Outsourcing market that helps market players understand and analyse the Procure-to-Pay Outsourcing industry in terms of key products and services, value-added products, emerging markets, and industries. The report provides basic analysis of the Procure-to-Pay Outsourcing market. The report determines the current production and future demand for the products and services, and assists the market players in planning for investment. The report analyses the major exporting and importing producers, overview of the industry, preliminary and secondary assessment of its future potential. The report summarizes the knowledge gaps and recommendations.

How the Push for Greener Supply Chains Is Affecting Sourcing Strategies

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 08:34:45 GMT

With all of the recent events disrupting global supply chains, the trade war between the U.S. and China might seem like old news. But it remains a concern for importers and exporters, and it’s likely to influence sourcing decisions in the months and years ahead.

The luster of China as a source of low-cost production has been progressively fading. It began happening well before the pandemic, when Chinese factory wages started to climb, and workers became harder to retain. Then came the imposition of import tariffs on Chinese-made imports by then-President Trump, which were kept in place by President Biden. Finally, COVID-19 led to a rolling series of factory shutdowns in China, starving retailers and distributors of product at a time when customer demand was surging.

Read more on SupplyChainBrain here.

Global CEOs expect recession to be mild and short, says KPMG survey

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 08:32:40 GMT

Nearly 58 per cent of about 1,300 global chief executive officers (CEOs) expect the recession to be mild and short, a survey of KPMG revealed. They said the recession was anticipated, looming large, to hit over the next year.

These leaders were asked about their strategies and outlook during the survey.

Read more here.

CIPFA Comment: PSAA procurement

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 09:08:37 GMT

ICAEW and CIPFA have issued a joint response to the Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd (PSAA) announcement of the outcome of its procurement of local audit services.

This reflects CIPFA and ICAEW’s shared view of the vital importance of local public audit in ensuring transparency and accountability for taxpayers.

IT management firm DXC receives takeover approach

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 08:35:23 GMT

DXC Technology (DXC.N) said on Tuesday it had been approached by a financial sponsor regarding a potential takeover of the IT management company, without disclosing further details.

Shares of the company, which has a market capitalization of nearly $6 billion, jumped nearly 9% on Tuesday before a trading halt. They were up 5.5% after trading resumed.

The company has received no formal proposal but is engaged in preliminary discussions, it said.

John Lewis targets sustainable raw material sourcing under new plan

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 08:33:00 GMT

The John Lewis Partnership is committing to more sustainable sourcing of cotton, cashmere and polyester under new targets in a bid to achieve zero-deforestation.

Intetics Targets Growth in Latin America through Its New Delivery Center in Bogotá City, Colombia

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 08:29:23 GMT

It is the fourth company’s opening in new countries for 2022, after expanding its footprint in Eastern Europe with the Moldovan office and two locations in the Caucasus — Georgia, and Armenia. And today, it announced the first location in Latin America, the fastest-growing software outsourcing destination due to its talented bilingual engineers, tax benefits, and cost-effective rates. The physical presence in Colombia helps to enhance Remote In-Sourcing®, a proprietary business model for building expert development teams for software engineering and data processing projects.

DLA Piper participates in launching of World Benchmarking Alliance's coalition to address ethical AI

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 08:28:16 GMT

DLA Piper is proud to announce its participation in the World Benchmarking Alliance’s (WBA) Collective Impact Coalition (CIC) for Digital Inclusion. DLA Piper recently participated in the WBA’s roundtable launch of the CIC on the side-lines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The CIC is a multi-stakeholder coalition on ethical AI and is focused on driving measurable progress on corporate commitment to ethical AI principles. The CIC aims to raise awareness of the importance of responsible and ethical AI, increase understanding of the state of play and leading best practices, and improve technology companies’ commitment to ethical AI.

Outbound Telemarketing Market See Huge Growth for New Normal

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 08:25:39 GMT

The Outbound Telemarketing Market research report provides all the information related to the industry. It gives the markets outlook by giving authentic data to its client which helps to make essential decisions. It gives an overview of the market which includes its definition, applications and developments, and manufacturing technology. This Outbound Telemarketing market research report tracks all the recent developments and innovations in the market. It gives the data regarding the obstacles while establishing the business and guides to overcome the upcoming challenges and obstacles.

Read more on the Digital Journal here.

CGI to showcase metaverse innovation at COP27

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 16:08:37 GMT

At TechMarketView we continue to track the actions of the tech community in supporting environmental sustainability (see archive). In November, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP27 – will be taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

As we head towards the conference, it is clear to see that technology is now accepted as crucial to tackling many of the world’s most pressing climate challenges. A couple of week’s ago, IBM was announced as COP27 Technology Partner. Microsoft also announced its participation as COP27 Strategic Technology Partner and Principal Sponsor.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

How to build a more sustainable supply chain

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 10:55:58 GMT

Scope 3 emissions are notoriously difficult to curtail, and the average supply chain accounts for 90% of a consumer company’s impact on the environment. The key to tackling these emissions comes down to collaboration with those supply-chain participants and a laser focus on the particular factors each industry is dealing with, experts explained during Fortune’s Global Sustainability Forum last week.

“You have to really partner with those companies to enable them to set science-based targets” says Suzanne DiBianca, cofounder and chief impact officer at Salesforce.

To do that, Salesforce held a supplier exhibit, where 40% of their suppliers signed on to meet science-based targets by 2025. The goal is to increase that percentage of participation.

US Insurance Firm Lemonade Fizzes Into the UK in Aviva Partnership

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 10:52:21 GMT

Lemonade has launched in the UK following a partnership for the US-based insurance firm with UK insurer Aviva. It follows previous launches in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Founded in 2015, Lemonade offers renters, homeowners, car, pet and life insurance by replacing ‘brokers and bureaucracy’ with ‘bots and machine learning’.

From today, UK residents can get Lemonade contents insurance from any device, as well as file claims and get paid in ‘seconds’. It includes worldwide coverage for individual personal items of up to £2,000 each, total coverage up to £100,000, and no cancellation fees.

SS&C Rolls Out Unified SS&C Blue Prism Intelligent Automation Platform

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 10:50:48 GMT

SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSNC) today announced at its SS&C Deliver Conference the rollout of its intelligent automation portfolio under the SS&C Blue Prism brand. SS&C Blue Prism combines RPA, BPM and low and no-code capabilities to provide a comprehensive menu of intelligent automation (IA) services.

"SS&C Blue Prism's comprehensive suite of products and second-to-none support options are a critical part of our business processes," said Giovanni Gentile, Managing Director, Bionics, at State Street Bank. "By utilizing its intelligent automation platform and extensive industry expertise, we're able to deliver high quality and innovative services."

Read more on PR Newswire here.

How a Start-Up Company Can Improve Its Sourcing Process

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 10:49:18 GMT

If you are looking for a way to reduce your overhead expenses, you might be interested in improving your sourcing process. Small businesses have a lot of overhead expenses, and it is important for you to reduce those overhead expenses when you can. That means that you need to pay close attention to your sourcing process.

You need to focus on your strategic sourcing process, and there are a few steps that you need to follow if you want to optimize the value of every dollar you spend. How can you improve your sourcing process, and what do you need to do to remain competitive in the current environment?

Ashurst expands risk advisory business, launching with 3 UK partners

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 10:47:19 GMT

Global law firm Ashurst today announces it is expanding its consulting offering by setting up a risk advisory business in the UK with a three partner team.

Introducing the Ashurst Risk Advisory business into the UK responds to client demand and is designed to provide consulting services that complement the firm’s core legal services. With dedicated teams of legal and consulting professionals working side by side, it brings together the technical expertise and critical thinking required to operationalise laws and regulations and help clients to achieve their goals.

Read more on FinTech Financial News here.

Covid-19 Impact on Customer Care BPO Market Expected To Reach Highest CAGR By 2030: Teleperformance SA, Convergys, Arvato, Sykes Enterprises, Atento etc.

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 08:37:04 GMT

In this study, we’ll look into the vast bulk of international Covid-19 Impact on Customer Care BPO Market . The research’s overarching goal is to identify the variables that influence the degree to which the study’s intended audience can adapt to a market that is undergoing severe upheaval at the present time. In addition, it examines how consumer habits and preferences evolve over time, as well as how the current market and its expected future expansion affect these factors. Results from keyword-based international research suggest that sales and marketing, supply chain, product development, and cost structure all have a say in the company’s top and bottom lines.

Teleperformance Joins the CAC 40 ESG Index

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 08:35:47 GMT

Teleperformance (Paris:TEP), the global leader in outsourced customer and citizen experience management and related digital services, announces that it will join the CAC 40 ESG index as of September 16, 2022 after market close. Launched in March 2021 by Euronext, the CAC 40 ESG index brings together the 40 French companies in the CAC Large 60 with the best environmental, societal and governance (ESG) practices.

This distinction reflects the strong commitment of Teleperformance, a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact since 2011, to employees’ well-being, diversity and inclusion within its organization, as well as climate. Concrete results demonstrate this approach.

Teleperformance Certifies Record 64 Countries as Great Place to Work® Locations

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 08:34:46 GMT

Teleperformance (Paris:TEP), the global leader in outsourced customer and citizen experience management and related digital services, announced that its operations in 64 countries have received Great Place to Work® certifications, up four countries from 2021. With this achievement, Teleperformance increases its number of certified countries two years in a row, and confirms over 97% of its 420,000 global employees are working in a Great Place to Work® location. The sheer scale and magnitude of this global people initiative sets a very high standard in employee care for large global companies in all industry sectors.

More than 200,000 Teleperformance employees participated in the annual survey, directly rating their employer on fairness, credibility, pride, respect, innovation, integrity, leadership behavior and support. Teleperformance employees overwhelmingly commended the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, its caring and welcoming company culture, and the sense of pride it fostered in employee professional accomplishments.

Mining for tech-talent gold: Seven ways to find and keep diverse talent

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 08:21:52 GMT

A wealth of diverse tech talent is available, if companies expand their approach to hiring them.

With businesses struggling to find and keep technical talent, companies cannot afford to leave any stone unturned. And yet they have been slow to diversify the talent pools they tap to recruit technical professionals.

While the state of talent diversity is a problem across most companies, the issue is particularly bleak when it comes to tech talent. In 2021, for example, there were 14 percent fewer women in entry-level engineering or product positions and 15 percent fewer in first-level manager positions than in other nontechnical roles. Similarly, our research shows that Black workers, who represent a 13 percent share of the labor force, represent only 4.5 percent of software developers.

Insurance Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Market Experience Increasing Demand by 2029 | HCL, iGate, WNS Holdings, Dell, EXL Services Holdings, etc

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 09:11:30 GMT

As part of an worldwide Insurance Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) market research project, a detailed analysis of the company profiles of important industry suppliers is carried out. Insurance Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) research identifies the most successful manufacturers worldwide and gives data on their sales, income, and pricing in addition to other relevant information. The ultimate purpose of this research is to provide a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the global Insurance Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) market.

Read more here.

Zurich Insurance Group on Using Technology to Innovate for the Future

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 09:05:36 GMT

Jack Howell, CEO, Zurich Global Ventures speaks with Bloomberg’s Lauren Kiel at Bloomberg’s Technology Summit. (Source: Bloomberg)

Watch the full video here.

Ukrainian IT Sector: Prospering Against the Odds. Intetics Inc. Explained Why

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 09:00:52 GMT

Intetics Inc. investigates the case of the Ukrainian IT industry and portrays factors that allowed the sector to recover after its challenges and flourish.

NAPLES, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES, September 27, 2022 /EINPresswire.com

/ -- It is safe to say that many nations were caught off-guard by the events unraveling at the end of February 2022. Many expected Ukraine to decline massively, especially in economic terms. However, to everyone’s surprise, some Ukrainian industries, specifically the IT sector, illustrate remarkable resilience and hope for the best six months into the turmoil.

Read more here.

The Global Knowledge Process Outsourcing Market size is expected to reach $165 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 14.8% CAGR during the forecast period

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 08:57:02 GMT

Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) is a method of outsourcing key data-related information that involves the management, gathering, analysis, and delivery of business-relevant insights. When there is a shortage of trained workers or when specific knowledge and skills are needed, businesses turn to KPOs.

New York, Sept. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Knowledge Process Outsourcing Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Service Type, By Application, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 – 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06322140/?utm_source=GNW
KPO can assist businesses in lowering operational expenses and the demand for specialized workers. Organizations can concentrate on their core duties and increase productivity and outcomes by outsourcing certain of their procedures.

Read more here.

Stefanini Group consolidates itself as a robust innovation ecosystem and bets on 24% growth

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 08:50:27 GMT

São Paulo, September 2022 – The digital transformation, started in 2012 and accelerated five years ago with a series of acquisitions in different business verticals, boosted the growth of the Stefanini Group, which, in celebrating its 35 years of existence, reiterates its ability to to continually reinvent itself to meet the needs of its customers around the world. Currently, the global company of Brazilian origin is present in 41 countries and has more than 30 thousand employees, who adopt the co-creation model as a differential to do the unimaginable possible for more than 1,000 active customers.

Read the full article here.

Aviva Investors agrees outsourcing deal with BNY Mellon

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 08:31:02 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - Aviva (LON:AV) Investors has agreed a deal to outsource data and back office functions to BNY Mellon, the two companies said on Tuesday, as the investment division of the British insurer looks to bolster its services to clients and cut costs.

Asset managers have increasingly been handing over responsibility for back office functions such as custody of securities to third parties, while outsourcing has in some cases extended as far as front office functions such as trading.

Aviva plc invests $10 million in Female Innovators Lab Fund

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 08:45:35 GMT

Aviva, the UK’s leading insurer, today announces an investment of $10 million into the Anthemis Female Innovators Lab Fund. The fund was founded in September 2019 and backs female entrepreneurs in the fintech industry across the UK, Europe, Canada and the US. Aviva’s investment will specifically support UK based fintech firms which are founded by women. Currently only 4% of UK fintechs are led by women.

Aviva will be a strategic partner to the Fund, which is the largest female focused fintech fund and is anchored and co-founded by Barclays. The Fund deploys capital directly into innovative female led companies within the finance industry and provides female entrepreneurs with access to financial and intellectual resources through the Fund’s extensive network of advisors and experts.

How CEOs And CIOs Should Collaborate On Automation Projects

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 08:43:17 GMT

Automation adoption is no longer an experiment for enterprises, as a recent study by SS&C Blue Prism found that 69% of business leaders are planning to implement intelligent automation programs. However, large-scale projects require a long timeline and significant upfront investment, making boards and the C-suite balk at signing off on them. With this hesitation in mind, leaders must take a careful approach to planning and designing an AI initiative that will be a clear success.

Read more on Forbes here.

Supply Chain Services market players to make profitable investments during 2022-2028

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 09:00:43 GMT

The Supply Chain Services market report analyzes data gathered from primary and secondary resources to decipher the important factors contributing to or hindering the industry expansion in the coming years. It compares the past and present business scenario to forecasts stats such as growth rate, industry share, and other critical parameters.

According to the report, the market value is projected to multiply at XX% CAGR over 2022-2028, subsequently amassing USD XX valuation during the analysis period.

The objective of the document is to guide businesses build strong contingency plans by offering a detailed assessment of this domain. This is achieved by dividing the marketplace into several segments and providing insights on their overall performance and potential, followed by a complete analysis of the prevailing and upcoming competitive trends.

Robotic Process Automation in BFSI Market May See a Big Move | IBM, Blue Prism, WorkFusion

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 08:58:06 GMT

AMA introduce new research on Global Robotic Process Automation in BFSI covering micro level of analysis by competitors and key business segments (2022-2027). The Global Robotic Process Automation in BFSI explores comprehensive study on various segments like opportunities, size, development, innovation, sales and overall growth of major players. The research is carried out on primary and secondary statistics sources and it consists both qualitative and quantitative detailing.

Read the full article here.

ESG: Pay Gap Reporting – a tangible way to show progress under the S

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 08:55:32 GMT

In the second of our ESG series looking at employment law and ESG, we explore the role of pay gap reporting as a way of demonstrating a company’s social credentials.

One of the central challenges for companies looking to improve their performance under the S is deciding what components to include and how to measure and publicise progress. As an employment team dealing with ESG related issues, the main recurring question coming through from clients is: what practical ideas do you have to implement initiatives under the S?

Experts highlight trust and safety practices for the metaverse

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 08:51:02 GMT

Businesses are likely to spend billions of dollars on the metaverse, which is why experts say that building trust and safety practices into the metaverse experience from the beginning is critical.

The metaverse -- a virtual world allowing consumers to shop, work, play, own land and conduct business -- is already prompting use cases for trust and safety policies, as situations like verbal abuse between avatars arise, said Manu Aggarwal, partner at global research firm Everest Group, during an online webinar. Trust and safety policies are business practices used to reduce risk to users of online platforms.

Mini-Budget: IR35 will be repealed from April

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 12:01:43 GMT

The IR35 reform will be repealed from April 6, 2023, according to this morning’s mini-Budget.

Speaking to the House of Commons today (September 23), Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said from April, workers across the UK providing their services via an intermediary, such as a personal service company, will once again be responsible for determining their employment status and paying the appropriate amount of tax and NICs.

Kwarteng also used today's mini-Budget to scrap the additional rate of income tax and cut its basic rate to 19 per cent in a series of tax cuts which amount to £45bn.

Forbes names CGI one of the 'World's Best Management Consulting Firms'

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:16:47 GMT

CGI ( NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) has been named by Forbes magazine as one of the World's Best Management Consulting Firms for 2022. The annual ranking helps business leaders evaluate management consulting companies as they seek expert guidance in navigating today's fast-changing business environment. CGI's inclusion among this year's top management consulting firms is based on its success in delivering insights-driven business and IT strategic consulting to clients worldwide. Through its range of business and technology consulting services, CGI helps clients set their future course, adapt quickly to change, and create competitive advantage as digital leaders.

Read the full article on PR Newswire here.

Climate risk: Are you ready for FY22?

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:13:12 GMT

The FCA and BEIS expect climate disclosures to be aligned with TCFD recommendations this financial year. Are you ready?

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) updated its guidance for compliance with TCFD (Task Force on Climate-Related Disclosures) recommendations for FY22. But what do those changes mean for your business? And do you know what you need to do to be compliant by year-end?

The first question on your mind is likely to be: do the FCA requirements impact my business? The answer is ‘yes’ for all premium and standard listed companies in the UK.

Read the full article at KPMG here.

Amazon, Microsoft and Google Face UK Cloud Dominance Probe

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:11:55 GMT

AWS, Microsoft and Google generate around 81% of revenues in the UK cloud services market.

Ofcom is set to probe Google, Amazon and Microsoft’s dominance in the UK cloud services industry.

Due to launch in the coming weeks, the probe will assess the position of the three “hyperscalers” in the £15bn public cloud infrastructure services market and identify any potential barriers to competition and growth.

Read the full article on Digit News here.

Boo hoo... Time's up for Greenwashers

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:08:55 GMT

Greenwashing scandals continue to hit the headlines with fresh examples of greenwashing appearing in the news daily – Pretty Little Thing and its parent company Boohoo, for instance, have once again had their green credentials questioned.

Whilst typically this attention has been confined to media reporting, calling brands out for making misleading environmental claims, we are now beginning to hear of raids, investigations and, now, legal disputes. Warnings are quickly turning into fines and regulatory action, with regulators referring to arguments made in private litigation to hold organisations to account about material misstatements and omissions on sustainability.

Read the full article on Charles Russell Speechlys here.

JD Sports profits down 20% as it warns of supply chain pressures

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 11:57:26 GMT

Pre-tax profits at JD Sports declined by nearly a fifth in the six months to July.

Profits were down from around £440 million during the same period of last year to roughly £384 million.

The sports fashion retailer said that this was driven by more normalised trading patterns following the pandemic, with up to 40 per cent of annual profits generated in the first half of the year.

Despite recording an eight per cent hike in sales for the past six weeks, the company said that the most material trading periods are yet to come and warned of continued supply chain issues.

Outsourced Customer Care Services Market | Company Challenges And Essential Success Factors- Teleperformance SA, Convergys, Arvato, Sykes Enterprises, Atento, etc

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 08:16:35 GMT

Latest launched research on Global Outsourced Customer Care Services Market, it provides detailed analysis with presentable graphs, charts and tables. This report covers an in depth study of the Outsourced Customer Care Services Market size, growth, and share, trends, consumption, segments, application and Forecast 2030. With qualitative and quantitative analysis, we help you with thorough and comprehensive research on the global Outsourced Customer Care Services Market. This report has been prepared by experienced and knowledgeable market analysts and researchers. Each section of the research study is specially prepared to explore key aspects of the global Outsourced Customer Care Services Market. Buyers of the report will have access to accurate PESTLE, SWOT and other types of analysis on the global Outsourced Customer Care Services market. Moreover, it offers highly accurate estimations on the CAGR, market share, and market size of key regions and countries.

Read the full article on Spoool.ie here.

Robotic Process Automation Market See Huge Growth for New Normal

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:48:37 GMT

The Robotic Process Automation Market research report provides all the information related to the industry. It gives the markets outlook by giving authentic data to its client which helps to make essential decisions. It gives an overview of the market which includes its definition, applications and developments, and manufacturing technology. This Robotic Process Automation market research report tracks all the recent developments and innovations in the market. It gives the data regarding the obstacles while establishing the business and guides to overcome the upcoming challenges and obstacles.

Read more on the Digital Journal here.

Harnessing the power of data analytics to drive compliance

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:45:31 GMT

The age of data analytics in corporate compliance programs and regulatory enforcement is here.

Not long ago, the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence by corporate compliance departments was a compliance luxury, the preserve of a few well-heeled international conglomerates. Today, these technologies are routinely implemented for diverse corporate initiatives.

Understanding how regulators view the use of data analytics in driving compliance and how data analytics can inform effective compliance programs is critical to ensuring that companies of any size can rise to meet the moment.

How Cloud Agnostic Hardware Could be The Future of IoT

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:44:00 GMT

We live in an increasingly connected world. Never in the history of humanity has information been so readily available. Today, it's not just people who are more connected with each other but devices that are connected with people and processes and people that are connected with devices that connect them to other people, processes and devices. It is truly a connected world — and we have information to thank for that.

The Internet of things (IoT) plays a significant role in connectedness, and today we are looking at the role of cloud-agnostic hardware in IoT. We will cover critical questions asked today in the IoT industry. That includes the benefits of cloud-agnostic hardware, how cloud-agnostic hardware affects the future of IoT and whether there is an alternative to cloud-agnostic hardware.

Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting Market Technology advancement and Latest Research Report 2022-2028

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:41:50 GMT

Global “Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting Market” In the forecast period of 2022-2028 research report has been recently published. The report provides detailed information on the effective analysis of the businesses. This report includes extensive market research on the Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting Market that allows users to analyses future demand and forecast accurate implementation. Expected growth rates based on intelligent analytics provide more information about the global market Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting Market. Limits and growth aspects are based on a deep understanding of global market growth.

Careers360 launched by Azend Technologies, revolutionising digital recruitment in Sri Lanka

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:36:49 GMT

Careers360, Sri Lanka’s latest and most innovative job seeking site, launched its online platform to the public, connecting job seekers and employers by offering a transparent, easy-to-use solution for finding new careers and new candidates, respectively. The platform, proudly built by Azend Technologies Ltd., leverages the latest technologies in creating a lightweight, innovative, easy to use web portal on par with global platforms.

Careers360.lk provides a fresh face by bringing the latest features in the global recruitment space to a traditional Sri Lankan job market; from profile matching to analytics-driven recruitment. It offers a suite of packages catered to individual job adverts, to corporates looking for a cost-effective mass hiring option.

How IT Staff Augmentation Benefit Startups?

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:34:48 GMT

You understand that every dollar matters since you own a company. To secure the future success of your company, you must be diligent with your financial decisions. IT personnel is one area where several startups suffer. It might be challenging to locate a workforce that is qualified and reasonably priced. Here’s where the expansion of the IT workforce occurs.

Long-term, hiring exceptional programmers and producing excellent work might be cost-effective for an expansion strategy. Yet, how does it function in practice?

Read more on The European Business Review here.

As Global Legal Markets Shift, Is the Legal Profession Witnessing the End of an Era?

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:32:49 GMT

The global industry is never really static. But we have been witnessing major shifts around the world—changes that shed light on an industry in transition.

This week we are publishing The 2022 Global 200, which each year provides the most authoritative picture of the legal industry around the world. Our extensive report will feature in-depth reporting and analysis, charts with financial metrics for the 200 largest international law firms, and rankings by revenue, profits per equity partner and head count. It also closely examines markets in Asia.

Contact Center Outsourcing Market Set to Grow High by 2026 – Teleperformance, Convergys (Stream), Sykes Enterprises Inc., Transcom, Atento, Arvato, etc

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:29:14 GMT

The report titled ‘Global Contact Center Outsourcing Market’ examines the competitive advantages of the market in the last few years. The report studies crucial aspects important for the market players and Contact Center Outsourcing industry to make sound business decisions and for investment opportunities. The study of the current economic and non-economic factors in domestic and international markets is described in the report. The facts gathered in Contact Center Outsourcing report are researched and collected through trusted sources. It includes primary and secondary methods of research.

Read the full article on Spoool.ie here.

Critical new technologies hold key to emerging energy trends

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:26:57 GMT

THE term “new energy” covers a number of concepts – some established, some new, including the use of new technologies to generate electrical energy and increasingly capture the production of “future fuels”, such as hydrogen, ammonia and methanol, says Michael Harrison, a partner in Ashurst LLP who’s based in Singapore.

Harrison, along with colleagues, has been involved in over 30 waste projects, and is currently working on 10 projects, all of which are at various stages of development.

Robotic Process Automation: Market Overview and Top Ten Companies - ResearchAndMarkets.com

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 09:03:56 GMT

Organizations worldwide are realizing that RPA is capable of transforming their backend operations and procedures in an entirely new way with digital technology. It is a novel approach to automating corporate operations and procedures. It enables businesses to use software-driven robots, or bots, to automate routine, predetermined activities. It minimizes the human labor required for tiresome, repetitive jobs so that employees can concentrate on more important and more meaningful work.

Read the full article on ResearchAndMarkets here.

A Checklist for Supplier Sourcing Success

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 09:00:33 GMT

The headline of one of my previous articles, “The Most Unenviable Job in Purchasing,” sums up my negative view of a purchasing department’s strategic sourcing function. In my experience, the solitary focus of strategic sourcing has been piece-price. And there is always someone who will offer a lower price.

What’s wrong with this approach, of course, is that there are other desirable supplier capabilities that can positively impact OEM customer internal costs, as well as position them to increase revenues/profits through satisfying incremental demand—i.e., demand that was not forecast. And these are largely ignored in today’s source-selecting strategy and process.

Read the full article on IndustryWeek here.

Wavestone, Coeus Consulting and PEN Partnership join forces with the ambition of becoming a leading consultancy in the UK

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 08:53:51 GMT

After joining forces with PEN Partnership in August, Wavestone announces the acquisition of Coeus Consulting, a London based management consulting firm specialising in CIO Advisory. The three companies all share strong growth ambitions to build together a leading player in the UK consulting market.

Read the full article on Actusnews here.

DXC Technology Company. (DXC) Moves 6% Higher: Will This Strength Last?

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:57:40 GMT

DXC Technology Company DXC shares rallied 6% in the last trading session to close at $28.36. This move can be attributable to notable volume with a higher number of shares being traded than in a typical session. This compares to the stock's 0.5% gain over the past four weeks.

The upswing in DXC stock prices on Monday can be primarily be attributable to rally in the broader market for the fourth consecutive trading session on weakening dollar rates and growing optimism that inflation has peaked.

The Ultimate Guide to Seven Software Development Models Published by Intetics

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:54:02 GMT

Software development models provide a framework for teams. Discover 7 software development models and determine which one will suit the project seamlessly.

NAPLES, FLORIDA, USA, September 13, 2022 /EINPresswire.com

/ -- Different software development projects call for different timelines, technologies, and budgets. As a result, the ultimate outcome relies upon the design of processes necessary to accomplish chosen goals. Given a variety of software development models, it is challenging to choose one that will seamlessly suit the business needs. The new article by Intetics covers seven major models in software development, and tips on choosing the most appropriate one for a particular project.

KPMG: Businesses Have To Prepare For Complex Carbon Taxes

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:53:00 GMT

A new KPMG study said the global reach of carbon pricing and taxes would likely expand in the upcoming years, bringing a complex tax landscape that may prove challenging to navigate for some businesses. The findings, reported by BusinessGreen, were presented in a study titled “Business consequences of tax driving net zero ambitions” and prepared by KPMG’s Responsible Tax Projects.

Teleperformance Ranked One of the 2022 Best Workplaces in Europe™ by Great Place to Work®

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:50:49 GMT

Great Place to Work®, the global authority on workplace culture, ranks Teleperformance number 9 on the Best Workplaces in Europe list. The list is based on confidential survey data representing 1.4 million employees from over 3,000 companies across 37 countries in Europe.

Call Center Outsourcing Market Next Big Thing | Major Giants- IBM, Synnex, Transcosmos

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:47:00 GMT

2021-2030 Report on Global Call Center Outsourcing Market by Player, Region, Type, Application and Sales Channel is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market risk side analysis, highlighting opportunities and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. The report provides information on market trends and development, growth drivers, technologies, and the changing investment structure of the Global Call Center Outsourcing Market. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Acticall Sitel Group, Alorica, Arvato, Atento, Capita, Carlyle Group (Comdata), CGS, Conduent, Datamark, Five9, Grupo Konecta, Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS), HKT Teleservices, HP, IBM, Infinit Contact, Invensis Technologies, Runway, SERCO GROUP, Sitel, StarTek, Sykes, Synnex, Telekom Malaysia (VADS), Teleperformance, Transcom, Transcosmos, TTEC, Webhelp & Xerox Corporation.

‘Open talent‘ drive helps UST to bag ‘Changemaker Award’ from Global Sourcing Association

Abbie Lunn — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:45:39 GMT

Recognised for its comprehensive strategy to leverage freelancer talent ecosystem, according to company

Digital transformation solutions company UST has received the ‘Changemaker of the Year’ award from the Global Sourcing Association (GSA) for its ‘open talent’ strategy. UST was recognised for a comprehensive strategy that allows it and its clients to gain a significant talent advantage by leveraging the freelancer talent ecosystem.

Read more on the Business Line website here.

How human-like are the most sophisticated chatbots?

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 09:52:48 GMT

Chatbots have hit the headlines over the past few days after a Google engineer claimed that the firm's most advanced system has developed human-like feelings, or become sentient.

Simply put, a chat bot is a computer program deliberately designed to mimic and respond to human speech.

But just how lifelike are the best on the market? One thing for sure is that these intelligent virtual assistants, are now found everywhere.

From Amazon's Alexa, to Apple's Siri, or a retailer's website, an estimated 80% of us now use chatbots - whether they are responding to us verbally, or via written text.

Read the full article on BBC news here.

Accenture UK brings Carbon Intelligence into sustainability fold

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 09:49:34 GMT

Accenture has made another move to boost its sustainability credentials in the UK with the acquisition of carbon and climate change strategy consultancy, Carbon Intelligence. The company, which, using Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) strategies, helps organisations understand their overall carbon footprint and how to reduce it, brings 160 people, including data scientists, consultants, and sustainability experts, into the Accenture fold. The company is an accredited partner to CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project).

Read full article on TechMarketView here.

HMRC to review how IR35 works in practice following PAC criticism

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 09:45:45 GMT

Several months have passed since the Public Accounts Committee issued its damning report on the fallout from the introduction of the IR35 reforms in the public sector, and HMRC has shared its feedback on its contents.

Read the full article on Computer Weekly here.

Telstra launches suite of enterprise 5G Standalone automated and orchestrated services

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 09:42:25 GMT

Global operator announces 5G service-based architecture combined with automation via network orchestration, allowing customers to imagine and deploy new differentiated services quickly and scale them economically.

In what the leading Australia-based telecoms provider has called the world’s first, Telstra has announced fully automated 5G network slicing for a commercial network.

In the partnership, Telstra and Ericsson will be going outside the lab and into to the real world of business to deploy an automated standards-based network slicing service orchestration capability in the commercial network, using Ericsson Orchestration and Ericsson Inventory.

Read the full article on Computer Weekly here.

Sorry Zuckerberg, the Metaverse Won't Replace Zoom

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 09:39:27 GMT

The virtual conference room needs to die. VR is better used for fun and building relationships.

“Welcome, welcome!” My guide, Philip, waves at me from his seat in a virtual conference room, where he’s wearing a green shirt and sitting at a desk. I’m at Facebook’s Reality Labs headquarters in Burlingame, California, wearing Meta Platform Inc.’s Quest 2 headset. Philip is in another room there as his cartoonish-looking avatar hops to another seat using a button on his virtual dashboard.

Read the full article here.

UK Slips Behind India to Become World’s Sixth Biggest Economy

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 09:26:08 GMT

Britain has dropped behind India to become the world’s sixth largest economy, delivering a further blow to the government in London as it grapples with a brutal cost-of-living shock.

The former British colony leaped past the UK in the final three months of 2021 to become the fifth-biggest economy. The calculation is based in US dollars, and India extended its lead in the first quarter, according to GDP figures from the International Monetary Fund.

5G slicing industry to rocket over next six years to be worth US$24bn by 2028

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 09:46:40 GMT

Research firm pinpoints standardisation and uniform practices as key to unlocking the full potential of 5G slicing.

Read more on ComputerWeekly here.

Work-from-home slows in US but remains important part of hybrid workplace

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 09:45:46 GMT

Deloitte survey shows the ways in which people are using connected devices and technology to improve and enhance their lives, in particular dealing with the balance of hybrid work.

Read more on ComputerWeekly here.

Inside Bukalapak’s Cloud Strategy

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 09:44:45 GMT

Indonesian e-commerce unicorn Bukalapak’s multicloud strategy, underpinned by the use of microservices and DevOps, has enabled it to meet the diverse needs of its users while addressing business requirements

Read more on ComputerWeekly here.

Cognizant to cover AXA’s digital future

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 09:43:54 GMT

Cognizant UK’s winning streak continues in the shape of a large deal with AXA UK & Ireland. The multi-year transformational managed services contract will see the offshore-centric major help to consolidate, modernise and manage part of the insurer’s IT operations.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Co-op Bank moves treasury to the cloud with Finastra

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 09:43:05 GMT

The Co-operative Bank (The Co-op) has selected cloud-based technology from banking specialist Finastra as it looks to modernise its treasury infrastructure. The Co-op is implementing Finastra’s Kondor solution which is available via Microsoft Azure and will help the bank to automate manual processes and provide access to ongoing upgrades and innovation.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Sopra Steria acquires transport simulator Graffica

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 09:41:57 GMT

Sopra Steria has boosted its capabilities in the transport space with the acquisition of Graffica, a Worcestershire-based provider of simulation products and services to the transport industry. No deal financials have been released.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

UiPath acquires NLP start up Re:infer

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 09:41:05 GMT

New York-listed Robotic Process Automation (RPA) player UiPath has acquired London-based natural language processing (NLP) start up Re:infer for an undisclosed sum.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

iLoF secures funds to accelerate personalised patient care tech

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 09:39:02 GMT

Biotech startup iLoF (intelligent Lab on Fiber), has secured c.$5m (£4.1m) to help develop its intelligent drug development platform. The funding includes $4m in equity investment led by Faber, with additional participation from M12 (formerly Microsoft Ventures), Quiet Capital, Lunar Ventures, Alter Venture Partners, re.Mind Capital, Fluxunit, and angel investors. The company also secured an €880k grant from the European Regional Development Fund. The latest investment takes total funding to date to over $8m.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

An exciting new era for Manchester United (and DXC)!

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 13:17:13 GMT

DXC Technology has revealed a major new partnership with one of the biggest global brands in football. As a result of the multi-year deal, which commences July 2022, DXC has become Manchester United’s official Digital Transformation Partner as well as the club’s Principal Shirt Sleeve Partner and Presenting Partner of Manchester United Foundation.

Read the full article here

Kainos programme to encourage the next generation of coders goes globa

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 13:14:19 GMT

Digital services and platforms provider, Kainos is opening the doors its annual CodeCamp to 14-18 year-olds around the world. The three, free, week-long, virtual training sessions will be run in August. They are designed for students of STEM subjects wishing to kickstart their experience in tech.

Read the full article here

TCS keeps hyperscalers from SITS top spot

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 13:05:58 GMT

Analysis by TechMarketView of the Software and IT Services (SITS) competitive landscape shows that TCS has retained its position as the largest provider to the UK market. The Mumbai-headquartered firm displaced Capita from its long-held top spot last year and has since managed to hold off the wave of fast-growing competitors.

Read the full article here

NTT DATA & Microsoft partner on Intelligent Safeguarding

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 13:01:17 GMT

NTT DATA has been working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Ministry of Justice, Police ICT, and Microsoft to develop the Intelligent Safeguarding platform. The company is a Strategic Innovation Partner of Police ICT, enabling it to collaborate on non-commercial projects to develop and promote innovation.

The platform was developed in response to a problem that was hampering efforts to protect victims of Forced Marriage (FM) and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Read the full article here

NHS to switch on UK’s first 5G hospital

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 12:59:26 GMT

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is working with Virgin Media O2 to switch on the UK’s first 5G-connected hospital. The switch-on is part of Maudsley Digital Lab's series of digital health and innovation trials funded by NHS Digital.

Read the full article here

IBM wins Digital Integration and ServiceOps contract at NS&I

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 12:57:05 GMT

IBM has won the Digital Integration and ServiceOps contract at NS&I, worth £34m. The deal is part of NS&I’s Rainbow programme, which aims to significantly transform its outsourced business process services.

Read the full article here

Vodafone and Google Cloud collaboration gives rise to AI Booster platform

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 12:53:30 GMT

Vodafone and Google Cloud have gone public with details of a jointly created artificial intelligence platform that is already live in more than 18 countries.

Read the full article here

Diversity in Partnerships - an opportunity for diverse suppliers to apply for IT and professional services work at bp

(Past member) — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 17:30:07 GMT

bp is on mission to build new partnerships with organizations who bring innovative thinking, work collaboratively, and can further build our digital capabilities. That is why, on June 15 they launched a new ‘Diversity in partnership’ portal, which will give diverse-owned businesses the opportunity to express their interest in working with bp – and will grow their diverse supplier base even more.

This is an opportunity for diverse suppliers to apply for work in four digital disciplines:

Data and analytics
Design
Engineering, architecture and security
Project management and business analysis

The Diversity in Partnerships opportunity is now open and closes on August 15, 2022.

IT services market to grow US$6.36Bn by 2026

(Past member) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:51:48 GMT

The IT Services Market size is expected to grow by US$6.36 billion at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.04% between 2022 to 2026, according to leading global technology research and advisory company Technavio.

Read the full article here

85% of customer service agents don’t want to return to contact centers

(Past member) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:50:34 GMT

he majority of customer service agents (85%) are not looking forward to returning to contact centers and would rather work full-time at home.

In the latest survey conducted by AI cloud company ASAPP, contact center operations are reportedly thinking of new ways to make their agents more successful in their jobs.

Read the full article here

Brexit a net negative for UK cyber, say CISOs

(Past member) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:34:29 GMT

Six years on from the UK’s Brexit vote, the majority of security professionals say leaving the EU has raised concerns over their ability to keep their organisations safe

Read the full article here

BT doubles down on AIOps with Dynatrace for network service gains

(Past member) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:33:04 GMT

Digital innovation division of incumbent telco and monitoring software provider go live on partnership to simplify, add intelligence to and automate service operations using AIOps.

Read the full article here

UK senior business leaders lack confidence in quality of ESG data, research shows

(Past member) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:31:02 GMT

A global poll of senior business leaders reveals the UK is doing better than other countries in terms of how its organisations report ESG data, but there is still room for improvement.

Read the full article here

Vodafone and Oracle Cloud strike multi-year deal to modernise telco’s European infrastructure

(Past member) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:28:17 GMT

Vodafone is expanding the range of cloud providers it works with, as it embarks on a multi-year revamp of the infrastructure underpinning its European operations.

Read the full article here

$35m for ESG Book to build out sustainability data platform

(Past member) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:21:49 GMT

As its name suggests, ESG Book is in the business of environmental, social and governance (ESG) data. It provides a platform geared towards making such data accessible, consistent and transparent so financial markets can use it to determine the allocation of capital to sustainable and higher impact assets. The round was led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP), with Meridiam and Allianz X, and Allianz.

Read the full article here

Scottish Water to invest £100m in IoT technologies

(Past member) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:20:44 GMT

Scottish Water plans to invest up to a £100m over the next 5 years in Internet of things technologies that will help it to better predict problems in its waste water infrastructure, lessening the impact on customers and helping it to achieve its net-zero carbon emissions targets.

Read the full article here

CGI launches sustainability research programme

(Past member) — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:18:27 GMT

Supported by the United Nations, CGI has launched a new research programme in partnership with several leading universities. The programme, Sustainability Exploration Environmental Data Science (SEEDS), has been designed to challenge thinking and practice around sustainability and low carbon business models.

Read the full article here

FM Outsource celebrates 10th anniversary

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:50:10 GMT

Outsourced customer service solutions provider FM Outsource is celebrating its 10th year in business, following a sustained period of growth.

Over the past three years, the business’s revenue has soared by 67% due to its work supporting prominent household names, including Hotel Chocolat, FedEx, Pret A Manger, and Superdrug.

Read the full article here

Infobip, BT collaborate to enhance CX in the UK

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:48:41 GMT

Global cloud communications platform Infobip and telecommunications company BT Group is partnering to offer to scale, design, and orchestrate personalized customer experiences across communication channels in the United Kingdom (UK).

Through this partnership, businesses will have access to Infobip’s entire suite of customer engagement solutions — including SMS and RCS — which enables brands to deliver rich, branded messages via an SMS inbox, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

Read the full article here

Wipro opens tech innovation studio in Texas

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:47:00 GMT

Leading global information technology, consulting, and business process services company Wipro Limited recently launched its latest Innovation Studio in Austin, Texas.

Read the full article here

BPO among sectors that could drive growth in Honduras

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:45:48 GMT

The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector is among the best-suited industries that could drive growth and job creation in Honduras, said International Finance Corporation (IFC).

According to a study conducted by the IFC, the BPO sector is already one of the fastest-growing in Honduras. Still, it offers opportunities to create high-quality jobs while increasing domestic value.

Read the full article here

BT and Ericsson sign landmark 5G deal

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:43:44 GMT

BT Group has announced a major new partnership with fellow telecoms giant, Ericsson, to provide commercial 5G Private Networks in the UK. The multi-million pound venture will see the two companies collaborate closely to bring mobile networking technology to organisations across a variety of vertical sectors.

Read the full article here

Capita’s winning streak continues

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:39:18 GMT

Hot on the heels of wins at HMRC and Scottish Power, Capita has secured a three-year extension with NHS England and NHS Improvement to continue to fulfil the Primary Care Support England contract. The £94m renewal brings the TCV closed by the company over the last ten days to £177m.

Read the full article here

IBM to acquire offensive cybersecurity provider Randori

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:30:38 GMT

IBM has announced it plans to acquire Randori, an attack surface management (ASM) and offensive cybersecurity provider based in Boston. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Randori, which was founded in 2018 by former Carbon Black executive Brian Hazzard and systems and security engineer David Wolpoff, has raised almost $30 million across two funding rounds, most recently a $20 million Series A investment led by Harmony Partners in April 2020.

Read the full article here

NTT and NTT DATA – moving forward together

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:28:46 GMT

On the 9th May, Japanese-headquartered technology corporation NTT and IT services and consulting player, NTT DATA, announced a plan to merge their respective IT services operations outside of Japan, creating a new joint operating company.

Read the full article here

UK acquisition boosts Capgemini’s creativity

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:24:00 GMT

Capgemini has bought London-HQ’d 70-person experience design agency, Rufus Leonard. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Founded in 1997, Rufus Leonard turned over c.£7m in 2020 of which nearly four fifths was generated in this country. Describing itself as a specialist in harnessing technology and design to enhance a brand’s promise, the firm counts The AA, AXA UK, the BBC and World Wildlife Fund amongst its clients.

Read the full article here

Accenture and Microsoft to transform NatWest front-office

(Past member) — Mon, 30 May 2022 11:06:11 GMT

Accenture and Microsoft have been jointly selected to provide a modern customer engagement platform for NatWest bank. The initiative will replace the suite of outdated technologies that currently support the bank's channels with a single integrated digital platform.

Read the full article here

DXC secures $465m deal with Lloyd's of London

(Past member) — Mon, 30 May 2022 11:04:50 GMT

Having recently been selected to drive the modernisation of Lloyd’s of London, DXC Technology has now been awarded a significant contract extension in respect of the services it provides in support of the London insurance market.

Read the full article here

HCL to help VELUX on digital journey

(Past member) — Mon, 30 May 2022 10:54:23 GMT

Danish roof window manufacturer, VELUX, has signed “an end-to-end IT services transformation agreement” with HCL Technologies.

HCL will create and deliver a cloud-first, user-centric digital transformation programme that will enable VELUX to modernize its application and infrastructure estate. With increased agility and efficiency – and the ability to scale – VELUX intends to create greater innovation and IT excellence within its organisation.

Read the full article here

DXC exits Russia as revenue slides

(Past member) — Mon, 30 May 2022 10:50:38 GMT

DXC Technology announced its latest annual results yesterday, reflecting improved profitability despite the company’s continuing revenue declines. During last night’s earning’s call, CEO Mike Salvino, cited currency fluctuations and the conflict in the Ukraine as key factors in DXC missing its Q4 targets and also reflected on the vendor hurriedly exiting its operations in Russia.

Read the full article here

KPMG UK launches new digital push

(Past member) — Mon, 30 May 2022 10:47:07 GMT

KPMG has unveiled plans to increase the number of technologists it employs in this country from 3,000 to 3,500 over the next three years. Central to this ambition is the launch of KMPG Products which will develop a portfolio of new digital tools and applications.

Read the full article here

EY and IBM launch second COE

(Past member) — Wed, 25 May 2022 15:56:02 GMT

Twelve months after the creation of a joint virtual Centre of Excellence (CoE) focused on accelerating cloud deployment in the Financial Services sector, EY and IBM have established a new global Talent COE. The move brings together the EY Organization & Workforce, Mobility and HR Transformation business solutions with IBM Talent Transformation business and hybrid cloud and AI capabilities.

Read the full article here

CGI wins MOD Picasso Intelligent Customer contract

(Past member) — Wed, 25 May 2022 15:52:23 GMT

CGI has a strong footprint in the UK defence sector; defence revenues make up around a third of its public sector business in the UK. Its latest win is a contract valued at £6m with UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) Defence Digital. Under the contract, which will run for an initial 23-month term, CGI will provide the Intelligent Customer Team for the PICASSO Programme’s Allied System for GEOINT (P-ASG).

PICASSO is “an enduring capability programme that provides UK Defence with an integrated information environment for the exploitation, production, and dissemination of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT)”.

Read the full article here

Third of organisations to outsource more IT amid talent shortage

(Past member) — Wed, 25 May 2022 15:38:30 GMT

A third of UK organisations (32%) are planning to outsource more of their IT over the next two years – and, for the first time, their biggest reason for doing so is not to cut costs.

According to major study, the main reasons for outsourcing were to enable organisations to focus on their core business and to access talent, marking the first instance of cost-cutting not being the top motivation.

Read the full article here

Customer Experience Solutions and Outsourcing Experts expand Leadership Team further with new CCO

(Past member) — Wed, 25 May 2022 15:10:55 GMT

Quantanite, a customer experience (CX) solutions and outsourcing company, today announced the appointment of Andrew Hall as Chief Commercial Officer as it expands its Leadership Team further.

Read the full article here

FY growth nears 40% at Coforge

(Past member) — Thu, 12 May 2022 15:49:47 GMT

Mid-tier offshore services firm Coforge (nee NIIT Technologies) powered ahead during FY22 driving global sales up by 37.6% yoy at constant currency. Revenue for the twelve months ended 31st March beat guidance to land at $866.5m (FY21: $627.7m). While the company’s top line performance was helped by the $195m purchase of SLK Global last April, the pace of underlying organic expansion for the year still reached just shy of 30%. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the period improved by 70bps to 18.7%.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

NTT DATA grows for 33rd consecutive year

(Past member) — Thu, 12 May 2022 15:40:41 GMT

Full year results this week from NTT DATA, show the Group posting its 33rd consecutive fiscal year of net sales growth, expanding 10.1% to ¥2,551.9bn (FY21/22 ¥2,318.7bn). New orders received grew 8% to ¥2,400.8bn as the company delivered increased operating profits of ¥212.6bn, up a whopping 52.8%.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Atif Hafeez joins Quantanite as the Group Chief Financial Officer

(Past member) — Thu, 12 May 2022 15:23:12 GMT

With rapid growth in its client portfolio and continued investment in experienced industry expertise, Quantanite is delighted to announce Hafeez’s arrival which strengthens its leadership team further and enhances the company’s Global Finance Function and critical business and governance processes.

Read the full article here on Quantanite.com

Tech thrived on the back of global IT outsourcing. Russia’s invasion has changed the equation.

(Past member) — Thu, 12 May 2022 08:27:32 GMT

Europe has been growing its reputation as a top source of IT talent, but the Russia-Ukraine war could stall the region’s tech industry. Still, despite the geopolitical risk, experts and industry practitioners don’t think all is lost for Europe’s tech scene.

Demand for that talent has not slowed: It’s no secret that companies across the board are having difficulty finding the right people. “There is absolutely a dearth of skills available in certain countries,” said Kerry Hallard, CEO of the U.K.-based Global Sourcing Association.

Read the full article here on Protocol.com

#FinTalks2022: How NOT to break the bank with tech strategies

(Past member) — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 13:20:27 GMT

FinTalks comes to London to discuss how not to break the bank with your tech strategy! Powered by Future Processing, Level39, GSA and the Fintech Alliance, FinTalks takes the community on a deep dive in the most relevant aspects of finance and technology.

During this event they’ll discuss what are the most relevant revenue generating opportunities related to technology, put a spotlight on the cost efficiency factor and for the first time present the results of ROI in IT Projects benchmarking survey.

Click here to find out more

The Ultimate UAV (Drones) Technologies Overview by Tech Geeks

(Past member) — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 08:42:07 GMT

Regulators and manufacturers are working towards incorporating drones into everyday life. The industry is growing rapidly, and drones have endless applications. From deliveries and inspections to patrolling and aiding in construction, drones can enhance many areas of life. The Drone Industry White Paper will provide you with a deep understanding of the global drone industry, diving into market research and key industries, use cases, and estimated impact on the economy.

Click here to read the full article and download the white paper on Intetics.com

Value Proposition of Using Serverless on AWS for Business

(Past member) — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 08:36:51 GMT

Intetics, software development company and member of the GSA has published their first presentation from a series on Serverless. The purpose of this series is to demonstrate that production platforms can be built using the serverless approach, show a set of tools that can simplify lives, key features on AWS services, and the main things to keep in mind when building serverless platforms in AWS.

Watch the webinar here

Ventrica Appoints APPOINTS Iain Banks as new Chief Executive Officer

(Past member) — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 13:30:23 GMT

Ventrica, the fast-growth multilingual customer management outsourcer for blue-chip brands, is pleased to announce the appointment of Iain Banks as its new Chief Executive Officer. Iain will take over as CEO from founder Dino Forte and will lead the business through its next phase of growth and expansion to further cement its reputation as the ‘go to’ partner of choice for prestigious brands demanding high levels of personalisation and engagement with their customers.

Iain is a 24 year BPO/CX industry veteran, starting on the frontline as a Customer Service Agent for TSB Bank and developing his career in a number of globally recognised operators in the UK and internationally. In his previous role at Genesys Iain was responsible for EMEA sales and the growth of the Partner Ecosystem within EMEA and UKI.

Prior to Genesys, Iain was Group Vice President at TTEC delivering continuous and profitable growth within the UK and in EMEA over 4 years. Iain was responsible for delivering TTEC's technology led go to market strategy and securing several ground-breaking marque customers and transforming TTEC’s standing in the marketplace.

Iain’s leadership has been recognised by several industry leading organisations including the ECCCSA and CCMA and he was named “Director of the Year 2021” at the Global CCA Excellence Awards for his ability to disrupt the industry with truly transformational CX solutions.

Iain commented, “I am extremely excited to join Ventrica at such a pivotal time in its journey. Ventrica is a true market leader in the outsourced CX space, implementing state of the art technology for intelligent omnichannel customer management and sales solutions. Growth is in my DNA, and I look forward to bringing this to my leadership of this great business and team.”

Jim Graham, Group Chairperson, added; “We are delighted to welcome a leader of Iain’s experience and skills. I have no doubt that his charismatic leadership will fit perfectly with the Ventrica way of doing business. I very much look forward to working with him."

About Ventrica

Ventrica is a leading European award-winning, outsourced customer management business that delivers omnichannel and multilingual customer service for blue-chip brands. Significant investment in people, automation and digital contact centre technologies allows Ventrica to enhance customer experiences designed to keep their clients ahead of the technology curve and their competition.

The company is headquartered in Southend, where it operates from spacious, hi-tech and modern offices, placing significant emphasis on its staff’s comfort and well-being. Ventrica shares the same passion for its customers’ business as it does for its own and continually strives for quality and service delivery consistency.

Ventrica’s technology framework allows customers to interact from text messages to emails, phone calls to video, intelligent chatbots and back – all within a single platform. Ventrica has significant experience in providing customer management and sales across an array of industries, including, Retail, FMCG, Insurance, Fintech, Healthcare, Transport, Real Estate, Leisure, Hospitality, Construction and Publishing. Ventrica is particularly well-known for its eCommerce expertise particularly within fashion retail.

Telecom giant FLOW supports WFH in Jamaica

(Past member) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 14:59:36 GMT

Caribbean telecommunications giant FLOW is expressing its support for work-from-home policy arrangement in Jamaica.

According to Andrew Fazio, Director of FLOW’s subsidiary Cable and Wireless Business, about 90 outsourcing firms in the island are ready to adjust their operations to include remote work.

But Fazio added that what they really want is to achieve a “permanent work-from-home directive (law), so that large BPO companies [whose employees] want to work at home on a permanent basis are protected.

Read the full article here

Microsoft’s new security chief calls for metaverse protection

(Past member) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 14:56:35 GMT

The new security chief of IT giant Microsoft Corporation Charlie Bell is issuing a “call to arms” that encourages industry players to build their cybersecurity protection in the metaverse.

The metaverse is a new technological concept that allows users to live, work and play within interconnected virtual worlds.

In an interview, Bell said that there is “going to be a lot of innovation and there will be a lot of struggling to figure out what has to be done.” Bell said in an interview. “But I think because of the speed, there will be fast innovation on the security side.”

Read the full article here

TechUK calls on government to seize post-Brexit data opportunities

(Past member) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 14:50:33 GMT

Ahead of the government’s reply to its late 2021 consultation about proposed post-Brexit reforms to the data protection regime, TechUK has published a paper declaring six data governance principles.

Read the full article here

How X2M Connect is spreading the IoT word

(Past member) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 14:46:26 GMT

Australian IoT technology provider X2M Connect has been making headway in key Asian markets, where sustainability and air and water quality are gaining more attention.

Read the full article here

Accenture invests in fixing the web

(Past member) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 14:42:03 GMT

Accenture has made a strategic investment through its venture capital arm in Inrupt, the Tim Berners-Lee co-founded startup focused on putting individuals back in control of their data. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Established in 2017, US-HQ’d Inrupt has developed Solid, a web-based privacy platform which seeks to change the current model where users have to hand over personal data to digital giants in exchange for perceived value.

Read the full article here

CGI appoints Mattie Yeta to UK Executive

(Past member) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 14:35:39 GMT

A familiar face is joining CGI’s UK Executive in a newly created role. Mattie Yeta will join as Head of Sustainability, IT, reporting into CGI’s President, UK & Australia, Tara McGeehan. According to the announcement, Yeta will work with CGI members to achieve common sustainability goals.

Read the full article here

How India organisations can mitigate cyber threats-can-mitigate-cyber-threats

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 16:36:00 GMT

Organisations in India will need to invest more in cloud security, gain more visibility into their systems and improve security awareness among employees to fend off cyber attacks.

Like organisations in other parts of the world, organisations across India have been grappling with cyber threats brought about by the growing adoption of the internet of things (IoT), cloud applications, digital supply chains and remote work.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

Japan’s Mizuho partners Google to accelerate tech transformation after a year to forget

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 16:26:44 GMT

Mizuho Financial Group is working with Google to transform its operations to keep pace with changing customer demand and repair reputational damage caused by IT-related shortfalls.

Through the deal, the bank’s systems will be modernised to make them more agile and secure. The company’s corporate culture will also be transformed by adopting Google’s approach to product development and problem solving, which it hopes will attract top talent.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

Scottish digital tech firm acquired in £175m deal

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 16:22:56 GMT

Scottish digital technology services firm Incremental Group has been acquired by Spanish-owned Telefonica Tech in a deal worth up to £175m.

The Glasgow-based company operates in the data analytics market and is a Microsoft partner. Telefonica Tech said the acquisition strengthened its capabilities and presence in IT services in the UK and Ireland.

Read the full article here on BBC News

Ukraine: How crowdsourcing is rescuing people from the war zone

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 16:11:41 GMT

Finding a safe route out of Ukraine is not easy.

So how do people actually find safe passage out of the country? One way is via transport arranged by dozens of volunteers based thousands of miles away, who liaise with fellow volunteers in Ukraine.

They, in turn, send information in real-time about safe roads to drivers who can rescue busloads of people. In other words, they are crowdsourcing safe passage out of a war zone.

Read the full article here on BBC News

Global BPO industry to hit $215.9 Bn by 2026

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 11:05:10 GMT

The global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry is projected to reach US$215.9 Billion by 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% between the next four years.

According to a new market study by market research company Global Industry Analysts (GIA), this rapid increase is attributed to the growing desire of global businesses to rationalize costs and address issues such as shortage of skilled personnel.

Read the full article here

Impact SourcingCX officially launched its US services

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 10:55:20 GMT

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) consulting services provider Impact SourcingCX was recently launched to provide solutions for clients in the United States.

Impact SourcingCX founder and CEO Stuart Discount explained that he created the company to offer “access to business process outsourcing in parts of the world where we can provide desperately needed social and economic impacts.”

Read the full article here

Software development outsourcing to grow by 70% in 2023

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 10:37:39 GMT

The global software development outsourcing industry is projected to increase by 70% between 2022 and 2023, according to tech services provider Commit.

Outsourcing tech talent is becoming an essential ingredient for success, but the benefits are perceived differently across roles and organizations. Commit found that while HR leaders see the top benefit of outsourcing as cost savings (48%), CTOs perceive outsourcing as a key to quickly scaling (42%). However, regardless of the role, the greatest concern over outsourcing talent is the quality of work (56%).

Read the full article here

Computacenter has a storming FY21

(Past member) — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 16:54:59 GMT

Computacenter has released a very impressive set of results this morning, with top line Group revenue up 26.9% (constant currency) to £5.2bn and a 31.5% increase in adjusted profit before tax. Indeed, adjusted profit before tax has doubled in the three years since its 2018 results.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Government to introduce digital identity legislation

(Past member) — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 16:49:07 GMT

As announced in a Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Media, Data, and Digital Infrastructure, Julia Lopez, the UK Government has made another step in its journey towards making digital identities as trusted and secure as official documents like passports and driving licences.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

TCS doubles down on innovation and talent in Australia

(Past member) — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 16:42:34 GMT

Indian IT service provider TCS has opened an innovation centre in Sydney and is investing in local talent to meet the digital transformation needs of Australian organisations.

ikram Singh, country head of TCS Australia and New Zealand, said that the centre will provide support for organisations that want to innovate at scale, whether it is ramping up their cloud adoption or solving a business problem through technology.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

SS&C completes Blue Prism acquisition

(Past member) — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 16:37:48 GMT

US headquartered technology holding company, SS&C completed its acquisition yesterday of UK Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software specialist Blue Prism. The £1.24bn deal was first announced back in November and sees the Warrington headquartered RPA pioneer become the latest UK tech starlet to leave the London market. The new combined entity will operate as SS&C Blue Prism, and report to Mike Megaw, Managing Director, Business Process Automation.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

BT signs five-year deal with Google Cloud to revamp customer experience

(Past member) — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 16:46:26 GMT

BT is teaming up with Google Cloud so it can tap into its portfolio of data analytics and artificial intelligence services, and revamp its customer experience

Specifically, BT will be drawing on the Google Cloud portfolio of infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and data analytics services to digitally transform its business.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

Quantanite to celebrate Grand Opening of Newest World Class Customer Experience Centre in Johannesburg

(Past member) — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 11:50:34 GMT

Quantanite, a business process outsourcing (BPO) and customer experience (CX) solutions company, today announced the Grand Opening and ribbon cutting of its newest World Class Customer Experience Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Having already established itself in South Africa since early 2020, Quantanite has experienced rapid growth in the region, acquiring some 30+ clients over the past 2 years and employing over 400 employees. With projected growth ambitions drastically exceeded, the company has today opened its new state of the art facility in Sandton, a financial centre of Johannesburg which forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.

Read the full article here

Accenture to close operations in Russia

(Past member) — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 10:18:12 GMT

Multinational professional services company Accenture recently announced that it will discontinue doing business in Russia as a result of its continued attacks on Ukraine.

In a statement, the company said that they stand “with the people of Ukraine, governments, companies, and individuals around the world calling for the immediate end to the unlawful and horrific attack on the people of Ukraine and their freedom.”

Read the full article here on Newsroom.accenture.com

Wipro to hire 500 professionals in Brazil

(Past member) — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 10:16:20 GMT

Global Information Technology (IT), consulting, and business process services company Wipro Limited will be hiring more than 500 additional employees in Brazil to support its cloud expansion.

The company will be hiring for a range of roles that includes IT, engineering, consulting, business development, and operations.

Read the full article here on Wipro.com

Russia invasion risks Ukraine’s IT outsourcing sector

(Past member) — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 10:10:11 GMT

Ukraine’s $6.8 billion information technology (IT) sector is at great risk amid the current conflict with Russia. Kerry Hallard, Chief Executive of trade group Global Sourcing Association, said the war could have “massive repercussions” because Ukraine is a major provider of IT services to multinational banking, insurance, and other financial services operations firms. According to a 2021 report by the IT Ukraine Association, the country is a “breeding ground” for software development talent with over 200,000 professionals in the industry. Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tool Grammarly, freelance platform Fiverr, productivity app Readdle are just among many applications developed in Ukraine.

Read the full article here

India-based software exporter TCS opens female-dominated office in Saudi Arabia

(Past member) — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 10:05:11 GMT

TCS recently expanded to Saudi Arabia with an all-female business process center, the company said in a statement.

The office which will employ up to 3,000 female professionals will be Saudi Arabia’s first women-centric business establishment.

The 3,200 sq.m facility is located in Riyadh and will offer customers specialized finance and accounting, human resources, materials supply and office services to improve their operational efficiency.

Read the full article here on EconomicTimes.com

SAP and Oracle express solidarity with Ukraine against Russia

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 17:00:13 GMT

SAP and Oracle have both strongly expressed solidarity with Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country.

Both were responding to a request for support from Mykhhailo Fedorov, vice-prime minister of Ukraine and minister of digital transformation.

Christian Klein, chief executive officer at SAP, has issued a statement that conveys strong support for Ukraine in the second full week of the attack by the military forces of the Russian Federation.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

What Do PCs Have to Do with Sustainability? Plenty

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 16:54:35 GMT

More than 70% of executives say sustainability is a top-10 priority for their companies. Two-thirds of consumers will pay more for brands that commit to sustainability. And more than 70% of people prefer to work for a company that has a strong green footprint over one that doesn’t.

What more evidence is needed to demonstrate that sustainability is good business?

Read the full article here on morewithvpro.com

TSB banks on software intelligence to drive digital

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 16:44:58 GMT

Spanish owned, TSB, has expanded its relationship with software intelligence specialist, Dynatrace as the UK bank looks to accelerate the provision of digital services to its customers. TSB has been investing heavily in innovation, as it looks to transform its fortunes after the disastrous systems migration that followed its acquisition by Banco Sabadell from Lloyds Banking Group in 2019.

TSB is using technology from Dynatrace to optimise front and back-office applications across its new multi-cloud environment (provided by AWS, IBM, and BT). The bank hopes that the Dynatrace platform will help it to reduce cloud complexity and improve interoperability via AI and intelligent automation.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView

BMW extends with Arvato

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 16:39:22 GMT

Business Process Services provider Arvato CRM Solutions has announced a two-year extension to its Customer Management contract with BMW Group to provide multichannel customer services in the UK and Ireland. Arvato has been running the contract for the last five years or so, since it won the client off of rival Capita.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView

CGI finds "right dance partner" with Unico

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 16:41:24 GMT

According to Mark Aston, SVP and Business Unit Leader for UK North & Australia, CGI has been looking for “the right dance partner” in Australia for some time. The company knew that it needed to significantly grow its employee base in the region to achieve critical mass. This morning, with the announcement that it has completed (via its subsidiary company, CGI Technology and Solutions Australia Pty Limited) its planned acquisition of Unico, it has done just that.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView

TTEC bags America’s Best Large Employers award

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 09:58:40 GMT

Global customer experience (CX) technology and services provider TTEC Holdings was included in Forbes’ list of America's Best Employers 2022. TTEC Chairman and CEO Ken Tuchman said that this recognition is “an honor and a testament to the exceptional experience” that they are striving to deliver to all of their employees. Last year, the company was also included in the same Best Employer List in multiple categories. TTEC delivers CX technology and operational CX orchestration at scale through its proprietary cloud-based CXaaS (Customer Experience as a Service) platform. Congratulations!

DDC Group opens new hub in Serbia

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 09:56:20 GMT

The worldwide network of BPO companies DDC Group recently opened a new language hub in Belgrade, Serbia. The new facility is expected to help increase the company’s current multilingual customer service, customs brokerage, and other BPO services for existing and future clients. Moreover, it will serve as a regional hub for DDC’s home-based workforce, allowing them to collaborate while maintaining a hybrid work model. The new site joins existing DDC locations in the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Philippines, and the United States.

Exel BPO to expand Sri Lanka operations

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 09:53:21 GMT

Offshore outsourcing company Exel BPO is expanding its operations in Sri Lanka to address the growing demand for local talent that cater to SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in the United Kingdom. This expansion is projected to create expansive networking and employment opportunities for over 200 local talents in the next twelve months. Industry expert Mohomad Khayam will be spearheading the expansion and overall business development of the firm as Exel BPO’s Managing Director. One of his goals is to increase Excel’s talent acquisition in the country to 100% in the next two years.

BPO investments increasing in South Africa

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 09:44:19 GMT

South Africa’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry will see aggressive growth this year supported by continuous foreign investment inflow and expects to reach 775,000 jobs by 2030.

According to Clinton Cohen, CEO of outsourcing provider iContact, there are two key reasons for this growth — first-time outsourcers whose operations grew significantly during this pandemic and first-time outsourcers with specialized needs.

Meanwhile, cloud-based software firm Salesforce is joining the South African movement by opening its first legal entity in the country. This move is expected to generate about 31,800 new jobs and deliver $5.1 billion in new revenue in the country.

Ukraine's IT sector looks to business continuity plans as Russia invades

(Past member) — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 10:43:36 GMT

The Ukrainian tech industry is invoking business continuity plans after 150,000 Russian troops began a military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, crossing its borders and bombing military targets near big cities.

Kerry Hallard, CEO of the Global Sourcing Association (GSA) — which represents IT outsourcers — said she had been in touch with members in Ukraine. N-iX, an Eastern European software development service company, told the GSA its offices, including those in Kyiv and Lviv were unaffected. Eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk are more likely to be first affected.

Read the full article here on TheRegister.com

Ukraine’s Booming Tech Outsourcing Sector at Risk After Russian Invasion

(Past member) — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 10:35:47 GMT

The outsourcing of tech services from Ukraine, a sector that has bounded ahead in recent years with customers in Europe and the U.S., is at risk after Russia attacked the nation on Thursday.

Following the incursion, internet outages occurred across the country, according to a monitoring dashboard run by the Georgia Institute of Technology. Kerry Hallard, chief executive of U.K.-based trade group, the Global Sourcing Association, said that at one member business in Kharkiv, 80% of computers had no internet access.

Read the full article here on wsj.com

EXL breaks the $1bn barrier on analytics growth

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 12:44:43 GMT

EXL’s progress towards becoming a ‘Billion Dollar’ company was delayed by twelve months as COVID caused the business to decline in FY2020. 2020 was however, a good year for sales, which have now fed through into revenues.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Unisys hits full year targets in 2021

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 12:41:37 GMT

Unisys Corporation has reported its Q4 and full-year results for the period ended 31 December 2021. Q4 revenue was down 3.3% year-on-year to $539.3m (Q4 2020: $576.9m), with operating income down 6.5% to $44.5m (Q4 2020: $47.7m).

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Regulators mull impact of AI on UK financial services

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:42:33 GMT

The AI Public-Private Forum (AIPPF) created by UK regulators to examine the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on financial services has published its report. Launched in October 2020 by the Bank of England (BoE) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the forum has received input from the private sector to help assess how innovation the potential future impacts of AI on the industry.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Atos one of seven organisations involved in defining Structura-X

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:36:56 GMT

Several European digital companies and cloud providers – with Atos amongst them – have launched an initiative, called Structura-X (the Lighthouse project) to build a Gaia-X compatible infrastructure in Europe. The purpose of Gaia-X is to create a next-generation, federated and secure data infrastructure; amongst other activities, it defines the technical framework for data sovereignty. Structura-X aims to have initial Gaia-X complaint cloud services offerings ready by the middle of next year.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

CGI wins MOD e-learning contract

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:32:40 GMT

CGI has won a two-year contract with the MOD’s Defence Learning and Management Capability (DLMC). It will work alongside LEO Learning to provide E-Learning Applications Support & Development.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Ukraine crisis: 'Wiper' discovered in latest cyber-attacks

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:21:07 GMT

Ukraine has been hit by more cyber-attacks, which its government says are "on a completely different level".

The latest attack began on Wednesday afternoon when internet connectivity company NetBlocks tweeted about the outages, saying "the incident appears consistent with recent DDoS attacks".

Read the full article here on BBC Technology

Zuckerberg reveals AI projects to power Metaverse

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:16:17 GMT

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled several ambitious artificial-intelligence projects, describing AI as "the key to unlocking the Metaverse".

Read the full article here on BBC Technology

Moving ‘HyperAutomation’ beyond the hype

(Past member) — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 15:29:39 GMT

Over the last couple of years automation has been one of the main beneficiaries of technology investment deployed in response to the pandemic. Technologies such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA) have helped organisations modernise their heritage IT estates and bridge the gap into digital. That said, organisations continue to struggle to scale automation, having often deployed technologies in a fragmented and piecemeal manner, and whilst RPA is good at keeping legacy systems functioning – particularly in the back office – it is not always the best route to genuinely transform digital operations.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Conduent’s stable 2021

(Past member) — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 15:24:02 GMT

Business process specialist Conduent finished FY 2021 much where it started with revenue for the year of $4,140m, a decline of -0.6% on the prior year (FY 2020 $4,163m). Adjusted EBITDA improved slightly up 1.5% to $487m (FY2020 $480m).

Despite the flat results, FY 2021 has been a step forward for Conduent which saw its first quarterly growth since the business was spun out of Xerox back in 2016.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

The future of cloud: Tech predictions for 2022 and beyond

(Past member) — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 15:20:27 GMT

Cloud infrastructure has evolved to a place where we are seeing all parts of the cloud reach practically anywhere on the planet—and even into space.

The cloud has allowed what was once science fiction to become science fact. Models and techniques in the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) realm have gotten better and better—so much so that we see glimpses of new kinds of use cases emerging that we previously only imagined in movies and comics.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

DDoS attacks hit Ukrainian defence ministry and banks

(Past member) — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 15:14:41 GMT

Ukrainian authorities are investigating a series of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that targeted the country’s Ministry of Defence, as well as a number of financial institutions, in a series of incidents on the afternoon of Tuesday 15 February.

The attacks rendered the Ministry of Defence’s website inoperable for a time, forcing it to resort to communicating via social media, and compromised access to consumer internet banking services at PrivatBank and OschadBank. Mirohost, a provider of hosting services, also seems to have been a target.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

Webhelp Appoints Helen Murray as Chief Client Officer for UK Region

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 15:59:39 GMT

Webhelp are pleased to announce the appointment of Helen Murray to the new role of Chief Client Officer for the UK Region.

Helen has been with Webhelp since 2012, and brings with her extensive experience from leading in-house and client-side customer service operations from her time as Chief Customer Solutions Officer. Most recently, she led Webhelp’s business development function and the delivery of client differentiation through enhanced customer experience.

David Turner, Chief Executive Officer, comments:

“I am delighted that Helen Murray has been appointed to the role of Chief Client Officer and in doing so, joins the UK Regional Board. Helen has played a significant part over the last 10 years in the growth of our business as Chief Client Solutions Officer and is ideally placed to further develop client partnerships that add real value to our clients and their customers.”

Before joining Webhelp 10 years ago, Helen was Director of Consulting at Verint Systems for five years, and prior to that was Director of Customer Service and Director of Outsourced Contact Centres for BT Global Services.

Helen is passionate about ensuring Webhelp supports clients in doing everything possible to intelligently listen to customers, and delivering solutions they need first time. As Chief Client Officer, Helen will be responsible for further strengthening client relationships, ensuring Webhelp continues to live up to their award winning reputation for putting the client at the heart of their business.

Sharing her thoughts on her new role, Helen said:

“I’m thrilled to take on the position of Chief Client Officer. My 10-year relationship with Webhelp and extensive experience in Client Solutions will be beneficial to further developing existing client partnerships and creating new ones, whilst delivering outstanding experiences for their customers through new thinking and solutions.”

EY UK to bet £100m on green

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 11:17:11 GMT

In response to the Chancellor’s announcement during COP26 mandating all UK-listed businesses and financial institutions to publish net zero plans by 2023, EY has launched a new sustainability service offering – EY Carbon. Backed by a £100m investment, the initiative includes the target of adding a further 1,300 personnel to the firm's current team of 250 sustainability specialists over the next three years. The unit is focused on both advising clients as they prepare their net zero plans ahead of independent scrutiny and verification and supporting the development of longer-term sustainability strategies.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView

Capgemini UK impresses

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 11:01:23 GMT

Capgemini UK delivered a strong set of FY21 numbers. Constant currency yoy top line growth of 18.3% – the vast majority of which was organic - lifted revenue for the twelve months ended 31st December here to €2.13bn. Already the Group’s most profitable territory, the UK business further increased its operating margin to 18% for the period (FY20: 15.5%), some 510 bps higher than the Group average of 12.9%.

Read the full article here

Carillion: KPMG hit with £1.3bn government lawsuit over audit

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 10:22:05 GMT

The government is suing accountancy firm KPMG for £1.3bn over its audit of construction giant Carillion, which collapsed into administration in 2018.

Read the full article here on BBC News

Deloitte to buy Belfast-based Etain

(Past member) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 16:31:06 GMT

Deloitte is set to acquire Northern Ireland-HQ’d data and digital applications specialist Etain. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Climate change: Top companies exaggerating their progress - study

(Past member) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 16:27:55 GMT

Many of the world's biggest companies are failing to meet their own targets on tackling climate change, according to a study of 25 corporations.

Google, Amazon, Ikea, Apple and Nestle are among those failing to change quickly enough, the study alleges.

Read the full article here on BBC Technology News

Adventures in the metaverse with DXC Technology

(Past member) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 16:19:40 GMT

DXC Technology’s 2022 sales conference was set in virtual reality (VR). The EMEA-wide event brought together around 1,000 members of DXC’s leadership and business development communities from across three continents, for a two-day programme of insights, collaboration, motivation and strategy.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

KPMG embarks on cloud-focused youth tech talent push with non-profit Generation

(Past member) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 16:16:59 GMT

Global consultancy firm KPMG is making good on its pledge to employ more people from working class backgrounds by 2030 with cloud-focused youth tech talent push.

Click here to read related articles on ComputerWeekly.com

NTT teams with ServiceNow to help enterprises realise benefits of private 5G

(Past member) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 16:15:02 GMT

Combined capabilities from global technology services provider and cloud computing platform to enable an AI-powered, end-to-end workflow management and service automation platform.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

UK government starts search for new chief digital officer

(Past member) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 16:12:04 GMT

£190,000 job will lead digital, data and technology policy across Whitehall, in charge of the 200-strong Central Digital and Data Office.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

'Levelling up' white paper: Government to create senior officer college

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 10:30:16 GMT

The government is set to launch a new training college for civil servants and senior council officers, to improve skills and knowledge that help with the ‘levelling up’ agenda.

The paper said: “This new training infrastructure will also be made available to local government executives, in particular local authority chief executives and senior officers.

“This will help to build local leadership capability across the UK, supporting accompanying efforts to empower local leaders.

“It will also increase collaboration between central and local government and across local government.”

KPMG bounces back

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 09:44:17 GMT

Having seen its turnover decline during FY20, KPMG UK experienced a welcomed reversal of fortunes during the last financial year. Firm-wide revenue for the twelve months ending 30th September increased by 6% yoy to £2.35bn.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Cognizant UK ends the year up 17%

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 09:42:46 GMT

Cognizant rounded off FY21 with a strong final quarter. Top line growth of 14.5% at constant currency for the three months ended 31st December lifted full year revenue by 10% yoy to $18.5bn. The 2021 adjusted operating margin improved by 100 bps to 15.4%.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

CGI Q122: Revenue growth accelerating

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 09:40:14 GMT

CGI’s financial results need a bit of scrutiny to get to really understand the picture, at least from a UK perspective. The global headline paints a very strong picture: revenue up 2.4% to CAN$3.09b, or up 6.8% in constant currency, and adjusted EBIT of $521.5m, up 5.2% year-on-year, representing an EBIT margin of 16.9% (up 50bps).

Read the full article here on TechMarcketView.com

Coeus Consulting in The Financial Times 'Leading Management Consultants' List

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 17:41:55 GMT

We would like to congratulate our members at Coues Consulting!

The whole company are really proud of the collective achievement.

The ranking is based on the number of recommendations from corporates & peers, so they are grateful to get this recognition from the industry.

Meta has built an AI supercomputer it says will be world’s fastest by end of 2022

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 09:50:05 GMT

Social media conglomerate Meta is the latest tech company to build an “AI supercomputer” — a high-speed computer designed specifically to train machine learning systems. The company says its new AI Research SuperCluster, or RSC, is already among the fastest machines of its type and, when complete in mid-2022, will be the world’s fastest.

Read the full article here on TheVerge.com

HP wins multibillion-dollar fraud case over Autonomy sale

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 09:37:15 GMT

Hewlett Packard (HP) has won a multibillion-dollar fraud case over its acquisition of a British software company.

Cambridge-based Autonomy was sold to the US tech giant for $11bn in 2011.

HP sued its founder and former chief financial officer, claiming they "artificially inflated Autonomy's reported revenues, revenue growth and gross margins".

Read the full article here on BBC News

IBM exits 2021 “a different company”

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 10:09:31 GMT

IBM has released its Q4 financial results, which show for the first time what the company looks like following the separation of the Kyndryl business.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Mphasis sustains strong growth

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 10:05:43 GMT

Indian technology vendor Mphasis has released third quarter results reflecting continued strong revenue growth and improving profits.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

EY to open Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence in Manchester

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 10:01:57 GMT

Professional services firm EY is launching a Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence in the UK to create a perfect working environment for neuro-diverse tech innovators

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

Diversification paying off for ServiceNow

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 09:56:30 GMT

ServiceNow wrapped up a stellar year for the business with a strong Q4 performance, continuing to benefit from increased spending on digital transformation and platform automation, as well as a strategy of diversification.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

UK SMEs to receive tech skills and software boost

(Past member) — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 10:34:33 GMT

A new government scheme aimed at helping businesses improve their productivity and sales online has opened for applications.

Read related articles here on ComputerWeekly.com

Gartner: IT spending forecast points to skills rebalance

(Past member) — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 10:24:18 GMT

Latest forecast on IT spending shows that more IT workloads are being deployed in the cloud, and outsourcing is also set for a boost.

Read related articles here on ComputerWeekly.com

NCSC for Startups programme seeks ransomware-busters

(Past member) — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 10:04:04 GMT

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), alongside startup hub Plexal, is seeking new ideas and technologies that can better protect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the threat of ransomware attacks.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

Vodafone switches on first UK 5G Open RAN site

(Past member) — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 09:55:29 GMT

Vodafone teams with Samsung Networks Europe to switch on the UK’s first Open RAN site to carry live 5G traffic, marking a milestone in the commercial deployment of Open RAN network architectures in Europe

Read the article here on ComputerWeekly.com

Public sector success for DXC Technology

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 17:19:29 GMT

DXC Technology has started 2022 with reasons to celebrate, following the recent award of two lucrative public sector contracts which in total are worth up to £86m. The first of these deals is with the HMPO and relates to the provision of support for digital applications and services.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

Atos: Newly appointed Belmer gives profit warning

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 17:09:36 GMT

Last week, Rodolphe Belmer landed at Atos, taking the helm. It looks like his first few days has been a bit of a baptism of fire. As he took the reins, the 2021 numbers were being crunched. And the outcome was not what he might have hoped for. Though the full year results have not yet been finalised, everything is pointing to “a significant variance in financial KPIs” compared to the objectives announced in July.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView.com

How to make AI greener and more efficient

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 16:59:12 GMT

Artificial intelligence promises both to combat the ill effects of climate change and to make the emergency worse with excessive energy use. How can AI be made greener? Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

SMEs step up e-commerce ventures under shadow of Covid

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 16:53:59 GMT

The demise of the high street has been well documented, but for online retailers, business is booming. E-commerce sales accounted for 33% of all UK retail sales in 2020 and this is predicted to increase to 39% by 2025. The pandemic is having a significant impact, with many physical stores forced to close for long periods and consumers flocking to websites to do their shopping.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

NHS England urged to produce tech roadmap to cope with pandemic backlog

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 16:48:11 GMT

Technology can help the health and care system clear the care backlog stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, but NHS England needs to produce a roadmap to enable that to happen and address major issues relating to IT, a report has found.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

How to use core technologies to give SMEs superpowers

(Past member) — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 15:23:38 GMT

"Helping our SMEs to adopt such core technologies is going to be vitally important if we are to fulfil the vision of ‘Global Britain’ and lofty aims such as making the UK a “Science Super Power.”

Read the full guest blogpost from ComputerWeekly.com

How smart tech is supporting smallholders in South Africa

(Past member) — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 15:19:23 GMT

It can be very tough farming a smallholding in South Africa. People have to deal with crime, including robberies and farm workers being attacked, and struggle to get access to fertile land and water.

Read the full article here on BBC News Tech

Internet of things to put cloud in the shade for Industry 4.0

(Past member) — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 08:48:59 GMT

Research by global mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat has revealed the increasing importance of internet of things (IoT) in industrial applications, predicting that investment in IoT is set to overtake cloud computing, next generation security, big data analytics and other digital transformation technologies in the near future.

Read the full article here

What Do PCs Have to Do with Sustainability? Plenty

(Past member) — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 08:46:42 GMT

Read the full article here

Age discrimination: An overlooked diversity issue in tech

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 10:33:16 GMT

When people talk about a lack of diversity in technology, age discrimination is not the first issue to come to mind, but it’s one that is prolific across the UK’s tech sector.

Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

Fixing the SME tech crisis

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 13:50:04 GMT

Earlier this month, during a presentation at London Tech Week, Mario Gruber, a research fellow at King’s College London, discussed the productivity gap that exists between those companies that are able to take advantage of digital technologies and those that lag behind.

While technology is regarded as a great enabler for smaller organisations, helping them to scale up and reach a wide customer base very quickly, many fail to reap the benefits that IT and advanced digital technologies can offer.

Read more on Computer Weekly here.

NTT Data, Mavenir announce global 5G Open RAN collaboration

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 13:48:20 GMT

Cloud-native network software provider teams with digital business and IT services provider, aiming to meet the needs of operators around the world as they build or transition to open and virtualised 5G networks.

Read more on Computer Weekly here.

AI cannot be the inventor of a patent, appeals court rules

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 13:46:33 GMT

Artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be the inventor of new patents, the UK Court of Appeal has ruled.

Patents assign the ownership of a new invention to its creator.

At its core, the argument is about whether a law written for human inventors can be applied to machines.

The appeal court ruled against Stephen Thaler, creator of a system called Dabus, who took a case against the UK's Intellectual Property Office (IPO) which refused patents to his AI.

Bath tech firm says more diversity supports innovation

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 13:32:17 GMT

A financial technology firm has said recruiting "BAME trailblazers" helps to increase innovation in the sector.

Seccl in Bath said it had increased its number of paid summer internships from three to seven to encourage the next generation of technology leaders.

Northumbria Healthcare transforms pathology with CliniSys

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 16:14:48 GMT

The most innovative NHS trusts continue to look for new ways to use digital and tech to improve patient care and Northumbria Healthcare is a great example. It’s aiming to transform pathology services across Northumberland and North Tyneside as part of its digital strategy using a new hosted laboratory information management system (LIMS) from CliniSys.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Government DDaT: Procurement framework changes

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 16:12:42 GMT

Changes are afoot in the world of UK Government procurement frameworks. This was highlighted by Crown Commercial Services’ publication of a Prior Information Notice (PIN) last week for a new framework: Digital Specialists and Programmes.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Ministry of Defence looks for £1.4bn recruitment partner

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 16:11:34 GMT

Last week the Ministry of Defence (MoD) formally came out to tender for its Armed Forces Recruiting Programme (AFRP), an outsourcing arrangement designed to support the recruitment of between 18,000 to 22,000 (Regular and Reserves) new recruits from the UK and the Commonwealth. The MoD has put an estimated value on the contract of just over £1.4bn over 10 years, making it probably the largest recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) deal in Europe.

Cloud technology helps Mastercard address environmental impact

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 16:10:27 GMT

Mastercard, has utilised technology from Accenture and Salesforce in an effort to meet its environmental obligations and take meaningful action against climate change. The card provider hopes that the cloud-based analytics will help it to better understand its carbon footprint and the effect that its network of global suppliers is having on the environment.

PRCA welcomes CMA crackdown on 'greenwashing'

(Past member) — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 14:22:53 GMT

The PRCA's Climate Misinformation Strategy Group has welcomed a new code from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that aims to stamp down on false environmental claims made by businesses. The Code has been developed in response to increasing consumer demand for products and services that protect the environment.

Read the full article here on PR Week website

Big relief for BPO industry: Outsourced services won’t attract 18% GST, clarifies govt

(Past member) — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 13:36:55 GMT

The clarification issued by the government will free up hundreds of crores in tax refunds to entities in the information technology (IT), IT-enabled services (ITeS), financial services, and research and development sectors as well as resolve the four-year-old issue that has led to large-scale litigation.

Read the full article here on ETNOWNEWS.COM

Wipro lands £32m deal with National Grid

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:36:31 GMT

Wipro has secured a data centre transformation contract with National Grid. The five-year deal, which contains two twelve month extension options, is valued at $44.5m (c.£32m). The engagement will see Wipro help the UK and US energy company move to a hybrid cloud infrastructure.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView website

Cloud technology helps Mastercard address environmental impact

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:31:41 GMT

Read the full article here on TechMarketView website

Cognizant to increase UK workforce by 35%

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:14:25 GMT

Cognizant has announced plans to add a further 2,500 personnel to its UK headcount over the next four years. If achieved, it will lift the offshore centric major’s staff numbers in this country to nearly 10,000 employees by 2025 and the opening of two new delivery centres in Leeds and Northern Ireland.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView website

Marks hopes to spark innovation with tech fund investment

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:08:20 GMT

Marks & Spencer has committed over £20m to a technology investment fund managed by True Capital, a sort of hybrid corporate advisory-cum-private equity outfit that specialises in the retail and consumer sector.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView website

Atos & CGI: Fighting climate change

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:04:49 GMT

Atos has announced a global partnership with Johnson Controls, a “global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings”. The aim is to help private and public sector customers accelerate their journey to Net Zero by providing a set of end-to-end advisory services, digital, and other decarbonisation capabilities.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView website

UK tech sector on track for another record year of investment

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 16:26:21 GMT

The UK is creating almost $1bn “unicorn” technology business a week after influx of £13.5bn venture capital (VC) funding in the first six months of the year, setting the tech sector up for another record year of investment in 2021. Read the full article here on ComputerWeekly.com

Gatwick: New technology 'could prevent airport drone chaos'

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 14:57:37 GMT

Researchers from the University of Cambridge say a combination of statistical techniques and radar data makes it possible to forecast whether a drone intends to enter restricted airspace.

Microsoft's passwordless plans lets users switch to app-based login

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 14:36:27 GMT

The technology giant made passwordless accounts available for business users of its products in March.

It said "nearly 100% of our employees" were already using the new, more secure system for their corporate accounts.

Read the full article here on BBC News Tech website

TCS Signs 10-year Contract with Transport for London to Digitally Transform Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Administration

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 12:34:04 GMT

London’s 115,000 Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles are Set to Benefit from a New Cloud-based Smart Mobility System Powered by Tata Consultancy Services’ DigiGOV™ Framework

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, has been selected by Transport for London (TfL) to design, implement and operate a new smart mobility system that will reimagine the administration of taxi and private hire vehicles in London.

Ascensos Continues Expansion with New Cape Town Operation

Abbie Lunn — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 14:21:40 GMT

Ascensos has announced its expansion into South Africa with the opening of a new operation in Cape Town.

The leading customer service outsourcing firm, which is headquartered in Motherwell, employs over 3,000 colleagues and has expanded internationally since its 2013 launch, with its network of offices now spanning the Isle of Wight, Bucharest and Istanbul, as well as several bases in Scotland.

View the full press release here.

Private equity interest in Blue Prism sends shares soaring

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 14:10:26 GMT

An offer is by no means certain but the news that AIM listed RPA provider Blue Prism is in talks with PE’s TPG Capital and Vista Equity Partners drove a surge of excitement that at one point sent Blue Prism’s shares up by more than 30%.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

HPE secures $2bn contract with National Security Agency

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 14:09:03 GMT

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has signed a meaty $2bn/10-year contract with the National Security Agency (NSA) to deliver HPC (High Performance Computing) as-a-service via its GreenLake platform.

The NSA is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defence.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Waterland sells ATOS to ICG

Abbie Lunn — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 14:07:00 GMT

Waterland Private Equity has sold its stake in ATOS Group to Intermediate Capital Group. During Waterland's holding period, ATOS more than tripled its turnover and developed its network in Germany through its buy-and-build strategy.

These People Who Work From Home Have A Secret: They Have Two Jobs

Sharron Thompson — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:42:44 GMT

When the pandemic freed employees from having to report to the office, some saw an opportunity to double their salary on the sly. Why be good at one job, they thought, when they could be mediocre at two?

To read the full article in The Wall Street Journal click here

Covid has 'accelerated' industrial automation in Wales

(Past member) — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 13:56:03 GMT

Manufacturing Wales said its members and other businesses were adopting robotics two or three years faster than expected.

Read more on BBC Technology website here

Accenture attacked by LockBit ransomware

(Past member) — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 13:49:01 GMT

LockBit, a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) hacker organization, published on its site a post about their most recent attack, which hit the multi-national consulting company Accenture. According to LockBit, the database of Accenture has been breached by the threat actors, who are now offering selling its contents on their site.

Read more on HowToRemove.Guide website here

Google staff who work from home might see pay cut under corporate policy reports

Sharron Thompson — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 09:43:48 GMT

Google may push through reductions in pay for employees that sidestep a return to the same office and instead choose to work from home permanently post-pandemic.

Read the full article on The Register website here

Mphasis chalks out 4-point plan to accelerate growth

(Past member) — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 10:15:57 GMT

Mid-size IT services firm Mphasis said it will pursue a strategy of focusing on four pillars to drive growth in FY22 and beyond.

Read more here on the Economic Times News website

Why artificial intelligence is being used to write adverts

(Past member) — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 09:04:23 GMT

"Combining creative people with AI is the next step for the agencies. It's not AI versus the human, it generates creative thought".

Click here to read the full article on BBC Technology

Around 75% of minority tech employees don’t feel a sense of belonging at work

(Past member) — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 09:01:46 GMT

Diversity and inclusion: Globally, only 24% of women and ethnic minorities in tech roles feel like they have a sense of belonging in organisations, despite 75% of leadership executives believing the opposite, according to Capgemini.

Click here to read the full article on ComputerWeekly.com

Covid: Will lockdown change England's new tech habits?

(Past member) — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 14:32:23 GMT

The pandemic has ushered in a new era for tech, from Zooms and pings to e-scooters and online shopping.

Back in April 2020, Microsoft's Brad Smith said two years of digital transformation had taken place in just two months.

This has made people more susceptible to malicious attacks: "It's been a good year for hackers”.

Read the full article here on BBC News Technology

Zoom bets billions on home working continuing in Five9 deal

(Past member) — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 14:30:17 GMT

Video conferencing firm Zoom has struck a multibillion dollar deal to buy a cloud-based call centre operator in a bet on the future of hybrid working.

Read the full article here on BBC News Technology

Pentagon hits reset on Trump's $10 bln cloud deal, welcoming new players

Sharron Thompson — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 08:23:42 GMT

The U.S. Defense Department cancelled its $10 billion JEDI cloud-computing project on Tuesday, reversing the Trump-era award to Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and announcing a new contract expected to include its rival Amazon.com (AMZN.O) and possibly other cloud players

Read the full artile on Reteurs News here

Britain's financial bosses could see pay linked to diversity

Sharron Thompson — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 08:09:40 GMT

UK Senior managers at financial firms could see their pay linked to progress in making the workforce more diverse and inclusive, Britain's financial regulators said in a discussion paper on Wednesday.

Read the full article on Reuters News here

UK Cyber Security Council launches inaugural initiatives

Sharron Thompson — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 11:15:53 GMT

The UK Cyber Security Council – the government-backed association dedicated to security education, training, skills and certifications – has invited its 16 founding member bodies to apply for a role in determining terms of reference for two significant committees: one to oversee Professional Standards & Ethics, and the other Qualifications & Careers.

To read the full article on here

IR35 reforms: HMRC questioned about CEST as tax status of 210,000 contractors left 'undetermined'

Sharron Thompson — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 11:13:32 GMT

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has been called to account for why its online IR35 status checker tool remains unable to decide how hundreds of thousands of contractors should be taxed, several months after the roll-out of the IR35 reforms to the private sector.

To read the full article on Computerweekly here

TCS expands Royal London

Sharron Thompson — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 11:10:12 GMT

Its success in UK Life and Pensions over the last few years has built a platform that has helped TCS become the largest SITS player in the market – as showcased earlier this week in our 2021 rankings.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here

Timico re-launches as Digital Space

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 11:06:28 GMT

After a period of sustained portfolio, capability, and people investment, Horizon-backed Timico relaunches today as Digital Space.

The new brand is a milestone ‘piece of the jigsaw’ and caps off more than two years’ worth of work that today sees Digital Space positioned as a provider of foundational digital services. Digital Space is now a million miles from the original Timico position as a provider of SMB telco (was 90% of revenue, now less than 10%).

Read the full article on TechMarketView here

Jeff Bezos steps down as Amazon boss

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 11:02:43 GMT

Bezos steps down from Amazon on Monday - exactly 27 years after he founded it.

Read the full article on BBC News here.

Team uses AI to predict 3D printing processes

(Past member) — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 09:58:42 GMT

Additive manufacturing has the potential to allow one to create parts or products on demand in manufacturing, automotive engineering, and even in outer space. However, it's a challenge to know in advance how a 3D printed object will perform, now and in the future.

Read the full article here on Techxplore Website

High-profile women want action to stop online abuse

(Past member) — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 09:43:42 GMT

More than 200 high-profile women have signed an open letter asking for concrete action to tackle abuse on social media platforms.

"It is really important that we recognise that abuse and harassment against women on social media platforms is widespread, and that it is one of the biggest barriers to gender equality," said Azmina Dhrodia, senior policy manager at the World Wide Web Foundation.

Read the full article here on BBC News Technology Website

JOIN THE GSA-UK COUNCIL AND HELP STEER THE INDUSTRY FORWARD

(Past member) — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 09:37:24 GMT

As the industry evolves at break-neck speeds, we have set a very ambitious programme of activity and we are calling upon industry professionals to assist us deliver this programme and drive other initiatives of great value to the industry.

If you are passionate about global sourcing and want to help professionalise the industry, set standards, drive change and shape its future, then we would love to have you join our UK Council.

Joining the GSA Council gives both individuals and their companies great visibility.

Council members enjoy the following benefits:

· To chair and speak at GSA events

· To lead GSA workstreams

· To judge GSA awards

· To present GSA award trophies

· To steer the work of the GSA

· To shape the direction of the industry

And of course, to network with industry peers. Please click here to view current Council members

This year we are seeking Council Members who will actively support the programmes we are running to deliver our manifesto (please view summarised manifesto).

We are seeking Council members for several positions and also there are positions available for those who propose their own ideas for a programme of change or development within the UK’s sourcing industry.

All members are invited to nominate a colleague or self-submit and all nominees are voted on by the GSA-UK’s full membership base. Please click the link for the nomination form. You can nominate yourself for a number of different roles, but then only assume one.

For more information on what GSA UK Council life involves, please join myself and the current Council online at 5.00 - 5.30pm on Monday 19/07/21, where we will be delighted to explain more about the work of the GSA.

KEY ELECTION DATES:

Nominations open 2^nd July 2021
Find out more. Meet the CEO, Chair and other Council members 5-5.30pm 19^th July 2021
Nominations close on 28^th July 2021
New Council announced on 25^th August 2021
Next Council meeting 13^th September 3.30 - 5.30. This aims to be a hybrid event. Physical venue TBC - a placeholder will be sent to you for the meeting.

I really hope you will consider standing – I can ensure you it is fun as well as highly rewarding. I am at your disposal if you have any queries related to the work of the GSA and / or the role of the Council

Best regards,

Kerry Hallard, CEO

Sitel Group® Enters Into Agreement to Acquire Sykes

(Past member) — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 09:30:12 GMT

Sitel Group®, a leading global provider of customer experience (CX) products and solutions, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated a leading full life cycle provider of global customer experience management services, multichannel demand generation and digital transformation.

Read the full article here on Sitel Group Website

EU wants emergency team for 'nightmare' cyber-attacks

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 15:58:17 GMT

The European Commission has announced plans to build a Joint Cyber Unit to tackle large scale cyber-attacks.

Recent ransomware incidents on critical services in Ireland and the US has "focused minds", the commission said.

Read the full article here on BBC News Website

Streaming TV giants face tighter UK regulation

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 15:54:55 GMT

Services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ could face tighter regulation in the UK under government proposals.

Read the full article here on BBC News Website

Oracle signs multi-year database modernisation deal with Deutsche Bank to support its cloud plans

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 15:46:38 GMT

This arrangement is similar to another multi-year technology tie-up that Deutsche Bank announced in July 2020 with Google Cloud.

Read more here on Computer Weekly website

Davies expands consulting solutions in North America through the acquisition of SKWeston & Company

(Past member) — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 12:13:00 GMT

SKWeston & Company will be joining Davies and, with our sights set firmly on US expansion over the coming years, they will be perfectly positioned to support our exciting and ambitious plans to expand the breadth and depth of our services globally.

Read the full press release here

What the National Procurement Policy Statement means for public buyers

(Past member) — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 14:23:48 GMT

Officials in the UK's central government and public organisations, including local authorities, NHS trusts and police departments, have been urged to ensure wider benefits of spending public money are factored into procurement processes.

Click here to view the Procurement Policy Note – National Procurement Policy Statement and here for the article on Supply Management website

Sky launches enhanced £2million+ support scheme for UK small businesses

(Past member) — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 14:08:41 GMT

Sky Media, the advertising sales arm of Sky, has today announced the return of SME100, a £2million support scheme for small businesses, giving them free access to the power of TV advertising through AdSmart as they recover from the pandemic.

Read more here on Adsmart from Sky website

Parkinson's and AI

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 10:23:54 GMT

AI is at the forefront of breakthroughs in helping those with Parkinson's live with the disease. Neurologists use what's called the UPDRS - the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Score - to calibrate the severity of a patient's symptoms. Earlier in the trial, other patients of Dr Tai had been assessed by him at his clinic, and his UPDRS ratings were then fed into the AI system as part of its learning data.

Read the full article here on BBC Technology

InsurTech Anorak attracts more enthusiasts

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 10:12:16 GMT

Farnborough-based automated life insurance advice platform provider, Anorak Technologies has raised an additional £5m in funding. The round was led by Outward VC with participation from Nic Kohler, the former CEO of Hollard, Paul Evans, Chairman of Allianz PLC, Charlie Delingpole, CEO and founder of ComplyAdvantage, and Will Neale, Founder of Fonix and Grabyo.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView website

Fintech Cushon raises £26m

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 10:05:34 GMT

UK-based pension and savings provider Cushon was one of the “New Kids on the Block” fintechs that my colleague Jon Davies profiled back in February. Cushon provides an automated savings and investment platform that delivers a variety of workplace savings options and has now closed an overall funding round of £26m. This includes a £6m equity raise led by Augmentum Fintech and a further £20m in credit facility committed by AshGrove Capital, a specialty lending firm.

Please click here to read the full article on TechMarketView website

TCS targets Net Zero by 2030

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 10:01:59 GMT

Combating climate change has become a core component of Global SI’s operational strategies with an increasing number of firms announcing initiatives and programmes. For example, just yesterday we heard that Atos had launched its “A to Zero” portfolio of advisory services, platforms and nature-based solutions, to be delivered through a global Net Zero Transformation Centre of Excellence. Now TCS has announced its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 70% by 2025, and then to become a Net Zero emitter by 2030.

Please click here to read the full article on TechMarketView website

Atos and its decarbonisation 'A to Zero'

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 09:47:47 GMT

Atos has upped the Net Zero ante with the launch of its “A to Zero” portfolio of advisory services, platforms and nature based solutions, to be delivered through a global Net Zero Transformation Center of Excellence.

Please click here to read the full article on TechMarketView website

How Artificial Intelligence May be Making you Buy Things

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 09:58:08 GMT

The shopping lists we used to scribble on the back of an envelope are increasingly already known by the supermarkets we frequent.

Firstly via the loyalty cards we scan at checkouts, and more and more so from our online baskets, our shopping habits are no longer a secret.

But now more retailers are using AI (artificial intelligence) - software systems that can learn for themselves - to try to automatically predict and encourage our very specific preferences and purchases like never before.

Atos, Thales join forces for Big Data/AI defence platform

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 09:56:58 GMT

Atos and Thales have joined forces to create a Big Data and AI platform for public and private sector players in the defence, intelligence and internal state security communities

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Sensyne Announces DHSC Test & Trace Partnership

Abbie Lunn — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 09:55:45 GMT

Oxford-based clinical AI company, Sensyne Health, has announced it has signed a production contract with the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) to use its MagnifEye system to read COVID-19 lateral flow diagnostic tests as part of the UK Government's asymptomatic testing programme.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Workday signs UK Government MoU

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 24 May 2021 10:16:44 GMT

Workday, provider of enterprise cloud applications for financial management, HR, planning, spend management, and analytics, has announced the signing of a new MoU with UK Government. As a result of the MoU, which includes a preferential pricing agreement, UK public sector customers will be able to take advantage of a range of discounts on Workday’s products. This will apply when using any route to market for procurement of the technology. One of those procurement routes is the £1.2b Back Office Software framework on which Workday recently secured a place.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

£30m for 'applied AI' Faculty

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 24 May 2021 10:15:34 GMT

London based AI start-up Faculty has raised a cool £30m in a round led by Apax Digital Fund, taking total funding to almost £40m.

Founded in 2014, the company has built itself by providing a combination of strategy, software and skills to clients, using its team of data scientists to apply their skills to clients’ real world business issues using Faculty’s own cloud based data science platform. The Faculty approach provides AI as a Service where the service aspect includes AI techniques applied to specific business issues and support for clients from Faculty’s AI/ML specialists. The company has a team of 50+ PhD’s in STEM subjects, and says 5%-10% of UK maths, physics and engineering postgrad students apply to its Fellowship programme. The programme helps graduates develop real world experience, including the business skills around the tech topics, through 8 week bespoke paid projects with clients, and helps organisations recruit data scientists.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

The women fighting for digital equality

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 24 May 2021 09:29:31 GMT

Lack of digital skills may deprive women of healthcare, education, work, and financial independence.

Access to technology is not equal between men and women in all countries.

Read the full article on BBC News here.

Air India cyber-attack: Data of millions of customers compromised

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 24 May 2021 09:28:26 GMT

Air India said the cyber-attack affected the information of about 4.5 million customers.

Read the full report on BBC News here.

Innovation and skills at the heart of CBI report

Abbie Lunn — Mon, 24 May 2021 09:26:22 GMT

Innovation and technology are powerful engines of prosperity, inclusion and resilience that will drive radical benefits across society – from decarbonisation to healthier lives and high-value jobs.

Read the full report on Computer Weekly here.

Menopause study to uncover impact on senior women in the City

(Past member) — Fri, 21 May 2021 11:11:46 GMT

Major UK banks, insurers and asset managers are taking part in a landmark survey on menopause, amid fears that a lack of support may be hindering gender equality and blocking women from taking senior roles across the City.

Standard Chartered, which has commissioned the women’s rights charity the Fawcett Society to survey more than 300,000 workers in the financial sector, said the menopause must be considered a “workplace issue”.

Click here to read the full article on The Guardian website

Click here to watch the GSA Women in Sourcing - Supporting the Menopause Webinar

National Data Strategy: From risk to opportunity

(Past member) — Fri, 21 May 2021 11:09:21 GMT

“Data is the great opportunity of our time”. That is the opening statement of Rt Hon Oliver Dowden MP in his Ministerial Foreword within the Government’s response to the consultation on the National Data Strategy. It sets the scene as Government attempts to change the narrative around data from one associated with ‘risk’ to one associated with ‘opportunity’. The Government wants data to be viewed as a strategic asset.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView website

IBM buys another Salesforce consultancy

(Past member) — Fri, 21 May 2021 11:06:03 GMT

IBM is set to buy Brussels-based Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner, Waeg.

Read the full article here on TechMarketView site

Government seeks input on supply chain security

(Past member) — Fri, 21 May 2021 10:55:10 GMT

Among the measures in the framework are requirements to ensure data is protected at rest and in transit, keeping secure and accessible backups of data along with cybersecurity training for staff.

Read the full article on the ComputerWeekly site here. Please note to view the full report you will need to be a subscriber to the ComputerWeekly website.

Why new EU rules around artificial intelligence are vital to the development of the sector

(Past member) — Fri, 21 May 2021 10:47:59 GMT

AI is going to play a much bigger part in our lives in the near future, but we need to do more to make sure that the outcomes are beneficial to the society we aim to serve. That can only happen if we continue to develop better use cases and prioritise diversity when creating AI systems.

Please click here to read the full article on ComputerWeekly.com

SolarWinds hack: Russian denial 'unconvincing'

(Past member) — Fri, 21 May 2021 10:43:14 GMT

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) director Sergei Naryshkin had said he was “flattered” by the accusations from the UK and US but denied involvement.

The hack is considered the largest and most sophisticated cyber-attack so far.

Please click here to read the full article on BBC News

EUROPE'S GROUNDBREAKING DRAFT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ACT

(Past member) — Wed, 12 May 2021 12:18:39 GMT

The EU broke new ground on 21 April 2021 by issuing the draft of its proposed harmonised legal framework on AI (the "AI Act"), the first attempt worldwide to specifically regulate this rapidly developing and often misunderstood branch of technology.

Read the full article on the Slaughter and May website here.

Securing the UK's emerging smart cities

(Past member) — Mon, 10 May 2021 16:25:00 GMT

UK councils have a huge opportunity to improve services through the use of smart city technologies - but they must avoid the cyber security risks

The digital infrastructure revolution will help us build back better and safer from the pandemic and if we make sure we have the right security in place, it will bring the immense benefits of technology to people up and down the country.

Read the full article on Computer Weekly here.

Sitel Group® Research Reveals Poor Customer Experience Leads to Customer Churn

(Past member) — Mon, 10 May 2021 14:55:25 GMT

Sitel Group®, a global leader in customer experience (CX) products and solutions, announced today that while most brands recognize the benefits of building customer loyalty, recognizing and acting on the fundamental drivers of customer loyalty can be a complex task that if not done correctly, can lead to damaged reputation and negative perceptions among consumers.

Read the full article on the Cision here.

The tech helping emergency responders save lives in the pandemic

(Past member) — Mon, 10 May 2021 14:51:37 GMT

In the UK, half of the country's police forces are now using software provided by US-Israeli firm Nice to cut down on the time taken to collect video evidence, and then store it securely in the cloud.

One of our member, Teleperformance, was named on this article as a leading global provider of call centres for companies and health providers.

NEW RESEARCH BPS Operations Supplier Prospects

(Past member) — Mon, 10 May 2021 14:49:51 GMT

The latest BPS Operations Supplier Prospects looks at the Top Ten leading players (by revenue) in the UK SITS BPS Operations market, and assess what they will need to do to be successful now and beyond.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

NTT Data emphasises its insurance expertise

(Past member) — Mon, 10 May 2021 14:47:55 GMT

NTT Data has launched a dedicated insurance website, emphasising NTT Data’s longstanding experience within the sector alongside its capabilities as an innovation partner.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Distributed raises £5m for on-demand talent

(Past member) — Mon, 10 May 2021 14:25:38 GMT

Distributed addresses a very real and pressing need within the digital skills market. The start-up offers clients access to a distributed workforce (that can be located anywhere) of qualified and vetted freelance coders and developers that organisations can deploy on their digital projects.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

IBM has announced it will split into two public companies

(Past member) — Thu, 06 May 2021 15:10:49 GMT

Today IBM announced its intention to spin off the Managed Infrastructure Services unit of its Global Technology Services division into a new public company (“NewCo”), creating two industry-leading companies.

NewCo will be the #1 managed infrastructure services company, entirely focused on next-generation managed infrastructure services and service delivery excellence.

IBM will be the #1 hybrid cloud platform and AI company with $59B in revenue, bolstered by the acquisition of Red Hat. IBM will deliver significant value while accelerating the business transformation toward cognitive enterprise with a comprehensive suite of services.

You can learn more about their announcement here

Please click here to view the Advisor Relations Newsletter.pdf

Europe seeks to limit use of AI in society

(Past member) — Tue, 04 May 2021 15:30:00 GMT

The new rules distinguish between high and low risk AI systems

For AI deemed to be high risk, member states would have to apply far more oversight, including the need to appoint assessment bodies to test, certify and inspect these systems.

Read the full article on the BBC News – Technology site Here

New standard to simplify IoT device onboarding

(Past member) — Tue, 04 May 2021 15:30:00 GMT

Fido Alliance’s device onboarding protocol will automate the process of connecting internet-of-things devices to device management platforms while improving security.

“Businesses recognise the huge potential of the IoT and the enormous benefits it can bring to manufacturing, retail, healthcare, transportation, logistics and more.”

Read the full article on the ComputerWeekly site here. Please note to view the full report you will need to be a subscriber to the ComputerWeekly website.

NEW RESEARCH BPS Operations Supplier Prospects

(Past member) — Tue, 04 May 2021 13:42:38 GMT

The latest BPS Operations Supplier Prospects report looks at the Top Ten leading players (by revenue) in the UK SITS BPS Operations market, and assess what they will need to do to be successful now and beyond.

Read the full article on the TechMarketView site here. Please note to view the full report you will need to be a subscriber to the TechMarketView website.

AWS looking pretty in Q1

(Past member) — Tue, 04 May 2021 13:41:07 GMT

First quarter results from Amazon show that Amazon Web Services grew 32% in the first quarter of FY21. That’s good going, beating Q4’s 28% growth rate and matching Q1 of last year. Net sales came in at $13.5bn, which translates to a $54bn annual run rate.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Salesforce acts on climate, requiring suppliers to set carbon goals

(Past member) — Tue, 04 May 2021 13:37:55 GMT

Salesforce.com Inc on Thursday said its supplier contracts will now require companies that do business with it such as airlines to set carbon-reduction goals and deliver products and services on a carbon-neutral basis, making it the latest U.S. company to take steps to address climate change.

Read the full article on the Reuters site here.

Tech sector takes its place on new Investment Council

(Past member) — Tue, 04 May 2021 13:33:33 GMT

A new investment council has launched to advise Government on inward investment strategy. Comprising 40 senior private sector leaders from a variety of industries and international markets, the Council forms part of the Government’s ‘levelling up’ strategy, with the aim of boosting foreign investment into the UK and creating quality jobs across the country.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

IR35 Reforms: Slow Government Progress on Umbrella Regulation Exposes IT Contractors to Tax Risks

(Past member) — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 11:17:42 GMT

UK government are being accused of not enforcing regulations quick enough to ensure IT contracts are payed correctly with the right benefits when they are working for umbrella companies.

Read the full article here.

Coeus Consulting 2021 CIO & IT Leadership Survey Report

(Past member) — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 11:12:23 GMT

Coeus Consulting annual survey on ‘Acceleration’ found that the pandemic unintentionally created the conditions for IT leaders to excel – with 66% of respondents able to secure additional funding for accelerated initiatives.

Read the full report here.

IR35 Reforms: Confusion over who pays employers’ NI leaves IT contractors out of pocket

(Past member) — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 13:24:05 GMT

IT contractors could receive thousands of compensation in IR35 cases over who pays national insurance confusion.

Read the full article here

For more information about IR35, watch this webinar.

SoftServe Becomes an Official Reseller for Google Cloud in the UK&I

(Past member) — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 11:25:51 GMT

SoftServe, a leading digital authority and consulting company, and Google Cloud Premier Partner, has become an official Google Cloud reseller in the United Kingdom and Ireland (UK&I). With this designation, SoftServe can support end-to-end delivery and management of Google Cloud solutions, from application development to cost control, in guiding its UK&I clients through the complex landscape of public cloud resource management. SoftServe plans to pursue the Google Cloud Reseller designation for its other operating regions in future.

Read the full article here

Reuters: Nokia Signs 5G Equipment Deal with AT&T

(Past member) — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 10:01:32 GMT

Nokia has signed a five-year deal with AT&T to deploy a 5G network on the mobile operator’s C-Band spectrum in parts of the United States.

Nokia said its portfolio for C-Band, meaning satellite transmissions in the 4-8GHz frequency range, includes support for different 5G networks, cloud-based implementations and Open RAN products.

Read the full article here

Tech Giants in China are Developing Ways to Bypass Apple’s New Privacy Rules

(Past member) — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 13:59:07 GMT

Chinese tech firms such as Tencent and ByteDance are trying to bypass Apple’s new privacy regulations to track iPhone users without their consent.

The Chinese Advertising Association has launched CAID, a trial programme tracking iPhone users without their consent.

Read the full article here

Automation Anywhere and Google Cloud Partner to Enable Enterprises to Automate Common Business Processes

(Past member) — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 12:34:20 GMT

Automation Anywhere, a robotic process automation software has partnered with Google Cloud to accelerate intelligent automation adoption globally.

Anywhere’s Automation 360 platform will now feature on Google Cloud. The partnership will also allow them to collaboratively develop AI ad RPA powered solutions.

Read the full article here

Australia’s Job Market to Shrink 11% with Automation

(Past member) — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 10:13:47 GMT

According to Forrester’s latest research, the Australian job market will shrink by 11% by 2030 as AI absorbs jobs.

Jobs most at risk will be to do with finance, accounting and procurement.

Read the full article here

Wipro Makes its Biggest Acquisition Ever with $1.45bn Takeover

(Past member) — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 14:35:56 GMT

Wipro, a multinational corporation providing information technology, consulting and business process services are set to acquire Capco, a UK based global management and technology consultancy firm for $1.45bn.

This move will allow Wipro to have more of a global presence and to strengthen their financial services digital transformation.

Read the full article here

Racial, Gender Diversity in Tech Improving at a Glacial Pace

(Past member) — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 12:06:41 GMT

Although we have taken steps to improve gender and racial equality, inequality is still prominent in the tech industry. According to Kapor Center only 1% of top tech companies were represented by black people between 2014 and 2020.

The industry is missing out on huge amounts of talent! We need to do more to push equality, regulation is needed!

Read the full article here.

EU Prepares to Charge Apple in Anti-trust Dispute with Spotify

(Past member) — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 11:54:25 GMT

EU regulators are set to impose a fine on Apple as part of their antitrust case with Spotify.

Apple is unfairly restricting rivals to Apple Music as other companies in the industry such as Spotify face a 30% app developer fee.

This case is one of four open by the EU regarding antitrust violations with Apple.

Read the full article here

Google Teams up with Allianz, Munich Re to Insure Its Cloud Users

(Past member) — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 09:49:47 GMT

Google are the first major providers to give insurance to their clients using cloud as they team up with Allianz and Munich Re.

This will help them to cover cyber breaches and reduce the risks.

Initial rollout will be for US customers with an annual revenue of between $500million and $5billion.

Read the full article here

How the Pandemic had Affected Women in the Tech Sector

(Past member) — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 09:12:07 GMT

According to recent research from the BSC, the Chartered Institute for IT shows that the number of women employed in the UK tech sector has risen slightly over the last couple of years compared to other industries.

As shown in our recent Women in Sourcing event, women are experiencing increasing pressure during the pandemic as they are more likely to be furloughed and more likely to leave their jobs as domestic pressures like home schooling are increasing.

Read the full report here

Microsoft’s New Gig: A LinkedIn Freelancer Market Rivaling Upwork, Fiverr

(Past member) — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 13:49:23 GMT

LinkedIn are set to launch a new platform for freelancers called “Marketplaces” in Septembers. They will be competing against rivals already in the industry such as Upwork and Fiverr.

This move would help LinkedIn to generate more revenue from users already on their site.

Read the full article here

Uber Loses UK Ruling on Driver in Blow to Gig Economy

(Past member) — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 13:29:35 GMT

Uber has lost a Supreme Court ruling regarding employment rights.

Uber regards their employees are independent contractors, however, this court ruling will mean that employees are entitled to employment rights including sick pay, holiday pay and minimum wage.

This will have a rippling effect on the gig economy as the EU are looking at improving employee rights for gig workers.

Read the full article here

Silicon Valley Shifts to London in UK Tech Boom

(Past member) — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 09:05:12 GMT

According to Forbes, tech companies in London have attracted $10.5billion in venture capital over the last year.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London believes that “London is the global tech capital of Europe” as the billion dollar venture capital hits records in both the UK and Europe.

Half of the $10.5billion funding arose from non-Europeans and 36% of it from North America. Many companies in Silicon Valley have been expanding their presence in the UK over the last year.

Read the full article here

Feeling the Strain: Stress and Anxiety Weigh on World’s Workers

(Past member) — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 09:02:02 GMT

The Financial Times have put together a global survey dedicated to mental health during the pandemic that reflects the results from the GSA’s Wellness Survey.

The majority of the delegates that participated in this survey came from white collar backgrounds saying that the pandemic has negatively affected their mental health.

After the launch of our Festival of Sourcing with our employee engagement and mental health sessions, the GSA have felt truly inspired by the work that we can do to help our community. Expect a lot more from the GSA on mental health this year!

If you are interested in our Festival of Sourcing mental health webinar please click here, or our employee engagement webinar please click here.

To ready the full article from the Financial Times, please click here.

Limitless Announces $10m Series B, adds Genesys as Investor and Technology Partner

(Past member) — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 09:36:44 GMT

Limitless, an AI driven gig consumer experience company has announced that they’ve raised $10million in Series B funding. This was led by Redline Capital and features a new investment from Genesys alongside continuing investments from AlbionVC and Unilever Ventures.

This funding will play a crucial role in the companies growth in the US.

For more information, please click here

French IT firm Atos makes $10 billion DXC bid approach

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 09:35:07 GMT

Atos, a French multinational IT services and consultancy firm has bid $10 billion to acquire DXC, an American that provides B2B IT services.

This deal will allow Atos to grow there presence in America and give them access to more clients and B2B services like Cloud and analytics.

Read the full article here

Bitcoin Breaks Through $20,000 To Hit A Fresh All-Time High

(Past member) — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 09:16:55 GMT

Bitcoin has reached a new record level around $20,000.

The cryptocurrency has gained around 170% this with with increasing demand and large investments.

As the pandemic has changed lives and business permanently, governments worldwide have responded with a monetary stimulus to try and grow confidence in the economy. However, this has built concerns that the $ currency will lose its purchasing power.

This has lead to an increase in demand for digital currencies such as Bitcoin.

Read the full article here

Twitter Taps AWS for its Latest Foray into the Public Cloud

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 10:15:10 GMT

Twitter have signed a long-term contract with Amazon to use their AWS.

They will be relying on AWS to help them run their core timelines.

AWS are set to implement new features to improve the app. They are also working to improve Twitters capability, storage, security and the quality of delivery.

The chief technology offer at Twitter, Parag Agrawal said “The collaboration with AWS will improve performance for people who use Twitter by enabling us to serve Tweets from data centers closer to our customers at the same time as we leverage the Arm-based architecture of AWS Gravition2 instances. In addition to helping us scale our infrastructure, this work with AWS enables us to ship features faster as we apply AWS’s diverse and growing portfolio of services.”

Read the full article here

Computer Weekly: DWP Completes Migration to Hybrid Cloud

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 09:53:01 GMT

The Department for Work and Pensions have completed their two year mission to migrate their applications onto hybrid cloud.

It was set up as an insourcing mission, moving applications from third part data centres to services built through the Crown Commercial service Framework.

This initiative is set out to gain more control of the business in order to be more efficient in terms of cost and performance.

Read the full article here

The CCMA Latest research: Are Chatbots Ready for Prime Time?

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 13:23:34 GMT

The CCMA have just completed their latest research project which looked into consumers’ attitudes towards chatbots. The results reveal that there is a trust gap to fill.

Great read, access their research here

Google Cloud Buys UK Data Analytics Firm Dataform

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 09:56:48 GMT

Google Cloud has acquired Dataform, a UK startup specialised as an operating system for data warehouses, managing data flows and tools for consumers.

The acquisition is understood to be an ‘acquihire’ which will allow Google to absorb their talent and to help Dataform to continue to grow.

Dataform will continue to use their own management separate from Google and the Dataform web will now be freely available to all consumers.

Read the full article here

Nokia Wins 5G Contract from Proximus Luxembourg

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 09:38:24 GMT

Nokia, a Finnish telecom company has signed a contract with Proximus Luxembourg to provide 5G nationally in Luxembourg for seven years.

Nokia is absorbing a lot of business from Huawei Technology as regulations against Huawei withstand. This has enabled Nokia to sign contracts with Orange and Ecrisson.

Read the full article here

Giffgaff Migrates Entire IT Infrastructure to the Cloud

(Past member) — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 13:43:54 GMT

Giffgaff, a UK mobile network operator has become the first mobile virtual operator to shift their infrastructure and development operations to Amazon Web Services.

By 2021 all of their IT infrastructure and development operations will be on the cloud. The hope is that this will help Giffgaff to increase their efficiency internally finding network issues.

Read the full article here

Reddit to buy TikTok Rival Dubsmash

(Past member) — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 12:22:13 GMT

Reddit, a social media news site are planning to acquire Dubsmash, a video social media platform in order to grow their brand and to compete against TikTok.

One of the founders of Reddit, Steve Huffman says “Dubsmash elevates under-represented creators, while Reddit fosters a sense of community and belonging across thousands of different topics and passions. It’s clear that our missions closely align and that our community-focused platforms can coexist and grow as we learn from each other.”

Read the full article here

Concentrix Completes Spin-Off from SYNNEX, Debuts on the NASDAQ as Independent, Publicly Traded Company

(Past member) — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 09:30:23 GMT

Read this great article by Concentrix regarding their new independent status here

Huawei invests in China Chip Groups as US curbs strangle supplies

(Past member) — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 10:35:00 GMT

Huawei Technology is looking at investing in Chinese chip companies as they face increasing regulations worldwide due to data security concerns.

Huawei have set up the Hubble Technology Investment fund in order to invest in companies domestically.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

AWS Eyes Mainframe Workloads

(Past member) — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 10:24:09 GMT

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is looking at expanding their competency programme to enable mainframe workloads to be migrated onto the cloud.

AWS has partnered with consultancy firms such as Infosys and Deloitte alongside tech firms such as Blue Age and Micro Focus to facilitate this expansion.

This comes as Google have recently acquired Cornerstone Technology, a firm specialised in mainframe cloud migration.

Read the full article here

TTEC Accelerates Growth Strategy in EMEA with Addition of Industry Veteran Alistair Niederer

(Past member) — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 17:57:20 GMT

LONDON, 8^th December 2020; TTEC welcomes Alistair Niederer as senior vice president, head of Europe, Middle East & African (EMEA) region. With significant projected growth, TTEC is investing heavily in EMEA to capitalise on the momentum it has demonstrated in 2020 with record sales and growth.

“TTEC is fortunate to have an established global leader like Alistair to grow our brand in this critical market,” said Ken Tuchman, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of TTEC. “We believe that Alistair’s depth of expertise will help accelerate TTEC’s leadership position in EMEA, and enable more European brands to leverage the exceptional CXaaS solutions that have differentiated TTEC and its clients during this difficult year.”

Niederer is an international business executive with a demonstrated track record of winning and growing client relationships within the customer experience (CX) sector. Before joining TTEC, he served as chief revenue officer at Ember Services North America where he returned business to profitability while delivering organic growth and international expansion. Niederer also held leadership roles in Europe, South Africa, and Asia Pacific for Teleperformance and Sutherland.

Alistair Niederer commented; “With the recent traction we have gained with the new customers TTEC has announced along with the opening of a new CX Centre in Leeds, I am excited to be joining TTEC to drive further growth in EMEA with its digital-first CXaaS platform.”

Learn more about Alistair Niederer and TTEC’s executive team.

About TTEC:
TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC) is a leading global Customer Experience as a Service (CXaaS) partner for many of the world's most iconic and disruptive brands. The Company delivers outcome-based customer engagement solutions through TTEC Digital, its digital consultancy that designs and builds human centric, tech-enabled, insight-driven customer experience solutions for clients and TTEC Engage, its delivery centre of excellence, that operates customer acquisition, care, fraud prevention and detection, and content moderation services. Founded in 1982, the Company's nearly 56,200 employees operate on six continents across the globe and live by a set of customer-focused values that guide relationships with clients, their customers, and each other. To learn more about how TTEC is bringing humanity to the customer experience, visit https://www.ttec.com/.

For TTEC EMEA media enquiries please contact Tina Stanley, TSA PR, via tina@tinastanleyassoc.com, Tel +44 (0) 7909 967 657 or Twitter @TSAPR.

Computer Weekly: CCS to Launch £750m Pan-Government Cloud Computing Services Framework

(Past member) — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 09:51:09 GMT

The Crown Commercial Services (CCS) is launching a £750m cloud utility framework that will allow public sector buyers to procure cloud capacity directly from suppliers.

This framework is aimed to launch in 2021 and will be restricted to pure cloud computer requirements.

Read the full article here

Nokia to be Technology Lead for EU 6G Project

(Past member) — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 09:43:40 GMT

Telecoms provider Nokia is set to lead the EU in the next generation of networks, 6G.

Nokia will lead firms in the EU such as Ecrisson, Atos and Intel to create 6G, which will be funded by Hexa-X. Hexa-X is a company dedicated to the innovation of 6G. They have been awarded funding by the EU under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

The aim of 6G and this partnership is focused on connecting people physically and digitally.

Read the full article here

China Lags US in Computer Vision

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 14:22:24 GMT

America leads the computer vision in hardware, talent and patents according to Computer Visions’ new report by Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post.

China is constantly looking for new innovative ways to lead the next generation, however they are falling short compared to the US. For example, if you look at talent, the US has over 2,000 computer vision scholars where as China has less than 200.

China are now looking for news areas of growth such as retail and marketing to create a new generation for computer vision.

Read the full article here

Cisco to Buy Software Firm IMImobile in $730 million deal

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 14:09:01 GMT

Cisco, a tech company has signed a contract to acquire IMImobile, a cloud based communications software for $721 million in a move to help firms keep track of their users and interact with them.

The CEO of Cisco, Chuck Robbins is hoping to revamp the company to become more centred around networking software and service providers.

The deal with IMImobile is aimed to help them use AI software in order to automate the outreach process more efficiently. For example, providing their customers with a generic way to communicate with people in which they prefer, so either video calls, texts, social media...

Read the full article here

Three Continues UK 5G Roll-Out

(Past member) — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 09:44:31 GMT

Telco company Three is continuing to roll out their 5G network with the launch of its first Ecrisson 5G sites.

Three first launched their 5G network in Central London in 2019 after they partnered with Ecrisson. Now customers in Manchester, Glasgow and Reading can also access their 5G network.

This has enabled Three to provide 5G to customers in over 154 towns and cities.

Read the full article here

The Financial Times: Amazon Extends Cloud Cover

(Past member) — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 09:24:16 GMT

Amazon have announced that they will be bringing their company, AWS cloud to Apple’s new M1 Mac mini.

AWS is Amazon Web services, a cloud based infrastructure. This move will allow developers to build across Apple goods whilst using Amazon cloud.

Amazon is using their experience in logistics to boost their cloud offering for the next generation of factories.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Salesforce to Buy Slack for $27.7bn

(Past member) — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 10:16:57 GMT

Salesforce, a cloud computing software company are planning to acquire Slack, an app facilitating chat for $27.7bn in order to compete with Microsoft.

In 2016, Microsoft was going to acquire Slack for $8bn, however, they acquired LinkedIn instead.

This move by Salesforce comes as demand for digital services to enable working from home in the pandemic has increased massively.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Orange Unveils Plans for French 5G Roll-Out

(Past member) — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 10:04:16 GMT

Telco company, Orange is planning to roll-out commercial 5G to 15 municipalities in France from the 3rd of December.

Stéphane Richard, Chairman and CEO of the Orange Group said “the deployment will be done gradually and in a constructive dialogue with all local authorities, in parallel with our efforts to expand coverage of the French territory in 4G,” said Stéphane Richard, Orange Group chairman and CEO.

Orange plans to switch their existing 4G to 5G by the end of the year. They hope that this will give France more power for competition in things like AI.

Read the full article here

UK to Ban Installation of Huawei 5G Equipment from September

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 10:02:51 GMT

The UK Government are banning telecom providers from installing Huawei Technology 5G equipment from September 2021.

This comes as many countries enforce regulations on Huawei due to spying and data privacy concerns.

A 5G supply chain diversification strategy has been published to ensure that the UK aren’t dependant on a couple of telecom providers.

To read the the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Computer Weekly: UK Government Ploughs £3m into 5G Test Facility

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 09:47:23 GMT

The UK Government is investing more than £3 million into “The Engineering Hub” which will allow UK companies to use 5G and satellite technology.

The engineer hub will be a centre for researchers and businesses to look at the benefits of 5G and satellite technology. The hub will also develop software that allows satellite networks.

Read the full article here

France Orders Tech Giants to Pay Digital Tax

(Past member) — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 16:07:51 GMT

French authorities have warned US tech firms like Amazon that they will have to pay the new digital service tax.

Many mark this as the end of the commitment between Washington and Paris which was formed in January to extend the period for meetings regarding tax.

The US trade department are supposedly now implementing tariffs of up to 25% on French goods.

Read the full article here

Computer Weekly: Vodafone Teams with IoT.nxt to take Enterprise IoT to New Levels

(Past member) — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 09:45:55 GMT

Vodafone UK has partnered with IoT.nxt to offer consumers everything IoT solutions has to offer and to remove barriers between IoT and business adoption.

Vodafone will provide IoT sensors, devices and create a data management platform. The aim is to consolidate multiple processes into one platform to increase business adoption.

Read the full article here

SK Telecom, Samsung Develop Advanced 5G Cloud System

(Past member) — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:25:18 GMT

SK Telecom, a South Korean wireless telecommunications operator has announced that they have developed a cloud network system with Samsung that will deliver better 5G services to consumers.

This cloud core network system will be the first in the industry to meet all the regulations and perform with 5G.

SK Telecom and Samsung only signed a contract earlier this year in order to provide 5G solutions and 6G development.

Read the full article here

The Financial Times: UK Telecoms Groups Face Huge Fines for Huawei Breaches

(Past member) — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:08:42 GMT

UK telecom firms may have to pay fines of up to £100,000 per day if they don’t follow new regulation enforced by the UK Government banning the use of Huawei Technology 5G equipment.

This move is to reduce the UK’s reliance on “high-risk vendors.” The fines could be initiated from next year, but they are more likely to be enforced from 2027.

Ofcom will be given the power to monitor the telecom companies and ensure that they are abiding by the new regulations.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Huawei’s Chinese Mobile Rivals Looks to Capitalise on its US Woes

(Past member) — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 13:16:33 GMT

Huawei Tech rival companies Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo are stepping up their game in order to absorb Huawei’s market shares in the US after recent trade restrictions banned Huawei 5G technology from being imported into the US.

However, Huawei is still very dominant in the market with a market share of 41.2% in the Chinese smartphone shipments industry in Q3 of 2020.

Read the full article here

Sage Shares Tumble as it Steps up Spending on Cloud Platform

(Past member) — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 13:01:37 GMT

Software company, Sage, has experienced a fall in shares by more than 13% as they announce a shift to cloud computing.

As digital transformation accelerates, Sage plans to increase their spending on sales, marketing and R&D to create the new Sage Business Cloud Software in order to drive the success of Sage in the future.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

EU has been too Slow to Tame Big Tech Companies

(Past member) — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 09:21:50 GMT

The EU is failing to control big tech companies like Facebook as they lack the legal strength and are being too slow to enforce regulation within the industry.

It has been a decade since the EU first started a competition investigation with Google.

New regulation is set to be enforced where big tech firms have to share the data they collect with smaller rivals.

However, the EU competition commissioner acknowledges that more needs to be done in order to create a level playing field.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Covid-19: Pandemic-Induced Surge in Public Cloud Spend Predicted to Run Until 2024

(Past member) — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 10:28:39 GMT

Global spending for cloud is predicted to be up by 18.4% in 2021 according to Gartner’s recent report due to increasing demand for remote services.

Gartner also predicts that cloud will account for 14.2% of total global enterprise IT spending in 2024.

Read the full article here

Microsoft’s 5G Telecoms Comeback

(Past member) — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 10:21:10 GMT

Microsoft is starting to enter the 5G network market. This comes as Huawei 5G Technology has been banned across the UK and as Microsoft has signed contracts with Verizon, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom.

Microsoft is marketing themselves as partners to networking operators like Vodafone in order to reduce delays in transmitting data over the network.

They are facilitating the 5G network with Azure data centres and cloud services.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Computer Weekly: Atos Debuts OneCloud Initiative to Help Accelerate Enterprise Migrations to Sustainable Cloud Setups

(Past member) — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 09:02:52 GMT

French IT companies, Atos has launched a “one stop shop” service for enterprises that are looking for a way to migrate to cloud in a quick and sustainable way.

Atos OneCloud is planned to increase their use of private, public and hybrid cloud resources.

Read the full article here

Huawei Sells Honor Smartphone Brand in Bid to Ensure Survival

(Past member) — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 08:52:43 GMT

Huawei’s budget smartphone, Honor is being sold to a consortium in a scrabble to save Huawei after numerous countries have imposed trading restrictions on Huawei Technology due to data security concerns.

The consortium will consist of more than 30 dealers and investment firms. Huawei won’t hold any shares in Honor once it’s sold

Read the full article here

IT Priorities 2020: ‘Benestrophe’ for Networking as UK IT Departments come to Terms with New Normal

(Past member) — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 11:44:38 GMT

Companies are always considering new innovative was to improve efficiency. During the pandemic many companies have considered adopting cloud and 5G technology.

COVID-19 has pushed companies to invest more in technology such as cloud but also technology platforms like Zoom and Teams in order to create unified communication in a remote setting. Most companies have had to invest in networking infrastructure to facilitate this.

Read the full article here

The Financial Times: Apple Chips away at a New Strategy for Computing

(Past member) — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 11:06:18 GMT

Apple's latest MacBook Pro will be powered by their own chips.

The M1 chip is expected to provide 20 hours of video playback on a single battery charge. These claims haven’t been confirmed by independent testing yet.

Apple previously relied on Intel for chips which could only run less than 10 hours of video playback in one battery charge.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

EU Hits Amazon With Antitrust Charges Over Merchant Data

(Past member) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 11:13:02 GMT

The European competition commissioner is set to report antitrust charges against Amazon over concerns that they are collecting data in order to compete against rival firms.

The US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission is also investigating Amazon for antitrust violations.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Computer Weekly: Nokia Partners with A1 Austria to Enable LTE, 5G Campus Networks

(Past member) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 11:03:43 GMT

Nokia has signed a contract with A1 Austria to provide “industrial-grade private wireless technology and services” to LTE and 5G campus network deployments.

A1 Austria provides digital services and communications.

Nokia will deliver operational support for their existing campus networks in order to drive digital transformation. They will also provide infrastructure, software and services to set up private LTE networks.

Read the full article here

UK Government Looks to Establish ‘Crown Consultancy’

(Past member) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 10:42:11 GMT

The UK Government's use of management consultancy firms has increased during the pandemic in order to source PPE and healthcare equipment.

News reports are now suggesting that the UK Government wants to create an in-house consultancy firm - "Crown Consulting."

This in-house consultancy firm will reduce the government's reliance on private sector consultancy firms such as Deloittes.

Read the full article here

Reuters: Bitcoin Hits Highest Level Since Jan 2018 Amid Post-Election Volatility

(Past member) — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 11:51:26 GMT

Bitcoin’s share price hit $14,900 this week, the highest level since January 2018. This comes during the US election uncertainty and as investors hope that more central bank stimulus will be available to support economies hit by the pandemic.

Bitcoin’s share price has been rising as digital payment companies such as PayPal have announced that they will accept Bitcoin to purchase goods and services on their platform.

Read the full article here

IT Priorities 2020: COVID-19 Accelerates Cloud Investments by UK IT Leaders

(Past member) — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 11:32:31 GMT

The pandemic has altered how companies are spending their tech investment funds.

Many companies are choosing to investment in technology to enable working from home and the migration to cloud technology.

This has increased demand massively for cloud-based video conferencing tools like Teams and online productivity tools to enable communication and collaboration in a remote setting.

Read the full article here

The Register: Huawei Sues US Government Over Claims Trump Administration Ignored Company’s Freedom of Information Request

(Past member) — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 10:24:59 GMT

Huawei has filed a lawsuit against the US Government over allegations of “stonewalling” Freedom of Information Act requests.

Huawei requested access to documents regarding the state of trading relations between China and the US alongside the competition over the development of 5G over a year ago. These requests have been ignored according to Huawei’s lawsuit.

The US Government now has 20 business days to respond to the claim and provide the documents. If they refuse to provide the documents, they must give justification.

Read the full article here

Bukalapak Establishes Strategic Partnership with Microsoft

(Past member) — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 10:12:18 GMT

Microsoft has signed a contract with Bukalapak, a leading e-commerce website, to provide them with Azure Cloud, digital skills and strategic investment.

This deal will help to improve and strengthen Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure.

They are going to work together on three key initiatives according to Microsoft’s Statement:

"Building resilient infrastructure"
"Bridging the digital gap"
"Skilling"

Read Microsoft’s full Statement here

GDPR Lawsuit Against Oracle and Salesforce Moves Forward

(Past member) — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 13:24:43 GMT

A data protection specialist has filled a lawsuit against Oracle and Salesforce, two major software companies for breaching GDPR rules.

The case estimates damages worth more than £10bn. This will then be given back to consumers in England and Wales that have had their data sold on to a third party by these firms.

The case is focused on their part in collecting and selling consumers personal information to third parties which they then use to monitor, track and collect the consumers online browser history.

Read the full article here

AWS is the Latest Cloud Giant to Sign MoU with UK Government

(Past member) — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 13:22:09 GMT

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signed a contract with the UK government to improve the public sectors digital transformation, digital skills and to increase the level of participation among smaller cloud providers.

The contract is a three year memorandum of understanding (MoU) between AWS and the Crown Commercial Service (CCS).

The contract has two tiers to offer support to public sector organisations that are adopting cloud with training, workshops and access to AWS cloud credits to fund research. The other tier is for larger firms that are already using cloud to ensure that they are making the most of it.

Read the full article here

Retailers Use AI to Improve Online Recommendations for Shoppers

(Past member) — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 09:36:39 GMT

Companies are investing in artificial intelligence to provide online recommendations for consumers in order to boost sales.

By using algorithms, AI and data, consumers are finding what they want quicker.

Firms like Wayfair have experienced a 50% success rate over the past five years measured by the number of clicks it take for a customer to add goods to their cart according to Jim Miller, online retailers chief technology officer.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Wall Street Journal

Walmart Drops Plans to Use Robots for Tracking Inventory

(Past member) — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 09:25:45 GMT

Walmart has ended its partnership with Boss Nova Robotics which aimed to use robots instead of people to scan shelves and check stores inventory.

This shift was aimed at improving customer services. However, under the current climate with the pandemic it has proven to be easier to have people rather than automation.

More staff are needed in order to keep up with the increased demand for click and collect and delivery services.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Wall Street Journal

Huawei Develops Plan for Chip Plant to Help Beat US Sanctions

(Past member) — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 14:27:31 GMT

Huawei wants to develop a new chip plant in Shanghai that doesn’t use American technology in a push to retain their suppliers as the US restrictions remain in force.

If the development of the chip plant is successful t it will lead to a more sustainable future for Huawei.

In the future, they plan to source all their suppliers domestically in China.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Computer Weekly: Nearly half of Firms to Increase Investments in IoT Despite the Impact of COVID-19

(Past member) — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 13:38:18 GMT

According to a study by Gartner, 47% of firms plan to increase their IoT investment in order to gain long run reduced costs and increased efficiency.

Gartner expects that by 2023, one third of firms that have applied IoT will have also applied AI in conjunction with at least one IoT project.

Read the full article here

US Allows Sales of Chips to Huawei’s Non-5G Businesses

(Past member) — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 09:51:50 GMT

The US is starting to open up the chip industry to Huawei Technology again under one condition that the chips will not be used for 5G business.

Although legislation still remains with Huawei Technology, they have the opportunity to recover and grow again.

To read the full article you need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Nokia’s New Chief Vows to do ‘Whatever it Takes to Win in 5G’

(Past member) — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 09:49:23 GMT

Nokia has suggested that they will struggle financially next year as they increase investment in research and development initiatives.

Nokia has fallen behind Huawei and Ericsson in terms of 5G innovation. In order to catch up with these companies 5G technology they need to invest a lot of money.

Their new chief exec has split Nokia into four new focused business groups that will each be accountable for their own profit and loses. The four are: mobile networks, IP and fixed networks, cloud and network services and technology focused on patent portfolio. This move is too “shorten the distance between the customer and R&D” according to Pekka Lundmark, the chief exec of Nokia.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Ericsson Wins BT’s 5G Radio Contract for Major UK Cities

(Past member) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 13:53:06 GMT

Ericsson has signed a contract with BT to provide 5G radio equipment in major UK cities such as London and Belfast.

This movement comes as the UK government ban Huawei 5G Technology until 2027.

Ericsson will work with BT to improve their existing 2G and 4G radio networks alongside overseeing 50% of their 5G network traffic.

BT has also recently signed a contract with Nokia to provide 5G radio equipment in the UK.

Read the full article here

Microsoft Cloud Business Gathers Steam as Pandemic Boosts Growth

(Past member) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 09:36:35 GMT

As COVID-19 has shifted people to work from home the demand for Microsoft cloud services and Teams software has increased.

Microsoft's profits were 30% higher than expected due to the increase in demand for cloud services and the sale of lucrative software such as Dynamics 365.

However, they have suggested that profit margins will come under more strain early next year as they invest more into expanding its cloud business. They are also predicting to experience falling demand for high-margin sales of Windows operating systems in computers.

Read the full article here

Apple’s Booming Services Business Could be Hit in Google Antitrust Battle

(Past member) — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 09:45:35 GMT

Apple could experience a decline in the use of their services as the Justice Department case against Google's anticompetitive practices starts.

The case is looking at the deal between Google and Apple to set Google as the default search engine on Apple goods.

Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst for Bernstein reckons that Apple’s share prices could fall as much as 20% if the case determines that Google can no longer be a default setting on Apple devices.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Wall Street Journal

Reuters: Ant Group to Close Hong Kong Institutional Book Early Amid ‘Overwhelming’ Demand for IPO

(Past member) — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 09:40:55 GMT

Ant Group to close institutional order books from the Hong Kong collection as they reach record-setting dual IPO due to high demand.

The $17.2 billion Hong Kong institutional book has closed early due to the high demand. The book became oversubscribed one hour after it launched.

The Ant Group operate Alipay and is an affiliate of Alibaba E-commerce Group.

Read the full article here

Facebook to Move into Cloud-Based Gaming

(Past member) — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 09:35:21 GMT

Facebook is launching into cloud-based gaming in order to position themselves in the gaming industry.

Facebook website and Android app users will be able to play games without having to download them from app stores.

Previously, Facebook has offered simple mini games through the app. Now they expect to offer more sophistication, free to play games such as puzzles and racing games.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

SAP Goes all in on Cloud, Scraps Mid-Term Margin Goals

(Past member) — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 10:52:22 GMT

SAP, a software company has announced that they are going to transfer to Cloud Computing as they desert potential medium-term profit targets.

Their move comes as demand has increased for could services in the pandemic.

Many are cautious about this move as business may take longer to recover under the current climate. There are also concerns that they will lose out to more innovative competitors. This uncertainty pushed shares down by nearly 20%.

Read the full article here

Computer Weekly: Oracle Expands UK Datacentre Footprint with New Private and Public Sector-Focused Cloud Regions

(Past member) — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 10:07:30 GMT

Oracle are setting up two new cloud datacentres in London and Wales for disaster recovery purposes. This comes as they recently announced their commitment to expand their global datacenter presence.

The setup is billed by Oracle as dual-region government cloud, allowing them to have two separate sites that are connected with Oracles network. This is already in place and being used by public sector firms.

This move is aimed to reflect their commitment to the UK government.

Read the full article here

Huawei’s Revenue Growth Slows as US Tightens Sanctions

(Past member) — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 09:48:40 GMT

Huawei are experiencing a slowdown in revenue in the third quarter as the US enforce new restrictions.

New regulation by the US has meant that companies have to obtain licenses in order to sell tech made by Huawei.

Currently, Intel is the only firm known to have a license.

This comes as Huawei releases their new smartphone which could be its last as they are experiencing shortages in sourcing chips required to manufacture goods.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Computer Weekly: UK Sees Surge in IT Outsourcing Contracts

(Past member) — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 10:02:55 GMT

UK outsourcing contracts across Europe and the EMEA have increased by 60% in the third quarter of 2020 in comparison with 2019 according to the ISG index.

ISG said that the UK and Ireland pharmaceuticals, tech and utilities sectors are continuing to invest in developing innovation such as AI, cloud and other digital capabilities.

Read the full article here

The FT: McAfee to Raise $620m from IPO

(Past member) — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 09:39:36 GMT

The cyber security firm McAfee has priced its shares in the lower half of its initial public offering despite the strong market for new software companies.

Public investors agreed to buy shares at $20 each which will deliver $620m in proceeds of which they plan to use to get out of debt.

The shares are in a “Up-C” format which is meant to provide tax benefits for insiders.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

US Antitrust Case Accuses Google of Strangling Competition

(Past member) — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 11:53:44 GMT

Google is being trailed by the US Department of Justice for supressing competition in the internet search in Antitrust Case.

The US Department of Justice view Googles position as a “monopoly gatekeeper for the internet.” If no action is taken to reduce their monopoly power, then we could lose innovation in the future.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

European Parliament: Parliament Leads the way on Establishing a Set of EU Rules for AI

(Past member) — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 11:49:32 GMT

MEPs have published ways that the EU can regulate artificial intelligence in order to boost innovation, ethical standards and trust in technology. By enforcing new regulation they hope to become global leaders for AI in the future.

Potential legislation includes a future oriented civil liability framework and an effective intellectual property rights system.

Read the full article here

Verizon Signs Up Microsoft, Nokia to Help Clients Create Private 5G Networks

(Past member) — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 08:35:37 GMT

Verizon has signed a contract with Microsoft and Nokia to target more business consumers. They are aiming to provide more efficient automated factory floors. This will help to cut costs and speed up the production process by using private 5G networks.

By using a private 5G network they hope to minimise disruption and withhold a constant speed throughout the production process.

Microsoft’s cloud computing firm, Azure will also use Verizon’s 5G to operate.

Read the full article here

Telecoms Industry Looks to Apple for 5G Tipping Point

(Past member) — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 08:31:28 GMT

The telecoms industry hope that the launch of the new iPhone 12 will create a shift in demand for 5G.

Despite other brands such as Samsung having launched 5G goods in 2019 there has been a slow adoption. With Apple's launch of the new iPhone there’s hope that Apple's marketing power and customers will create more demand for 5G.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Reuters: IBM Posts Double Digit Cloud Revenue Growth

(Past member) — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 08:29:42 GMT

IBM scrape through Wall Street estimates for quarterly revenue, supported by higher demand for its’ cloud services.

Whilst their revenue for cloud services rose by 16% IBM’s total revenue fell by 2.6% in the reported quarter.

This supports their move to focus the business on Cloud and AI services.

Read the full article here

Japan to Join Forces with the US and Europe in Regulating Big Tech Firms

(Past member) — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 08:25:24 GMT

Japan are set to join forces with the US and Europe to try and regulate the big four tech companies according to the head of the antitrust watchdog.

Tokyo are also interested in a merger or business tie-up with Fitbit if the deal is large enough.

This comes after the EU antitrust regulators reviewed a $2.1bn deal by Google to buy Fitbit in order to compete with Apple and Samsung for market share.

Read the full article here

The FT: Advisors to G4S Bidder GardaWorld in line for £312m Payday

(Past member) — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 08:16:06 GMT

Canadian security firm GardaWorld has bid £3bn to takeover their rival UK firm, G4S. If the bid is successful, they could earn £312m in fees according to a report they have recently released.

Bankers that have helped to provide financial advice and broking services could also earn £100m in fees if a deal is signed. A further £180m is set to be paid to banks providing financial agreements used to pay for the deal.

The G4S has also recently received interest from Allied Universal, one of the largest security firms in the US.

G4S are trying to keep their shareholders happy after rejecting GardaWorlds previous bid. However, many are open to a takeover at a higher price.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times.

Serco and Sitel Contact-Tracing Contracts Agreed to be Penalty-Free for Underperformance

(Past member) — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 08:07:33 GMT

Private outsourcing firms Serco and Sitel providing the NHS Test and Trace scheme in the UK doesn’t have a penalty feature for under-performance in the contract.

After recent issues with testing services being under provided, many people are questioning why the contract never featured an under-performance penalty to avoid a situation like this.

Many perceive the penalty law as unenforceable under the English law. This is based on the 2015 Supreme Court Judgement where the penalty law is perceived as "ancient."

Read the full article here

Nokia Signs Five-Year Deal with Google Cloud to Support Its Datacentre Shutdown Plans

(Past member) — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 12:48:54 GMT

Nokia has signed a five year contract with Google in order to improve efficiency with the use of Cloud.

The deal will help Nokia expand its capacity for collaboration and innovation whilst cutting costs and escalating its global digital transformation efforts.

Read the full article here

France and Netherlands Join Forces to back EU Move Against Tech Giants

(Past member) — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 11:52:36 GMT

US tech giants such as Facebook and Google are being threatened by the EU attempts to break them up after France and the Netherlands joinforces to appeal for the bloc’s competition authorities to take measures to restrict the companies market power.

By restricting their market power it will help smaller rivals to grow.

This push to implement restrictions on tech giants comes as Brussels has introduced new regulations to share data with smaller tech firms and for data to be used for narrower purposes.

To read the full article you will need to be a subscriber to the Financial Times

Reuters: Trump Administration to Consider Adding China’s Ant Group to Trade Blacklist

(Past member) — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 11:46:05 GMT

US State Department has proposed that the US government should add China’s Ant Group to a trade blacklist before the firm goes public.

Ant is an affiliate of the Alibaba Group. They are China’s dominant mobile payment company, offering loads, payments, insurance and asset management services via a mobile app.

This comes after the US has implemented restrictions on Huawei Technology. By blacklisting Ant they are aiming to send a message to deter US investors from making public offers to Ant.

Read the full article here

Twilio to Buy Cloud Customer Data Startup Segment for $3.2 billion

(Past member) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 12:11:06 GMT

Twilio, cloud communications platform has announced that it's acquiring Segment, customer data platform for $3.2 billion.

Cloud companies have experienced a surge in demand since the start of the pandemic as more people are working from home.

The firms will work together to build the customer engagement platform for the future.

Read the full article here

Robots Delivering the Goods for Retailers

(Past member) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 11:54:11 GMT

Amazon is investing in autonomous delivery and a new team of software development engineers in Cambridge.

Amazon “scout vehicles” are the size of a small fridge that run on the pavements at a walking pace. They are currently being trialed in the US. The team of development engineers will help the scout vehicles autonomously navigate around areas safely.

Many supermarket chains in the UK have considered using technology robots like this to deliver food. For example, the Co-op delivers food to consumers via Starship Technology Robots in Milton Keynes.

Read the full article here

£10bn COVID Contracts without Competitive Tender come under Scrutiny

(Past member) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 11:42:20 GMT

Since March the UK government has granted £10bn worth of COVID-19 related contracts to private companies.

The £10bn the government has outsourced to provide PPE, testing, call centres and drugs for COVID-19 has come under scrutiny as the contacts weren’t released with competitive tender.

Critics say that the government should have gone through local authorities rather than outsourcing to private firms as it would be more accommodating to local needs and better value for taxpayer money.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Trump Administration Announces Overhaul of H-1B Visa Program

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 13:33:52 GMT

Trump administration has announced an overhaul of the H-1B visa program for high-skilled foreign workers in a movement to put American workers first.

This will mean that employers will have to pay H-1B workers significantly higher wages, limit the type of degrees applicants can qualify for and shorten the length of visas for certain contract workers.

These changes introduced by the Department of Labor and Homeland Security will make it harder to qualify for one of the coveted visas.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Wall Street Journal

Computer Weekly: US Lawmakers Release Big Tech Antitrust Report

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 13:30:35 GMT

US lawmakers have recognised the need for legislation against monopoly power enjoyed by Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google.

The democratic majority of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law has published a report on their recommendations on how antitrust laws and enforcement can be changed after a 16 month investigation into the big four tech giants.

The report states as follows:

“First, each platform now serves as a gatekeeper over a key channel of distribution. By controlling access to markets, these giants can pick winners and losers throughout our economy. They not only wield tremendous power, but they also abuse it by charging exorbitant fees, imposing oppressive contract terms, and extracting valuable data from the people and businesses that rely on them.”

“Second, each platform uses its gatekeeper position to maintain its market power. By controlling the infrastructure of the digital age, they have surveilled other businesses to identify potential rivals, and have ultimately bought out, copied, or cut off their competitive threats.”

“Finally, these firms have abused their role as intermediaries to further entrench and expand their dominance. Whether through self-preferencing, predatory pricing or exclusionary conduct, the dominant platforms have exploited their power in order to become even more dominant.”

Read the full article here

Computer Weekly: IBM Preps for 2021 Business Split as Enterprise Hybrid Cloud Push Gathers Pace

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 13:27:21 GMT

IBM are set to split its business into two separate public traded businesses by the end of 2021. One will focus on the rising demand for hybrid cloud services from enterprise and the other will focus on the delivery of managed infrastructure services.

By splitting the companies it will position Big Blue better for the new era of the hybrid cloud which has been in process for several years.

In 2018, IBM acquired Red Hat, an open source cloud firm for $34 billion which has enabled the firm to position its off-premise offering to be more open and less proprietary than those of its competitors. This has helped to transform the open hybrid cloud platform IBM will provide.

Read the full article here

The FT: Apple’s New iPhone Poised on Threshold of 5G Era

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 13:17:38 GMT

Apple is expected to reveal that the new iPhone will have 5G.

Apple is already late to 5G technology as their rivals Samsung and Huawei have already introduced 5G phones.

The launch of the new iPhone has been delayed since September due to COVID-19 supplier issues. The pandemic has increased sales for Apple, enabling their stocks to rise by 53% this year.

However, their stocks could take a hit as 5G enabled phones cost between $30 and $100 in the market right now. In 2012 when Apple first adopted 4G, they experienced a 10% decline in gross margins according to Pierre Ferragu, an analyst at New Street Research.

Apple is expected to take precautions in order to reduce this hit. The new iPhone could be released without wall chargers or earphones which will reduce costs on components and shrink packaging, enabling them to ship more units.

To read the full article you will need to be a subscriber to the Financial Times

Business Standard: Everything in place to make India a Global Leader in AI

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 13:14:22 GMT

Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance Industries says that this is is the right time for India to become a world leader in AI and make the country lead globally in the field.

According to Mukesh “India has the unique advantage to harness its enormous digital capital for AI-driven development, which is bottom-up and inclusive. This is because of our twin strengths of democracy and demography.”

Read the full article here

US Sanctions Turn Up Heat But Huawei Serving European 5G Clients

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 13:11:35 GMT

Huawei is experiencing a tough period with the US sanctions, however, business is continuing with European 5G network clients.

They are still searching for a solution to aid millions of Huwaei phone users after Google was banned from issuing technical support for the new Huawei phone model using Android operating systems.

Read the full article here

The FT: IBM Spins Out Infrastructure Business in Major Shift Towards Cloud

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:39:33 GMT

IBM has announced plans to “spin out” its managed infrastructure service unit which accounts for a quarter of its revenue.

Big Blue’s share price increased by 8% as the investors welcomed the plan as the managed service unit has become a drag on IBMs growth.

The rise of the cloud computing industry has seen customers reduce their spending on in-house technology and shifting it to cloud companies like Amazon and Microsoft.

The spin out would allow IBM to invest in cloud and AI businesses as they return to more sustainable growth.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Computer Weekly: Nvidia Reveals its plans for Arm

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:33:53 GMT

As technology emerges with the innovation of 5G, AI and IoT, Nvidia sees the acquisition of Arm as a vital step in creating a name for themselves. Arm s a hardware platform which Nvidia intends to acquire for £31bn.

In their recent virtual Summit event they announced the sale to Nvidia in order to provide growth opportunity for the hardware and software developers that rely on its technology.

Read the full article here

Google vs Oracle Tech Dominance Battle Heads to US Supreme Court

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 10:26:02 GMT

After a decade long conflict between tech firms Google and Oracle it has reached the Supreme Court this week.

Oracle is claiming $9bn in damages from illegal use of its software. When Google released their Android mobile operating system, they copied APIs from Java, software developed by Sun Microsystems. APIs allow access to specific functions within a programme. In 2009 when Oracle bought the Sun, they sued Google as they believed that its APIs should have copyright protection.

Many have concerns that if Google loses this case then the other dominant firms in the industry will have more power.

To read the full article you will need to be a subscriber to the Financial Time

Nvidia to Build UK’s Most Powerful Supercomputer

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 10:05:27 GMT

US chip manufacturer Nvidia is building the UKs most powerful supercomputer. It will use AI to help to solve medical issues such as health problems related to COVID-19.

As the search for a vaccine for COVID-19 evolves both GSK and AstraZeneca will be the first two pharmaceutical companies to use the computer.

The supercomputer is expected to be ready by the end of the year.

Read the full article here

Facebook says Government Breakup of Instagram, WhatsApp would be Complete Nonstarter

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 09:55:09 GMT

To break up social media giants Instagram and WhatsApp from Facebook Inc would cost billions, harm consumers and disregard laws.

A document investigating Facebook and other companies such as Google and Amazon for antitrust violations is expected to be released by the House Antitrust Subcommittee later this month. This report could include a plan to separate the platforms and to enforce a series of policies.

Facebooks acquisition of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 were investigated by the Federal Trade Commission. This investigation was closed with no objections.

Many critics argue that the acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp has illegally reduced competition in the social media industry.

To read the full article you will need to be a subscriber of the Wall Street Journal.

Benelux Ports use Blockchain in Major Efficiency Drive

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 09:42:07 GMT

Benelux Port in Rotterdam is testing out a blockchain-based application for processing containers.

This follows the movement created by Antwerp Port in Belgium where the Secure Container Release Application has replaced the current method of using PIN codes.

Blockchain uses a digital token instead of a PIN which will reduce fraud and all associated risk as the tokens cannot be copied or stolen. This will make the port more efficient and safer.

Read the full article here

Japan’s Sony and Kioxia Seeking US Approval to Supply to Huawei

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 09:31:40 GMT

Sony and Kioxia have requested US approval to supply Huawei Technology. This follows as other technology companies such as Intel Corp have recently received licenses from the US.

Sony is one of Huawei’s top customers for their image sensor mobiles. Kioxia is the world's second largest marker of flash memory chips and supplies Huawei.

Without licenses from the US both companies will face risk to their earnings.

Read the full article here

The Register: Brit Tax Collector HMRC Wants Fireside Chat with Suppliers to Discuss Ways to Spend the Annual £900m IT Budget

(Past member) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 12:45:28 GMT

UK tax collector wants to reset its supply chain by allocating its entire £900m annual IT budget to the wider supplier landscapes in order to create a new Technology Sourcing Programme.

This programme is aimed to "deliver a step change in how HMRC delivers IT, works with IT suppliers to procure and utilise technology and how we work more broadly as an organisation.”

Read the full article here

The FT: GardaWorld Makes Formal £3bn Hostile Takeover Bid for G4S

(Past member) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 12:33:25 GMT

GardaWorld bids £3bn to takeover their rival firm G4S as they believe that the company requires new management.

This news caused G4S shares to jump by 4%. However, the G4S board unanimously rejected the offer as they believe it undervalues the firm.

The G4S has been looking to revamp their business after a series of issues starting back in 2012 with the London Olympic Games.

The Canadian firm GardaWorld outlined plans that if they were to takeover the UK security company G4S then they would uphold their headquarters in London and honour all of their UK government contracts.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times

Microsoft Aims to Sharpen Edge, 5G Deployment with Azure for Operators

(Past member) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 10:10:54 GMT

Microsoft has launched the Azure for Operators Initiative as they partner with the telecommunications industry in order to improve Cloud and to investigate the requirements of introducing 5G.

The initiative is designed to connect a company with network operators to create new opportunities, provide core infrastructure, combining cloud, cellular and edge resources in order to provide low latency and largest reach at a low cost.

Read the full article here

HMRC Confirms Change to VAT Position when Terminating an Outsourcing or Supply Agreement for Convenience

(Past member) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 10:06:17 GMT

Really interesting article on LinkedIn from Tim Wright about the HMRC confirming changes to VAT positions when terminating an outsourcing or supply agreement for convenience.

Read the article here

The FT: Brussels Drafts Rules to Force Big Tech Companies to Share Data

(Past member) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 10:00:08 GMT

The EU is preparing to force Big Tech companies to share consumer data with smaller rival firms according to an early draft of the Digital Services Act which is expected by the end of the year.

Regulations are also set to be enforced in order to ensure that the gatekeeper platforms big tech companies use to run their sites should only be able to collect data for narrow purposes.

By enforcing regulations like this Brussels is hoping to set a global standard for the technology sector and to minimise the advantages Big Tech companies like Google take because there are no rules.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Time.

The Race to get Data Analytics Right

(Past member) — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 09:13:09 GMT

Fascinating perspective from Sunil Chavan at Computer Weekly on The Race to get Data Analytics Right, worth a read.

Read the article here

US and UK Sign Agreement on AI

(Past member) — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 09:10:30 GMT

The UK and US have signed a new agreement to cooperate on research and development of artificial intelligence.

This agreement aims to drive technological breakthroughs whilst strengthening the countries collective prosperity and national security.

Read the full article here

Nokia Wins 5G Radio Equipment Contract from BT

(Past member) — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 09:07:25 GMT

Nokia has signed a contract with Britain’s biggest mobile operator, BT, to supply 5G radio equipment after Britain's decision to ban China’s Huawei 5G technology.

This deal will make Nokia BT’s largest equipment provider.

Read the full article here

Sanctions-Hit Huawei Ramps up Investment in Chinese Tech Sector

(Past member) — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 09:00:56 GMT

Huawei has bought shares in Chinese semiconductor and tech companies as the worlds largest telecoms equipment maker supports its supply chain under the current tension with the US.

The US have implemented trade restrictions with Huawei as they believe there’s a security risk with sharing data to the tech company. Huawei’s investment in other companies comes as the US have restricted their chips being imported.

The investment is aimed to support their domestic supply chain partners to become more mature. It also supports the Chinese governments efforts to boost their semiconductor sector. They are refocusing on domestic businesses as they have no choice but to invest outside of the company due to the continued restrictions on their goods.

Read the full article here

Defra Picks £46million Microsoft Licensing Partner

(Past member) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 10:06:04 GMT

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has signed a £46million deal with Microsoft for the next three years.

The contract awarded to Phoenix Software will provide Defra with their licensing needs. The license services will initially be provided to all the Core Defra entities such as the overall department itself, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Marine Management Organisation, and the Rural Payments Agency.

This deal comes as Defra tries to migrate away from long-term IT outsourcing agreements with IBM after their 17 year long contract is coming to an end.

Read the full article here

The Economic Times: Will Indian IT Majors See Covid Impact like Accenture Did? There's One Reason Why They May Not

(Past member) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 09:57:56 GMT

As Accenture sees a decline in a few of their revenue generating sectors it’s predicted that Indian IT companies, such as Infosys might also see some short-term impacts on business.

Accenture announced that they were experiencing a 2% year on year decline in Q4 revenue to $10.8billion. One of the main contributors to this loss is the decline in revenue for consulting.

Although Indian IT companies don’t depend on consulting like Accenture do, they are still experiencing challenges due to the cancellation of projects and customer spending cuts with the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Read the full article here

ITI Will be Able to Produce 4G, 5G Equipment in a Few Months

(Past member) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 09:49:38 GMT

The IT company Tech Mahindra is in an advanced level with sharing its technology with ITI Limited. They plan to be able to make 4G and 5G equipment in a few months. They are currently undergoing test runs and exchanging designs on the technology they want to manufacture.

In June, Tech Mahindra signed a contract with ITI Limited in order to develop 4G and 5G technology. This partnership is in line with the Indian government’s desire to get state-run companies back into manufacturing high end technology products.

Read the full article here

Tech Firms Won £18m Contracts to Help Build NHS Coronavirus Dashboard

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 13:03:54 GMT

Mastek and InterWork technology companies have won contracts worth the total of £18million in order to support the NHS technical delivery of the COVID-19 Operational Dashboard.

The Operational Dashboard shows local governments and the NHS what’s happening in terms of COVID-19 in their specific area and the country as a whole. For example, it will show the level of COVID-19 cases, death rates and hospitalisations from the virus.

Read the full article here

Shadow Minister Claims Government ‘Addicted’ to Outsourcing

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 12:42:35 GMT

The current test and trace scheme in the UK has come under a lot of bad press recently as many people aren’t able to get COVID-19 test when they are required or having to travel miles to get one.

The test and trace scheme was outsourced to a private company called Serco in May for £108 million. Labour claims that by outsourcing the service the government is a wasting tax-payer money. The test and trace scheme should have been given to the NHS and local authorities to manage instead.

Read the full article here

The FT: Three Former G4S Executives Charged Over Electronic Tagging Fraud

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 10:02:34 GMT

The UK Fraud Office has charged three former executive of the G4S prison and security company for defrauding taxpayers after an investigation into its electronic tagging inmates scandal.

The electronic tagging scandal occurred after an audit suggested that the firm had been charging for tags on inmates that where either dead, in jail or never tagged in the first place.

The G4S is one of the biggest outsourcing companies in the UK. Both the G4S and its rival Serco have been under investigation since 2013 for the electronic tagging of inmates. In July, the G4S paid a £44 million fine to settle these allegations.

The settlement reached will mean that the company won’t face any criminal charges as long as they improve their corporate governance.

However, the three former executives of G4S, Richard Morris, Mark Preston and James Jardine have all been charged with seven offences of fraud.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/24d34cc9-5721-46e6-8742-e421c6a47f56

Forbes Identifies the Top 4 AI Trends for the Future

(Past member) — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 10:17:56 GMT

COVID-19 has brought to light the crucial role that AI will play in the future in order to fight the current outbreak and others that may come.

There are four main trends that we will expect to see in the future:

Smarter Big Data Analytics and Insights:

With COVID-19 we understand the urgency to analyse and interpret data on the spread of the virus. With AI creating a dedicated search engine we will be able to search through all the COVID-19 related documents in order to analyse the relevant data.

There’s also ongoing plans to develop AI solutions to deal with the backlog of further medical issues where treatments have been affected as resources are being diverted to help fight COVID-19.

Automated Detection and Prevention:

Drones are being used in the US to monitor whether people are following social distancing rules. Further plans for drones include the capability to detect COVID-19 symptoms within a group of people and facial-recognition features in order to see if people are avoiding quarantine.

Business on the rebound - predicting behavioural transformation:

Online companies such as Amazon have grown massively since COVID-19. Amazon's sales were up by 40% in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. Therefore, companies are urgently seeking to adapt online. Self-service access to technology will become increasingly prevalent throughout 2021.

Shutting down the next pandemic before it can start:

The Toronto based AI BlueDot’s feature issued an alert about a potential outbreak in Wuhan on the 31st of December 2019. For AI to become more effective and reliable at detecting the next pandemic, a global effort is needed.

Read the full article here - https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2020/09/21/the-4-top-artificial-intelligence-trends-for-2021/#65d3941c2a07

GDS Reviewing Cloud First Policy Post-Schrems 2

(Past member) — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 09:59:36 GMT

The GDS (Government Digital Service) is reviewing the cloud policy and guidance in consideration of the Schrems 2 judgement in July which destroyed the EU-US Privacy Shield Agreement.

Schrems 2 means that there is insufficient framework to ensure compliance with EU data protection laws as the EU-US Privacy Shield Agreement has been destroyed.

The review will identify relevant cross-border data flows and ensure that appropriate mitigation is implemented if necessary, following the guidance from the IPO (information commissioner’s officer) and the EDPB (European Data Protection Board).

Read the full article here: https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252489400/GDS-reviewing-Cloud-First-policy-post-Schrems-II

Proud to Announce that our Partners at DLA Piper have been Recognised as a Top Outsourcing Advisor and for Excellence in Strategic Partnership

(Past member) — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:20:31 GMT

Read the full article here

The FT: Serco Seeks Acquisitions as Outsourcers Come Under Pressure

(Past member) — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:04:21 GMT

The pandemic has caused a slowdown in government awards and demand for cleaning, security, transport and other services which will lead to a consolidating effect within the sector as COVID-19 has compounded some pre-pandemic issues.

During lockdown Serco furloughed 2,500 staff as most of their services were closed. They have pledged to pay back £50 million in liquidity support from the government by the end of the year but 1,200 employees are still on furlough payments to keep them employed.

However, they have done well in comparison to other outsourcing companies. During the pandemic they secured contracts worth around £157 million between February 1st and September 7th alongside work mobilising 10,500 contact tracers for the NHS Track and Trace Programme and helping to set up drive-in test centres.

Although these contracts have been criticised and there’s a public campaign to pro-renationalise Serco showing the distress within the sector.

To read the full article you will need to be subscribed to the Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/3fcc81e7-dad3-43a5-b199-e7f967f0b211

BPM Companies Experience a Surge in Demand for Digital Deals in the UK

(Past member) — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 10:03:06 GMT

BPM companies are experiencing increased demand for digital transformation deals from companies within the UK as firms are forced to their cut costs with the current uncertainty of COVID-19 and BREXIT.

The UK is already suffering from the worst recessionary pressure in comparison to the major European economies. Therefore, many companies are considering outsourcing to BPM firms such as HGS in order to improve their balance sheets.

Read the full article here: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/ites/bpm-cos-see-digital-deal-surge-in-uk/articleshow/78248619.cms

Oracle Announced as TikTok's New Cloud Provider

(Past member) — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 16:10:27 GMT

After recent news that Donald Trump was going to ban the social media platform “Tiktok” due to data protection fears it has been announced that Oracle is going to partner with them in order to continue the platforms growth. This partnership is set to provide a safer environment where people's data is protected worldwide. The data will be stored on Oracles Cloud 2 after their recent success with “Zoom.” Therefore, Donald Trump has given it his “blessing.”

Read TikTok’s statement here: https://twitter.com/tiktok_comms/status/1307454658680631296/photo/1

Read Oracles statement here: https://www.oracle.com/news/announcement/oracle-chosen-as-tiktok-secure-cloud-provider-091920.html

HCL Technology Enters the Top 10 Most Valued Firms Club in India

(Past member) — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 15:42:05 GMT

Technology companies are on the rise as HCL Tech enter the top 10 most valuable firms in terms of market-cap alongside two other technology companies, TCS and Infosys. This occurred after HCL Technologies stocks rose by nearly 4% to Rs 817 in one day. This acceleration is expected to grow their revenue by 3.5% quarter on quarter in constant currency.

Read the full article here: https://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/hcl-tech-rallies-13-in-4-days-on-earnings-update-hits-fresh-record-high-120091700308_1.html

Computer Weekly: Emerging ASEAN Markets Hit Wall with Cloud Adoption

(Past member) — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 14:55:13 GMT

Computer Weekly exposes that the ASEAN markets have low acquiring rates of Cloud due to the skills gap, lack of service providers and sovereign issues within developing countries. Major Cloud firms are trying to fill the skills gap by partnering with universities, however a lot more needs to be done.

Read the full article here: https://www.computerweekly.com/blog/Eyes-on-APAC/Emerging-ASEAN-markets-hit-wall-with-cloud-adoption

The FT: Serco Tops UK Outsourcers for COVID-19 Contracts

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 12:37:08 GMT

Serco has won the most Covid-related government contracts among UK-listed outsourcers but the pandemic did not bring any "great bonanza" for the industry, according to research.

Read the full article: https://www.ft.com/content/d217b789-3ca7-42a8-bac0-16fd0b24c60d

The FT: This is our big chance to create better workplaces

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 13:56:07 GMT

The FT's recent series entitled 'Rebooting the Workplace' highlights how the economy can recover following on from the pandemic. This article in particular recognises the importance of globalisation and the outsourcing industry in aiding the development of the workplace. Covid has given an opportunity for us to revolutionise the way we work.

Read the full article: https://www.ft.com/content/3c3f5f1e-8402-4331-8591-e2b667873605

David Morris: The NHS and COVID-19: five fundamentals for the next phase and beyond

(Past member) — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 14:56:46 GMT

Thinking ahead for the future and lessons learnt from the pandemic.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/nhs-covid-19-five-fundamentals-next-phase-beyond-david-morris/?trackingId=m8fYBeRJ7bX52tp1WYLE%2BA%3D%3D

Steven Watson: A bridge over troubled water? – how to strengthen relationships in times of disruption

(Past member) — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 14:51:34 GMT

An insightful article on the partnerships between buyers and suppliers by Steven Watson, from our members, Peru Consulting.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bridge-over-troubled-water-how-strengthen-times-stephen-watson/?trackingId=A%2BJaBFrhjcG%2FVJMjSbOjFQ%3D%3D

William Carson; Achieving Normalcy in Abnormal Times

(Past member) — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 09:53:35 GMT

A great article by one of our Council Members; William Carson, Ascensos.

The GSA Council held its quarterly meeting on July 29th 2020. Top of the agenda was a roundtable discussion inviting Council members to share key learnings they wished to highlight as a direct consequence of adapting professionally and personally to the COVID19 Pandemic.

With over 4M people still on furlough in the UK and the global economic outlook uncertain at best (catastrophic at worst), it was also an opportunity to corral the views of Council members, all in senior roles working nationally and internationally, regarding the future evolution of the sector from both buyer and supplier perspectives.

Technology and Business Services Success

Notwithstanding the regrettable circumstances of the Pandemic, there was broad consensus that the global technology and business services sector had performed well. Indeed, in those markets and specific sectors serviced by many GSA member service providers, many brands had had a 'good crisis'. Aside from the success of the health services in the UK in coping with the outbreak, the success of online retailers, media, telco and cloud data businesses were highlighted along with associated technology and platform providers:

Microsoft reported 75M people used their Teams app on a single day in April 2020, up 20M from late 2019
PayPal added 7.4M net new users in April 2020
Netflix subscriptions were 23% up YoY by end of Q1, at 183M globally
Zoom calls reached 300M participants on a single day in April 2020
Amazon has hired an additional 175K people since lockdown began

A key focus for businesses will now shift from mobilizing the response to the pandemic to stabilising and normalising operations into the future. Analysing partnership and organisational resilience should be top of mind while corporate reflection on requirements and objectives should drive structural, operational, and developmental review.

The Home Working Conundrum

The dramatic switch to home working for all businesses that could do so has been well documented, however, the more dramatic consequences for the commercial property market were called out. Where office space may remain significantly under occupied for some time to come, hard questions are now being asked at board level regarding the exposure of businesses to commercial property costs and lease charges. A stalled commercial property sector will impact on city centre footfall, transport networks (and their owners), and small businesses. Pension funds may also suffer as rental yields and property values recalibrate, although there had already been a reduction in recent years within the pensions community to investing in this market. At the same time, individual companies continue to grow and some are even considering new office space for the future.

As many begin to accept and seek a new ‘family-work-life-wellness’ balance for the foreseeable, Council members pointed to the health and wellbeing issues for employees as these differ significantly across personal circumstances, sectors and demographies. While a genuine sense of relief was expressed by all regarding the reduction in commuting and international travel, there was also a need to properly plan for long-term, work-at-home, employee engagement strategies for onboarding, ongoing review and exiting, that are truly meaningful and effective. Meanwhile the loss of the commute has generally increased employee productivity and allowed people to use their time for personal pursuits including volunteering support for good causes, mentorships and coaching.

The Council also highlighted the many improvements experienced by our planet over the last 3 months from an ecological and sustainability perspective, and hoped that many would continue.

Government

Politically, views were more polarised between those that saw the recent actions of the UK government in a positive light, including the Chancellor’s interventions to support employees and businesses, to those that considered the performance to have been less than adequate with worrying portents for the success of the trade talks with the EU. That in its turn is expected to further exacerbate an already challenging economic position for the UK and it's near neighbours in continental Europe in 2021. At the same time, efforts to support the vulnerable in society and address environmental issues have benefited from collective political will and financial means, at least at a regional level.

Offshore - Not Out of Bounds

The impact of COVID on offshoring is yet to be fully understood. While it appears the long term viability of the mega - sites in the Philippines, India and near-shore BPO sector is at odds with the requirement to work from home, the risk analysis, planning and detailed business continuity strategies that many global brands have invested in has paid off and worked well. At the same time, as UK salaries stagnate and come closer to some offshore geographies, the business case for keeping or returning work onshore and/or in-house may strengthen. With more talent in the marketplace and ability to work anywhere in world, the gig economy model to operationalise frontline and back office support is expected to benefit, alongside an acceleration in the digitization of services, products, and the growth of subscription commerce.

Internationally, EMEA is the most advanced in terms of infection rates and arguably in terms of its response. A great deal of the rest of the world remains in crisis with increasing infection rates. Continued localised lockdowns are likely until a worldwide vaccine is discovered. That being said there is still huge amount of change and business being done.

On a more personal level, council members agreed that the upsides for many included embracing a new found personal & professional confidence, better quality business and personal relationships and increased trust between friends, family and colleagues.

The Future View

Looking ahead, in the next 12 months increased deficits and job losses are expected in businesses and sectors that are critically dependent on foot fall, travel, hospitality and events. This will inevitably lead to organisational reviews and restructures, and in some cases – revaluations. In turn, this may lead to the state taking a more active role through socio-economic interventions. An increasing divide between those that are digital savvy and those who are not is also anticipated. Consumerism - arguably the life blood of the nation and the services sector that support it - doesn’t appear to have slowed down. Those businesses with good ecommerce solutions and progressive logistics partnerships have flourished. However, the link between job security, a possible rise in unemployment post-furlough, will impact consumer spending at a time in the year when the economy would expect a significant positive gear change in growth.

Conclusion

In summary, where businesses could operate effectively during the pandemic, most proved more resilient than expected giving rise to more optimistic perspectives on the future. Other sectors, particularly travel, down 97%, and the arts, have been particularly hard hit with no clear road path back to full capacity. The Pandemic has expedited protracted business decision making and jettisoned long established operational models that were the mainstay of 20th century corporate norms, proving we can all change and adapt, and at pace, especially if there is sufficient risk identification. The near future will be dominated by the continued pandemic, a challenging global economy, digital transformation, and more locally – departure from the EU. Road mapping for shortlisted outcomes to support long-term business goals will be key and the global technology and business services sector will be critical in delivering these.

The world has become smaller, and the same technologies we’ve enjoyed for many years in home entertainment, communications and digital solutions have become operationalised to support every business, every employee and every sector in less than a business quarter. This is a monumental shift.

Ultimately, we will find a cure, we will get a vaccine, and although businesses may feel adrift in an ocean of unknowns, there is already enough evidence and demonstrable creative thinking to help companies plot a course through 2021 and beyond.

We have changed dramatically and won't be going back.

Stephen Watson: Do interconnected eco-systems of SMEs hold the key to future business success?

(Past member) — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 10:52:48 GMT

Another great article highlighting the importance of SMEs and Start Ups in the industry by Stephen Watson, Peru Consulting.

Read the full article here.

The GSA is proud to be a founding member of the GT&BSC

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 15:17:31 GMT

The Global Sourcing Association (GSA), is delighted to announce its role as a founding member of the Global Technology & Business Services Council (GT&BSC) being launched today. The GT&BSC has been developed through the alliance of the twelve major independent regional organizations representing the technology and business services sector across the world in order to collaborate, promote and represent the industry on a global basis for the first time.

The Council, which collectively represents the interests of over 10,000 companies and 10 million employees, will play a critical role in developing the future of the industry, safeguarding its future and that of its employees.

Kerry Hallard, CEO of the GSA commented: “This is a really significant development for the industry. By its very nature it is a global industry. Our members, which are comprised of both enterprise buyers and service providers, as well as advisers and SMEs, buy and deliver technology and business services around the world, so having a Council which helps them understand the nuances of the different regions and which has been forged to promote and share the same best practices globally will be hugely beneficial, and, is of utmost importance right now.

I firmly believe the global technology and business services industry has been central to helping organisations navigate the challenges of COVID-19 and will be critical in companies’ and Governments’ restart strategies. Now is not the time for short termism or protectionism. GSA research reveals that trust in partnerships increased throughout COVID-19 as organizations collaborated in an agile, flexible and transparent way. The trend towards a strategic sourcing function will continue as companies accelerate their digital transformations and deployments of key technologies, such as automation, Cloud, IoT, AI, 5G, data analytics; and so will need to access talent and best in class partners from around the world.

Mark Devonshire, Chair of the GSA commented: “The Digital Revolution is truly here. A cashless society is a reality. Virtual is the new norm, and all organisations are rethinking physical. The high street as we know it will not exist. Schooling, learning, working and health will become business as usual to be virtual and digital. Tech is at the heart of our new society. All surveys and studies across the globe are indicating CEOs and companies are in the majority accelerating technological transformation.

Whilst the economy will be challenging, history demonstrates that sourcing significantly peaks in such times for cost reasons. We will see a new version of outsourcing, which is not of the ‘your mess for less’ characteristic, but transparent value output-based services highly enabled by automation and cloud. We cannot predict the next 6 or 24 months, however all businesses are searching for potential answers, new ways of working, best practice and ideas from across the globe. We are very excited to launch and be a founding member of the GT&BSC, as this delivers even more best practice and global expertise to the benefit of GSA’s members’.

The Council will share best practices, thought leadership and collaborate on new operating models on a global stage, which will provide significant value to all of the GT&BSC organisations members, their customers and their employees and aiding and accelerating recovery around the world. The Council will look at the evolving skills required by the industry and work to upskill the profession accordingly.

View the GT&BSC Website.

Contact centre operator Ascensos announces major expansion into Turkey – part of planned Pan-European push

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 17:19:05 GMT

Customer management and service provider Ascensos is to open its first contact centre in Turkey as part of an expansion into eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Press Release - Ascensos Turkey Expansion 08072020 V1 FINAL.pdf

The Economist- Latin America opens up before it's ready

(Past member) — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 22:55:27 GMT

The speed of Mexico's reopening has meant it is now the centre of the pandemic.

https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/06/20/latin-america-opens-up-before-its-ready

Being vulnerable, conforming and other leadership quandries

(Past member) — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 10:12:35 GMT

A great series on keeping mental health and communications balanced with work.

https://www.cadmanhr.com/post/being-vulnerable-conforming-and-other-leadership-quandries

Join our Council in a Virtual Business Opportunity Day

(Past member) — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 20:49:22 GMT

Do enterprise procurement processes favour large well-established suppliers?

One of the many topics to be discussed at our virtual corporate roundtable led by Ravi Veerasubramanian at the MSDUK Virtual Business Opportunity Day! Our CEO, Kerry Hallard, will also be joining as a guest panelist.

Join us for some insights into some of these sourcing challenges.
Register now - https://msduk-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkc-iopzsrGdIvc5qC2QHgTD-qkAFsy6eu

NTT DATA’s Open Banking Practice Positioned as Leader in Everest Group PEAK Matrix for Open Banking IT Services 2020 Assessment Report

(Past member) — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 11:01:39 GMT

Great to see NTT, one of our members, recognised for their work in IT services.

https://uk.nttdata.com/News/2020/06/Open-Banking-Practice-Positioned-as-Leader-in-Everest-Group-PEAK-Matrix

Have Your Say!

(Past member) — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 14:05:07 GMT

Have your Say!

The global sourcing industry has responded superbly to the many issues created by COVID-19.

Our mini-survey shows that as a result, trust in company partnerships is higher today than it was pre COVID-19.
We would now like to expand that survey and understand:
whether trust is still on the increase whether there will be a "true-up" across partnerships as we start to emerge out the other side and what that might look like what this means for the future of the strategic sourcing industry.

Please have your say and share your thoughts, by participating here.

Fertifa: Transforming Digital Health and Wellbeing in the New World of Working

(Past member) — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 11:55:49 GMT

As part of the work of the GSA D&I and Wellness Initiative, we recommend and promote this webinar by Fertifa. In these difficult times, digital health and wellbeing becomes ever more important. Register for the webinar on 'Transforming digital health and wellbeing in the new world of working' by following the link below.

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2634963530278281740

Forbes: Life After The Lockdown: IT Spending Priorities Now

(Past member) — Wed, 27 May 2020 20:06:00 GMT

As the industry begins to recover, we must look at how spending should be reallocated and use this opportunity to further improve IT.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marksettle/2020/05/19/cio-it-spending-priorities-now/?ss=cio-network#2d83c2323943

Coeus Consulting: What Infrastructure Issues Need Addressing Following Urgent ‘Sticky-taping’ During The Covid-19 Situation?

(Past member) — Wed, 27 May 2020 20:04:26 GMT

The rapid fixes as a result of the pandemic must not be forgotten about and should be acted upon as we return to normality. A great article by one of our members.

https://www.coeus.consulting/blog/what-infrastructure-issues-need-addressing-following-urgent-stickytaping-during-covid

Stephen Watson: The Seven Deadly Sins of Major Contract Procurement (and how to avoid them)

(Past member) — Wed, 27 May 2020 19:59:32 GMT

A great write up by Stephen Watson at Peru Consulting. Especially relevant in times of crisis.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/seven-deadly-sins-major-contract-procurement-how-avoid-stephen-watson/?trackingId=z%2Bx8r3ta3PgCT7kFf%2F3JhA%3D%3D

Capgemini CEO: India crucial to providing competitive services to cos

(Past member) — Tue, 26 May 2020 10:17:43 GMT

With a large proportion of the Sourcing Industry working in India, the Economic Times interviews the CapGemini CEO, highlighting the growth of the sector in India.

https://m-economictimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/m.economictimes.com/industry/services/consultancy-/-audit/india-crucial-to-providing-competitive-services-to-cos-capgemini-ceo/amp_articleshow/75962105.cms

BBC News: Mastercard staff can work from home 'until ready'

(Past member) — Fri, 22 May 2020 09:39:03 GMT

Stresses and fears as a result of the pandemic have caused a disruption in workplace wellbeing. Mastercard have allowed employees to decide when they return to the offices.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52734021

Equinix: 5 Reasons Why the 5G Roll Out is Gaining Speed

(Past member) — Fri, 22 May 2020 09:36:29 GMT

As new developments in AI aid the workplace in these times of crisis, the need for 5G coverage increases.

https://blog.equinix.com/blog/2020/05/19/5-reasons-why-the-5g-roll-out-is-gaining-speed/

NTT's 2020 Global Threat Intelligence Report

(Past member) — Wed, 20 May 2020 13:20:21 GMT

With the current realisation of threats such as Covid 19, this report covers physical as well as cyber security potential threats.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ntts-2020-global-threat-intelligence-report-simon-chassar/?trackingId=EP7sxG4mgpoaMzyTx4j6iQ%3D%3D

India to see annualised contraction of 45% in April to June

(Past member) — Tue, 19 May 2020 19:57:01 GMT

'The nation-wide lockdown imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic may prove to be too expensive for the economy.

Reuters reports: "Goldman Sachs expects India's economy to shrink 45% on an annualised basis in the quarter to the end of June, and by 5% in the whole of the 2021 fiscal year running till next March, showing the economy contracting far more than previously expected.

“The deeper trough in our second quarter forecasts reflects the extremely poor economic data we have received so far for March and April, and the continued lockdown measures, which are among the most stringent across the world,” the investment bank said in a note dated May 17.

Goldman had earlier projected the country's GDP to contract 20% in the second quarter and 0.4% for the financial year ended 2021.

The investment bank said it expects an annualised rebound of 20% in the third quarter, but a gradual recovery of 14% and 6.5% respectively for the fourth quarter and first quarter of the next financial year.

Restarting the country's economy has continued to pose challenges, Goldman said, especially in containment “red zones”, which account for about 45% of GDP.

Supply chains are improving, but are still operating at low levels, along with missing logistics and weak end-demand, according to the note."'

Quoted from: https://www.thehindu.com/business/businesslive-18-may-2020/article31611952.ece

Ryan Strategy Advisor- INDIA IS 2020’S MOST FAVORED OFFSHORE LOCATION

(Past member) — Tue, 19 May 2020 19:48:20 GMT

'This constitutes the first time since the inception of the Front Office BPO Omnibus Survey in 2017 that India has gained the coveted first-place standing' (Ryan Strategy Advisor)

https://ryanadvisory.com/india-is-2020s-most-favored-offshore-location/

BPESA- Reflections of the South African GBS Sector in Lockdown

(Past member) — Tue, 19 May 2020 19:44:48 GMT

'Must say I’m incredibly proud of how well our industry has responded around the world! Partners and service centres have pulled out all the stops to continue to deliver exceptional services to customers and consumers around the globe. The future will be very different, but positively so, as our industry will be critical to so many companies’ restart strategies.' (Kerry Hallard, CEO of the GSA)

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/reflections-south-african-gbs-sector-lockdown-evan-jones/?trackingId=

Diversity Day

(Past member) — Tue, 19 May 2020 12:03:28 GMT

The GSA is very proud to celebrate diversity and voyage on a journey to creating a united voice which encourages transparency, corporate and professional conduct and behaviours, to achieve success across the industry. The GSA recognise and identify with the power of inclusion and therefore wish to showcase this value in true strategic global sourcing endeavours. Through a rich desire and appetite to learn from one another, we will be inviting you all for a unique opportunity to appreciate our collective learnings. Stay home and stay tuned for further details on our upcoming D&I Webinar. #HappyInternationalDiversityDay (Sunita Hirani, Senior Contracts Manager at the BBC)

At the BBC, this will be quite a celebration- The Creative Diversity Dialogue

Celebrate this with Sunita Hirani, one of our council members by following the link below to watch a LinkedIn Live by the BBC on the 21st May.

21 May 2020, 1700BST/1200 EST/0900 PDT, LinkedIn Live, All welcome

EasyJet admits nine million customers hacked

(Past member) — Tue, 19 May 2020 12:00:17 GMT

Follow this link to keep updated on this breech in cyber security.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52722626

For Hire: Central Europe's business services firms spy a chance in crisis

(Past member) — Tue, 19 May 2020 11:58:43 GMT

New opportunities in times of crisis.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-cee-businessservic-idUSKBN22P0OG

Polish economy most resilient to virus crisis in EU

(Past member) — Sun, 17 May 2020 17:48:45 GMT

The Polish economy has begun recovery following the pandemic, with an expected 4.3% shrink in GDP this year.

https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/polish-economy-most-resilient-to-virus-crisis-in-eu-12633

Gartner Predicts IT Spending Will Plummet By $300 Billion In 2020 As CIOs Slash Budgets

(Past member) — Sun, 17 May 2020 17:36:50 GMT

Garter makes some interesting predictions for the IT industry following Covid-19 pandemic.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/martingiles/2020/05/13/gartner-it-spending-will-plummet-in-2020-as-cios-slash-budgets/

Everest Global location risk tracker for 37 leading BPO/IT delivery locations

(Past member) — Sun, 17 May 2020 17:26:59 GMT

Dynamically track how COVID-19 is affecting leading offshore and nearshore locations around the world.

https://www.everestgrp.com/covid-19-dynamic-tracker

CIO-OFFICE: Invest in Technology Now: Secure your Business Future

(Past member) — Mon, 11 May 2020 12:25:17 GMT

We expect to see a boom in Technology spend by organisations during the economic recovery following Covid-19.

Why?

Investment in Technology during a recession, has been shown to help organisations thrive afterwards. In a 2017 paper, Brad Hershbein (of the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research) and Lisa B. Kahn (of the University of Rochester) compared more than 100 million online job listings posted from 2007 to 2015 with economic data to see how the recession affected the types of skills employers were looking for. They found that the cities hardest hit by the recession saw a greater demand for technology related skills.

Organisations became more digital with the hardest hit areas of the United States, increasing their investment in information technology, driving a surge in IT skill requirements.

So why did these companies invest in technology during a recession when money is tight?

Technology enables organisations to be more transparent, flexible and efficient. Enabling leaders to better understand the business, how the recession is affecting it, and where there’s potential for operational improvements.
Technology can help cut costs – Focus on “self-funding” transformation projects that pay off quickly, such as automation of manual tasks and outsourcing non-core business activities.
IT investments make companies more agile. Improving the ability to manage uncertain and rapid change that comes with a recession.

In manufacturing, after the last recession there was an uptake in the adoption of digital and advanced analytics. Previously manufacturers could be the cheapest in the market or could stay nimble—but not both. Flexibility came with serious costs. However, digital technologies have created much more flexibility around product changes, volume changes and the ability to optimise the supply chain around the world.

Organisations that make investments in digital technology, analytics, and agile business practices will be better able to understand the threat they face and respond more quickly. Recessions can create wide and long-standing performance gaps between companies, with research suggesting that digital technology can do the same. Companies that neglect digital transformation may find that they do not survive the recession.

For organisations with a high level of debt, it is important to deleverage and ensure cash flow remains positive. It is important to look at cost savings opportunities before reducing headcount.

The organisations that emerged from the last recession in the strongest shape relied less on redundancy to cut costs and leaned more on operational improvements.

The reasoning behind this is that redundancies are not just harmful to workers; they’re costly for organisations and can demoralise the remaining team, dampening productivity at the very time it needs to be maximised. Hiring and training is an expensive and long process, so many organisations prefer not to have to rehire when the economy picks back up, particularly if they think the downturn will be brief.

So what can organisations do to reduce outgoings, maintain cash reserves and improve capability from a technology perspective:

Focus on projects that pay for themselves, with a clear benefits realisation plan.
Critically review all expenditure, do you really need all that expensive proprietary software – Can you exploit Open Source solutions or adopt As a Service offerings.
Outsource non-core functions, utilising global experts and capacity to flex your service as demand ebbs and flows during the recession.
Re-train your people to support core business tasks, to enhance revenues and increase morale. A happy workforce is a successful one.

CIO-OFFICE are professional IT Commercial and Project Delivery specialists. Please contact info@cio-office to find out how our proven team of subject matter experts can support you.

Full article can be seen here:

https://cio-office.com/blog/f/invest-in-technology-now-secure-your-business-future

Aviva pledges £5m to NHS Charities Together & £10m to British Red Cross

(Past member) — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 09:50:56 GMT

Aviva has pledged £5 million to NHS Charities Together and £10 million to British Red Cross as part of a package of measures aimed at supporting customers and their communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Aviva’s donation to NHS Charities Together will fund support for the NHS in three key areas: welfare and wellbeing for NHS employees, volunteers and patients; assistance for patients leaving hospital; and long-term mental health support for NHS workers.

In addition, Aviva has also given £10 million to long-standing charity partner British Red Cross, to help it support those coming out of hospital and ensuring those made most vulnerable by the outbreak can get the support they need.

Aviva is also offering:

Free breakdown cover, enhanced home insurance for personal belongings and free courtesy cars for Aviva customers working in the NHS. It will also prioritise repairs for NHS workers who are Aviva motor insurance customers
Full pay for Aviva employees who volunteer full time for the NHS and British Red Cross
Support for Aviva direct, Quotemehappy or General Accident home, motor and personal van customers who may be experiencing severe financial difficulties as a result of Covid-19, by deferring their monthly payment and spreading payments over the remaining term of their policies.
Donations from surplus stock of hand sanitisers, rubber gloves, antiseptic wipe pod refills and face masks to key worker organisations and charities

Colm Holmes, Global CEO, General Insurance at Aviva plc said:

“We are seeing extraordinary efforts, particularly from NHS workers who are on the frontline helping to keep us safe in the global fight against Covid-19. But we all have a part to play in defeating the virus. The funding for NHS Charities Together will help provide vital support to NHS workers, patients and communities and ensure that support reaches more people, quickly.”

Ellie Orton, CEO of NHS Charities Together, said:

“We have pledged to raise £100 million to help support NHS workers throughout the Coronavirus crisis. Aviva’s donation will make a real difference to the amazing NHS staff, volunteers and patients who are on the front line. It’s important that these individuals know just how much the nation appreciates their efforts, and actions such as this show how much people care.”

What Customers Want – How to Thrive in Times of Disruption, Stephen Watson, Principle Consultant at Peru Consulting

(Past member) — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 09:41:07 GMT

“If you know what women want, you can rule!” – This quote from the hilarious, if somewhat politically incorrect (against men!) film “What Women Want” could so easily apply to the supplier – customer relationship.

Whilst there is a plethora of sound advice available regarding good financial management practices in these difficult times (such as from the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply: https://www.cips.org/supply-management/news/2020/march/coronavirus-three-procurement-mistakes-to-avoid/) help and support for suppliers and service providers looking to maintain their customer base and secure their sales pipeline is much thinner on the ground.

Now, more than ever, suppliers and service providers need to be finely attuned to the needs of their customers and develop the agility to change rapidly to address disruption in the marketplace whilst grappling with the profound issues in their own organisations wrought by the current circumstances.

Some of the questions that suppliers need to ask include:

· How do I ensure that my strategy and the strategies of our customers are not heading in opposite directions?

· Service excellence and delivering the services customers want, when they want them, is more important than ever…how do I ensure I'm doing things right and doing the right things?

· A modest increase in my bid/win ratio could have a significant upside on my revenue. How can I secure my pipeline in these uncertain times?

· If we are too risk averse in times of disruption, we may end up exposed to more risk not less - how do we ensure we are risk aware not risk averse?

· Strong stakeholder management and communications and the right organisational design have never been more important - how do I know the right governance is in place to assure this?

and fundamentally:

· In these challenging times I need to retain the customers I already have and secure my pipeline of new business. How do I ensure that I truly understand what customers want and align my services to their needs?

Do we at Peru Consulting have all the answers – no, and it’s probably best to treat anyone who claims to have all the answers in these unprecedented times with a large dose of scepticism. What we do have however is many decades of combined experience working with some of the largest, most well-known organisations in the UK, Ireland and Europe.

What this experience gives us is a unique insight into what really matters to customers…and what doesn’t. We’ve advised blue chip clients through many major procurement exercises, helped customers to mend broken supplier relationships and identified improved ways of working that have helped customers optimise cash outflow, maximise operational efficiency and innovate to drive top-line revenue growth.

Our Peruvians, prior to joining us, have also worked in some of the largest supplier and service provider organisations in the world - for example helping suppliers to identify and root out inadvertent errors in their bid financial modelling which were making their proposals commercially unattractive to customers. Many Peruvians also have a client-side focus and can appreciate the pressures clients are facing in these times and how to relate to their priorities, goals and strategies.

At the end of the day we believe supporting suppliers and service providers to better align their services to meet customers’ needs is a virtuous circle – both suppliers and customers win. Let’s be honest, we are a supplier too and as such need to heed our own advice. Helping organisations thrive is what we do, its hard-wired into our culture…its common sense, business sense and no nonsense.

To find out more about our range of services tailored specifically for suppliers and service providers please visit: https://peruconsulting.co.uk/peruvian-views/what-customers-want-how-to-thrive-in-times-of-disruption/

To find out more about our overall sourcing and commercial services, capabilities and experience please visit: https://peruconsulting.co.uk/sourcing-commercial/

Steve Watson is a Principal Consultant at Peru Consulting and specialises in IT Transformation and Commercial Strategy. He has worked with organisations including British Airways, BT, Walgreens Boots Alliance and Travis Perkins.

Marco Corrado is a Senior Colleague Experience Manager at Aviva. He recently worked as part of a team to get supplies to key workers in the UK. Here’s his story.

(Past member) — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 09:37:29 GMT

I think we all feel a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Like our hands are tied and we’re watching this huge disaster play out, unable to do anything about it. But, at times like this we’re judged by our actions, not our words.

That’s why I’m so proud to be part of a UK-wide team that have donated all our surplus masks and hand sanitisers to those on the frontline, from the emergency services to care homes.

In a matter of days, we’ve donated thousands of facemasks and hundreds of hand sanitiser units, to help people stay safe.

How did it happen?

In late 2019, when we first heard reports of Covid-19, we bought masks and extra hand sanitiser to protect people working in our offices. As Covid-19 worsened we started sending masks to Aviva’s most affected offices – like Italy and Singapore.

I’m Italian and worked at our Milan office in 2019 as part of an Aviva Pride initiative. My friends there said they were relieved and grateful. They said they felt part of a close-knit Aviva family. I felt so proud of our Italian colleagues.

Fast track to March 2020

The pandemic has affected us all and almost all of our UK workforce is working from home. As our buildings emptied, the need for the stocks of masks and sanitisers diminished.

The idea to donate all our surplus stock came from someone in one of our Risk teams. We soon got the go ahead. I was asked to work with my colleagues across the UK to identify stock we could donate and where they were needed.

By the end of the day...

We’d found 12 recipients from Bishopbriggs in Glasgow to Southampton who would receive much-needed face masks and sanitizing products. At the same time, we have made sure we have enough of these essential items at all our UK sites where Aviva’s own key workers are continuing to work and that all our buildings have enough stock for when they re-open.

On day one, we delivered 800 face masks to the Metropolitan Police in London’s Upton Park. I was particularly moved by a call I made to a PC there at the station, he was so thankful for the donations.

We’ve had lots of amazing feedback since our first delivery.

I am humbled, proud and happy at the same time to see how this has benefitted so many essential, wonderful key workers. It’s been a real team effort from teams across the UK, our legendary security colleagues, and our leadership teams who provided unwavering support to make this happen.

“Adversity introduces a man to himself,” Albert Einstein

We’re all just trying to get through and it’s the times we’re helping each other that really stand out. I hope when this is over and we look back, the moments of kindness stay with us and the fear and worry fade. That we emerge aware of just what we can achieve when we’re up against it.

Aviva to provide free breakdown cover and courtesy cars for customers working for the NHS

(Past member) — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 09:36:07 GMT

The package of measures further aims to support customers who are experiencing financial difficulties as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.insurancetimes.co.uk/news/aviva-to-provide-free-breakdown-cover-and-courtesy-cars-for-customers-working-for-the-nhs/1433145.article

COVID-19 - recovering from a black swan event

(Past member) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 13:41:24 GMT

Even in these challenging times, we @ the GSA are creating opportunities for the growth of business value through profitable and mutually beneficial business partnerships

qFor all types of firms (buy and sell side) :

üLeverage all government support packages for businesses and employers – GSA can advise on eligibility and long term impact.

üDon’t loose sight of staff wellbeing and morale during these times.

üWorking @ remotely – this will become a must-have as it becomes BAU, not a COVID BCP response. GSA can provide guidance impacts of policies, well-being, security, DP, talent sourcing

üContingent labour and IR35 – what should I do now that HMRC has deferred this?

üLegal guidance on services fulfilment and contracts – force majeure, frustration, deferring services.

üWhere to refocus digital transformation àsuccessfully shift from growth focus to P&L optimisation.

qBuy side :

üImpact on spend priorities in 2020-21, getting more value from suppliers, managing contract risk.

üSupply chain risk management and sourcing contingency planning.

üImpact on outsourced services and delivery of those by outsourcers (especially BPO).

qSell side:

üRetaining clients and continuing to deliver services – adapting delivery models.

üNew business opportunities and delivery models – nearshoring, automation, reduction in offshoring.

TTEC reports significant customer growth across Europe

(Past member) — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC), a leading global customer experience technology and services company focused on the design, implementation and delivery of transformative solutions for many of the world’s most iconic and disruptive brands, today reports that the company will be participating in the upcoming Call and Contact Centre Expo. TTEC’s team in EMEA will be demonstrating many of its customer experience solutions during the event, held March 27th-28th in London.

The company recently reported fourth quarter and full year 2018 results, with revenues of $1.509 billion and organic growth estimated at between 7.5% and 8.6% in 2019. The growth has come from growing demand for digitising and automating the customer experience from the company’s embedded base and new clients, especially those in the disruptive, hypergrowth business market. The company also reported seeing an increase in the average contract size and the development of several mega deals in 2018.

Iain Banks, Regional VP International Markets, comments; “2018 was a record revenue year for TTEC and we are seeing rapid customer growth as clients look for digital solutions that transform their customer engagement strategies. In particular, we are seeing a significant demand for our enterprise-scale, SaaS-based, omnichannel cloud solutions, with increases to the number of subscription-based cloud contact centre licenses supporting many of our relationships with today’s leading brands."

This being no more apparent than through the company recently establishing customer experience operations in Athens, Greece, creating 250 new positions and extending its dialect capability with English, German, Italian and Spanish speakers for client programmes originating in Europe and around the world.

Banks continues; “Our digital-rich offerings are resonating with not only existing and new clients, many of which include disruptive and hypergrowth brands, but also with our partners - Upstream Works and TTEC have recently expanded our partnership across Europe.”

Wayne Kay, VP Digital, EMEA, at TTEC commented; “We’re delighted to have Upstream Works as a partner, working together to enhance our customer care and omnichannel solutions and deliver on business leaders’ customer experience goals across the region.”

TTEC will partner with Upstream Works, a leading mobile commerce platform provider, at the forthcoming Call and Contact Centre Expo to showcase the latest and most effective technologies and provide live demonstrations of their “Humanify® Enterprise” solution that can transform CX. TTEC can be found at stand 960 and will also be speaking at Seminar Hall 19.

About TTEC:

TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC) is a leading global customer experience services company focused on the design, implementation and delivery of tech-enabled transformative solutions for many of Europe’s most iconic and disruptive brands. The Company delivers outcome-based contact centre outsourcing solutions through TTEC Engage which operates and manages frontline and back-office business processes that support customer acquisition, care, growth and fraud prevention and detection and content moderation services - available onshore, nearshore and offshore. Additionally, TTEC Digital, the company’s digital consultancy, designs and builds human centric, tech-enabled, insight-driven customer experience solutions for clients. Founded in 1982, the Company's 52,400 employees operate on six continents across the globe and live by a set of customer-focused values that guide relationships with clients, their customers, and each other. To learn more about how TTEC is bringing humanity to the customer experience, visit https://www.ttec.com/emea.

TTEC in EMEA expands its European footprint with operations in Athens, Greece

(Past member) — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC), a leading global customer experience technology and services company focused on the design, implementation and delivery of transformative solutions for many of the world’s most iconic and disruptive brands, today announce that it has established operations in Athens, Greece, as part of the company’s growth activities in the European region. The company will hire up to 250 customer experience associates in Athens over the coming months.

The company views the Athens market as a prime option for providing customer experience services including customer care and support. The local market provides a rich candidate pool, with a highly-educated and multi-lingual workforce, and provides commercially attractive location availability. With excellent English, German, Italian and Spanish speakers who bring European dialect capability, these individuals will provide personalised and connected customer experiences for the company’s client programmes originating in Europe and around the world.

“Athens provides an excellent market opportunity for TTEC operations,” said Marty DeGhetto, Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President - TTEC Engage, TTEC. “With readily available and talent-rich personnel resources, we’re excited to create a local management team and begin hiring our newest brand ambassadors to deliver customer experience excellence.”

TTEC anticipates creating up to 250 jobs in Athens with the potential for further expansion in the market. The company is actively hiring customer experience associates to support an existing client programme, along with other key support positions. Employees will benefit from the opportunity to support a global company, potential career advancement, competitive pay, exciting employee rewards and bonuses and an interactive work environment.

The company appreciates the support in services offered by OTE Group - Cosmote e-Value and Invest Greece in establishing TTEC’s operations in Athens and looks forward to celebrating with a community grand opening this spring.

TTEC operates across Europe including locations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and Bulgaria. In 2018, the company’s European team received a wealth of industry awards and accolades from organisations including the Global Sourcing Association (GSA), UK Contact Centre Forum (CCF), and Customer Contact Management Association (CCMA), recognising TTEC’s commitment to growth in the region.

For more information about TTEC, please visit https://www.ttec.com/emea.

To apply for available opportunities within TTEC, please visit https://www.ttec.com/careers.

About TTEC: TTEC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC) is a leading global customer experience services company focused on the design, implementation and delivery of tech-enabled transformative solutions for many of Europe’s most iconic and disruptive brands. The Company delivers outcome-based contact centre outsourcing solutions through TTEC Engage which operates and manages frontline and back-office business processes that support customer acquisition, care, growth and trust and safety - available onshore, nearshore and offshore. Additionally, TTEC Digital, the company’s digital consultancy, designs and builds human centric, tech-enabled, insight-driven customer experience solutions for clients. Founded in 1982, the Company's 49,700 employees operate on six continents across the globe and live by a set of customer-focused values that guide relationships with clients, their customers, and each other. To learn more about how TTEC is bringing humanity to the customer experience, visit https://www.ttec.com/emea.

Contracting for RPA – The opportunities and pitfalls

(Past member) — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Contracting for RPA – The opportunities and pitfalls

Robotic process automation (RPA) is at a pivotal moment, firmly hitting the mainstream when it comes to digital transformation and more traditional BPO procurements.

Organisations have, of course, been dabbling with RPA for a number of years. However, a combination of maturing technologies from specialist providers, a concerted focus on RPA by more traditional players and changing workforces, have pushed RPA to the fore.

There are many real world benefits to RPA deployment. RPA can offer accuracy, scalability, inherent monitoring and data management capabilities amongst other benefits.

RPA deployments forming part of wider outsourcing arrangements, can present increased risk to the customer organisation, intensifying traditional hazards that should be considered in any contract for RPA. Below we focus on three key areas; implementation, maintenance and change control, and vendor lock-in.

Implementation risk

RPA deployments are often highly bespoke and the approach to design and implementation is often specific to individual business lines and processes. This presents unique challenges for deployment at scale:

• Project scope and phasing: Is the customer locked-in to a wider roll-out from the outset? Many projects will include an initial pilot or proof of concept phase. However, successful roll out to one set of processes or a particular business line does not guarantee success in other areas. It is important to document the circumstances under which a customer can walk away or source the RPA elements from an alternative vendor, not just following an initial pilot phase, but as the wider roll-out progresses.

• Acceptance testing: The contract should include robust acceptance testing procedures, both vendor testing and end user testing, to ensure the deployed robots function as expected. Acceptance criteria are often left to be determined post-contract or documented in vague terms that lead to disputes as implementation progresses. It is important for the procurement and business functions to work together to document what ‘success’ looks like in an objective, quantifiable manner.

• Price impacts: The contract should also address price impacts of failed or delayed roll-outs, particularly where the provider has baked-in assumptions based on RPA deployments. Which party takes the financial risk of failed deployment will depend on a number of factors, but should not be left as an ‘agreement to agree’. Common issues include the reason for failure (something that can be surprisingly difficult to determine and is often the result of a complex web of circumstance), whether the RPA solution was sourced direct by the customer or the vendor, whether the customer ‘imposed’ its preferred solution on the vendor and the degree to which the vendor has been granted ‘free reign’ to deploy RPA.

Maintenance and change control

Responsibility for ongoing maintenance of RPA tools is an issue that sets RPA apart from other types of system deployment. RPA tools are often highly sensitive to underlying system and software changes. The issue to

• Ongoing maintenance: Which party will be responsible for ongoing maintenance? Will the vendor be providing an ongoing, managed service, or will a third party vendor or the customer itself be responsible? In a multi-sourced environment, who has overall responsibility for planning and coordination? If a third party vendor is to establish a ‘centre of excellence’ or equivalent team, will that team be employed by the vendor or the customer?

• Change control: Which party will be responsible for the provision and cost of change and maintenance resulting from changes to the customer’s wider IT environment? This might include changes to hardware, software (including version upgrades), changes to data feeds and structures, all of which can have significant impacts on the functioning of the RPA solution. Again, this should not be left to be dealt with through the contract’s change control procedure as these are key operational issues that will arise on a regular basis.

Avoiding vendor ‘lock-in’

Vendor and technology lock-ins are a key risk in any RPA deployment. A key consideration for any customer will be whether to source their chosen RPA technology direct or through their outsourced service provider. In either case, the contract should address whether the customer will be permitted to use the solution on exit and migration to an alternative solution.

• IP ownership: Who will own bespoke developments and scripts relating to the RPA deployment?

• Exit: If the RPA solution is being provided through an outsourced provider, will the customer have a right to purchase its own licence on exit?

RPA deployment as part of digital transformation and outsourcing projects must be given special consideration in the vendor contract to the possibility of undoing the real world benefits that RPA deployment can deliver to the customer organisation.

By partners Mike Pierides and Simon Lightman at global law firm, Morgan Lewis

Mike advises on matters relating to new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence following major outsourcings, strategic restructurings, and technology-specific transactions such as licensing and “as a service” arrangements. Email: mike.pierides@morganlewis.com, Phone: +44.20.3201.5686

Simon advises on a broad range of commercial, technology, and data transactions, particularly in the context of robotic process automation. He advises on complex outsourcings and procurements, software licensing, and cloud and other “as a service” arrangements. Email: simon.lightman@morganlewis.com, Phone: +44.20.3201.5625

GSA Announces the Winners from the UK Awards 2018!

(Past member) — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

GSA Announces UK Award Winners for 2018

The Global Sourcing Association (GSA) formally announced the winners of the GSA UK Awards on Thursday 22nd November at the Marriot London Grosvenor Square.

The GSA UK Awards now in its fifteenth year recognises and celebrates the efforts of companies who have demonstrated best-practice in sourcing. The Awards took place after the GSA’s UK Symposium, which was centred on Reshaping Sourcing.

Kerry Hallard, CEO of the Global Sourcing Association UK said “The breadth of submissions to these Awards continues to increase, as we see ever more dynamic and innovative collaborative programmes presented to us. Again, a very impressive shortlist and all those on the shortlist should be commended.

The live judging process adds an extra dimension to the awards and really helps differentiate the winners through a live interview process. Congratulations goes to all the winners”.

The full list of winners are:

Utilities Project of the Year

Scottish Water, Vision Consulting, Burnt Oak Partners and DLA Piper

Telecommunications Project of the Year

Webhelp (Sky Mobile Sales)

Financial Services Project of the Year

Prudential PLC, Deloitte and Ashurst LLP

Public Sector Project of the Year

Thoughtonomy and NHS

Delivery Destination of the Year

Northern Ireland

International Project of the Year

Coeus Consulting

Best Contribution to the Reputation of Strategic Sourcing

Concentrix

Business Services Project of the Year

GEP

Technology Enabled Project of the Year

Three UK & Tech Mahindra Business Services Ltd.

Innovation Project of the Year

Scottish Water, Vision Consulting, Burnt Oak Partners and DLA Piper

Transformation Project of the Year

GSK

Automation Project of the Year

Lloyds Banking Group with Symphony

Transition Project of the Year

CDS and Metropolitan Police Service

Excellence in Partnership

EE & Infosys BPM

Excellence in Collaboration

Scottish Water, Vision Consulting, Burnt Oak Partners and DLA Piper

Law Firm of the Year

Slaughter and May

Customer Experience Provider of the Year

Sykes

Service Provider of the Year

TCS & Diligenta

UK Employer of the Year

TTEC

Sourcing Works – Award for Value Creation

TCS & Npower

About the GSA

The Global Sourcing Association (GSA) is the industry association and professional body for the global sourcing industry. We are the home of the Global Sourcing Standard, a world first for the provision of a portfolio of best practice methodologies and accreditation programmes supported by both buyers and suppliers of sourcing.

The GSA is a not-for-profit membership association which serves to share best practice, trends and connections across the globe bringing the global community together in a wholly interactive manner for the first time. Its overriding objective is the ongoing development and dissemination of the Standard and supporting portfolio of qualifications in order to improve the benefits and positive reputation, and therefore size, of the global sourcing industry.

For further information, please contact the GSA team at admin@gsa-uk.com or call +44(0)207 292 8680.

GSA Announces the UK Awards 2018 Finalists!

(Past member) — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

GSA UK Awards shortlist announcement

The Global Sourcing Association is delighted to announce the 2018 GSA UK Awards shortlist. Winners will be announced on Thursday 22nd November 2018 at the Marriot London Grosvenor Square.

The GSA UK Awards now in its fifteenth year recognises and celebrates the efforts of companies who have demonstrated exceptional innovation and best practice in their sourcing.

Global Sourcing Association CEO, Kerry Hallard said:

“The calibre of submissions gets better every single year. As the industry undergoes it’s reshaping it is inspiring to see the incredible work that happens in so many organisations in the UK and around the globe. Those shortlisted should be very proud of what they have achieved.”

The Shortlist in Full:

Utilities Project of the Year

Scottish Water, Vision Consulting, Burnt Oak Partners and DLA Piper

Coeus Consulting

DDC Outsourcing Solutions

EXL

Telecommunications Project of the Year

Webhelp (Sky Mobile Sales)

FirstSource

N-iX

Financial Services Project of the Year

Sykes

DDC Outsourcing Solutions

N-iX

Prudential PLC, Deloitte and Ashurst LLP

Nimble Group

Public Sector Project of the Year

Scottish Water, Vision Consulting, Burnt Oak Partners and DLA Piper

CDS

Thoughtonomy and NHS

Northern Ireland

Ukraine

BPeSA

Mauritius

International Project of the Year

Webhelp South Africa

Coeus Consulting

N-iX

Concentrix

Nimble Group

Best Contribution to the Reputation of Strategic Sourcing

Concentrix – Submission 1

DLA Piper

Concentrix – Submission 2

Business Services Project of the Year

Three UK & Tech Mahindra Business Services Ltd.

GEP – Submission 1

NIX Solutions

Technology-enabled Project of the Year

Three UK & Tech Mahindra Business Services Ltd.

Dreamix

N-iX

British America Tobacco & Miratech

Eversheds Sutherland

GEP

Innovation Project of the Year

DLA Piper

Scottish Water, Vision Consulting, Burnt Oak Partners and DLA Piper

Coeus Consulting

Accedia

EXL

Transformation Project of the Year

WNS and Oxygen

GSK

GEP – Submission 2

GEP – Submission 4

TCS and Npower

Automation Project of the Year

GEP – Submission 1

Eversheds Sutherland

Lloyds Banking Group with Symphony

EXL

Thoughtonomy and NHS

Accenture

Transition Project of the Year

TCS

CDS and Metropolitan Police Service

Excellence in Partnership

Sykes

Three UK and Tech Mahindra

NIIT Technologies

Accedia

British America Tobacco & Miratech

EE & Infosys BPM

Excellence in Collaboration

Scottish Water, Vision Consulting, Burnt Oak Partners and DLA Piper

EXL

WNS

Law/Advisory Firm of the Year

CMS

GEP

Slaughter and May

Customer Experience Provider of the Year

Sykes

Three UK & Tech Mahindra Business Services Ltd.

Concentrix

Webhelp South Africa

Service Provider of the Year

GEP

TCS

TestingXperts

Dreamix

EXL

Sourcing Works – Award for Value Creation

Sykes

TCS and Npower

GSK

UK Employer of the Year

Eversheds Sutherland

TTEC

About the GSA:

The Global Sourcing Association is the industry association and professional body for the global sourcing industry, and the home of the Global Sourcing Standard, a world first for the provision of a portfolio of best practice methodologies and accreditation programmes supported by both buyers and suppliers of sourcing. The GSA is a not-for-profit membership association with fully licensed, affiliate and associate members, and serves to share best practice, trends and connections across the globe. The Global Sourcing association has a presence across the globe and provides guidance in economies such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Egypt, China, India and the United States.

Media Enquiries

Contact Debbie Mackay: debbiem@gsa-uk.com

Kerry Hallard, President of the Global Sourcing Association and CEO of the GSA UK is available for interview – please contact Debbie Mackay

AUTOMATION WITH A HUMAN TOUCH: THE FUTURE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

(Past member) — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Consumers’ expectations have never been higher - the average contact center must support nine different communications channels – from post to phone, email and social media – and a seamless, 24/7 level of support is becoming the norm.

Providing this will require a new set of skills for customer service teams, as well as a growing level of automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as brands seek to deliver consistently excellent customer service to more customers across more channels.

Our latest report, Customer Service in 2027, predicts that in 10 years’ time 45 per cent of customer interactions could be automated.

Meeting expectations with automation

Here are three key ways that automation will transform the customer experience over the next 10 years.

Firstly, advances in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) will mean that high-volume tasks will no longer need to be performed by a human, such as entering new customer information generated during a web chat into customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

These processes are repetitive and rule-based, so can easily be completed by RPA, and they can play a big part in making a more integrated customer service possible, freeing up staff to focus on more complex customer-facing tasks.

Secondly, AI can be used to process more complex data, powering self-service channels that can extract key information from customers, either by text or voice, and provide answers to frequently-asked questions.

That should mean shorter waiting times for customers to get the information they need and fewer basic queries for customer service teams, who can focus on more complex customer issues.

AI can also help build more detailed customer profiles to inform proactive product or service recommendations.

The third key role for automation will ultimately see the customer cut out of the process altogether.

The advance of the Internet of Things (IoT) will see connected products from fridges to cars communicating directly with contact centers without the need for any human interaction

In fact, our report predicts that by 2027 up to 60 per cent of the volume of interactions could be made up of automated communications between smart devices.

Retaining the human touch

It’s easy to see how, in 10 years’ time, automated systems will be at the heart of contact center operations, but this doesn’t mean they will replace human representatives.

We actually forecast customer service staff numbers to rise over the next decade, as the level of automation is offset by increasing volumes of customer interactions.

But these roles will ask more of agents as customers will only be speaking to a person if their enquiry can’t be resolved by an automated process.

This means employing representatives with a higher level of problem-solving skills as the role shifts towards dealing with more complex customer issues. And it will impact on recruitment and training in the sector, with constructive coaching to upskill existing staff.

We will also see a greater demand for new roles such as designers, data scientists, consultants and solution architects, who will help to implement and manage new automated technologies and ensure that they truly compliment representatives’ skills and deliver a seamless service.

So, while it’s easy to see how automation will have a huge impact on customer service over the next decade, the sector will never lose the human touch.

Sykes Enterprises Acquires RPA Service Provider Symphony Ventures Limited

(Past member) — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated (“SYKES” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: SYKE), a leading provider of multichannel demand generation and global customer engagement services, announced yesterday it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Symphony Ventures Limited, or “Symphony”, the leading global pure-play and best-of-breed provider of RPA services. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in London, UK, Symphony is a premier provider to blue chip clients, offering RPA consulting, implementation, hosting and managed services. Approximately 200 people strong, Symphony has one of the largest independent global teams of Intelligent Automation experts. With a proven track record of success in automating thousands of front, middle and back-office processes at marquee brands, Symphony serves numerous industries globally, including financial services, healthcare, business services, manufacturing, consumer products, communications, media and entertainment. Symphony holds partnerships with leading RPA software vendors, including Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, NICE, Thoughtonomy, and UiPath and has grown roughly four-fold since fiscal year 2016.

The strategic rationale for the Symphony acquisition is compelling as it:

Definitively positions SYKES as an early mover and a clear leader amongst its peers in its ability to support clients’ RPA and IA initiatives globally across all facets of their business operations while enabling it to tap into an adjacent market estimated to be $8.1 billion growing at a roughly 30% compound annual growth rate;

Further enhances SYKES’ service portfolio and creates additional differentiation in its go-to-market strategy to penetrate new clients and verticals and increase wallet share within existing clients;

Enables SYKES to drive innovation in transaction workflow streams in order to enhance agent productivity and drive greater agent satisfaction given the current labor backdrop while helping to navigate long-term labor and demographic headwinds; and

Complements machine learning capabilities from XSELL Technologies that are tied to digital sales with Symphony’s capabilities tied to enhancing customer service thus optimizing the whole customer life cycle journey and management.

President & Chief Executive Officer Chuck Sykes commented, “The acquisition of Symphony is another significant step in building our company’s capabilities to succeed as the digital revolution continues to transform our clients’ businesses, their customer service needs, and by extension, the customer support industry. Combining the power of RPA with human ingenuity enables us to help our clients modernize, optimize and integrate key components of their digital operations to significantly improve their business, as well as improve their customers’ life cycle journey experience. The world of intelligent automation systems is approaching a tipping point, and we’re excited to be able to participate in this new technological advancement in a meaningful way. In that regard, I want to congratulate the Symphony team on their accomplishment of building a leading global brand in this new and exciting field and welcome them to the SYKES family.”

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, the Company will pay a cash purchase price of approximately £52 million, or $69 million at pound-dollar exchange rate of £1-to-$1.32, for 100% ownership of Symphony Ventures Limited, which is expected to be funded through a combination of cash on hand and the Company’s credit facility. The purchase price is approximately 2.0x 2019 projected revenues. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close on or about November 1, 2018. Symphony, through its innovative practices, has developed a well-recognized brand in the industry, which it is expected to retain post acquisition. The management team will remain in place after the transaction closes and will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of the business.

Chief Executive Officer of Symphony Ventures Limited, David Poole, stated, “Symphony has rapidly grown over the past four years to become the digital operations partner of choice for numerous enterprise clients looking to implement RPA and IA solutions. This growth has been due to the efforts of our highly trained and experienced team that take a process first approach to digital transformation to ensure we deliver top notch quality each and every time. Both SYKES and Symphony are innovative pioneers dedicated to improving customer and client experience. By joining the SYKES family, Symphony will be able to realize the next chapter of our vision to orchestrate the world’s work and drive value for our clients and employees.”

Results International Group, LLP served as a sole financial advisor to Symphony Ventures Limited on the transaction. Symphony Ventures Limited was also advised by Acresis. Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP served as SYKES’ legal advisor, while Withers LLP served as Symphony Ventures Limited’s legal advisor. London headquartered Livingbridge, an investor in Symphony Ventures Limited, is a mid-market multi-sector-focused private equity firm.

Switching providers: How outsourcing can help companies maintain a competitive edge

(Past member) — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Across a multitude of sectors, service providers are facing increased competition and regulatory pressures, with the aim of driving higher levels of customer satisfaction. In finance, the new open banking initiative, introduced by the UK Government, has resulted in a shift towards increased customer transparency, encouraging competition into a market that was previously closed to all but the largest of entrants.

Meanwhile, Energy UK announced that more than 5.5 million energy customers switched electricity supplier during 2017. In addition, the regulator, Ofgem, is capping the price of standard variable (SVT) and default tariffs and encouraging customers to shop around for better deals. Therefore, the key question for service providers across sectors is how to attract new customers and retain current ones in an increasingly competitive and regulated marketplace?

The place to start is around customer interaction and communication, which is key to meeting the expectations of discerning customers. However, regular service rankings and complaints data issued by regulators, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Ofgem and Ofwat, all serve to demonstrate the scale of the challenge when it comes to customer engagement.

Providers must ensure a high standard of quality assurance when handling customer interactions in the first instance, reducing the number and complexity of complaints that often result in unnecessary costs or damage to reputation. Effective customer contact is a crucial opportunity to improve satisfaction and retention levels, while simultaneously attracting new customers who are seeking a better level of service. Often, working with an external partner to deliver these outcomes ensures an objective assessment of areas for improvement and focus.

In addition, putting effective contingency plans in place for sudden and unforeseen spikes in customer queries and complaints should be an important part of a service provider’s preparation. For instance, the surges in complaints Ofwat received as a result of the ‘Beast from the East’ and the summer heatwave, should act as a wake-up call for water firms to prepare for more extreme instances of weather and the customer interactions that will ultimately follow.

Turning to the world of retail banking, app-based challenger banks have demonstrated that customer service teams can be available immediately at customers’ fingertips, and traditional banks need to keep up with this digitised, customer-first approach. It is imperative service providers embrace technological solutions and operational improvements to better handle customer complaints, resulting in an enhanced, streamlined experience. Complaints are raw, direct interactions with customers and should be treated as valuable sources of information about business services and processes, highlighting potential trends to learn from and address.

All firms should routinely review complaint paths to analyse the causes, not just the symptoms, and identify any particular business processes that may be causing problems. It is essential to have sufficiently granular management information (MI) on the complaint caseload to be able to address systemic issues. Where there are particularly high levels of complexity in complaints – for example, challenges around vulnerable customers – it’s important to consider putting in place new processes and experienced teams to focus on effectively finding an appropriate resolution, while upskilling and training existing teams to ensure they are prepared for future issues.

In addition, the correct outsourcing partner can deliver collaborative expertise when a company needs it most. A high-quality provider should offer effective root cause analysis (RCA), which allows companies to identify problem products and services that may be driving complaints. By fixing problems internally and creating an environment in which issues are identified and rectified before they escalate, firms are able to look beyond symptoms and see genuine improvements in business performance and for customers.

Switching providers is easy and encouraged, but service providers must cut through the noise and differentiate themselves from the competition by providing a positive customer experience, which is something increasingly sought by consumers. It is time to take stock and reassess how customers and their complaints are dealt with, treating each one as an opportunity to build brand loyalty and improve consumer retention.

Huntswood can relieve the pressure of handling large volumes of complaints and other forms of inbound customer contact and provide its clients with a wide range of services that deliver good customer outcomes and business efficiencies.

NHS Foundations Trust employs Thoughtonomy Virtual Workers

(Past member) — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

London, 8 October 2018: Working with Thoughtonomy, ESNEFT has cut the time taken to process the first stage of each GP referral from 15-20 minutes down to five minutes. The program will eliminate the need for staff to spend more than 100 hours a week processing paperwork and instead ensures referrals are actioned 24/7.

The intelligent automation program, which has been running since July 2018, is the first of its kind within the NHS and is initially being deployed in five specialist clinical units – Neurology, Cardiology, Urology, Nephrology and Haematology. Within the first 3 months, the Trust released more than 500 hours of medical secretaries’ time and estimates it will also save £220,000 in associated direct costs by July 2019.

Darren Atkins, Deputy Director of ICT at ESNEFT, said: “We’re delighted with the results we’ve realized so far and are hugely excited about the potential benefits of automating more processes across our Trust. When you look at the time and cost savings we’ve already banked within just one specific area of our operations, you start to get an idea of how intelligent automation can drive transformation on a huge scale within the NHS.”

Using the Thoughtonomy Virtual Workforce® platform, three virtual workers at Ipswich Hospital actively monitor incoming referrals from the national GP Electronic Referral Service (eRS) in real-time, 24 hours a day. As soon as a referral is received, the virtual worker reads the content and extracts the reason for referral. It retrieves all relevant referral data and supporting clinical information such as scan and blood test results from disparate sources, before merging everything into a single pdf document. The virtual worker then uploads the document into the Trust’s administrative systems using highly secure smart card technology and alerts the lead consultant that the referral is ready for review and grading.

Prior to the automation program, medical secretaries were responsible for processing referrals manually, downloading and printing documents, which they then scanned into a new document. In a large Trust such as ESNEFT, which deals with around 2,000 referrals per week, this was a huge drain on medical secretaries’ time.

According to the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), automation could save the NHS up to £12.5bn a year, the equivalent of 10% of its annual budget. In addition, it is estimated that a further £6bn could be saved through automation in social care. The recent Darzi Review of Health and Care called on healthcare bodies to ‘embrace full automation to release time to care’ as part of a 10 Point Plan to future-proof health and care services in the UK.

Terry Walby, CEO & Founder of Thoughtonomy, said: “Intelligent Automation has a massive role to play in streamlining time-consuming and inefficient processes across the NHS. By absorbing a wide range of time-intensive, repetitive tasks, we can unburden staff from administration and allow them, instead, to focus on delivering the excellent quality of care upon which we all rely. We’re delighted to be working with forward-thinking NHS Trusts, such as ESNEFT, who are championing the use of AI and automation technology in order to deliver real benefits to hardworking frontline staff while reducing costs. This, in turn, translates into a better patient experience for all.”

Frontline staff at ESNEFT have welcomed the new automated process. Dr Petr Pokorny, a Staff Grade Neurologist, said: “It allows for a more efficient, fluent flow of work, as it’s easier to deal with five new referrals every morning rather than a huge pile of 35 referrals once a week. What’s more, we now have our medical secretaries fully focused on the things that make a real difference to our staff and patients.”

The new automated referral process supports ESNEFT’s obligations under the Standard Contract for 2018/19 to process all referrals via the Electronic Referral Service (eRS), and to optimize its operations in line with the Paper Switch Off program, which comes into force on 1st October 2018.

Thoughtonomy enables organizations to enhance the productivity of their workforce through the intelligent automation and digitization of knowledge work. It uses AI and robotic process automation software to emulate how people work, allowing companies to add flexible resources to their team without disruption and rapid ROI.

Wipro Partners with King’s College London and Sheffield Hallam University to strengthen STEM educa

(Past member) — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Bangalore, India, London and Sheffield, United Kingdom – September 21, 2018: Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced partnerships with two leading UK academic institutions – King’s College London and Sheffield Hallam University, for strengthening STEM education in state schools in the United Kingdom.

Wipro will partner with King’s College London, to support the development of the first Master of Arts in STEM Education in the UK, and Sheffield Hallam University to offer the ‘Wipro Teacher Fellowship’ and ‘Wipro Teacher Mentor’ programmes. Both initiatives aim to provide high quality continuing professional development to early and mid-career educators, to address the shortfall and high turnover of STEM teachers in the UK.

Wipro will support King’s College London in developing the curriculum for a proposed Master of Arts in STEM education course, which will take a blended learning approach, involving face-to-face as well as online learning. The company will also offer bursaries to cover up to 80% of tuition fees, to ensure accessibility of the course for diverse cohorts of in-service teachers and educators from within and outside London. There will be a strong focus on attracting teachers from Opportunity Areas. Wipro will also support Sheffield Hallam University to launch and run the ‘Wipro Teacher Fellowship’ and ‘Wipro Teacher Mentor’ programmes. The 18-months programmes, which will commence in January 2019, and will support early career teachers of STEM subjects and STEM teacher mentors from schools in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster and Derbyshire.

Both partnerships will address crucial issues in the UK by generating more interest in STEM subjects, developing higher standards of teaching, and investing in teacher retention, especially in the national ‘social mobility cold spots’.

Eggplant Launches Intelligent Robotic Process Automation Solution

(Past member) — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

London, UK and Boulder, Colorado: Eggplant, the provider of user-centric, intelligent testing and performance solutions, has released Eggplant RPA: an intelligent Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution, harnessing Eggplant’s unique and patented Digital Automation Intelligence (DAI) capabilities.

DAI was designed initially for test automation, however it has evolved into something that can automate anything a person can do, including intelligently understanding and acting on screen images and text and driving any application through keyboard and mouse inputs. Eggplant’s unique automation technology is already widely used for RPA use cases across a variety of industry sectors. These use cases range from database migration and audit trails for federal organizations, to security patches for hospital servers, to marketing automation. Eggplant has also used RPA to convert and migrate over 500,000 files for a document management platform, speeding up processes and reducing mundane, repetitive tasks for employees without the risk of human error during manual entry.

Antony Edwards, CTO of Eggplant commented “Although the Robotic Process Automation industry is fairly new, Eggplant has a long heritage in automating the un-automatable. Our customers have naturally used Eggplant for all kinds of automation including RPA and so it is was listening to our customers and looking at their use cases, that lead us to create Eggplant RPA. When faced with the prospect of RPA, many organizations believe that it is too technical and that a lot of developers need to be involved. However, with the powerful modelling and fusion automation of Eggplant RPA, we are proving this is simply not the case.”

--END--

Pharmacy2U Selects RingCentral for Innovative Omnichannel Communications

(Past member) — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON, England – September 20, 2018 -- RingCentral UK, Ltd., a leading provider of enterprise cloud communications and collaboration solutions and a wholly owned subsidiary of RingCentral, Inc. (NYSE:RNG), has been selected by Pharmacy2U, the UK's largest online pharmacy, as its central communication platform to help it deliver a truly customer-centric contact centre experience to support its rapid growth.

Pharmacy2U helps over 240,000 people across the country manage their NHS repeat prescriptions. Set up by a team of pharmacists in 1999, Pharmacy2U was a founding partner to the NHS in developing the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).

“We are adding around 7,000 patients per week, which is the equivalent of 16 new High Street pharmacies opening each month, and our aim is to allow people to contact us using the method that suits them best, whether that’s by phone, email, or webchat,” said Andy Williams, Director of Customer Care for Pharmacy2U. “With RingCentral, we have an innovative and industry-proven platform that will allow us to deliver a truly unified communication experience and continue to deliver the highest levels of customer service while driving efficiency across the business.”

RingCentral Contact Centre™ is an omnichannel solution that helps people using Pharmacy2U to choose their preferred method of communicating, via voice, chat, SMS, email, and more. The platform includes intelligent IVR and self-service options that are tightly integrated with smart routing functionality to help patients connect more quickly to the advisor who can best handle their needs. The platform also includes tools to help Pharmacy2U optimise staff scheduling and improve contact centre efficiencies. Pharmacy2U is already using RingCentral Glip to help manage the system integration and migration project.

“Pharmacy2U is an innovator in the health industry that is making a real difference to people across the country,” said Steven Rafferty, Regional Vice President of Enterprise Sales, EMEA at RingCentral. “We’re proud to help them deliver a seamless patient experience through our open and flexible platform. We look forward to identifying new ways to partner with Pharmacy2U as they continue to expand.”

ABSL announce jury for ABSL Diamond Awards

(Past member) — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

ABSL have announced their jury for the upcoming ABSL Diamonds Awards on the 5th December. The jury has been comprised of four members including President and CEO of the Global Sourcing Association Kerry Hallard and Christian Mertin, Global Advisory Solutions Leader at EY.

ABSL Diamonds is the most prestigious sector awards, recognizing companies which implemented the most innovative projects enhancing their business and strengthening the business services sector’s position as the powerhouse of the economy. Every year the aim is to identify successful activities in business services sector, promote best practices, encourage and inspire other companies to follow the best ones.

UiPath Raises $225 million Series C led by CapitalG and Sequoia valuing the business at $3 billion.

(Past member) — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

UiPath, Romania’s first IT unicorn, tripled its value in six months after receiving $225 million in a new funding round from Sequoia Capital and Google’s CapitalG, the WSJ reports. The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software provider, currently a market leader, began as a Bucharest-based startup founded by a team of ten led by Daniel Dines, the company’s CEO and Marius Tirca (CTO).

The new funding round, led by Sequoia Capital and Capital G, comes six months after the company raised $153 million from Accel, Capital G and KP, and saw its valuation shoot to $1 billion, achieving unicorn status. So far, the company has received USD 400 million in funding.

"After years toiling in obscurity, three startups have suddenly hit the jackpot in a corner of the enterprise-software market sprinkled with artificial intelligence,” the WSJ writes about UiPath Inc., Blue Prism Group PLC and Automation Anywhere Inc. “Now they are racing to one-up each other to appear the market leader.”

NewVoiceMedia partners with Rapid7 to transform its customer experience and contact centre operation

(Past member) — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

NewVoiceMedia, a leading global provider of cloud contact centre and inside sales solutions, today announced that SecOps firm Rapid7 has selected the NVM Platform to deliver a personalised, exceptional experience to its globally expanding customer base.

Rapid7 powers the practice of SecOps by delivering shared visibility, analytics and automation that unites security, IT and DevOps teams. Headquartered in Boston, Rapid7 serves more than 7,100 customers in 120+ countries, including 55 percent of the Fortune 100.

Rapid7 selected NewVoiceMedia’s cloud contact centre solution for its integration with the organisation’s CRM system, which will enable the service team to instantly access customer engagement histories and personalise each interaction. With service agents located around the globe, Rapid7 is also leveraging NVM’s global call routing architecture, Global Voice Assurance. It will allow the service team to manage its resources across the globe as a single entity, reducing customer wait times while ensuring reliable call quality and service availability for calls in remote regions.

The NVM Platform will also provide a real-time window into Rapid7’s entire support operation, with automatic call logging, recording and customisable reporting features that will allow the support team to understand where improvement opportunities exist.

“Rapid7 is deeply committed to providing our customers with a personalised and exceptional experience every time they interact with our organisation, our products, and our services”, says Rajeev Jaswal, CIO at Rapid7. “We needed a reliable cloud contact centre solution that would integrate seamlessly with our CRM, and, NewVoiceMedia met those needs”.

Chris Haggis, SVP Customer Success at NewVoiceMedia, adds, “We’re delighted to be working with Rapid7 and look forward to seeing the company transform its customer service and business efficiencies. Customer experience is becoming the primary tool for companies to differentiate, and NVM will help Rapid7 outcompete on CX by making every conversation great. Additionally, our true cloud solutions are completely flexible and scalable and will continue to support the business throughout its future expansion".

Hotellobot: The World’s First Personal Hotel Concierge Robot

(Past member) — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON, Hotellobot (07/09/18)- Hotellobot is an ingenious guest information service software that can be paired with Hotellobot Robot Hardware to make the world’s first and only personal hotel concierge robot.

Hotellobot Software can be used in conjunction with Amazon Dot Voice Hardware, Amazon Spot Screen Hardware or Hotellobot Robot Hardware to provide an exceptional, user-friendly, guest information system. With a vocal command or touch of the screen, depending on which hardware is used, Hotellobot is able to provide guests with information specific to their hotel stay - including menus and timetables.

It is the combination of Hotellobot Software and Hotellobot Robot Hardware that provides an altogether unique concierge assistant to guests and staff alike - the first of its kind worldwide. Hotellobot Robot Hardware can be connected to a network of staff smart watches, allowing guests to request concierge services from the comfort of their room. The conservation of resources and staff time as a result of the communication between Hotellobot Software, Hotellobot Robot Hardware, and staff smart watches will be unprecedented.

Data collected from this unique network will produce invaluable information regarding guest requests, and assist hoteliers in projecting and implementing the most economical direction of employee and resource.

Hotellobot is a multifaceted, unique software and robot hardware, that will provide support to guests, staff, and hoteliers alike. Hotellobot will bring an adroit, previously unchartered dimension to concierge and guest services. Technology in hotel rooms is a step towards a more efficient, cutting-edge business model. The 24 - hour, unlimited nature of Hotellobot’s functionality will transform the accessibility of guest services, as well as eradicate unnecessary calls to reception desks.

Arvato CRM Solutions identified as a “Leader” in NelsonHall’s NEAT vendor evaluation for Digi

(Past member) — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Arvato CRM Solutions has been named as a ‘Leader’ in an extensive vendor evaluation report for Digital Customer Experience Services from NelsonHall, the leading business process services and IT services research and analysis firm.

The NelsonHall report evaluates global outsourcing vendors on their ability to deliver customer experience improvements, optimize costs, manage volume and scale, and generate revenues. Arvato CRM Solutions is one of a small number of companies that NelsonHall recognizes as ‘a leader’, based on their overall ability to deliver immediate client benefits and meet future customer service requirements.

NelsonHall identifies cost optimization and customer experience improvements as particular strengths of Arvato CRM Solutions - including offshoring and nearshoring, operation consolidation, improvement in turnaround time through process optimization and automation, increase of customer satisfaction, reduced customer effort, and process improvement. Other highlights include the company’s proprietary conversational AI framework, strong technology and CX innovation partnership network, and mature self-service offering.

Andreas Krohn, CEO at Arvato CRM Solutions, said: “Being identified as a leader by NelsonHall is a testament to our delivery of truly market-leading customer service for many of the world’s best-known brands. It’s our combination of technology, people and deep experience that makes the real difference and means we can deliver great customer service that our clients value, now and in the future.”

Ivan Kotzev, CX Lead Analyst at NelsonHall, said: “Arvato CRM Solutions is well positioned to meet the key current and future client requirements for digital self-service. The company’s NLU capability and proprietary analytics and conversational AI frameworks, as well as domain experience, are fundamental to achieving cost optimization and improving the customer experience.”

TSB announces Paul Pester to step down as CEO

(Past member) — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The Board of TSB Bank Plc has today announced that after 7 years as CEO, Paul Pester will be stepping down from his position and leaving the company.

Richard Meddings, current Non Executive Chairman of TSB, will take on the role of Executive Chairman with immediate effect in order to enable a full public search to commence for a new CEO.

Whilst there is still work to do to achieve full stability for customers, TSB’s systems and services are much improved since the bank’s IT migration earlier this year. Paul and the Board have therefore agreed that this is the right time for Paul to step down and to appoint a new CEO for TSB.

Commenting on the changes, Richard Meddings said:

"Paul has made an enormous contribution to TSB. Thanks to his passion and commitment, TSB is today one of the UK’s strongest challenger banks, serving over 5 million customers across the UK. On behalf of the TSB Board, I want to thank Paul for everything he has achieved as CEO and pay tribute to the contribution he has made in bringing greater competition to the UK retail banking market.

"Although there is more to do to achieve full stability for customers, the bank’s IT systems and services are much improved since the IT migration. Paul and the Board have therefore agreed that this is the right time to appoint a new CEO for TSB. Our goal is therefore to allow a full search to commence, without any distractions, enabling TSB to build for the future.

"Meanwhile I have been asked by the Board to take on the role of Executive Chairman on an interim basis. Together with the Executive Committee, we have three immediate priorities: to complete the work of putting things right for customers; to enable the bank to achieve full functionality – including the availability of all product services and launch of a leading Business Banking offer; and appointing a CEO for the next chapter of TSB."

Paul Pester said:

"Five years ago, on 9 September 2013, we launched TSB back onto high streets across Britain. I vividly remember standing in our Baker Street branch, waiting to reveal TSB above the door. But it wasn’t just a sign we were revealing – we were revealing a bank with a clear mission to bring more competition to UK banking and ultimately make banking better for all UK consumers.

"Thanks to the fantastic work and commitment of all TSB Partners, we have achieved real success in creating a bank which is truly consumer-focused, attracting customers from the UK’s established banks, and growing TSB’s balance sheet from c.£18bn to c.£31bn today. The last few months have been challenging for everyone at TSB. However, I want to thank all my colleagues across TSB for their dedication and commitment during this period and for their focus on putting things right for TSB customers.

"It has been a privilege to lead TSB through its creation and first five years. I look forward to seeing the next stage of our bank’s history evolve."

Intelenet opens a new Global Delivery Centre in Jordan

(Past member) — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

London, 03.09.2018: Intelenet® Global Services, a renowned global Business Process Services player today announced that the company has set up a centre in Jordan with the inauguration of its latest global delivery centre. The state-of-the-art centre with a capacity of 200 seats will help the company expand its operations across all sectors and provide low cost Arabic delivery based on emerging client demands.

Intelenet has four centres in the Middle-East catering to clients across travel, logistics, telecom, financial services and public sectors with cost optimal BPS service offerings in English and Arabic. The Jordan centre is a stepping stone which will allow Intelenet to provide hybrid onshore and offshore delivery locations. The centre is in the process of expanding to a 500-seater facility and will be a pivotal centre for driving growth in the GCC region.

Piety Gonsalves, Managing Director – Middle East, Intelenet Global Services said, “Jordan is a strategic low cost nearshore delivery location for us and this centre underscores our intent to grow aggressively in this region leveraging local talent. We see significant opportunities to grow across sectors. With this strategic presence in Amman, our continuous endeavour is towards operational excellence and delivering customer satisfaction by providing digital transformation based new age innovations.”

Intelenet® has a global footprint with presence in eight countries with a combined strength of 40+ service centres and 55,000 employees to meet the growing requirements of businesses from various corners of the world in multiple languages.

AFest 2018 Line-up Announced

(Past member) — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

London, 3 September 2018 - Powered by Deezer and UMG Live, AFest is AfricaCom’s official stellar networking event, and will bring 1000s of industry leaders together in one of Cape Town's hottest venues - Shimmy Beach Club at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town - on Tuesday, 13 November 2018.

AFest, now in its third year, is always a popular event on the AfricaCom agenda. 2018 will be even more so with the announcement of a partnership with Internet-based music streaming service, Deezer. All AFest ticket holders will now be eligible for a 3-month subscription to Deezer, activated when attending AFest (entry costs $40/ticket). Ticket holders will be able to experience Deezer’s innovative leading functionality, including the extensive local catalogue, data optimisation, offline features, the signature FLOW feature and content curation for Africa.

Gillian Ezra, Head of African Operations for Deezer commented, “The partnership between AFEST and Deezer works so well. As the streaming service with the largest footprint on the African continent, it makes perfect sense to partner with this incredible event and the AfricaCom event overall. We look forward to a great night with fantastic artists”.

In the wake of last year’s AFest headliners - AKA, Black Motion and Mr Silk – along with celebrating AfricaCom’s 21st show and now with a turbo boost Powered by Deezer and UMG Live, AFest 2018 is set to make a splash. The phenomenal line-up will include TRESOR, The Muses and Swing City, with more acts to be announced.

Two-thirds of UK businesses not insured against information security breaches and data loss

(Past member) — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Only one third of senior executives in UK organisations admit their company insurance currently covers them for a security breach and for the financial impact of data loss, despite the fact that 81 per cent agree that it is ‘vital’ their organisation is insured against information security breaches. This is according to the latest Risk:Value report from NTT Security, the specialised security company of NTT Group, which also reveals that less than a third (29 per cent) of firms have dedicated cyber security insurance in place.

The 2018 report, which looks at the attitudes of 1,800 global senior decision makers from non-IT functions to risks to the business and the value of information security, reveals that UK businesses would have to spend on average £1 million to recover from a breach.

While the UK compares poorly to other markets like the US and Singapore (53 per cent) when it comes to insuring against both information security breaches and data loss, it still fares better than Benelux (27 per cent) and the Nordics (23 per cent in Sweden; 28 per cent in Norway). The UK also ranks second from last for having dedicated cyber insurance, alongside Germany (29 per cent) and just above Benelux (27 per cent).

Just six per cent of respondents in the UK say their company insurance covers only for information security breaches, while 11 per cent are covered only for data loss. However, the fact that nearly half (45 per cent) of those surveyed do not know if their company insurance covers either of these is a concern, given that it is the highest figure for any of the countries in the report and well above the global average of 23 per cent.

Kai Grunwitz, Senior VP EMEA, NTT Security, comments: “With estimated annual losses from cyber crime now topping $400bn (£291bn) according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, you would hope more organisations would be beating a path to insurers’ doors. But while the insurance sector is certainly seeing growth in the number of policies being taken out to cover such losses, it’s an issue that many senior decision makers are not on top of."

According to figures, the number of insurers now offering cyber insurance via Lloyd's of London has leapt to more than 70, nearly double the number a few years ago, while insurance giant Allianz predicts that global cyber insurance premiums will grow to $20bn by 2025, up from around $3-4bn currently.

According to the 2018 Risk:Value report, half of respondents in UK organisations believe that the failure to maintain or apply updates to existing IT systems would or could invalidate their company insurance, while 37 per cent point to lack of compliance with industry regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in May. While 63 per cent of respondents in the UK say they have an incident response plan in place, and another 18 per cent are in the process of implementing one, 38 per cent agree that lack of an incident response plan could or would also invalidate their company insurance.

Incident response is a basic requirement of best practice security and is even more important with the GDPR mandating 72-hour notifications following a breach. The GDPR and NIS Directive both require organisations in one way or another to follow best practices in cybersecurity, threatening huge fines of up to £17 million or four per cent of global annual turnover for non-compliance.

NTT Security’s Kai Grunwitz adds: “While cyber risk insurance should be put in place to help mitigate the potential fallout of a data security breach, a policy must not be seen as a ‘get out of jail free' card. Cyber insurance must be complementary to an effective risk-based information security strategy, not a replacement for it. You wouldn't expect your house insurance provider to pay out if you were burgled when the doors and windows are left unlocked. So don't expect a payout – or indeed an insurance policy – if you haven't put in place the right processes and policies.”

Thomas Cook to outsource Falkirk call centre

(Past member) — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Thomas Cook is to outsource its contact centre operation in Falkirk from October.

As part of the agreement, all 300 staff will keep their jobs and remain in their current premises.

The travel giant says the agreement is consistent with its strategy to “streamline operations”. It follows a partnership with Expedia for the online travel agent to provide Cook’s booking platform for city break and hotel-only sales.

A larger contact centre at its headquarters in Peterborough will remain under Cook’s management, a spokesman confirmed.

The Falkirk contact centre underwent a multi-million pound refurbishment in 2016. It has been based in the Scottish town since 1997.

Ingo Burmester, chief of UK source market, Thomas Cook, said: “By using the expertise of a provider like Webhelp for our contact centre in Falkirk, we can keep improving our service while focusing our business where we can create the most value for our customers.”

David Turner, chief executive officer Webhelp UK, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected to help deliver world class customer experience for Thomas Cook’s holiday customers and proud that our record of excellence in customer service, technology and IT capability and long term commitment to Falkirk made us the right partner for the brand.”

Allied Dispatch Solutions drives customer service experience and productivity with NewVoiceMedia

(Past member) — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON 23 August 2018 – NewVoiceMedia, a leading global provider of cloud contact centre and inside sales solutions, today announced that roadside assistance company Allied Dispatch Solutions, LLC (ADS) has observed “significant increases” in productivity since implementing the NVM Platform in 2017. ADS also reports optimised data management, reliability, and customer experiences in its contact centres.

Headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee, with a subsidiary located in London, Ontario, ADS provides roadside assistance and customised call centre solutions for its various clients throughout the United States and Canada. These clients consist of original equipment manufacturers, wireless carriers, insurance companies, financial institutions, retail networks, and automobile dealerships. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, Allied’s Customer Solutions Specialists field calls from their clients’ members and must be able to quickly and accurately dispatch services from a network of 30,000 providers, addressing issues such as flat tires and disabled, malfunctioning vehicles.

NewVoiceMedia’s telephony infrastructure and skills-based call routing has enabled ADS to improve call quality and ease of use for the CSS team, promoting a more efficient contact centre environment. NVM’s integration with Salesforce Service Cloud provides the business with improved access to real-time call data ensuring the contact centre’s management team can appropriately staff and prepare for every dispatch call. With the ability to access data from a single integrated system, ADS can identify, anticipate and act upon trends and improve the coaching of best practices. ADS’ clients receive consistent, customized, and meaningful reports quickly and on demand.

“The voice channel remains a vital part of roadside assistance, and we are tasked around the clock to be there when people need us the most”, says Anthony Royer, President and CEO of ADS. “NewVoiceMedia took the time to really understand what we do and provide a solution that allows us to deliver on that promise, and to measure and communicate our success to clients with confidence”.

Chris Haggis, SVP of Customer Success at NewVoiceMedia, adds, “We are delighted that ADS has experienced such incredible success with the NVM platform, as our Salesforce integration makes it easier for their business to track the data that will continue to drive results and customer experience. Our true cloud delivery will also allow ADS to scale and adapt as their business expands and the roadside assistance industry evolves”.

South Africa: The New Call Centre Destination Of Choice

(Past member) — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The local call centre industry is booming! According to industry standards, its growth over the past four years is at twice the global growth rate and increasing three times faster than past industry leaders, India and the Philippines. So, what are the main factors that are enticing offshore business owners to establish operations in South Africa?

The Quest for Superior Agents

According to South Africa’s specialist offshore investment agency and networking body for the BPO industry (BPESA), international outsourcing to SA is strongly driven by an abundant pool of educated, low-cost, multi-lingual agents. Their good quality English speaking skills, neutral accents and high empathy level gives local agents the upper hand. Plus, their cultural affinity (with the UK, Australia and increasingly, the US) also puts them at a natural advantage. Other appealing factors include the high skill level and committed work ethic of South Africans.

It also really benefits that local Government supports the BPO industry by being invested in learnership programmes, training and incentives. The result of which is breeding a culture of performance – where agents are driven to hit targets.

Round-the-Clock Business Hours

Europe certainly favours SA for their time zone compatibility. But with the capacity for round-the-clock quality service at significantly reduced costs, local call centres now appeal to all parts of the world, across multiple time zones! In fact, both large and small offshore clients are grabbing the golden opportunity of utilising South African contact centres in their night or ‘down time’ to service their client base.

First World Infrastructure

As ‘The Gateway to Africa’, South Africa’s telecommunications infrastructure is considered to be the best on the continent with a network that is 99.9% digital and includes the latest in fixed-line, wireless and satellite communication. The BPO industry is also moving swiftly towards delivery of high-tech digital services that offers clients a multi-channel customer experience, backed by advanced customer analytics and extensive back office fulfilment. In other words, offshore investors can be assured that they receive ‘the full package’ when it comes local call centre servicing.

Get Bang for Your Buck

Research conducted by BPESA reveals that the cost of operations in SA are at least 50-60% lower than those in England and Australia for both voice and non-voice work, making it all the more attractive for companies to establish their outreach from SA.

Setting a Worldwide Trend

The global BPO reach follows on from giant trendsetting companies the likes of Shell, Barclays, Lufthansa and Teletech, all of whom have call centre operations in South Africa. And so, with the rich landscape for BPO investor’s expanding, SA continues to advance in attracting offshore investors.

FSS Launches UPI 2.0 to help Banks Monetize UPI Payment Rails

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Chennai, 21 August 2018: FSS, a leader in payments technology and transaction processing, launched its Unified Payment Interface (UPI) 2.0 platform for banks and payment service providers (PSPs). FSS UPI is certified by NPCI, ensuring the solution is compliant, and up-to-date with UPI 2.0 specifications. A trusted provider of UPI solutions to 15+ banks. FSS expects its transaction volumes to double, propelled by strong adoption among merchants and corporates.

UPI provides simple, secure, cost-efficient payment rails for real-time person-to-person and person-to merchant transactions and has recorded exponential growth in the last 12 months. FSS UPI 2.0 will help banks and PSPs capitalize on this growth and fuel rapid expansion of the payment ecosystems. The key UPI 2.0 features include:

• Linking overdraft accounts to UPI

• Creating one-time mandates, enabling customers schedule payments

• Sending digital invoices to the payer’s inbox to establish transaction authenticity

• Embedding signature in the QR code for reduced fraud exposure

In particular, banks can leverage UPI and tap into the untapped corporate payments market segment. In addition to standard disbursal and collect payments, mash-up APIs can help banks to extend a host of innovative, relevant services to corporates. For example, businesses could send a pre-authorized payment request to suppliers, with a forward-dated invoice combined with an ability to block funds for certain transactions. Likewise, linking UPI to overdraft accounts instead of regular bank accounts would help corporates meet working capital needs.

For the retail segment, FSS UPI 2.0, in addition to standard services, offers innovative services including Chat and Pay, Loyalty and Rewards and Risk Management-as-a-Service to drive rich, contextual and secure transaction experiences. Chat and Pay provides ease of use by enabling customers interact with a chatbot to conduct transactions. Loyalty and Rewards enable PSPs to apply contextual transactional data and drive customer engagement. Using FSS UPI, banks can also offer added value services such as risk exposure score to customers and merchants to provide added security against data breaches.

Commenting on the launch, Suresh Rajagopalan, President Software Products, FSS, said; “UPI has emerged as India’s Universally Popular Payment Interface. FSS UPI 2.0 opens new opportunities for banks and PSPs to collaborate with Fintech players, merchants and corporates and firm their position in the fast-evolving digital payments segment. FSS is a trusted UPI partner and we are working closely with banks and PSPs to launch innovative overlay services to monetize UPI rails.”

FSS UPI provides the flexibility to issue and manage the complete lifecycle of virtual payment addresses linked to bank accounts as well as routing transactions to the Central Layer (NPCI). Additionally, banks and PSPs can layer additional services to acquire more transactions and deliver higher customer value. Designed to provide omni-channel support, FSS UPI accepts and authorizes payment initiated from multiple channels - mobile, POS, and online - for onward processing by the Central Layer (NPCI). The solution is benchmarked to process 6,600 transactions per second and provides four nines availability to customers.

FSS offers UPI services on a turnkey managed services model. This includes Software-as-a-Service as well as testing, certification, security and regulatory compliance, relieving PSPs of the need to invest and maintain in-house systems as well as the complexity of managing services on their own.

ISG Awarded Place on UK Government's G-Cloud 10 Framework

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON, Aug. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, today announced the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has awarded ISG a place on the UK Government's latest G-Cloud framework, G-Cloud 10.

The award gives UK public sector organizations, including central government, local councils, NHS trusts and other bodies, access to ISG's market-leading cloud advisory services, which can be procured through a centralized website. ISG last year was awarded a place on the CCS G-Cloud 9 framework, the predecessor to G-Cloud 10, as well as a place on the CCS Digital Outcomes Specialist Supplier (DOS2) framework, to help UK public sector organization design, build and deliver digital programs. Earlier this year, the CCS also awarded ISG a place on its Spend Analysis and Recovery Services (SARS) II framework, to provide telecommunications spend recovery services to the UK public sector.

G-Cloud 10 incorporates some 25,000 cloud services categorized into three lots: cloud hosting, cloud software and cloud support. The award to ISG will enable UK public sector organizations to quickly and cost-effectively leverage the firm's extensive expertise in the following areas:

• Cloud Research and Advisory Services

• Cloud Network and Software Advisory Services

• Robotic Process Automation

• Cloud Sourcing

• Cloud Managed Services

• Cloud Digital Strategy and Solutions

• Cloud Data and Analytics

Phil Millward, ISG partner specializing in the UK public sector, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded a place on the G-Cloud 10 framework for cloud support. Our selection on this highly competitive framework is a testament to the experience ISG has in providing expert and reliable advice to its clients on integrating cloud-based technologies into their operations.

"Having recently been awarded a place on the UK government's SARS II framework and as a chosen supplier on other government frameworks, including Digital Outcomes and Specialists, being selected as a G-Cloud 10 supplier further demonstrates ISG's commitment to assist organizations across the UK public sector. We are keen to build on our excellent track record with government organizations and look forward to helping them deploy cloud services to cut costs and improve efficiency for UK taxpayers.''

ISG Expands Provider Evaluations to the UK

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON, August 17, 2018 ― Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, today announced it is expanding its ISG Provider Lens™ research coverage to the UK, with a report evaluating providers offering infrastructure, data center and private cloud services in this market.

The ISG Provider Lens Infrastructure and Data Center/Private Cloud Quadrant Report evaluates 45 providers serving the UK market across five quadrants: Managed Services and Transformation – Midmarket; Managed Services and Transformation – Large Accounts; Managed Hosting – Midmarket; Managed Hosting – Large Accounts, and Colocation.

The ISG research found enterprise demand in the UK for managed services and transformation offerings has increased dramatically in the last year, with many providers achieving double-digit growth. Much of that growth can be attributed to the rise in digital services, and the corresponding use of hybrid models, in which on-premises, private and public cloud are united and operating on a single, integrated platform.

The business itself, rather than IT, is the big consumer of managed services. Business leaders expect flexible, scalable services that can be deployed in the shortest amount of time possible. Numerous providers are specializing in and are prepared to meet these requirements, with many also offering backup, network, and software-defined data center (SDDC) services, ISG has found. Security also is a major consideration for enterprise buyers, even more so following the enactment of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May.

Managed hosting is a mature market in the UK, one that is increasingly being expanded to include cloud-based solutions and applications support, ISG found. Combining traditional and cloud services results in faster provisioning of additional services, more self-service options and flexible billing models, such as usage-based pricing. With the UK’s upcoming withdrawal from the EU, providers in this space, like those in managed services, must ensure that GDPR and other EU compliance requirements are strictly adhered to.

ISG also has found that interest in colocation services has risen sharply in recent years and should continue to grow. Colocation providers, particularly those servicing the financial center in London, are responding to the increased demand by expanding their infrastructure facilities and adding new services, such as staff augmentation. Connectivity services also are being enhanced to create faster links to internet exchange nodes and hyperscale public cloud providers. ISG noted that colocation providers are offering their facilities to cloud service providers, in addition to enterprises wishing to relocate their on-premises infrastructure.

“The managed services market in the UK has increased significantly, fueled by the dramatic growth in cloud-based services,” said Barry Matthews, partner and head of ISG UK and Ireland. “Large enterprises will continue to outsource more of their mission-critical IT, and the explosion of digital services will only increase this demand. Midmarket buyers, too, are more open to cloud solutions. Providers are responding by expanding their offerings to include hybrid infrastructure hosting, hyperscale solutions, data security, storage, networking and software environment support.”

In its report, ISG named BT, Fujitsu and T-Systems as leaders in the Managed Services and Transformation – Midmarket quadrant; Atos, BT, Capgemini, Computacenter, DXC Technology, HCL, IBM and TCS as leaders in the Managed Services and Transformation – Large Accounts quadrant; Atos Canopy, BT, Claranet, Fujitsu, Rackspace and T-Systems as leaders in the Managed Hosting – Midmarket quadrant; Atos Canopy, BT, Capgemini, DXC Technology and IBM as leaders in the Managed Hosting – Large Accounts quadrant, and BT, Digital Realty, Equinix, Global Switch, Interxion and Telehouse as leaders in the Colocation quadrant. BT was the only provider to be named a leader across all five quadrants.

HGS wins contract with Money Advice Service

(Past member) — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

CHISWICK, LONDON, Aug. 10, 2018 -- Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd. (HGS) (listed on BSE & NSE in India), has announced that its subsidiary Hinduja Global Solutions UK Ltd has been awarded a new 2-year contract from the Crown Commercial Government Contact Centre Framework for the Money Advice Service.

The Money Advice Service is a UK-wide, independent service set up to improve people's ability to manage their financial affairs. HGS will be providing the public with free and impartial money guidance by phone, email and webchat through a new Customer Advisor team in Selkirk, which went live on Wednesday 1st August.

"We are delighted to enter into this new partnership with Money Advice Service, which provides support to so many people who need it," said Adam Foster, CEO HGS Europe. "We have created a service which will continue to evolve, improving the quality of and people's access to impartial money advice. We are committed to working with the Money Advice Service to deliver intelligent new ways to innovate and make the service accessible to everyone who needs it, when and where they need support."

John-Penberthy Smith, Customer Director at the Money Advice Service said:

"We're pleased to be working with our partner HGS to provide free and impartial money guidance through our new Contact Centre in Selkirk. We have a great Customer Advisor Team ready to support the thousands of people who come to us each week seeking help on how to manage their money. Last year, our call centre delivered money guidance to over two hundred thousand people and we're delighted to be taking this work forward with our new partners."

HGS is hiring 33 advisors in its location in Selkirk. Interested individuals, with a strong desire to engage with people and help make a difference, should apply to selkirk.recruitment@teamhgs.com.

About Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS):

A global leader in business process management (BPM) and optimising the customer experience lifecycle, HGS is helping make its clients more competitive every day. HGS combines technology-powered services in automation, analytics and digital with domain expertise focusing on back office processing, contact centres and HRO solutions to deliver transformational impact to clients. Part of the multi-billion dollar conglomerate Hinduja Group, HGS takes a true "globally local" approach, with over 44,265 employees across 70 delivery centers in seven countries making a difference to some of the world's leading brands across nine key verticals. For the year ended 31st March 2018, HGS had revenues of US$ 597 million.

Devoteam Recognized as the Google Cloud EMEA Services Partner of the Year

(Past member) — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Paris, July 23, 2018 — Devoteam (Euronext Paris: DVT) today announced that it has received a 2018 Google Cloud EMEA Services Partner of the Year award. This year’s award was presented at the Google Cloud Next Partner Summit, an event in San Francisco that showcases Google Cloud partners spanning G Suite, GCP, Maps, Devices, and Education.

Devoteam was recognized for the company’s achievements in the Google Cloud ecosystem, helping joint customers make their digital transformation onto the cloud and make their workplaces truly digital.

“This is a great achievement and source of pride for us. Since 2009, we have grown and developed a partnership with Google Cloud that has become key in our capacity to accelerate the transformation of our clients. With Google Cloud we change the way employees work and collaborate, we make IT agile and we boost business with smart data. I believe we are only at the beginning and that we will keep on scaling strongly together”, says Sébastien Chevrel, COO of Devoteam.

“Our partners are fundamental to providing a great product to customers, particularly as demand for Google Cloud innovations grows,” said Sébastien Marotte, Vice President of the EMEA Region, Google Cloud. “We’re delighted to recognize Devoteam as the 2018 Google Cloud EMEA Partner of the Year based on the company’s dedication to helping Google Cloud customers in EMEA achieve success across services.”

About Devoteam

At Devoteam, we deliver innovative technology consulting for business.

As a pure player for Digital Transformation of large organisations across EMEA, our 5,500+ professionals are dedicated to ensuring our clients win their digital battles. With a unique transformation DNA, we connect business and technology.

Present in 17 countries in Europe and the Middle East, and drawing on more than 20 years of experience, we shape Technology for People, so it creates value for our clients, for our partners and for our employees.

Devoteam will achieve yearly revenues of €650 million in 2018. At Devoteam, we are Digital Transformakers.

Over half of UK businesses braced for revenue drop due to Brexit next year

(Past member) — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

2 August 2018

Over half of UK businesses believe Brexit will trigger a drop in revenue in 2019 according to new research by MHR Analytics, the specialist provider of business intelligence and analytics solutions.

The findings are contained in a new report published today entitled ‘Business Insight: The Data Surge’ which contains detailed polling of 200 senior decision-makers in large and medium sized UK businesses about their investment plans.

When asked which factor was most likely to trigger a drop in revenue for 2019, the majority believed it would be Brexit at 57 per cent, followed by reduced customer spending at 22 per cent. Interestingly, 10 per cent of those polled thought the recently implemented General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) would have an impact on revenue. Only seven per cent of respondents said no factor would trigger a drop in revenue.

The survey found that businesses were boosting investment in key areas to tackle the revenue drop, with IT coming top by a significant margin, suggesting tech spend is of huge importance to companies. 59 per cent of businesses will increase spend on IT in 2019, 48 per cent believe marketing will also see an increase and 46 per cent are planning to boost investment in sales.

When asked about the importance of data, 96 per cent of business chiefs said they understood the importance of data for their company’s future. However, one in 10 businesses are yet to implement big data strategies and less than a third regularly conduct big data projects.

Nick Felton, SVP at MHR Analytics comments: “It’s clear that businesses are braced for significant turbulence next year and are planning major investment in key areas to power through an anticipated drop in revenues. Despite these fears, companies are adopting a combative approach to this problem, with departments such as IT, marketing and sales all set for a cash injection.”

“With unpredictable market conditions, data management and analytics are critical for helping organisations deliver significant cost savings by enabling accurate decision-making. Despite a potential revenue dip, companies are still planning major investments, of which data management is a good choice in uncertain times.”

“Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of the decision makers we surveyed believe their company’s response to big data has been positive, yet only four per cent recognise that managing big data will lead to less administration. Early analysis of these results suggests that a sharper focus on data management and analytics could be advantageous to companies in this constantly changing economic climate.”

For more information contact MHRAnalytics@centropypr.com or call 0203 959 9121

Government Outsourcing Bounces Back Despite Overall UK Market Softening

(Past member) — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Public sector outsourcing spend increased sharply in the first six months of 2018 despite a backdrop of Brexit uncertainty, according to the Arvato UK Outsourcing Index.

Overall, £2.61 billion of outsourcing deals were signed between January and June, of which £998 million were government contracts. The total value of public sector spending was up 39 per cent year-on-year, as central departments and councils focused on procuring agreements for IT and technology services.

The research, compiled by business outsourcing partner Arvato and industry analyst NelsonHall, found that IT outsourcing (ITO) contracts accounted for more than three quarters (79 per cent) of public sector spend between January and June, with cloud computing, application management and multi-scope infrastructure the most frequently procured services.

Central departments were the key drivers of government activity over the period, accounting for £921 million of overall public sector spend, up 27 per cent (from £724 million) year-on-year.

Local government buyers were less active in the period, however, with contracts worth £77 million signed between January and June, down from £136 million in H1 2017.

Overall, public sector deal volume increased by almost a fifth year-on-year (19 per cent), according to the research.

The findings show that despite the rise in government spending, the total value of UK contracts signed in H1 2018 (£2.61 billion) fell by a half on the same period last year. The market softening was triggered by a slowdown in the private sector, which saw deals worth £1.61 billion agreed between January and June, down from £4.53 billion in the first half of 2017.

Debra Maxwell, CEO, CRM Solutions UK & Ireland, Arvato, said:

“The public sector market is showing signs of recovery as government organisations take the brakes off the tendering process. More than two thirds (68 per cent) of contracts signed across the sector this year represent new relationships, showing outsourcing remains a key strategy for delivering new technologies, such as cyber security and automation, to drive efficiency and service improvements.

“A subdued private sector comes as no surprise given the lingering uncertainty surrounding the Brexit process and GDPR implementation, which is causing many businesses to pause and review their margins and contingency plans.”

Financial services firms largest spenders in outsourcing market

Businesses across financial services spent more on outsourcing contracts in the first half of 2018 than any other UK sector, with firms agreeing deals worth £933 million.

Despite the overall fall in private sector spending, financial services firms were responsible for the highest proportion of outsourcing procurement in the UK market, representing 36 per cent of total deal value between January and June.

The findings show the total value of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) contracts signed across all sectors was up 66 per cent year-on-year to £1.48 billion, as organisations partnered with third parties to deliver customer services, HR and payment processing.

Customer services was the most frequently procured BPO service line, with eight deals worth £203 million signed over the period. Three quarters of these contracts involved integrating traditional and digital channels, with half incorporating webchat support.

The Arvato UK Outsourcing Index is compiled by leading BPO and IT outsourcing research and analysis firm NelsonHall, in partnership with Arvato UK. The research is based on an analysis of outsourcing contracts procured in the UK market between January and June 2018.

Chris Sood-Nicholls, managing director and head of global services at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said:

“While events of earlier this year will have made both public and private sector organisations draw breath and review the financial stability of counterparties, these figures show that that process hasn’t prevented central government in particular from committing to new contracts.

“In fact, despite the uncertainty, the economic backdrop is relatively robust and both central government and financial services businesses in particular are knuckling down and getting on with the job in hand.

“The good news is that organisations in a variety of sectors still see outsourcing both as a long-term strategic tool, and as a tactical means of delivering much-needed cost savings. Where that continues, these figures suggest there is little to fear during the second half of this year at least.”

About Arvato UK & Ireland

Arvato is a trusted global business outsourcing partner to the private and public sectors in the UK and Ireland. With more than 50 years of experience in outsourcing, Arvato combines expertise in business process outsourcing (BPO), financial solutions, customer relationship management, supply chain management, and public sector and citizen services to deliver innovative, individual solutions. Arvato has long-term partnerships with some of the most respected companies in the UK and globally, as well as innovative public sector clients. Internationally, Arvato is a leading global BPO provider with over 70,000 people employed across almost 40 countries worldwide. Arvato has annual revenues of €4.8bn contributing over a quarter of the Bertelsmann group annual revenues of over €17.1bn.

For more information, visit: www.arvato.co.uk.

Three reasons to back blockchain as a digital disruptor to the supply chain

(Past member) — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Blockchain has the potential to have a huge impact on procurement and sourcing. Currently, it’s early days, a bit like the initial stages of the dotcom boom – lots of companies are launching and some are failing. Many still associate blockchain exclusively with cryptocurrency, and admittedly there are limited proven use-cases. At a time when so many emerging technologies and practices are vying for attention, it requires a leap of faith to give blockchain focus. How does blockchain compete with AI, RPA, Big Data, virtual assistants and all the other trends that are driving industry transformation?

Here are the three main reasons that I am backing blockchain as the next big disruptor for procurement:

1) It will unlock the next wave of efficiencies

It will unlock the next wave of efficiencies by getting rid of waste and duplication across customers and their supplier ecosystems. The status quo, where customers and suppliers maintain local records of every transaction, means that there is significant duplication where different players process, validate and store information about the same event.

A move to distributed ledger technology such as blockchain allows for a single, immutable, secure record of every transaction to be maintained, eliminating the need for all this local work within the four walls of each enterprise. Maersk and IBM are predicting that their new blockchain platform will save the global shipping industry billions of dollars a year.

2) It will enable greater trust

It will enable greater trust, despite confusingly being called a ‘trustless’ technology. What ‘trustless’ means is that records are maintained across an entire network as opposed to being verified by a single party such as the organisation that initiated the transaction, or a central authority that might be vulnerable to fraud, infiltration or attack.

In addition, once a transaction is added to the blockchain it can never be changed, so this allows for superior auditability and greater confidence. For certain types of product where provenance is important (food, luxury goods and similar) this allows companies to make a better consumer offer. For example, Everledger’s Diamond Time-Lapse product can validate the provenance of diamonds, ensuring that they are real, not stolen and do not come from mines with a poor human rights record.

3) It will automate fulfilment of contractual obligation

It will automate fulfilment of contractual obligation without the need for separate automation technology. ‘Smart contracts’ can be set up so that when conditions are met, payments or other value transfer can happen automatically. For example, discounting structures can be automatically applied without the need for extra administrative work or specialist billing systems.

Managing supply chains in today’s connected environment is extremely complex. Blockchain provides solutions to questions of efficiency, transparency, and security, and has the potential to transform the supply chain and logistics industry. Bring it on.

UK Committee of Public Accounts Publish Report on Government's Strategic Suppliers

(Past member) — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

On Tuesday 24th July, the UK Committee of Public Accounts produced a report underlining the controversy surrounding contracting out to the private sector. The report criticises the emergence of a small group of large companies who are expert at winning contracts but lack the expertise to deliver value for the sector in which they are bidding. The report recommends the Cabinet Office take a more active approach to examining the market to better understand the intentions and motivations of bidding companies.

Further concerns addressed in the report are the ambiguity of responsibility between Government and Private sector as well as the impact of poor contracting to the end user. The report summary touches upon this issue:

“Government contracts involve vast sums of public money and have significant impacts on the lives of citizens. The Government cannot divest itself of responsibility when it contracts out the delivery of public services. Many of the companies that we have looked at rely on the public purse for a significant proportion of their revenue. Those companies need to be accountable to Parliament and taxpayers once they decide to take public money.”

You can read the full report, including the recommendations from the committee here

Latest jobs data: Finance & IT strong while overall demand stumbles

(Past member) — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

25 July 2018

- Permanent placements increase by 9%

- Vacancies for permanent professionals dip 4%

- Demand for finance interims up 21%

- Permanent placements within IT up 23%

Permanent hiring increases

Professional recruitment firms reported that the number of candidates securing permanent roles in June 2018 increased by 9% year-on-year, according to new survey data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).

APSCo’s research, which focuses on professional recruitment, reveals notable variations between the trade association’s core sector groups in terms of hiring activity. While permanent placements within IT and financial services increased by 23% and 13% respectively over the 12 month period, the number of marketing professionals securing permanent roles during this time slipped by 11%.

Vacancies for permanent staff, meanwhile, remained largely stable across the board, dipping by just 4% in June 2018.

Financial services remains strong

The number of finance professionals securing permanent roles increased by 13% in the year to June 2018, while the number of contract professionals out on assignment in the sector rose 1% over the same period.

Vacancies for permanent finance professionals during this time grew by 4% while demand for contractors within financial services rose 21%, indicating ongoing strength across the market.

This confidence comes following the announcement that Barclay’s plans to create 2,500 jobs in Glasgow when it moves its technology, functions and operations teams to a new hub on the bank of the Clyde in 2021. This commitment is the latest sign of strength for Scotland’s financial services sector, which is now outstripping London in terms of growth.

IT market goes perm

While the number of IT contractors out on assignment plummeted by 34% year-on-year in June 2018, the number of professionals securing permanent roles in the sector increased by 23% during the same period.

Demand for permanent professionals also rose by 7% in the 12 months to June, while vacancies for IT contractors flat-lined – falling by 0.1% year-on-year.

This shift in focus can almost certainly be attributed to recent changes to off-payroll working in the public sector, and ongoing uncertainty around if and when IR35 reforms will be extended to the private sector. A recent survey conducted by IPSE and the CIPD found that 71 per cent of public sector hiring managers were struggling to hold on to their contractors as a result of the changes.

Contract market slow

Aside from ongoing demand for finance interims, overall contract vacancies dipped by 8% year-on-year in June 2018. The overall number of contractors out on assignment, meanwhile, dipped by 17% during the same period.

This decrease can largely be attributed to a significant 34% year-on-year fall in IT professionals working on a contract basis during this time. However, the number of marketing and engineering professionals on assignment also dipped in June 2018, falling by 17% and 9% respectively.

Average salaries stable

APSCo’s figures also reveal that median salaries across all professional sectors increased by 1% year-on-year. This figure is characterised by notable fluctuations in terms of sector, with insurance, for example, recording an uplift of 4.4% while banking salaries dipped by 5.2%.

Ann Swain, Chief Executive of APSCo comments:

“Considering the level of uncertainty that the UK continues to contend with, the current strength of the professional jobs market is a positive indicator of wider resilience. Economic growth is better than expected, overall employment levels are at a record high and the signs are now positive that the AI revolution is creating more jobs than it is destroying.

“However, there is no doubt that the present picture is far from stable. While financial services, for example, is strong for now, future growth will likely depend on whether the UK successfully negotiates advanced equivalence post-Brexit. Furthermore, with the current consultation on off-payroll working in the private sector still open, we are yet to see how the contractor market will react to any incoming changes.”

John Nurthen, Staffing Industry Analysts’ Executive Director of Global Research commented:

“The decline in professional vacancies has continued in June, though the drop in permanent vacancies is quite marginal compared to the decline in temporary / contractor roles indicating that the UK job market is actually in a reasonable condition. And confidence, however, will likely prove fragile if the government is unable to prevent Brexit negotiations becoming more fraught during the second half of the year.”

Talent analytics key to building efficient workforces

(Past member) — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

25 July 2018

Organisations must harness the power of talent analytics to build truly efficient workforces – or risk falling behind competitors which do. That is the advice from global talent acquisition and management specialist, Alexander Mann Solutions.

The call comes in response to a report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), People analytics: driving business performance with people data, which highlights a strong and demonstrable link between ‘people analytics culture’ and overall business performance. The paper finds that 65% of HR leaders who report working in an organisation with a ‘strong people analytics culture’ believe that their business performance is strong when compared with competitors, but just 32% of those in ‘weak analytics cultures’ say the same.

The report also highlights the areas where respondents believe people analytics can be used to address key business challenges. For example, two thirds (66%) trust that this type of data can be used to attract and retain high performing individuals, while three quarters (75%) see people analytics being useful in understanding workforce performance and productivity.

In response to the findings, Erica Titchener, Global Head of Technology and Operations Consulting at Alexander Mann Solutions, comments:

“We have long promoted the benefits of tapping into talent analytics during the talent acquisition process and beyond to inform both immediate and longer-term workforce planning strategies. As such, reports that HR’s visibility of data correlates directly with improved business outcomes is unsurprising.

“Workforce planning is absolutely integral to wider organisational strategy and now every HR team – in theory – has access to huge rafts of valuable data. The benefits of harnessing this information to implement total workforce planning strategies, in order to aid organisational efficiency, should not be underestimated. By digitally tracking the availability of skills, both within the business and externally in the market, leaders can map where permanent workforces can be deployed most effectively, the places where artificial intelligence can pick up process-driven tasks which zap productivity, identify the skills they are lacking, and determine if these can or should be acquired on a full-time, flexible or contingent basis.

“By working in this way, organisations can ensure that teams are performing to maximum efficiency, without skills gaps – or a skills surplus. Ultimately, however a workforce is structured, it should be built to maximise output, reduce costs and increase productivity – and also be adaptable to future needs. HR leaders who ignore the valuable data at their fingertips are side-lining the resource that makes this strategy possible.”

Liquidware Beats Industry Giants to Take Top Spot in Application Layering in Independent Technical A

(Past member) — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

24 July 2018

LONDON, UK – July 24, 2018 – Liquidware, the leading third-party provider of platform-agnostic end-user computing solutions, today announced that its FlexApp application layering software has nosed out Citrix’s App Layering and VMware’s App Volumes products to take top billing in WhatMatrix’s community-curated independent analysis of application layering solutions.

“We compared these three products against some 140 key criteria in our rigorous evaluation of Application Layering software,” said Rory Monaghan, lead consultant at WhatMatrix. “Liquidware FlexApp emerged as community number one – with the richest feature set of all Application Layering products on the market.”

WhatMatrix is different from other product comparison endeavors in that its community evaluations are all based on in-depth technical analysis, reflected in comparisons of 100-plus evaluation points, and untainted by vendor submission or pay-to-play models. Comparisons are moreover managed by named, independent community experts and validated by open community curation.

Significantly, Liquidware remains the last independent platform-agnostic player in this market segment that is dominated by giants – a fact that is of particular importance to enterprises aiming to avoid vendor or platform lock-in when it comes to their business-critical software. The company’s FlexApp application layering software delivers applications instantly to any Windows desktop environment, regardless and independently of the operating system version in use. The solution is optimised for Citrix and VMware desktop platforms, for Microsoft RDS/RDmi and physical desktops, as well as Amazon WorkSpaces, and desktops running on Amazon, Google and Microsoft Azure cloud platforms.

Among the criteria measured by WhatMatrix, FlexApp was the sole solution to: offer per named user licensing; allow users to layer their own apps; offer click-to-layer; allow apps to upgrade while in use; provide data store support of MongoDB; offer both Azure and AWS native features; centrally manage file type associations; and hide layers from other users on shared machines.

“This accolade really means a great deal to us. With only three products to be measured in this comparison, it was David versus the Goliaths,” said Jason E. Smith, VP of Product Marketing of Liquidware. “What an honour to be measured against industry-leading companies, such as VMware and Citrix, and whose desktops FlexApp supports. To be number one in this category is not only gratifying but validates the tremendous functionality of FlexApp.”

Digitalization Levers Take Center Stage in Addressing Supply Chain Issues — Everest Group

(Past member) — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Enterprises drove 15 percent growth of Supply Chain Management (SCM) Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in 2017 as they sought to reduce high operating costs, address evolving customer demands, and manage risk and compliance. The solution to much of these problems, according to Everest Group, is digitalization.

“Enterprises can struggle with broken supply chains for many different reasons, not the least of which are siloed operations, inefficient processes and lack of visibility,” said Vikas Gujral, practice director at Everest Group. “Enterprises that adopt digital solutions to combat these challenges are achieving better supply chain efficiency at lower cost. We have identified analytics, cloud computing, control tower, Internet of Things (IoT) and master data management (MDM) solutions as the emerging drivers for success in the SCM BPO market.”

- Analytics: Analytics capabilities will help streamline supply chain operations through actionable insights to enhance visibility and control. However, despite the growing adoption, analytics penetration within supply chain remains low when compared to procurement.

- Cloud: Cloud is becoming a major disruptive force for seamless supply chain operations, because it enables agile operations, cost containment and increased collaboration. Cloud ties all underlying pieces and technologies together, forming the basis for the supply chain of the future.

- Control tower: Control tower—a central platform which tracks, monitors and directs activities across the supply chain—provides better visibility, cost benefits through accurate demand forecasting and inventory management, and reduced cycle time. Organizations have started realizing the benefits of control tower solutions, leading to cases of increased implementation.

- IoT: IoT, coupled with other technologies, forms another key building block of efficient supply chain operations. IoT is valuable in numerous applications for alleviating supply chain woes and preparing enterprises for the future.

- MDM: Demand for visibility, efficiency and smarter organization is increasingly creating the need for better data management. Consistent increase in MDM FTEs indicates greater focus on data management services

These results and other findings are explored in a recently published Everest Group report: “Supply Chain Management (SCM) BPO—Annual Report 2018: Moving Toward a Digital Supply Chain Ecosystem.” In the report, Everest Group analyzes the global SCM BPO market in 2017, focusing on the state of the market, market size and adoption trends, and the service provider landscape.

Key Adoption Trends:

Market size and growth: The SCM BPO market is now estimated at US $1.5 billion and is expected to grow at a similar pace in the future.

Geography distribution: North America is the key geography in terms of SCM market share, followed by Europe. Asia Pacific registered the highest revenue growth in the market.

Industry adoption: While manufacturing still leads the adoption in SCM outsourcing, newer industries such as travel & logistics have seen an uptick in adoption.

Buyer size: Although large buyers still form the majority, SMBs and midmarket buyers have awakened to the benefits of outsourcing.

Pricing: FTE-based pricing witnessed the maximum inclusion, very closely followed by hybrid pricing.

Sourcing dynamics: Although onshoring has seen an uptick from past years, offshore/nearshore delivery still forms the major chunk of the SCM BPO market.

About Everest Group

Everest Group is a consulting and research firm focused on strategic IT, business services, engineering services and sourcing. We are trusted advisors to senior executives of leading enterprises, providers, and investors. Our firm helps clients improve operational and financial performance through a hands-on process that supports them in making well-informed decisions that deliver high-impact results and achieve sustained value. Our insight and guidance empower clients to improve organizational efficiency, effectiveness, agility and responsiveness. What sets Everest Group apart is the integration of deep sourcing knowledge, problem-solving skills and original research. Details and in-depth content are available at http://www.everestgrp.com.

WORN AGAIN TECHNOLOGIES BREAKS BOUNDARIES, RAISING £5 MILLION INVESTMENT, ACCELERATING IT TO MARKET

(Past member) — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Worn Again Technologies is leading the charge to solve part of the world’s plastic crisis and the growing problem of textiles waste to landfill. After more than six years of intensive R&D, Worn Again Technologies is coming out of the lab and bringing its patented technology to market.

CEO, Cyndi Rhoades said, “There are enough textiles and plastic bottles ‘above ground’ and in circulation today to meet our annual demand for raw materials to make new clothing and textiles. With our dual polymer recycling technology, there will be no need to use virgin oil by-products to make new polyester and the industry will be able to radically decrease the amount of virgin cotton going into clothing by displacing it with new cellulose fibres recaptured from existing clothing.”

Worn Again Technologies’ patented process can separate, decontaminate and extract polyester polymers and cellulose (from cotton) from non-reusable textiles, as well as plastic bottles and packaging, to go back into new products as part of a repeatable process. The innovation cracks the code not only by being able to separate both polyester and cotton but also by being able to produce two end products that are both comparable in quality and have the aim of being competitive in price to virgin resources. The process saves energy and will accelerate us towards a waste-free, circular resource world.

Currently, less than 1% of non-wearable textiles are turned back into new textiles due to technical and economic limitations of current recycling methods. Worn Again Technologies can reprocess pure and blended cotton and polyester textiles (together representing 80% of all clothing and textiles) meaning its solution offers the potential to increase the recycling of raw materials in textiles exponentially from the current 1%, with no price premium to manufacturers, brands or the consumer.

Cambridge PhD and Worn Again Technologies Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Adam Walker sums it up, “The solution to the world’s plastics problem is not to stop using plastic altogether. We have a solution to address the burgeoning need for recycling non-rewearable textiles and plastics and we’ve been clamouring to get on with it for many years. This investment, combined with the increasing geopolitical awareness of the need for this technology, is enabling us to push through the scale-up and validation work to reach the market on an accelerated timescale.”

The industry is starting to wake up to Dr. Walker and the Worn Again scientists. Last month, the company was awarded a grant to become the first chemical recycling technology to be Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified.

“For the last few years, fighting against industry inertia and resistance to investing in our solution was incredibly difficult. Everyone in the industry was waiting for someone else to take the lead” said angel investor and Chairman Craig Cohon. “It’s been a challenge but we have now brought together an esteemed group of pioneers who share a likeminded vision for the future.”

The catalyst for the investment was fashion retailer H&M, now joined by new partners including Sulzer Chemtech, one of the world’s largest chemical engineering companies; Mexico based Himes Corporation, a garment manufacturer; Directex, a textiles producer and Miroslava Duma’s Future Tech Lab. The combined investment and support enables the optimisation phase of the technology in the lab as well as industrial trials, scaling and designing of the industrial process with Sulzer Chemtech. These crucial steps will finalise developments to the point at which the technology is complete and ready for commercialisation. Worn Again Technologies has also partnered with Qvartz, a management consultancy firm with Nordic roots and global reach, to support its direction setting, partnership development and commercialisation model.

Worn Again Technologies is currently enlisting local, national and global investors and strategic partners who want to be part of the rapid expansion plan as it prepares for the first industrial demonstration plant to be launched in 2021.

WORN AGAIN TECHNOLOGIES BREAKS BOUNDARIES, RAISING £5 MILLION INVESTMENT, ACCELERATING IT TO MARKET

(Past member) — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

ISG Index™: Traditional Sourcing Market Rebounds in EMEA

(Past member) — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON, July 17, 2018 – The sourcing market in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) rebounded in the second quarter of 2018 as European businesses focused their attention on building their digital backbone, according to the latest state-of-the-industry report from Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The EMEA ISG Index™, which measures commercial outsourcing contracts with an annual contract value (ACV) of €4 million or more, shows that the EMEA market posted a combined second-quarter ACV of €3.7 billion, up 23 percent over the prior year. Traditional sourcing grew 11 percent to €2.5 billion, bucking a four-quarter downward trend. As-a-service ACV in the region surged, rising 50 percent, to €1.2 billion. Both Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) gained record highs and contributed equally to the growth.

Steve Hall, partner and president of ISG, said: “The EMEA sourcing market rebounded strongly in the second quarter despite an economic environment focused on GDPR preparation and issues around BREXIT. Companies are now investing in technology to build their digital backbone. In the context of EMEA’s uncertain economic and political times, it’s encouraging that businesses are recognizing the strength that a strong digital backbone provides in allowing them to be agile enough to adapt with the times.”

Globally, second-quarter ACV for the combined global market advanced 31 percent to a record €9.9 billion. Demand for technology and business services continued to accelerate, with traditional sourcing ACV reaching €5.6 billion, up 19 percent, and as-a-service ACV up 51 percent to €4.3 billion. ACV in this space has almost doubled in the last two years, powered by new highs in both SaaS and IaaS.

Market Insights

Second-quarter traditional sourcing ACV in the UK rose 11 percent year-on-year. Despite this uptick, first half ACV in the UK finished down more than 50 percent compared with 2017’s exceptionally strong results. The number of UK contracts signed remained consistent at 112 but lacked the unusually large deals which lifted the market in the first half of 2017.

Traditional sourcing in DACH rebounded in the second quarter, following a notably slow start to the year, with ACV rising 70 percent compared to the previous quarter. Despite this rise, DACH ACV remained flat year-on-year, with the number of contracts reaching just under half of their total 12 months ago.

Traditional sourcing ACV in France grew 58 percent compared to the previous quarter, despite a sharp drop in the number of contracts signed. For the half year, France saw a decline in contract numbers and ACV, both down around 25 percent year-on-year.

The Nordics region showed robust growth in the first half of 2018, with ACV up 47 percent year-on-year and a 17 percent increase in the number of contracts. The smaller EMEA markets also showed strength with gains in Southern Europe, Russia/Eastern Europe and Africa/Middle East.

Sector Breakdown

As-a-service ACV grew substantially across all business sectors in EMEA, compared to the same period in 2017. The business services, financial services and telecom & media sectors all posted as-a-service ACV gains in excess of 50 percent.

The retail sector was the only vertical to show growth in both traditional sourcing and as-a-service, with combined ACV surging 90 percent compared to the first half of 2017. While traditional sourcing ACV in the manufacturing sector held steady, all other industries posted a decline.

Alpha Logistics tracks its equipment across Europe with RAM’s cloud-based RFID solution

(Past member) — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Alpha Logistics, a specialist in managing equipment across Europe, has selected Real Asset Management’s (RAM) cloud-based fixed asset tracking solution in order to improve traceability of its equipment. Alpha Logistics decided to replace a spreadsheet system to benefit from a full audit trail and the ability to update the company’s asset register in real-time using the mobile app to scan Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags.

Alpha Logistics supplies logistics solutions for its clients, helping with the management of a number of events across Europe simultaneously. An example of the service it provides can be seen in the company’s work with a leading online poker organisation, ensuring equipment is transported efficiently in preparation for tournaments. Alpha Logistics uses its articulated lorries to transfer the required assets.

Joe Page, Live Events Manager at Alpha Logistics comments, “We transport 4 articulated lorries full of equipment required to set up tournaments and events around Europe. This includes expensive items that are reusable as well as dispensable assets. RAM’s asset tracking solution enables us to keep a detailed catalogue of all items along with their locations and conditions.”

RAM’s software will help Alpha Logistics refine the services it provides. Page states, “A lot of the time, we have a number of live events taking place simultaneously and these will often be sharing equipment. The new software will enable staff from every department of the company to know the exact location of each piece of equipment at all times. In our line of business, traceability is incredibly important, so having a complete audit trail is imperative to us operating at full efficiency.”

Alpha Logistics has opted to utilise RFID labels in conjunction with the asset tracking solution, meaning that equipment can be recorded without the tag being in the scanner’s line of sight. This will save the company a lot of time when it comes to performing audits. This method of scanning will be particularly useful when searching for equipment within enclosed spaces, such as in the back of the artic lorries used to transfer required items.

The central database is hosted on RAM’s cloud platform, which ensures that the company’s IT department does not have to maintain the system internally. Storage of back-ups and other important files is completely managed by RAM, meaning that Alpha Logistics’ staff can focus on essential jobs whilst RAM’s support team completes administrative tasks.

“RAM’s customer support is always on hand,” Page concludes. “The team has always answered any questions we have had quickly and efficiently. It’s great to know that a service like this exists.”

Facebook are hit with the maximum fine after harvesting our data

(Past member) — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook is a major social media platform that is used worldwide by 2.13 billion people.

Cambridge Analytica have caused widespread panic to the 87 million people effected for political purposes. They were supposedly working for Donald Trump’s political campaign via an online survey that was created by a research associate at Cambridge University, Mr Kogan.

The ICO, Elizabeth Denham said "Facebook has failed to provide the kind of protections they are required to under the Data Protection Act, fines and prosecutions punish the bad actors, but my real goal is to effect change and restore trust and confidence in our democratic system."

Had this scandal occurred in May, they would have been fined 4% of their global turnover or £18 million depending on which one was most substantial. This half a million pounds fine is no financial burden to Facebook as statistics have shown that £500,000 revenue is earnt every 18 minutes.

Erin Egan, chief privacy officer at Facebook said, “We should have done more to investigate claims about Cambridge Analytica and take action in 2015.” In 2015 Facebook requested that both parties deleted all the data that was stolen, however they never followed through with their actions.

Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg has been to meetings both with the US and EU lawmakers about this scandal.

Facebook has since edited their app to restrict the amount of data that people can harvest from it. Cambridge Analytica are constantly being reviewed by British Lawmakers.

There is speculation about a caution message being sent to 11 different political parties to inspect their data protection practices.

Three steps to an effective procurement strategy

(Past member) — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

In business, power lies in partnerships. ‘Gatekeeper’ departments that drown employees in paperwork for little return garner less respect than those who team with others in the company to bring them real value. Sadly, many procurement departments find themselves dismissed as gatekeepers, which limits their traction with the rest of the business. Now, that’s changing.

Successful procurement teams are transitioning to a new role as business enablers. They are winning the hearts and minds of their business colleagues and carving out a new niche for themselves as a value centre in the business. This article describes a three-part strategy to transform the role of your procurement department and become a critical asset for the modern company.

Get what the business needs

A successful procurement team is adept at knowing what the business needs and going to get it in the best way possible. Many employees think that they can do this perfectly well on their own. The procurement team must show these employees the gaps in their abilities and persuade them that they can benefit by working with a central procurement function. The tricky part is doing this diplomatically.

Employees might well see a procurement department as an obstacle standing in the way of their goals, especially if they think that they are adept at getting a deal. Business managers will be used to a particular way of doing things. They will buy everything from office supplies through to online services and even computing equipment themselves. It isn’t uncommon for tensions to develop when people believe that they don’t need help.

These environments can be challenging for new procurement managers who struggle to change an organisation’s culture. Tackling this change requires a subtle mix of strength and understanding. They must acknowledge that employees traditionally worked in a certain way while being firm about the need to do things differently in the future.

The process starts with management support. Employees follow their managers’ lead, and without buy-in from senior executives, procurement teams will have a tough time establishing a new order. Getting the ear of the board and having senior managers promote and enforce the role of centralised procurement is a crucial piece of the puzzle.

A procurement team equipped with management support can begin demonstrating that it brings value to the business. It must show that it can find the right suppliers, vet them, and negotiate with them to create deals that make sense for the company. It must show that it can save money where appropriate and get products delivered on time, giving business managers a resource on which they can rely. In short, it must become a trusted advisor and a go-to partner that gets the business what it needs.

Get the best price, not necessarily the cheapest

Getting the business what it needs doesn’t always mean hammering suppliers for the lowest possible price. The procurement team will understand that any corporate purchase is a multi-dimensional transaction with more than the mere cost of goods and services at stake.

One dimension to consider is the quality and specification of the product or service. The cheapest possible product may not be the one that serves the business best. Vendors may offer a bargain-basement service, but a procurement department that has done its homework may realise that it won’t work for employees. Instead, it might choose a version for a slightly higher cost that will delight employees and save headaches further down the line.The other factor to consider is the supplier relationship. Successful procurement is about reaching a win-win outcome with a supplier that knows your business and is itself a valued partner. Companies that squeeze margins from every supplier eventually exhaust those relationships, making it difficult for vendors to bring any added value or build a deeper understanding of the customer. They will ultimately work their way through the top tier suppliers until there are none left of that quality, sacrificing the opportunity to create those rich, value-building relationships in the future.

The more complex and sophisticated the product or service in question, the more critical this understanding and added value becomes. A one-off purchase of office pens may not need a deep level of resonance between supplier and customer. A business process outsourcing project to manage your payment operations will. Most of the things that companies spend money on will need that level of detail and quality.

Mitigate organisational risk

The other way to build effective partnerships between procurement and the rest of the organisation is to mitigate risk. Employees assume they can handle purchases on their own, but often don’t manage or even see the associated dangers.

These dangers increase with the sophistication of the product. For example, buying software licenses may seem straightforward, but the devil is in the detail. If a vendor links a license to a specific laptop, then when the device fails, the company may incur unexpected costs.

Procurement risks also grow in line with regulations. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will force companies to vet suppliers’ compliance with it, for example.

Finally, procurement departments can better handle risks around long-term agreements, putting contingencies in place for eventualities such as the supplier going out of business or getting acquired.

A successful procurement team will highlight the risks that employees miss and will have plans in place to handle them adeptly. It will quickly become an ally, making people feel more comfortable that someone knowledgeable is watching out for them when they make a procurement decision.

The way forward

The days of the ivory procurement tower are over, and those that try to stay there will quickly find themselves marginalised and struggling for survival. After all, we don't have jobs if the rest of the company doesn't see a need for us.

This layered approach to building an effective procurement strategy is a way forward. Creating a platform based on these principles of partnership and demonstrable value will help to win procurement departments a seat at the table. Those that get there will be able to counsel forward-thinking companies on qualities such as risk protection, economies of scale, and long-term planning. Are you prepared to become a valued player for your business?

About the Author

Canda S Rozier is SVP Global Procurement & Real Estate at NTT Security, the specialised security company and center of excellence in security for NTT Group. She is responsible for establishing and leading best practices in corporate procurement, strategic sourcing, and global real estate strategy and management across Europe, Asia and the US. She is also the senior liaison with NTT Security’s parent company, NTT Holdings, on procurement-related matters as well as being on the Advisory Board for the Sourcing Industry Group (SIG). Since joining NTT Security in May 2011, she has achieved more than 20 per cent in procurement savings annually.

ISG Index™: Global Outsourcing Continues to Accelerate, up 31% in Second Quarter

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Global demand for technology and business services continues to accelerate, with as-a-service contract value climbing to another record high in the second quarter and traditional sourcing value reaching $7 billion for only the fifth time in history, according to the latest state-of-the-industry report from Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

Data from the ISG Index™, which measures commercial outsourcing contracts with annual contract value (ACV) of $5 million or more, show second-quarter ACV for the combined global market (including both as-a-service and traditional sourcing) surged 31 percent, to a record $12.4 billion. That figure includes traditional sourcing ACV of $7 billion, up 19 percent, and record as-a-service ACV of $5.4 billion, up 51 percent and nearly double that of two years ago. It was the first time as-a-service ACV surpassed $5 billion in a quarter.

The continuing surge in as-a-service value was fueled this quarter by a 58 percent increase in Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), to $3.9 billion, and a 35 percent increase in Software-as-a-Service, to $1.5 billion, as enterprises continue to move more workloads to the cloud.

"Global demand for outsourced IT and business services continues to expand, helped by robust economic trends and an unrelenting enterprise focus on all things digital," said Steve Hall, partner and president of ISG. "There were some initial concerns the as-a-service revolution would eat away at the market for traditional sourcing services, but that hasn't been the case. The combined global market is actually getting bigger, with steady quarter-over-quarter ACV growth during the last year bringing us to this new high-water mark. We're in a very strong, sustained market right now."

For the first half, global combined ACV reached an all-time high of $23.6 billion, up 17 percent over the same period last year. Growth was paced by record as-a-service ACV of $10.1 billion, up 39 percent. Traditional sourcing ACV was up 5 percent, to $13.5 billon, on record volume of 946 contracts. Most (61 percent) were smaller contracts – in the $5 million to $10 million range – up 17 percent over the prior-year period.

In the first half, financial services remained the largest global market for combined sourcing services, with ACV of $5.5 billion (up 28 percent), followed by business services, with ACV of $3.8 billion (up 30 percent), and manufacturing, with ACV of $3.1 billion (down 7.5 percent). The fastest-growing sector was healthcare and pharma, which saw its ACV climb 58.3 percent, to $2.5 billion. Retail was the second-fastest-growing sector, with ACV of $1.6 billion, up 57.9 percent.

Americas

The Americas, the world's largest combined sourcing market, generated combined ACV of $5.9 billion in the second quarter, up 33 percent. Traditional sourcing, at $3.1 billion, was up 25 percent, continuing a record string of four straight quarters above the $3 billion mark. Growth was fueled by applications outsourcing and industry-specific business process outsourcing. Meanwhile, records abound in the as-a-service space. As-a-service sourcing reached a record $2.8 billion, up 44 percent, and its share of combined-market ACV climbed to 48 percent, a new high. The two components of as-a-service – IaaS ($1.87 billion, up 50 percent) and SaaS ($951 million, up 32 percent) – both established new quarterly highs.

Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)

The EMEA market rebounded from a soft first quarter to post combined second-quarter ACV of $4.6 billion, up 23 percent over the prior year. Traditional sourcing, which continues to represent the lion's share of the overall market, advanced 11 percent, to $3.1 billion, showing strength in the UK, the Nordics and Southern Europe. It was the first time traditional sourcing ACV topped the $3 billion level in the last 18 months. Although as-a-service represented only a third of the region's combined sourcing market, it was its fastest-growing segment, up 56 percent, to $1.5 billion, with both the IaaS and SaaS portions reaching record highs and contributing equally to the growth.

Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific's combined ACV rose 44 percent, to $1.9 billion, the best such total since ISG introduced this metric in 2016. The as-a-service market broke through the $1 billion level for the first time, with ACV of $1.1 billion, up 65 percent, the fastest growth of any region. Traditional sourcing, meanwhile, turned in its best quarter in four years, with ACV of $865 million, up 25 percent. Growth was paced by the banking, financial services and insurance sector and the transportation industry, application maintenance and design (ADM) services, and the Australia/New Zealand and North Asia markets.

Forecast

"The growth of public cloud is accelerating; we now expect growth to exceed 45 percent for the full year, contributing to the 30 percent growth we are forecasting for IaaS overall," said Hall. "We are also increasing our growth forecast for SaaS to 16 percent, up slightly from the 15 percent we forecast in April. We're also more bullish on traditional sourcing, raising our growth forecast for the year to 4.4 percent, up from 2 percent in April."

About the ISG Index™

Now in its 63rd consecutive quarter, the ISG Index™ provides a quarterly review of the latest sourcing industry data and trends for clients, providers, analysts and the media. For more than 15 years, it has been the authoritative source for marketplace intelligence related to outsourcing transaction structures and terms, industry adoption, geographic prevalence and service provider performance. In 2016, the ISG Index™ was expanded to include coverage of the fast-growing as-a-service market, measuring the significant impact cloud-based services are having on digital business transformation. ISG also provides ongoing analysis of automation and other digital technologies in its quarterly ISG Index™ presentations.

The 2Q 2018 ISG Index™ was presented during a conference call and webcast for media and analysts today. To listen to an audio replay of the call and view presentation slides, please visit http://www.isg-one.com/research/research-detail-page/isg-index.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including 75 of the top 100 enterprises in the world, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; technology strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry's most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

ARVATO CRM SOLUTIONS NAMED AS A CONTACT CENTER OUTSOURCING LEADER FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

(Past member) — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT

• Arvato CRM named as a Leader in latest Everest Group PEAK Matrix™

• Customer service provider recognized for its ability to cater to the evolving customer service needs of clients

• Investments in digital and artificial intelligence noted for providing the company with a competitive advantage

Arvato CRM Solutions has been named as a Leader for the second consecutive year, in an in-depth report from research and consulting firm Everest Group.

The global customer service provider was recognized for the consistency and flexibility of its service, and its ongoing success in expanding its portfolio of clients in high-growth areas such as retail and technology.

Arvato CRM’s ability to constantly adapt to the changing customer services needs of its clients was also highlighted in the report, as this has enabled the company to offer them a seamless omnichannel experience.

Ongoing investment in its digital and analytical capabilities also contributed towards Arvato CRM’s high ranking, with the development of technology, such as its conversational AI platform, giving the provider an advantage over its competitors.

Everest Group’s annual report, named the Contact Center Outsourcing (CCO) Service Provider Landscape with PEAK Matrix™ Assessment 2018, ranked 36 companies on their market impact, vision and capabilities. Arvato CRM ranked amongst just nine providers that Everest Group recognized as Leaders.

Andreas Krohn, CEO at Arvato CRM, said: “Arvato’s greatest strengths are in our ability to develop innovative solutions that are powered by both human and artificial intelligence.

“This means we can optimize customer service interactions and enable brands to stay ahead in a constantly evolving market.

“Being ranked as a leader by Everest Group is testament to our flexible approach to meeting client and industry needs.”

Skand Bhargava, Practice Director for Business Process Services at Everest Group, said: “Arvato has established itself as a leader in the CCO market with its flexibility to meet fast changing customer experience demand, delivering a seamless service and satisfaction – for both customers and brands – across multiple channels.”

ENDS

About the PEAK Matrix™

The Everest Group PEAK Matrix™ is a proprietary framework for assessing the relative market success and overall capability of service providers based on Performance, Experiences, Ability and Knowledge. Each service provider is comparatively assessed on two dimensions: market success and delivery capabilities. The resulting matrix categorizes service providers as Leaders, Major Contenders, and Aspirants. Companies that demonstrate strong upward movement in successive reports are recognized as Star Performers. Everest Group recently announced a recalibrated methodology, in which innovation, intellectual property and technology take center stage.

About Arvato CRM Solutions

We design, deliver and differentiate customer service on behalf of some of the world’s most respected brands. Arvato CRM Solutions has approximately 45,000 people at more than 100 customer service centers in 27 countries speaking 35 languages and is recognized as a ‘clear leader’ in the global customer services/customer experience (CX) sector1. It is a part of Arvato, the world’s third largest business process outsourcing (BPO) provider2 that provides customer services, supply chain solutions, financial services, and IT solutions, and has total revenues of €3.8 billion. 3 Arvato is a division of Bertelsmann.

1CCO – Service Provider Landscape with PEAK Matrix™ Assessment 2017 by Everest Group June 2017. 2’HfS BPO Top 50’ by HfS Research July 2017; 3 2016.

Global CX Pioneer TTEC Continues to Positively Disrupt the European Market with Early 2018 Success

(Past member) — Tue, 22 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The company recently signed multiple new clients across the technology and manufacturing industries. TTEC also added 50 new employees to its Sofia location providing multi-lingual on-Call support with SLA compliance, service desk response, customer care and growth services across nine languages, including English, Danish, Finnish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese and Russian. A successful Q1 2018 for TTEC in EMEA was concluded with news of being shortlisted as a finalist for the Best Nearshore Team Award at the Global Sourcing Association (GSA) Professional Awards. This industry association and professional body for the global sourcing industry serves to share best practice, trends and connections across the globe through the annual awards program recognising service excellence.

“As an industry innovator and leader within the customer experience industry, it’s great to receive recognition that reflects our strong customer and partner relationships,” said Iain Banks, VP of International Markets, TTEC. “We have tremendous momentum at present, evidenced by our new client programs and team growth, strengthening our footprint in Europe and our leadership in transformative customer experience and engagement solutions.”

The company also confirmed three key appointments of seasoned industry players for Business Development, Solutions and Human Capital roles in the region.

• Nameer Rattansi joins TTEC as Head of Solutions EMEA. With over 15 years of experience leading customer care services and support for global brands, Rattansi will expand his solution consulting leadership and project manage cross-functional CX teams throughout the sales cycle to conclusion on UK, pan-EMEA and global offshore deals.

• An influential leader, Joanne Regan-Iles joins as Head of Human Capital EMEA where she will spearhead TTEC’s talent acquisition and human capital strategy. With 14 years of experience in leading Human Capital teams, Regan-Iles will be responsible for continued efforts in hiring, retaining and developing world-class people that serve as brand ambassadors for TTEC clients.

• Clare Lomax, VP Sales for EMEA, will be responsible for accelerating the company’s regional go-to-market strategies and local market expansion. With an impressive track record of personally winning more than £1B of outsourcing contracts globally, Lomax is a motivated professional with 25 years of experience in strategic outsourcing sales.

For more information on how TTEC is driving digital transformation and omnichannel customer experiences in EMEA, visit www.ttec.com/emea/

About TTEC:

TTEC (NASDAQ: TTEC) is a leading global customer experience technology and services provider focused exclusively on the design, implementation and delivery of transformative solutions for many of the world's most iconic and disruptive brands. The Company delivers outcome-based customer engagement solutions through TTEC Digital, its digital consultancy that designs and builds human centric, tech-enabled, insight-driven customer experience solutions for clients and TTEC Engage, its delivery centre of excellence, that operates customer acquisition, care, growth and digital trust and safety services. Founded in 1982, the Company's 50,500 employees operate on six continents across the globe and live by a set of customer-focused values that guide relationships with clients, their customers, and each other. To learn more about how TTEC is bringing humanity to the customer experience, visit www.ttec.com.

Why it is Time to Get Serious About the Crypto-Jacking Menace

(Past member) — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The cyber threat landscape can be a bemusing place for a business executive. A fast-moving, jargon-filled world of shadowy hackers, nation-state spies and bedroom-bound hacktivists, cyber is nonetheless a vital contributor to business risk. As such, whether you’re a global sourcing buyer or supplier, you must be able to understand where the online threats to your business lie, how they might impact risk, and how you can mitigate that risk.

The chances are you’re familiar by now with ransomware. Well, increasingly, the hackers are eschewing this money-making scheme in favour of another, far more insidious and covert strategy: mining crypto-currency using your own enterprise computing resources. It’s time to get familiar with a new trend in cybercrime: crypto-jacking.

Mining for money

Like every new cybercrime story, this one is based on a simple financial narrative. Unless they’re sponsored by nation states, or driven by notoriety or revenge, hackers will always go where the money is. And today there is a lot of it to be had from the burgeoning crypto-currency markets. The astronomical rise in value of digital currencies like Bitcoin, Monero, Ripple and Ethereum over the past year or so has led to a kind of modern-day gold rush, with technology at its heart.

There are various legitimate ways to make money from crypto-currencies — perhaps by investing in and trading Bitcoin, for example. One other way is to “mine” currencies. Crypto-mining is carried out today by computers which make complex calculations to ensure virtual transactions are entered onto the public blockchain-based ledger. In return for their efforts, the owners of these machines are rewarded with a small amount of virtual currency.

As the finite number of Bitcoins etc left to mine slowly reduces, these calculations get more difficult and require more and more electricity to power. It’s said that the energy used to power global Bitcoin mining efforts alone is equivalent to that of a small country: around 30 TWh per year.

Now this is where the hackers come in. They’ve found that by hijacking large numbers of consumer and business machines, they can tap the collective computing power to mine their own virtual coins. Mobile devices, PCs, Macs, servers, IoT endpoints: no internet-connected system is safe from this emerging crypto-jacking menace.

It’s claimed that crypto-jacking attacks soared by a staggering 8,500% in 2017. More recent stats have the number of malware detections in businesses increasing by a more modest 27% from Q4 2017 to Q1 2018. At NTT Security, we’ve also noticed a spike in activity in recent months. After collecting 12,000 samples of Monero mining malware dating back to March 2015, we discovered the vast majority (66%) dated from November and December 2017.

Firms under fire

With some security researchers claiming that hackers could make as much as $100m per year, it’s no surprise why this new trend has become so popular among the black hats. It’s much easier for them to run these botnets of compromised machines than it is to co-ordinate a ransomware campaign, for example, which requires interaction with the victim and the possibility of not being paid. With crypto-jacking, you simply infect a bunch of computers, sit back and let the money start flowing in.

The bad news, however, is that they’re increasingly likely to target business computer systems to assist in their covert mining activity, as there’s more computing power to hijack than consumer devices can offer. Crypto-mining malware affected 42% of organisations globally in February 2018, according to one vendor.

Contrary to popular belief, the potential impact on businesses extends beyond the costs associated with extra electricity usage. Crypto-jacking could also impair the performance of your systems, leading to wear and tear and potential downtime that could affect customer service and staff productivity. Infection could also be both indicative of deeper security problems in your networks and lead to additional cyber-attacks designed to spread ransomware, or harvest sensitive IP and customer data. One report claimed that of 4,000 Bitcoin mining detections spotted in 1H 2017, 20% triggered web and network-based attacks.

How to fight back

As long as there’s a financial incentive to do so, and corporate systems are exposed to attack, cyber-criminals will continue to target them with crypto-mining malware. So where are the key risks for global sourcing buyers and suppliers? NTT Security research indicates that malicious email campaigns are the primary means via which hackers are likely to access your systems. This can be difficult to defend against, as the tactic takes advantage of the credulity of your users to trick them into clicking on a malicious link or opening a malware-laden attachment. With Verizon claiming that 4% of users targeted by any given phishing campaign click through, improved security training is an essential complement to investments in security technology.

It’s not all about malicious email, however. The National Cyber Security Centre has warned in a new report that a new tactic could dominate over the coming year. “Popular websites are likely to continue to be targets for compromise, serving crypto-mining malware to visitors, and software is available that, when run in a webpage, uses the visiting computer's spare computer processing power to mine the digital currency Monero,” it claimed. Such an attack was spotted in February, with legitimate tool Coinhive found to be running on 4,000 websites including those of the Information Commissioner’s Office, United States Courts, and the General Medical Council.

So how can global sourcing stakeholders hope to mitigate this new cyber-risk? It will require a layered approach to security focused on people, process and technology and comprising best practices of the sort outlined by the NCSC. On the technology side this means investments in IDS/IPS, network monitoring, ad blocking, anti-malware and more. Combine this with regular risk assessments, user education and comprehensive patch management, and you’ll stand a good chance of success.

Cybersecurity is ultimately about making you a harder target. With crypto-jacking, the hackers are looking for the path of least resistance, so put enough barriers in the way and they’re likely to look for easier targets.

(Click here for the full NTT Security report...)

About the Author

Terrance DeJesus is a Threat Research Analyst at NTT Security.

UK workers fear automation: ADP

(Past member) — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

A third of UK workers believe that their jobs will be automated within the next decade – and almost ten per cent think it’s likely to happen within two years - according to research by payroll firm ADP – and of those, over half think their employers are not doing enough to reskill them ahead of time.

Fears over automation are distributed unevenly amongst different demographics, according to the research cited by The Independent newspaper and others: just under 50% of employees aged between 16 and 35 see their jobs falling to automation within ten years, whilst workers in London are more fearful than those anywhere else: 46% of those surveyed in the capital worry about losing their jobs to automation over the next decade.

“Automation may seem like an issue for future generations, but our findings show that machines could replace thousands of employees in as few as five years… By starting to upskill and retrain workers now, employers can ensure they and their employees are as ready as possible to work side-by-side with the machines,” Jeff Phipps, managing director at ADP UK, told The Independent.

BPO hiring slows to lowest level in seven years: Nasscom

(Past member) — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The global business process outsourcing (BPO) industry added fewer jobs last year than at any time since 2010, according to a report by India’s outsourcing trade body Nasscom. Net job growth in the $28bn BPO exports business stood at 36,000, with a global total in the region of 1.2 million, according to the Nasscom study. The annual average since 2011 has been in excess of 50,000 net new jobs.

While hiring growth has slowed, however, revenues are still strong, indicating that the shift to more automated work is accelerating. Earlier this year Cognizant became the first outsourcing major to hit 10% annualised growth whilst decreasing headcount, and several other leading players are expected to follow suit when their results are announced this month.

“This is, absolutely, not just a sign of things to come but of things that are already here,” said Jamie Liddell, Head of Content for the Global Sourcing Association (GSA). “Outsourcers of all shapes and sizes are scrambling to leverage the full power of automation and AI as quickly as possible to move away from the FTE-based model on which they’ve relied for many years. I’d be very surprised if we don’t see negative job growth this time next year, while revenues continue to rise.”

TUC calls for stronger rights for outsourced workers

(Past member) — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for a “beefing up” of labour laws affecting employees of outsourcing firms, saying that current legislation is insufficient to support subcontracted workers. The organisation has suggested that the government bring in legislation to allow such workers to challenge their “parent companies” to ensure full access to benefits such as holiday pay and even the national minimum wage.

According to TUC estimates, up to five million workers – 3.3 million employed through outsourced providers, at least 1 million by recruitment agencies and similar firms, and 615,000 by franchised operations - in the UK cannot enforce their basic rights.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “This is an issue that affects millions, from fast food workers to people working on building sites. Employers have a duty of care to workers in their supply chains. They shouldn’t be allowed to wash their hands of their responsibilities… Joint liability must be extended to parent employers. Without it they can shrug their shoulders over minimum wage and holiday pay abuses… Our labour enforcement laws urgently need beefing up.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “The government recently set out plans to ensure millions of workers, including agency workers, will benefit from enhanced rights and protections. We are also considering repealing laws allowing agencies to employ workers on cheaper rates.”

AI job-loss estimates “lower than previously thought”

(Past member) — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

A report by the OECD on the impact of artificial intelligence and automation suggests many fewer jobs in the UK and USA will be lost than previously thought – though the revised figures still represent many millions of positions at risk.

According to the report, some 10% of US jobs and 12% of UK roles will be lost to automation over the next decade – significantly lower than the 47% and 35% respectively predicted by a highly influential Oxford University study released in 2013. Nevertheless, the figure for the UK represents around three million employees, and that for the USA at least 13 million, the report claims.

The research suggests that while fears of the impact of automation and AI have been to some extent overblown, the consequences will still be significant, with “further polarisation of the labour market” potentially leading to greater wealth inequality, and with countries not sufficiently prepared for the retraining burden which will result from such widespread job losses.

“The large share of workers whose jobs are likely to change quite significantly as a result of automation calls for countries to strengthen their adult learning policies to prepare their workforce for the changes in job requirements they are likely to face,” the report warns.

AI job-loss estimates “lower than previously thought”

(Past member) — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

GSA launches ‘Reshaping Outsourcing’ campaign at extraordinary meeting

(Past member) — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON, 28/3/18: The Global Sourcing Association (GSA), the industry association for strategic sourcing and outsourcing professionals, has launched its new #ReshapingOutsourcing campaign intended to improve and futureproof the outsourcing model. At an extraordinary meeting held in London on March 26th, over 80 senior professionals from across the industry convened to discuss the challenges facing outsourcing – including a welter of media and political criticism, a wave of disruptive technologies and the emergence of new partnership and contractual models – and possible solutions designed to improve service quality and outcomes and to shore up the reputation of this critical sector.

Prior to the event, a GSA survey of the community showed that over 80% of respondents desired change in the industry (with only six per cent believing no change at all is necessary), and breakout sessions on Monday showed a clear desire for fundamental improvements in areas as diverse as communications, hiring, public relations, upskilling sourcing professionals, preparing for the future working landscape and more.

The discussions generated at the event will now be used as the basis for working groups, to meet regularly over the course of the next few months, designed to formulate a series of actions which will combine to form a coherent programme of work to be unveiled at the GSA UK Symposium & Awards, to be held in London on November 22, 2018. Kerry Hallard also informed the conference of a range of new GSA activities to run alongside these working groups under the broad remit of ‘Reshaping Outsourcing’, as well as an expansion of the GSA’s workshop programme to provide an immediate boost to the upskilling imperative expressed by the group.

“This industry is on a burning platform,” Hallard said. “Don’t get me wrong – in most cases outsourcing works – but we seem too unwilling to share those successes. I propose that we come together as an industry like never before, to celebrate our successes, acknowledge our shortcomings, agree that we want to make some changes – and agree what those changes are, and develop and deliver a targeted plan.”

The GSA is now calling for members of the strategic sourcing and outsourcing space who were unable to attend Monday’s meeting to throw their support behind the campaign, including by joining the nascent working groups to help shape the future of the industry. Those interested should contact Kerry Hallard, CEO, GSA UK, at kerryh@gsa-uk.com or on +44 (0)7774 690447.

For more information on the GSA UK Symposium & Awards 2018, see https://www.gsauksymposium.com/ or contact Natalie Milsom at nataliem@gsa-uk.com or on +44 (0)7817 040202.

For information on the GSA’s workshop programme – including forthcoming sessions on design thinking and intelligent automation – please contact Debbie Mackay at debbiem@gsa-uk.com or on +44 (0)7398 262548.

About the GSA:

The Global Sourcing Association is the industry association and professional body for the global sourcing industry, and the home of the Global Sourcing Standard, a world first for the provision of a portfolio of best practice methodologies and accreditation programmes supported by both buyers and suppliers of sourcing. The GSA is a not-for-profit membership association with fully licensed, affiliate and associate members, and serves to share best practice, trends and connections across the globe. The Global Sourcing Association has a presence across the globe and provides guidance in economies such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Egypt, China, India and the United States.

No take-off for BA call centre outsourcing plans

(Past member) — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

British Airways (BA) has cancelled plans to outsource hundreds of call centre jobs in the north of the UK and committed to investing millions of pounds in new technology, according to reports this week. Over 750 staff in Manchester and Newcastle will remain in place after BA and provider Capita failed to agree a deal “after nine months of talks” over taking on the airline’s global customer contact set-up, according to the Manchester Evening News.

BA’s chairman and chief exec, Alex Cruz, told the press that he was “pleased that following a very detailed review, we are planning to retain both of our long-standing UK call centres in Newcastle and Manchester… We have highly experienced and knowledgeable teams in both cities, and by modernising how we work as well as introducing new technology we can ensure we offer the very best service to our customers.”

The news was greeted with delight by trade union Unite, which referenced the current anti-outsourcing backlash in its response: “I think there is a new mood across business and other organisations in the UK that, following the recent Carillion debacle, outsourcing is not necessarily the best option if you wish to develop your business successfully,” said Unite officer Oliver Richardson.

BA also announced that it will keep 900 more staff in-house in centres in Germany, Hong Kong and India, but is also looking at setting up another centre in Cape Town which would be run by a third-party supplier.

“Capita is continuing to work with British Airways about elements of global customer contact transformation and support. This includes discussing a potential new contact centre site in Cape Town,” a Capita spokesperson said.

GDPR readiness concerns for Indian ITES majors

(Past member) — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

With less than two months before the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force, concerns are growing that India’s leading IT firms are underprepared for the changes involved, with press reports this week claiming that “only a third” of the country’s providers are in line to be compliant by the May 25th deadline.

“Only 30%-35% of all IT/ITeS companies have started their journey to work towards GDPR compliance,” Jaspreet Singh, Cyber Security Partner at EY, told the Economic Times on Tuesday.

With fines for breaches of the new regulation potentially reaching four per cent of global turnover (and with data protection in the public eye as never before thanks to the ongoing Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal) the consequences of failure to observe GDPR are enormous – yet analysts are concerned that some Indian firms may not be taking their obligations seriously enough. Some observers are also highlighting the extra cost burden and its possible impact on current and future deals: NASSCOM chairman Raman Roy suggested Monday that “IT services providers will have to rework the contracts and they will see a cost increase. But the cost impact depends on the incremental work (due to GDPR compliance) that needs to be done.”

In an interview with the GSA, DLA Piper partner Kit Burden said that “there remains a huge amount of work to be done on GDPR; in fact, there is too much work now than could possibly be done in the time available. There are still organisations amazingly enough which are only now waking up to what needs to be done. Equally there are more savvy organisations which did realise that they needed to do something, who are still coming to terms with the sheer scale of how much that ‘something’ actually is, and are therefore still running up against the deadline in terms of completing all their remediation activities in time to be ready by May.”

UK passport row intensifies after offshoring decision

(Past member) — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The UK government has come under fire after the announcement that new post-Brexit British passports are to be made in France by Franco-Dutch printing firm Gemalto. The decision to send the work offshore, taken in accordance with EU procurement rules, has been lambasted in various media channels by pro-Leave commentators including former cabinet minister Priti Patel, who described it as “disgraceful”, and is being appealed by the incumbent supplier De La Rue, which immediately issued a profit warning following the announcement.

However, the Home Office said on Wednesday that the new contract will save taxpayers in the region of £100m-£120m. A spokesperson said: "The preferred bidder has been selected following a rigorous, fair and open competition and all bidders were notified of the outcome last night. The chosen company demonstrated that they will be best able to meet the needs of our passport service with a high quality and secure product at the best value for money for our customers and the taxpayer. It's been the case since 2009 that we do not require passports to be manufactured in the UK. A proportion of passports have been made overseas since then with up to 20 percent of blank passport books currently produced in Europe with no security or operational concerns."

De La Rue CEO Martin Sutherland expressed anger at the decision to the BBC on Thursday: "Over the last few months we have heard ministers happy to come on the media and talk about the new blue passport and the fact that it is an icon of British identity. But now this icon of British identity is going to be manufactured in France…I'd like to ask Theresa May or Amber Rudd to come to my factory and explain to our dedicated workforce why this is a sensible decision to offshore the manufacture of a British icon."

The news that new UK passports would revert to a traditional dark blue colour was greeted with enthusiasm by many Britons who believe it represents a symbolic break with the past after 2016’s Brexit vote; since 1988 British passports have been burgundy in line with EU norms. Anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage described the decision as “the first real, tangible victory” since the referendum. Others, however, have taken a rather different view: entrepreneur James Caan tweeted that “a country that would spend £500m to change the colour of a passport while children sleep on the streets is a country whose priorities are wholly out of whack”.

Q&A: Tiago Catarino, Lisbon Nearshore

(Past member) — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Tiago Catarino is the CEO and Co-Founder of Lisbon Nearshore, a technology company based in Lisbon, Portugal which offers customised software development and IT staffing services to clients worldwide. We spoke with Tiago about his company, the attractions of Lisbon as a sourcing delivery location, the ongoing war for talent, and what makes a true leader...

Tiago, thank you for joining us today. Let’s get a bit of background: can you tell us a little about yourself and your career thus far?

Tiago Catarino: Over the last 11 years my main focus has been to develop and implement processes which drive and improve outsourcing agreements. I lead a team of professionals, responsible for developing, selling and delivering differentiated, innovative, and operationally excellent services to clients seeking outsourcing or nearshoring solutions to help them achieve high performance. As a senior leader, I help clients experiment with new structures, incentives, and processes in order to meet their strategic goals. My day-to-day job involves consulting and helping clients to address complex challenges related to innovation. It was the complexity of these challenges that led me to obtain a Certified GSA-UK Diploma in Strategic Outsourcing.

Innovation is one of the biggest problems we have in the outsourcing industry. I am passionate about how technology and people combine and drive organisational changes. From 2007 onwards, I developed a “people first” leadership approach to merge technology and processes, helping clients to unlock the potential of innovation in new outsourcing service models.

What does “people first” mean specifically for you?

TC: For me, a "people first" approach entails the developing of a company culture that puts the employees' well-being at the core of the business processes.

Lisbon Nearshore is a relatively young company: what was your thinking behind its foundation? Why was this a good time to set up such a venture?

TC: Nearshore has boomed in Portugal over the last two years. Before that, it was a relatively small market on this side of Europe for mainly one reason: companies pursuing nearshore models were only focused on price and cost-cutting. Now the focus has shifted towards the quality of the work produced, keeping in mind that it must still be affordable.

Portugal is a country which boasts a highly qualified workforce - I believe our best developers and engineers do not lag behind their counterparts in Central and Northern Europe - and significantly lower labour costs than the EU average; however, it cannot compete in price with Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria or Poland. As Portuguese, we have always strived to push our boundaries further and that still stays true today. We are pushing the boundaries of technology to new frontiers, and that is exactly our value proposition, what’s in our DNA: the desire to excel, the quality of our talent and our willingness to discover the new.

Can you give us a little insight into the kind of work you typically carry out for your clients?

TC: Our setup implies a true business partnership: we don’t do individual project deliveries. We set up a development centre with our clients, in Lisbon, that can be scalable according to their needs and which includes software engineers, web developers, project managers, software architects, etc. Our aim is to develop our client’s Lisbon tech hub. We are not just a service provider: we are your partner in Lisbon.

So without giving us any confidential details, what would that entail – what kind of work do your clients send over to you that they don’t or can’t do in-house?

TC: Our clients reach out to us, not just because they have a need to outsource parts of their business processes, but also because they simply are not able to find and attract quality talent. In this industry the talent gap, the gap between the available talent and the industry's needs, is widening every year. It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract and maintain qualified IT professionals; the turn-over rates are increasing. A client comes to us because they know they will get a highly qualified, highly motivated team without needing to worry if they will be able to scale the team or if it will be cut in half due to its members going to find work somewhere else.

Answering your question more directly, we can do several kinds of work with our clients, from applications, front and back-end development, to ERP development (SAP and Oracle, for example) and IT infrastructure management.

Lisbon’s got a pretty interesting value proposition: what makes it a good place to do business right now? And how does it differentiate itself from other service delivery locations?

TC: To be honest, we as Lisboetas have always seen that value proposition and felt the world was just mistakenly looking at other places [laughter]. As I stated before, Portugal boasts a high-quality education which translates into highly skilled professionals. Not only that, but the country possesses a world-class telecommunications infrastructure, a mature market economy and several government incentives to companies wanting to invest in the country. Couple all that with a positive relationship of quality/price/talent and you can’t get a better bang for your buck.

How are you working to stay at the cutting edge of technology at a time of such great change in the industry? Do you find yourselves having to work with a broader spread of partners, for example?

TC: I believe that the key requirement for anyone working in tech, whether as a developer or in management, is to never stop learning. This is a fast-paced always-changing industry and you need to get your feet on the ground and be aware of its global dynamics if you want to stay relevant. At Lisbon Nearshore we are technology-agnostic and, therefore, we work with a broad spectrum of tools. We always look for the best tech to fit a specific project and try to be on the lookout for new tools that can help us improve our work. We also have a Learning Centre where our developers can further improve their skills. Besides that, we also offer them the possibility of attending international conferences and events related with technologies they are working with. Just last month, we had a few of our developers in Paris for the ng-Europe Angular Conference.

What are the key skill-sets and characteristics you look for when hiring?

TC: At Lisbon Nearshore we only hire experienced and seasoned IT professionals. Even though the self-taught engineer has been glamorised in this industry, the first thing we look at when we evaluate potential candidates is their education. Did the candidate continue to hone their skills after getting into the job market? Is the candidate from a reputable university? We believe that a quality education and a willingness to keep improving are the cornerstones of good developers.

The second thing we look for is their soft skills: are they team workers, honest and able to work in a fast-paced environment?

Are you finding yourself in a “war for talent” in a fast-growing market such as Lisbon?

TC: Yes and no. In this industry, no matter what, you are always competing for talent. However, when you have interesting international projects, you provide full benefits and a dynamic company culture, the fight for talent becomes an easier one. We are able to differentiate ourselves from our competition by the amount of energy we place in making sure our staff is happy and well taken care of, finding meaning in the work they do.

Conversely, what do you think are the most important characteristics of leadership in this space right now?

TC: I believe in a leadership approach that puts the well-being of your employees at the core of everything you do. I strongly believe that if you treat your employees well, they in turn will take care of your business. In a space as challenging and competitive as this one, if you push your employees to the limit of their physical abilities, you’ll end up with poorly executed work and a turnover rate that will go through the roof. Leaders shouldn’t be authoritative, but cooperative and point the way. Leaders should inspire and protect.

Finally, what’s the secret to the perfect sourcing arrangement?

TC: To be honest, there is no secret to sourcing arrangements. It is actually more straightforward than most people think, but it has to be supported on a few key principles: honesty, transparency and cooperativeness. If these key principles hold, then, for an agreement to be optimal, it is only a matter of specifying correctly a few technical aspects: well-defined needs by the organisation pursuing nearshoring services; well-communicated scaling abilities and challenges by the nearshore service provider; tried and true communication and work methods; and so on.

I believe that, at the end of the day, if there is an alignment of both organisations’ cultures and ethical principles, the technical challenges of each sourcing arrangement are more easily overcome, and both organisations are able grow and develop together.

Beyond genuine stupidity

(Past member) — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The game is on. Artificial intelligence (AI) is pretty much the hottest topic right now. Many would argue that we’ve reached the point of maximum hype in AI discussions.

Here we draw on key messages from our recent book Beyond Genuine Stupidity – Ensuring AI Serves Humanity to highlight five of the most critical issues and resulting choices facing governments, businesses, society, and individuals as we prepare for the full impacts of AI on the economy.

As futurists, it comes as no surprise that we are arguing for analysis, policy experimentation, and, in some cases, pre-emptive action to prepare for what could be the most disruptive changes that most people of working age will have experienced.

1. Don’t Believe What You Read - Technological Unemployment and The New Jobs Landscape

The AI technology vendors are struggling to hold a consistent line. On the one hand they are selling the return on investment case for AI – predicated on headcount reductions. However, as this has become a contentious issue they are now arguing the “augmented intelligence” angle. The new line is that AI will free up people from routine tasks to do more creative work and focus on problem-solving. Whilst this is attractive, in reality, how many employers are going to follow that path? The evidence to date suggests most are going for cost base reduction.

Some evangelists argue that AI will create a host of new jobs and that the new industries that emerge will generate new employment. Whilst this is a possibility, in both cases, the majority of those jobs will require at least degree-level education. These businesses will also be highly automated from the start, and there could be a major time lag between bank staff and truckers being made redundant and the new jobs being created.

The challenge here for governments is to model a range of scenarios, including extreme ones. From this, they can start assessing the tax implications of different levels of unemployment, explore policy options they might pursue under different scenarios, and identity necessary immediate actions they should be taking because they are valid under all scenarios.

2. Reskilling the Workforce and Transforming Education

For adults, in most countries, the provisions for retraining and lifelong learning are at best woeful. However, the facilities already exist in schools and colleges, and there is no shortage of people who can deliver the training. Exponential change requires an exponential increase in provision for retraining – the cost of inaction will manifest itself in higher unemployment costs, rising mental health issues, and skill shortages across the economy.

At the school level, we need to take a hard look at the assumptions that govern current curriculums. In practice, it is impossible to know what jobs a nineteen-year-old entering university today might be doing in three to four years’ time, let alone what career path an eleven-, seven-, or two-year-old might pursue. Indeed, for those aged under eleven, the bulk of the jobs they’ll do probably don’t exist yet. Hence, we need to be equipping them with the skills that will allow them to take up these new opportunities when they arise. This means a far greater emphasis on social and collaborative skills, conflict resolution, problem-solving, scenario thinking, and accelerated learning.

3. Universal / Guaranteed Basic Incomes

There will inevitably be employment casualties from the process of automation. The question also arises as to how people will be able to afford the goods and services now being produced by the machines if they no longer have jobs. Many have argued for provision of a guaranteed basic income (GBI) across society – at a rate typically higher than unemployment benefit. Countries from Canada and Finland to India and Namibia have been experimenting with different models for how this might work.

Simply exhorting people to find work won’t solve the problem or feed their dependents. This is where governments need to work together to try different experiments and see the impacts on funding costs, economic activity, the shadow economy, social wellbeing, crime, domestic violence, and mental health. There will be strongly polarised political views on such an option. However, doing the experiments is not committing to the policy, but will provide evidence on which to base policy decisions when the need for action arises.

4. New Employer’s Responsibilities - Robot Taxes, Total Employment Responsibility, and Deferred Redundancy

A lot of the potential issues around the introduction of AI and other disruptive technologies will arise from the choices made by employers. Will they retain the staff freed up by technology or release them in order to make higher profits? Whilst there is no wish to hold back the process or pace of innovation, questions are being raised about how to address the social costs. If unemployment costs rise, or GBI schemes are introduced – who will pay for them? One option is the introduction of so-called robot taxes, where firms effectively pay a higher rate of taxes on the profits they derive from increased automation. This has already met with opposition from business circles but has some support from technology pioneers in Silicon Valley.

Opponents of GBI schemes and robot taxes have yet to offer substantive alternative policy options. Two options that have surfaced are firstly the notion of a total employment responsibility. Based on turnover in the previous year, your firm would be responsible for a total level of employment in the economy. So, if your turnover was one-millionth of national GDP, you’d be responsible for ensuring the employment of one-millionth of the workforce. This might be through direct employment, subcontractors, suppliers who work solely for you, or new businesses you support.

Another unpopular option is deferred redundancy: workers staying on your payroll at full pay until they find another job. It is easy to oppose all the ideas but large employers and governments need to be thinking now about viable policy alternatives for a world in which we might need a smaller workforce.

5. Ethics, Governance, and Ownership of the Technology

Arguments are surfacing which suggest AI is too important to leave its evolution to the private sector. A proliferation of voluntary ethical charters is starting to emerge to govern the development and application of AI and robotics. The challenge is that AI is recognised as a critical future technology by leading industrial nations such as China, Korea, Taiwan, and the USA. It has become an economic battleground, and ethics may not be a prime consideration in the race for AI superpower status. In response, there is a growing argument for state regulation and oversight of AI. This would probably require the capabilities of a regulatory AI to conduct such a governance role as, in the relatively near future, the capabilities and reasoning of most AIs is likely to outstrip humans’ abilities to monitor them.

Given these challenges, there is also an argument being made for governments to nationalise the ownership of AI intellectual property and then licence it back to firms. In this way, governments could regulate the deployment more effectively, and raise revenues to cover the expected social costs. Such moves are likely to prove hugely unpopular in some quarters, while others will argue they are the inevitable consequence of technologies that could ultimately be beyond human oversight and control.

The reality is that the pace at which AI is advancing has far outstripped the ability of governments, businesses, and individuals to identify the potential impacts, assess the possible implications, and try out potential solutions. A genuinely stupid strategy here would be to cover our eyes and ears and hope the problem goes away, never arises, or simply gets resolved by omnipotent market forces. A more enlightened option is to undertake serious assessment of the most radical possible outcomes, developing policy options for the worst-case scenarios, and implementing actions now which will be beneficial however the game plays out.

About the Authors

Rohit Talwar, Steve Wells, Alexandra Whittington, April Koury, and Helena Calle are futurists with Fast Future - a professional foresight firm specialising in delivering keynote speeches, executive education, research, and consulting on the emerging future and the impacts of change for global clients. Fast Future publishes books from leading future thinkers around the world, exploring how developments such as AI, robotics, exponential technologies, and disruptive thinking could impact individuals, societies, businesses, and governments and create the trillion-dollar sectors of the future. Fast Future has a particular focus on ensuring these advances are harnessed to unleash individual potential and enable a very human future. See: www.fastfuture.com

Beyond Genuine Stupidity – Ensuring AI Serves Humanity

The first book in the Fast Future series explores critical emerging issues arising from the rapid pace of development in artificial intelligence (AI). The authors argue for a forward-looking and conscious approach to the development and deployment of AI to ensure that it genuinely serves humanity's best interest. Through a series of articles, they present a compelling case to get beyond the genuine stupidity of narrow, short term, and alarmist thinking and look at AI from a long-term holistic perspective. The reality is that AI will impact current sectors and jobs—and hopefully enable new ones.

A smart approach requires us to think about and experiment with strategies for adopting and absorbing the impacts of AI - encompassing education systems, reskilling the workforce, unemployment and guaranteed basic incomes, robot taxes, job creation, encouraging new ventures, research and development to enable tomorrow’s industries, and dealing with the mental health impacts. The book explores the potential impacts on sectors ranging from healthcare and automotive, to legal and education. The implications for business itself are also examined from leadership and HR, to sales and business ethics.  See: http://fastfuturepublishing.com/main/shop/bgs/

Furore grows over Facebook data “misuse”

(Past member) — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook’s links with controversial British research firm Cambridge Analytica – used by President Donald Trump during his election campaign - have come under intense scrutiny this week after reports the latter harvested the personal details of up to 50 million Facebook users. Damian Collins MP, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee, said on Monday that he “will be writing to Mark Zuckerberg asking that either he or another senior executive from [Facebook] appear to give evidence” before that body.

On Tuesday morning it was announced that a warrant to search Cambridge Analytica’s HQ has been requested by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) following the news of the apparent data breach, and in the wake of an ongoing Channel 4 investigation apparently showing the firm’s senior management claiming expertise in questionable tactics – including “honeytraps” and bribery – on the part of its political clients. The firm issued a statement saying that the programme had “grossly misrepresented” its activities.

Meanwhile Facebook – already experiencing one of the most difficult periods in its short history thanks to its apparent exploitation by elements looking to interfere in the 2016 US elections, and under intense political and media scrutiny both in the US and abroad – has suspended Cambridge Analytica’s account and announced it is hiring a digital forensic team to investigate the situation.

“This is part of a comprehensive internal and external review to determine the accuracy of the claims that the Facebook data in question still exists,” Facebook said in a statement on Monday.

GSA issues outsourcing call to arms

(Past member) — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON, MARCH 12, 2018:The Global Sourcing Association (GSA), the industry association for strategic sourcing and outsourcing professionals, is calling for the outsourcing community to come together and help to reshape and improve the industry in the face of media and political opposition in the aftermath of the Carillion collapse, and ongoing technology-driven disruption.

The GSA is inviting any and all interested parties to an extraordinary meeting taking place March 26th 2018, 4pm-7pm, at the London office of law firm Eversheds, where GSA Council members will present their thoughts on the state of the outsourcing space and some of the challenges facing it, and will invite attendees to share their own ideas and to participate in formulating a year-long programme of action. The outputs from the meeting will form the platform for that programme, with attendees’ contributions defining the agendas of new working groups tackling specific challenges identified by the community.

Ahead of her appearance before the Public Administration & Constitutional Affairs Committee in Westminster on March 13th, GSA UK CEO Kerry Hallard said that the conditions created by the Carillion crisis and reactions thereto have created a “burning platform” for a “reshaping” of the industry in the UK and beyond.

“Outsourcing is and remains a critical part of public sector service delivery,” Hallard said, “and of the economy as a whole – and while recent attacks on the model have often been extremely wide of the mark it’s clear that the industry’s standing in the public eye needs urgent improvement. This is an opportunity for those of us involved in outsourcing to stand up and be counted, to celebrate our successes, and to demonstrate the almost incalculable value that we deliver every day. However, it’s also a chance for us to take a root-and-branch look at the entire space and ask where we might be able to make genuine changes for the better – and whether we need a wholesale reshaping of the industry to ensure our ability to deliver on our value proposition remains unimpeded.”

Any professionals working in or around outsourcing are invited to join the extraordinary meeting on March 26th to add their efforts to the GSA’s programme. For more information please contact Jamie Liddell, Head of Content, GSA, at jamiel@gsa-uk.com or on 07432 266306 - or see the event listing page here.

UiPath gets huge funding injection

(Past member) — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

RPA specialist UiPath has secured $153 million in Series B investment, valuing the company at over $1 billion, the company announced this week. The funding – led by previous investor Accel Partners along with newcomers CapitalG and KPCB – is intended for R&D in the company’s machine learning and artificial intelligence product development, according to a UiPath announcement. UiPath will also open six new offices across Europe, Asia and the USA this quarter, the company said.

“I am thrilled to have such a strong set of investors and thought leaders supporting UiPath, and I am especially grateful for the continued support of Accel,” said Daniel Dines, UiPath CEO. “RPA is proving to be an unrivaled technology for driving real digital transformation and delivering better business outcomes incredibly fast. With our tremendous growth in 2017, it is now clear that every organisation in the world can benefit significantly from RPA. With the substantial commitment today by Accel, CapitalG and Kleiner Perkins, we are deepening our resolve to accelerate the delivery of AI through the UiPath platform, helping organisations and workers quickly become more sophisticated in everything they do.”

According to tech news magazine TechCrunch the new investment is something of a slamdunk: UiPath is now growing at over 500% annually, with one source telling the publication “I’ve never seen an enterprise company grow so fast!”.

Leadership decision-making in a rapidly evolving world

(Past member) — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Is it time for all leaders to become futurists? Certainly there are futurist principles that can be applied to help create the “futurist mindset” for successful decision-making and leadership.

This means being able to look over the horizon on a continuous basis, and constantly adjusting our present-day actions in response to what we see. It also means trying rapid change experiments through which we can learn and evolve. This is necessary if we are to be able to act quickly in response to new opportunities and risks.

In The Future Leader’s Handbook, our forthcoming guide for thriving at the helm, we aim to help address these challenges with practical thinking. Let us share some of the key principles for leading successfully into the ever-evolving future.

1. Shape a Forward-Looking Culture

Look at the dominant behaviours and stories around the organisation. Who do we make heroes of? Are we celebrating and rewarding those who scout out emerging change and seek to pioneer new ideas? How are we using public spaces: are staff surrounded by constantly changing images, icons, and questions of what’s next – or charts of past performance, safety notices, and policy statements? How is our appraisal and bonus system designed: are innovation and challenging the “system” encouraged and rewarded?

2. Continuous Foresight and Experimentation Cycles

The old planning model has been overturned, an annual or bi-annual long-term planning exercise to guide strategic leadership just won’t cut it, when sectors are being disrupted on an almost quarterly basis. The emerging best practice model is to scan continuously - looking far, wide, and into the shadows for what might be coming towards us. These insights need to drive at least a twice-yearly update of scenarios of how our world might play out in the near, medium, and longer terms. These scenarios and scanning insights should help us iterate our way towards the future using rapid idea testing experiments around possible new products and services, processes, channels to market, business models, and customer engagement approaches. The goal here is to help us learn key information rapidly, develop new knowledge and capabilities, fail fast when appropriate, and progress quickly.

3. Hire a Futurist

Alongside learning and development, and managing your digital ecosystem, continuous scanning and evaluation of the future will be a critical core function for future-proofed organisations. Like it or not, the organisation needs constant prodding to ensure it is looking at new potential threats and opportunities early enough to address them before they create a crisis. Many leading companies are hiring futurists or directors of strategic foresight or other job titles that denote a role involved in continuously thinking about the future. Well-known organisations that have created positions for in-house futurists include Google, Intel, Volkswagen, Hersheys, Ancestry.com, and even the City of New York.

4. Learn Something New Every Day, Then Watch it Grow

Don’t leave scanning just to the futurists. Allocate at least a couple of hours a week to exploring what’s coming next. Good future leaders learn quickly to establish the habits of a trendspotter and seek out new information at every possible turn. Subscribe to newsletters, follow thought leaders on social media, join webinars, and work daily to widen your media diet to include information that broadens your mind. Seek out diverse information sources and cultivate your findings on a link-sharing or social media page of your own. Watch and learn as your observations go from fringe to mainstream.

5. Rebalance Technical and Soft Skills

If we accept that in the past our success as leaders has been based on our technical knowledge, then acknowledging the pace and scale of emerging change should lead us to conclude that softer skills will become increasingly important. Presuming that automation takes away the need from some technical know-how, perhaps future leaders will be required to demonstrate a tolerance of uncertainty, the ability to cope with complexity, to exhibit empathy within our organisations, and to value collaboration and relationship development.

6. Take a Sustainability Perspective

Sustainability has often been talked about in the context of the environment; climate change, wildlife protection, and natural resource consumption. Increasingly, we see organisations taking a much broader view of sustainability that includes economy, business, and employment, eradicating inequality, developing ethical business practices, our communities and ecosystems, education, and personal fulfilment. Perhaps we should be posing questions about how our businesses and our business practices support sustainability, rather than damaging it.

7. Define and Redefine Organisational Identity

Fluctuating conditions in the business environment impact organisations in different ways. Being attentive to unexpected shifts in society gives future leaders an innate sense for when company culture, identity, and values should evolve. A future leader inspires others with a consistently positive attitude towards change.

Never has it been more important for those leading organisations to demonstrate a) a deep understanding of the forces, trends, developments, and ideas that could shape the emerging future; and b) a commitment to ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders. This is the most natural way for data gathering: talking constantly to customers, prospects, suppliers, partners, shareholders, competitors, industry associations, business networks, advisors, industry analysts, commentators, journalists and - most importantly – their own staff.

Future leaders need trend-spotter habits, the ability to bring people together around new ideas, and the ability to remain attuned to connections between ideas. We believe that being a future leader is a learnable skill. All human beings have within them the innate tendency to look ahead. We have the capacity to learn and experiment. Tapping into these traits will enable some to be the successful future leaders.

About the Authors

Rohit Talwar, Steve Wells, Alexandra Whittington and Helena Calle are from Fast Future which publishes books from future thinkers around the world exploring how developments such as AI, robotics and disruptive thinking could impact individuals, society and business and create new trillion-dollar sectors. The latest books from Fast Future include: Beyond Genuine Stupidity - Ensuring AI Serves Humanity, and The Future - Reinvented: Reimagining Life, Society, and Business. And their forthcoming book is 500 Futures. See: www.fastfuture.com

Fast Future’s forthcoming book, The Future Leader’s Handbook - A Guide to Leading With Foresight, is a resource for those at the helm of business who want to use insights on what’s next to ensure better decision-making today. The book explains how to apply futurist perspectives and applied foresight approaches to future-proof decision-making in business, government, NGOs, non-profits, and academia. The book lays the groundwork for understanding and acting on the critical trends, forces, ideas, developments, issues, and forecasts influencing the next decade. The Future Leader’s Handbook - A Guide to Leading With Foresight is aimed at professionals at the sharp end of decision-making, who are preparing organisations, communities, and their own lives for the arrival of a future that does not resemble the past.

Mitigating risk in a post-Carillion world

(Past member) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The shock waves from Carillion’s collapse continue to reverberate through businesses across all sectors. Its demise will have a knock-on impact in a whole host of ways: from those who had pensions with the construction firm, to those they banked with. It goes without saying that those who used Carillion as a supplier will be looking for a speedy solution to plug the gap.

Businesses and policy-makers alike have come forward to offer solutions. From introducing new codes of conduct, to “living wills” setting out what should happen in the event of a supplier’s insolvency, to a complete overhaul of public sector contracting, ideas abound as to how to ensure history is not repeated.

Sadly, a series of high-profile stories, from Carillion’s failure to Capita and BT Global Service’s financial difficulties, has served to dent the reputation of the outsourcing sector as a whole. These episodes have ignited a discussion about the balance of value and risk involved in contracting out portions of business. Many of these debates have been one-sided and ideologically driven. Outsourcing provides businesses with capabilities they don’t have in-house, and the ability to flex and scale those capabilities as it suits them. In many ways, not outsourcing can prove riskier – investing capital in property, skills and equipment that may not be needed in 12 months’ time can greatly expose an enterprise.

Nonetheless, many businesses will be asking whether their contracts are on safe ground. To those, I say that the key takeaway from these unfortunate episodes is not to abandon outsourcing, but that organisations must identify, manage and mitigate their risk.

First, conduct a review of your existing contracts. The modern sourcing landscape is complex, with organisations often managing multiple suppliers to deliver numerous niche functions. By revisiting these contracts, organisations will be able to gain a better understanding of which functions may be exposed. This doesn’t stop at a one-off or annual audit – there should be a continual process of reviewing and managing risk and exposure.

Once risk has been identified, it's a case of mitigating it. A key part of this is to put together a disaster recovery plan. What will you do if the worst happens? Would you transfer the outsourced functions to another supplier? Would you move it back in-house? Businesses need to understand their options.

Beyond the worst-case scenario, there are a host of other considerations. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for example, has become a key focus for those who advise organisations in this space. Enterprises must now understand who is responsible for protecting their data in an outsourcing relationship and that the arrangements are GDPR-compliant before ensuring that this is baked into contracts.

Finally, unfortunately, some outsourcing contracts do fail. Situations like Carillion are rare. More often, they fail because they’re unable to meet their original ambition. Advisors reduce that risk – independent consultants can monitor the health of relationships and providers and raise a red flag at the first sign of trouble. Getting this external, expert perspective is something that should be carefully considered by all organisations who outsource.

From revolutionising back-end business processes, to delivering a better service to customers in the front end, getting the right partner to tackle a problem is important. When contracts work, they can have transformational effects. The experience of Carillion shouldn’t deter businesses from outsourcing, but we can all learn lessons to defend against enterprise risk and build healthier, more fruitful supplier relationships.

Arvato: private sector outsourcing market hits three-year high

(Past member) — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The private sector outsourcing market soared to a three-year high in 2017 as businesses signed contracts worth £4.93 billion, according to the Arvato UK Outsourcing Index.

The research, compiled by business outsourcing partner Arvato and industry analyst NelsonHall, found that the total value of contracts signed by UK companies rose 36 per cent year-on-year, from £3.62 billion in 2016 and £1.84 billion in 2015.

Overall the UK outsourcing market saw an increase of nine per cent year-on-year in 2017, with contracts worth £6.74 billion agreed by the public and private sectors over the period.

A surge in technology investment was behind the strong performance in the private sector, according to the findings. Businesses spent £3.82 billion on procuring IT outsourcing (ITO contracts) agreements in 2017, more than double the value of deals agreed in 2016 (£1.73 billion).

The analysis shows that companies focused their spending on securing multi-process IT deals, which included new hosting services, equipment, network infrastructure, data centres and application management. Customer services accounted for almost half (46 per cent) of business process outsourcing (BPO) agreements signed by companies last year. Firms spent a total of £508 million as they looked to deliver improvements in customer experience across traditional and digital channels, according to the findings.

Debra Maxwell, CEO, CRM Solutions UK & Ireland, Arvato, said: “The private sector is increasingly outsourcing more sophisticated work, with firms turning to external partners to introduce new technology and enhance the customer experience.

“This shift towards greater complexity is contributing to more outsourced services being delivered here in the UK. Just two per cent of private sector deals procured last year will be delivered offshore, compared to 12 per cent in 2016, as outsourcing continues to move up the value chain.”

Overall, fewer deals were agreed across the UK outsourcing market last year, with 98 procured compared to 165 in the 12 months previous, according to the research.

The rise in spending in the private sector market comes as activity across the government market fell year-on-year. Central government departments and councils signed contracts worth £1.82 billion in 2017 compared with £2.59 billion in 2016 – a 30 per cent drop.

Excluding work procured for healthcare, the data shows that the average value of deals signed across government was down 42 per cent year-on-year in 2017

Debra Maxwell added, “In line with calls for a review of the government outsourcing model, the findings show the public sector is already moving away from procuring long-term, high-value outsourcing contracts.

“Councils and central government departments are now accessing the technology and expertise they need to deliver a range of functions, from digital service transformation to cybersecurity, through smaller contracts for productised services.”

Financial services leads private sector growth

The analysis shows that a sharp rise in the value of outsourcing contracts procured by financial services businesses was behind the growth in private sector spend last year.

Companies across financial services agreed deals worth £3.26 billion in 2017, more than treble the total value of contracts agreed in the previous year (£829 million).

According to the research, the growth can be attributed to a sharp increase in ITO spending as firms turned their attention to deals in application management, application hosting and end user computing. The findings show ITO contracts worth £2.70 billion were signed across the sector last year, up from £208 million in 2016.

Pat Quinn, CEO of Arvato Financial Solutions UK & Ireland, said: “Financial services businesses are under pressure to transform, particularly in the wake of high-profile security threats and the upcoming GDPR obligations.

“The findings show that a growing number of companies see outsourcing as key to addressing the challenge, delivering the resilient infrastructure and architecture they need to protect against cyber attacks, keep their data safe and comply with new privacy legislation.”

Alongside financial services, telecoms & media and energy & utilities were the most active sectors in the UK outsourcing market, procuring deals worth £1.08 billion and £279 million respectively, according to the findings.

The research showed that the average value of contracts signed across the private sector more than doubled to £91 million in 2017, from £36 million in the previous year.

The Arvato UK Outsourcing Index is compiled by leading BPO and IT outsourcing research and analysis firm Nelson Hall, in partnership with Arvato UK. The research is based on an analysis of all outsourcing contracts procured in the UK market during 2017.

Other headlines from the full-year 2017 Index include:

A total of £1.80 billion was spent on business process outsourcing (BPO) deals, representing 26 per cent of the overall UK outsourcing spend in 2017.

The total value of ITO contracts accounted for 73 per cent of the UK market, with contracts signed worth £4.90 billion.

Combined BPO and ITO agreements signed during the period were worth £58 million, accounting for one per cent of the overall spend.

Cognizant: decoupling revenue and headcount

(Past member) — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

IT and outsourcing giant Cognizant blazed an important new trail this week, announcing 10% annual revenue growth despite a reduction in headcount globally – the first company of its size in this sector to display annual growth without a concomitant expansion on its employee base.

The drop in staff numbers of around 200 may seem like a small drop in Cognizant’s employee ocean of over 260,000 employees, but nevertheless some analysts are seeing the news as indicative of a fundamental shift as the largest IT and services players look to solve the existential question of how to leverage automation and digital technologies to maintain growth whilst shrinking costly headcounts which in several cases encompass hundreds of thousands of employees.

Moreover, the overall reduction of 200 workers comes despite Cognizant’s taking on approximately 6,000 new employees in the US, suggesting that much of the drop has taken place in India where much of the company’s more transactional work is delivered.

"As the industry moves from the labour arbitrage factory model to the technology-based digital model the revenue per person rises and fewer people are needed… Cognizant is one of many firms which is driving hard into the new digital marketplace and this effort is showing results both in their increased growth and the improved revenue per person and falling headcount," said Peter Bendor-Samuel, CEO of analysts Everest.

Cognizant’s noteworthy first may soon be matched by a couple of its competitors, especially Infosys and TCS which have reported declining employee numbers over recent quarters but whose annual results are not out until April.

Microsoft, Google gain cloud ground on Amazon

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) domination of the global public cloud market is coming under increasing pressure from competitors Microsoft and Google, according to data released last week by analysts from KeyBanc. In Q4 last year AWS had 62% market share, down from 68% in the same period in 2016; Microsoft Azure’s share jumped from 16% to 20% over the same period, while Google’s rose from 10% to 12%.

The KeyBanc report includes an estimate that Azure’s contribution to Microsoft’s revenues grew by nearly 100%; Amazon’s own figures suggest that AWS grew by 42% in revenue terms in the third quarter of last year.

While these figures suggest that Microsoft and Google are pulling away from the “rest of the rest” in the public cloud market, one provider with the financial clout to make a serious bid to close the gap is China-bases Alibaba, which announced last week that its cloud business grew 104% in the last quarter. By some measures this makes Alibaba the fastest growing major cloud provider in the world at present – though like its nearest competitors it still has a long way to go before it threatens AWS’ throne.

Are we finally closing the gender pay gap?

(Past member) — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The UK has been reported to have the fifth largest gender pay gap in Europe — with a larger pay gap than Portugal, Slovakia and Switzerland. According to 2017 figures, the gender pay gap between males and females in the UK was still 20% — this meant that, by October 16th 2017, the average male had already been paid a women’s entire year’s salary. Worryingly, the UK’s gender pay gap is worse than the average gender pay gap across the whole of Europe.

In an attempt to gain equality in the workplace and show transparency, by April 2018, companies that employ 250 employees or more will have to publish gender pay figures. The BBC is one organisation which has already had to release the salaries of its employees who earn more than £150,000 — and an organisation that proved there clearly is a gender pay gap in the UK. The highest paid female employee at the BBC was Claudia Winkleman, Strictly Come Dancing host, earning £500,000. A considerable amount. However, when you consider the highest male earner was Chris Evans, radio DJ and ex-Top Gear presenter, earning £2.2 million, there is a significant difference!

And it appears, a similar pattern is apparent in other industries, too. DCS Multiserve, specialists in industrial cleaning, outlines which industries have the worst gender pay gaps in UK, and compare figures with previous years to investigate if we are making improvements to close the gap.

Which industries are the worst culprits?

The industries which tend to have the largest gender pay gap are those which have a workforce predominantly of one gender. Over 80% of companies are said to pay their women employees less than their male employees. The construction industry, in particular, is a male-dominated industry which has led to a significant gender pay gap. The average male in the industry earns up to 45% more than their female counterparts! However, the same can be said for midwifery, a predominantly female industry – female midwifes on average can earn around 62% more than their male counterparts.

Financial managers and directors gender pay gap also favour men, with women generally paid up to 36.5% less than men — and the same for journalism, with a gender pay gap of 7.2%. The same pattern is also shown for solicitors where females earn around 14% less than men, pharmacists where females earn around 12.6% less than men, and nurses who earn around 1.5% less than men — despite nursing being a typically female dominant role. Whilst in some roles women are paid more, when you look at the industry as a whole, no sector pays women more than men.

And it is not just average salaries which appear to be higher for men — they also receive on average 25.2% higher bonus payments, too.

With the deadline set for companies with over 250 employees to publish their salary figures by April this year, 527 firms have published their figures already. EasyJet was amongst the companies with the largest gender pay gap. At the company, women’s hourly rates are 52% lower than men’s — a reason for this could be the male to female ratio in the higher paid jobs compared to the lower paid jobs. Only 6% of EasyJet’s UK pilots are female — a role which pays around £92,400 annually on average. However, of all UK cabin crew staff, 69% are female which pays an average annual salary of £24,800.

Are we making improvements?

Whilst the UK still has the fifth largest gender pay gap, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that our pay gap is at the lowest it has been since records began. London used to have the smallest pay gap in the UK, but whilst other regions have worked to improve their gender pay gaps, it appears that the capital has stood still. However, over the last two decades, the average gender pay gap in the UK has decreased by 9.1%.

In 1997, the average gender pay gap was 17.4% when the ONS first collected data — but despite the progress, industry professionals believe the improvement is too slow and that the government need to be putting pressure on companies to close the gap sooner.

Frances O’Grady, general secretary of TUC, commented “The full-time gender pay gap has inched a bit smaller. But there is still a chasm between men and women’s earnings. At this rate, it’ll take decades for women to get paid the same as men.

“The government needs to crank up the pressure on employers. Companies shouldn’t just be made to publish their gender pay gaps. They should be forced to explain how they’ll close them. And those bosses who flout the law should be fined.”

Sources

https://www.ft.com/content/8ddac9d8-eca6-11e7-8713-513b1d7ca85a

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/work/gender-pay-gap-industry-new-government-tool-find/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/11/27/london-goes-best-worst-gender-pay-gap/

http://uk.businessinsider.com/gender-pay-gap-calculator-tool-ons-2017-7

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dft-gender-pay-gap-report-and-data-2017/dfts-gender-pay-gap-report-2017

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42580194

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/oct/26/uk-gender-pay-gap-narrows-to-lowest-for-20-years-but-is-still-91

Moving from a reactive to a proactive approach to IT

(Past member) — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Today's businesses face threats from two main sources: a lack of strategic alignment internally and malicious attacks from hackers externally. This leads many to fall into the trap of taking a reactive approach to IT, constantly fire-fighting to resolve operational issues. Here, Nigel Crockford, Business Development Manager at IT consultancy eSpida, explains why this approach of running-to-failure is not helping your business grow.

There is a tendency in most businesses for people to work in silos. According to a study by Harvard Business Review, 75 per cent of cross-functional teams are dysfunctional. Whether it's because of budgets, scheduling, meeting specifications and customer expectations, or aligning the goals of your department with that of the company's corporate goals, creating a unified approach to IT can be difficult.

This lack of a joined-up approach means that most businesses take a reactive approach to IT, dealing with problems as they arise. Factors such as ageing equipment, a natural disaster or a security breach inevitably demand time and attention to solve and can cause costs to spiral.

Optimising IT

A company's ability to handle such problems can be measured using the infrastructure optimisation (IO) model developed by Microsoft. It categorises an organisation’s level of IT optimisation into one of four categories: basic, standardised, rationalised and dynamic.

Companies with basic optimisation only deal with IT on an ad-hoc and reactive basis. They are driven by problems and simply want to survive with the least downtime possible, which usually propagates a culture of running equipment until it fails. The problem with this approach is that it diminishes the ability of leaders to accurately control growth because they constantly have to fix problems that could directly impact operations.

The standardised approach, while still reactive, is more stable. Here, the business has taken steps to put some procedures related to change management and planning into place. Upgrades are request-driven and there is a mentality of "keeping it running".

The rationalised approach is the point a business becomes proactive and it's where most large businesses currently sit. There is usually a dedicated IT department, with well-defined IT roles such as Network Architect, Software Engineer and Project Manager. The business has a good grasp of formal change management methods, there is accountability across the board, increased monitoring and defined service level agreements (SLAs).

As a result, under the rationalised approach, IT management becomes more predictable and the organisation becomes better at dealing with disaster recovery and business continuity problems.

Finally, we come to dynamic optimisation. This is for large scale, usually multinational, businesses such as global courier services and banks that deal with hundreds of thousands of transactions at any one time. This kind of organisation would fail if it didn't take a proactive approach to IT, as systems are highly optimised and there is a core focus on cost reduction and quality improvement.

Dynamically optimised businesses are agile and better able to recover from malicious attacks and natural disasters. This characteristic means they take the lead in delivering high availability and resiliency and yield a better competitive advantage as a result.

Needs vs. skills

While no organisation actively wants its IT system to only be basically optimised, moving to the next level up is not always easy. Managers that want to improve their IT optimisation need to understand their needs in sufficient detail. To understand their needs, they need the right mix of people with the knowledge, skills and experience to improve processes.

A growing skills gap in the technology sector means that the necessary skills are increasingly becoming more difficult to find in-house. According to the latest Hays Global Skills Index report, "skills shortages remain prevalent, particularly in technical engineering roles, specialist technology and qualified finance roles".

As a result, 72 per cent of businesses currently outsource their IT infrastructure, according to Deloitte's 2016 Global Outsourcing Survey.

However, for all the benefits that outsourcing provides, it still has its caveats. Vendor managed services can suffer from poor service quality, a lack of responsiveness, a lack of innovation and a reactive rather than proactive stance to dealing with problems.

IT leaders that outsource without carefully considering exactly how it is helping the business compensate for its own lack of skills might find that they only displace the problem rather than solve it.

Rightsourcing

As a business that provides IT consultancy for a wide variety of customers, eSpida believes in the concept of rightsourcing. Whereas outsourcing involves contracting the work out to a third-party service provider, and insourcing involves keeping the work in-house based on current skills, rightsourcing is about selecting the best way to procure a service.

This might mean upskilling existing staff by improving training or working with third-party suppliers to become better at managing IT to deliver value to the business.

The first step in this process is conducting an IT healthcheck. Here, IT leaders need to audit the business for current and future projects to see where infrastructure problems could occur and whether the current systems and people can meet this demand.

For example, a construction business might have upcoming building projects where an increase in the number of users on site will increase the need for connectivity. The same project might need to cater for the scheduling of delivery vehicles, networked devices, remote working, dispatch and onsite project management tools.

Once the cost, budget and business impact has been considered, IT leaders need to look at whether the business has the right skills to achieve the project in-house. To help match the skills of the workforce to the needs of the business, leaders can use the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA).

The SFIA model rates the IT competency of a business on a scale of one to seven, one being the basic ability of the ICT professional to follow and complete tasks under supervision, and seven being the ability to set policy, inspire and mobilise.

Most businesses operate at around four to five on the scale. Here, departments begin to move out of silos and operate with a higher level of technical skill, using a strategy that enables the IT people to advise the business more proactively.

Moving to the next stage on the model, up to a five to seven on the scale, is the point where many businesses seek help from external consultants to provide specialist support on how they can provide a dynamic response for their entire operations around the world. Moving to a more dynamic position involves the delivery of an IT system with built-in high availability, resiliency and the ability to recover quickly from disasters.

Malicious attacks such as those seen in the recent WannaCry ransomware attack affected around 230,000 computers in 150 countries around the world, including the UK NHS. Some of the systems in the NHS were so badly affected, it had to limit them to an emergency-only basis during the attack. Having a disaster-recovery plan for these situations, means that data can be recovered quickly to get the business operational.

By changing their approach to IT from one of running equipment to the point of failure to one where skills, agility and rightsourcing are prioritised, business leaders can spend less time fire-fighting and more time growing the business.

New US bill could expand H-1B program

(Past member) — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Two Republican senators have launched a bill which, if approved, would expand the annual quota of those being granted the controversial H-1B visa – used heavily by tech and outsourcing companies to bring skilled foreign workers into the USA - by 20,000 to a total of 85,000 per year.

Among other aims, the bill would make it easier for spouses and children of H-1B holders to work in the US; would add a “market-based escalator” further increasing the number of visas available by 111,000 to meet market demand; and would remove country limits for the Green Card system (of particular interest to countries such as India and China with a large number of citizens currently caught in a backlog).

The bill, introduced by Senators Orrin Hatch and Jeff Flake, comes only days after the United States Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) announced that it was not planning any changes to the visa regime which would result in visa holders being forced to leave the country; this statement was made following reports that President Trump was seeking to restructure the H-1B programme in a way which could see up to 750,000 workers being removed.

Tech industry analysts and executives have reacted warmly to the bill, with Dean Garfield, the CEO of the Information Technology Investment Council, saying that the bill helps “meet the needs of our economy, drive new investment, and bolster the tech industry’s commitment to growing the domestic workforce”.

Industry quiz raises thousands for charity

(Past member) — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The annual outsourcing industry pub quiz hosted by Aecus, a Hackett Group Company, took place earlier this week – raising well over £5,000 for charity.

Some 20 teams representing organisations from right across the outsourcing arena – including the GSA - gathered at The Vintry in London to show off their knowledge (or, in some cases, remarkable lack thereof) of, amongst much else, current affairs, musical cover versions, personalities in the news and London-centric nursery rhymes.

It was a big night for the outsourcing lawyers with eventual winners Bristows followed closely by Morrison & Foerster and Baker McKenzie in second and third respectively. The GSA team came a creditable sixth; meanwhile, bringing up the rear and seizing the coveted wooden spoon for 2018 was the team from ITC Infotech.

The £5,400 raised on the night via table sales and donations will go to Medecins Sans Frontieres and Vision Rescue, a charity helping street children in India.

Infosys: “Disruption from AI is no longer imminent, it is here”

(Past member) — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Enterprise-level AI deployments are already “becoming pervasive” and the technology is disrupting the majority of industries, according to research unveiled by Indian outsourcing and IT giant Infosys at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. Some 90% of C-level executives “have already reported measurable benefits from deploying AI” while nearly half (45%) say that “the AI deployments in their organisation are greatly outpacing the accuracy and productivity of comparable human activity”, according to the global survey of over a thousand C-suite executives and decision-makers.

The Infosys research shows that while AI for business is still considered to be at a very stage of maturity by many, in fact its adoption is already widespread and transformative, with 86% of organisations surveyed having either middle- or late-stage AI deployments. Meanwhile, most (77%) of those questioned were at least guardedly optimistic about the impact of the technology on their workforces, being “confident that employees in their organisation can be trained for the new job roles AI technologies will create”.

Infosys President Mohit Joshi said: “While it’s fair to say that, like most promising new technologies, there has been a tremendous amount of hype around AI, it turns out that the vast majority of enterprises with AI deployments are realising clear and measureable results. AI, as the research shows, is becoming core to business strategy, and is compelling business leaders to alter the way they hire, train and inspire teams, and the way they compete and foster innovation. Industry disruption from AI is no longer imminent, it is here. The organisations that embrace AI with a clearly defined strategy and use AI to amplify their workforce rather than replace it, will take the lead, and those that don’t will fall behind or find themselves irrelevant.”

Polish-Ukrainian outsourcing strengthens bonds

(Past member) — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

At a time when a depressing array of significant geopolitical and economic challenges are casting shadows over many parts of the world - and when growing isolationism appears to be the order of the day within some of the world's traditional heavy hitters - cooperation between countries and between like-minded business-facing groups has taken on an added importance. It was extremely encouraging, therefore, to find at the 2nd Polish-Ukrainian Outsourcing Forum (held in Rzeszow, Poland, towards the end of last year) signs of very healthy cooperation and alignment between two of the CEE region's most prominent IT and business services players - each of which is currently in its own way struggling with some of those aforementioned challenges.

The one-day event (with a preliminary tour and dinner the previous day) attracted some 250 attendees - around half of whom represented Ukraine, ensuring that the show very much lived up to its title - and featured a well-considered selection of panel discussions and case studies examining the current status and future prospects of outsourcing in the two countries in question. While neither of the most prominent elephants in the room - the ongoing conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine, and Poland's current political uncertainty and apparent shift towards nationalism - were ignored by the panels, the tone was nevertheless one of pronounced optimism, with the successes to date of the outsourcing industry in both countries being both lauded and analysed, and prospects for future growth (and potential spanners in the works) placed under a variety of microscopes.

The conference had received solid backing from both public and private players in Rzeszow (the largest city in south-east Poland, with just under 200,000 inhabitants, less than 100km from the Ukrainian border) who see the benefits that outsourcing and business services companies have already brought to the area and keenly desire to grow that tasty pie and the size of Rzeszow's particular slice. While not at this stage in the same league scale-wise as the likes of Kraków, it's clear that the Rzeszow authorities are targeting this space with gusto - the retention of this event being indicative of their desire not merely to market the city but to learn from the experiences of their neighbours - and it was illuminating to hear from the Deputy Mayor and others about the steps being taken to ensure the continued development of a competitive, attractive offering.

Key to any such offering, of course, is talent, a topic which popped up time and again in both on-stage discussions and individual networking. Both Ukraine and Poland rose to outsourcing prominence thanks to the quality (and, of course, comparative affordability) of talent they have been able to supply, and the questions of how to grow, develop and, especially, retain that talent were eagerly addressed by attendees well aware that consistent success in this field is indispensable if a broader success (economic and social) is to be achieved. It was also reassuring to note that pretty much everyone questioned with regards to this topic appeared well aware of the importance of training new and existing talent not simply to meet the demands of today, but to be able to react to looming shifts in the nature of work in this space coming in the wake of, for example, process automation and AI-related technology. The generally optimistic air of the event was maintained as various speakers highlighted plans and structures within their respective organisations designed constantly to move employees up the value chain as technology claims the more repetitive, less stimulating tasks on the agenda.

This type of tech, of course, provides significant opportunities for both Poland and Ukraine thanks to the existence in each country of robust technology industries: a good proportion of Ukrainian attendees in particular came from the more software-oriented end of the space, where great joy has been found in recent years (indeed, one question providing food for thought was whether the country might be focussing too tightly upon software development and ITO more generally at the expense of possible gains in other subsets of the BPO multiverse). The region has traditionally been very strong in what we would now call STEM fields, and a key challenge now is to ensure that built onto those strengths are suitably enhanced capabilities in areas like marketing, negotiation and HR, in order that homegrown companies can thrive and compete against (frequently much bigger) foreign players. The nexus of trends such as AI, IoT and others is being felt and observed no less excitedly in Poland and Ukraine than elsewhere in the world, and it felt at this event that there is a genuine determination in some quarters that at the break of that wave these countries must not become mere talent pools for foreign companies, but must instead - or, rather, also - build their own powerhouses. The opinion was widespread in Rzeszow that success here will require - among much else, of course - a good deal more thought leadership and networking events such as this conference and others, along with elements such as industry standards and codes of conduct, more coherent and smarter communication with the rest of the global outsourcing community, and deeper links with and access to potential customers in traditional and new markets (all areas in which, not coincidentally, the GSA is doing a good deal of work in both countries).

In a world (business and more broadly) of finite resources and opportunities, two neighbouring countries striving for similar benefits from the same space are inevitably going to be, to a certain extent, competitors as well as potential collaborators, and the precise nature of any 'coopetition' (formal or otherwise) between Poland and Ukraine appears (at least as depicted at this event) still to be somewhat nebulous. One especially noteworthy issue is the currently more or less one-way traffic of talent from Ukraine into Poland: cities such as Rzeszow are clearly keen to attract good professionals from Ukraine, which is experiencing a steady outflow of talent (which one speaker in particular was very determined not to describe as a "brain drain") thanks in part to the country's eastern crisis, and despite the Ukrainian government's attractive tax incentives aimed at keeping said talent within its borders. A number of Ukrainian companies have reacted by setting up regional offices within Poland itself, to keep emigres at least partly within Ukraine's economic embrace if not its borders; how long the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach will last, and how successful it will prove, has yet to be determined, but in the absence of a prompt resolution to the country's current travails, making the best of a bad job with regards to this exodus seems the only sensible option for now.

Walking around the historic centre of Rzeszow, and speaking to some of the attendees from the locality, the cultural connections between (especially western) Ukraine and this part of Poland were impossible to ignore: the region of Galicia has much shared heritage and at various times during the last millennium has been a single polity (usually under the control of other, larger powers) and though national allegiances hold sway it's clear that there's a degree of trans-national kinship felt here which is unusual, to say the least, across much of modern Europe. While each country is resolute upon its own path, the convergence of interests on display at the 2nd Polish-Ukrainian Outsourcing Forum - and, crucially, the determination of the attendees to capitalise on such synergies - suggests that sustained collaboration and strategic alignment could well pay off in spades for those driving the industry forward and for those new cohorts seeking to make their collective way up the career path. It will be very interesting to see if that determination, and the refreshing positivity which characterised the conference, will be maintained going forward.

How contractors should respond to the Carillion collapse

(Past member) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

When contracting on construction projects, it’s imperative to have appropriate written agreements and programmes in place. Often, contracts give both parties the right to terminate if one or either becomes insolvent. That means you can walk away from a project without incurring any further costs but what should you do about the money you are owed for the work you have already completed?

That’s the shadow hanging over around 30,000 businesses collectively owed £1 billion following the collapse of Carillion which has left chains of first tier suppliers and subcontractors in limbo.

The scale of this insolvency is extraordinary but the same common sense responses to a customer in insolvency still apply.

Firstly, it’s worth getting a good sense of how exposed you are. Clearly, if your business depends for its survival on the next payment from Carillion, as is sadly the case for some, it will be your number one priority. However, if your exposure is far from critical, it would be a mistake to spend every working moment on the issue when you have other customers to look after and opportunities to pursue.

Having said that, you still need to take some action urgently.

You may have seen news about banks creating a fund for firms affected by the collapse and of a new government task force to address the issue but don’t take those as an excuse to do nothing and hope for the best. There are plenty of things you can do now to protect your business.

Step one is to look at where you have outstanding contracts and whether these are affected directly or indirectly with Carillion. This is a list of the companies in liquidation: Carillion plc, Carillion Construction Ltd, Carillion Services Ltd, Planned Maintenance Engineering Ltd, Carillion integrated Services Ltd and Carillion Services 2006 Ltd.

The liquidators, PwC, have set up a website for everyone affected. Go to https://www.pwc.co.uk/carillion and select ‘Suppliers’.

Check your contracts in both directions, firstly to see if you’re entitled to suspend or terminate your contract with your customer and secondly to see what your options are with anyone that you are sub contracting to. If you decide to take action under your contracts, make sure you do this within the terms of the contract.

Your contract with your customer may set out specifically what should happen if one of the parties in the supply chain becomes insolvent. Make sure you understand it and keep track of progress. If the contract doesn’t do this, take steps to retrieve the money owed to you, which may be through legal means or withholding future work on the project until you are paid.

Take steps to protect any physical property or supplies that you have not been paid for, making sure to do so within the law, of course.

am a strong advocate of effective programmes and record keeping to protect yourself in the event of disputes or situations that lead to potential non-payment such as your customer going into liquidation. If you don’t already have full written records of the work you have carried out on any projects affected by the liquidation of Carillion, prepare them now.

There is much in the media about lessons to be learnt from Carillion. For contractors, the affair should encourage a review, firstly of how they enter into contracts and secondly their effectiveness at managing programmes and record keeping because when things go wrong, these can be the difference between being paid or losing everything.

By Michael Gallucci, managing director, MPG.

Are software testers the dinosaurs of tomorrow?

(Past member) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

While attending the Eurostar Testing Conference last year in Copenhagen and on a recent visit to Silicon Valley in the US, I came across a question several times about the future of software testers and software testing companies. There is a growing sentiment that in the world of DevOps and Continuous Delivery, software testing as a discipline will merge with Development and there will be no need for specialist software tester roles. Will the software testers become extinct then?

The answer is NO! In fact they are the future of tomorrow...

Software testing has become and will become even more important with the evolution of the software industry. Software testing has become an integrated part of the software development lifecycle and not an independent or separate activity as in the past.

In the world of Continuous Delivery of software, Testing is proving to be the weakest link. This is an exciting time for the testing industry to evolve and adapt to the changes happening in the wider world. The role of software testers is changing and will continue to change in the future.

Will software programmers perform testing going forward?

Programmers take pride in the software they write and do not have a testing mindset to break it. Hence, professional testers will always be required to ensure high-quality software. A new breed of testers called SDETs - Software Development Engineers in Test - is coming to life. The SDET is part of the development team and participates in the complete development process from a testing standpoint.

Role of SDETs in the production of software

An SDET must be able to create high-quality, maintainable, and performant code. The code generally created by the SDET however is for automated test cases and the frameworks to execute and report them. An SDET's knowledge of software design is often focused on testability, robustness, and performance, and they usually play a contributory or reviewer role in the creation of designs for production software. An SDET’s skill set will often include more experience in software testing processes and how to test software.

While the designers and developers of software architect the applications and write code to bring the software to life, the SDETs write code to automate testing of the software in parallel to ensure that the software is doing what it is supposed to do. Primarily there are three parts in a modern software application: the front end - often called GUI; the middleware which mainly consists of APIs and web services; and the back end. Some of the components in the software do not have a face and need deep technical knowledge and expertise to test them. In addition, SDETs enable continuous testing by bringing process lifecycle automation and creating CI/CD pipelines within a software project.

Where lies the opportunity for software testers and software testing companies?

I am an optimist by nature and see opportunity in any adversity. While the pessimists see the evolution of the software industry from traditional waterfall and agile to continuous delivery as demise of the Testing industry and testers, I see it as the greatest opportunity of all time. Every organisation in today’s competitive business world is looking to hit the market faster than their competitors to get the first mover advantage and continually improve their products/ service offerings within a shorter span. In order to make that possible, every organisation is aiming for continuous delivery of software which makes continuous testing and test automation an integral and important part of the software development lifecycle.

At the Eurostar Testing Conference, there were multiple Test Automation Product companies demonstrating their products and the customers were pulled in all directions. These are world-class products but every customer has specific needs and one size cannot fit all, making the life of IT leaders even more difficult in deciding what is best for their organisation. Hence the need of Specialist Continuous Testing companies and professionals who have worked with diverse technology/ tool landscapes and domains will continue to increase. Only the specialists having experience of working on variety of automation tools in the market will be able to guide enterprises on their Automation Strategy, Tool selection and implementation of Continuous Testing.

I see the industry standing at an inflection point, transitioning from the ‘old’ way of doing testing to the ‘new’ age of modern testing. The need for today’s testing companies and testers is to be ready for the future by re-skilling themselves and companies who make this move quicker than others will survive and thrive.

About the Author

Manish Gupta is a Serial Entrepreneur with year after year success achieving revenue, profit and business growth in various ventures globally over the last 23 years in International, Multi-cultural environments. He co-founded Damco Group in 1996 with the vision of enabling enterprises to leverage technology for business growth and success and started operations across US, UK, Europe and APAC with revenues in excess of $55M. Manish founded TestingXperts in 2014 with a vision to create the world's largest and most trusted QA and Software Testing organisation with a focus on quality, innovation and satisfied employees & clients.

ISG: Rebound for EMEA sourcing at year’s end

(Past member) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The sourcing market in EMEA ended 2017 on a high note, “with double-digit growth in both traditional and as-a-service contracting values” according to the 4Q17 EMEA ISG Index published by Information Services Group (ISG). After a mid-year slump the market was up 27% sequentially in the final quarter, according to the Index (which tracks commercial outsourcing contracts with annual contract value (ACV) of over €4m), with the as-a-service sector growing by a record €1.1bn.

The results show a continuation of the trends which have been dominating the sourcing landscape in recent times, with “traditional” sourcing in significant decline (ACV dropped for the fourth year in a row “despite a slight increase in the number of contracts) but with that slack being more than picked up by as-a-service spend (especially the infrastructure-as-a-service market which grew by 58% year-on-year to hit €3bn); this picture was mirrored elsewhere in the world, according to ISG, with as-a-service overtaking traditional models in both the Americas and APAC at the end of last year.

Steven Hall, partner and president, ISG, said: “Despite a dip in the third quarter of 2017, the market recovered in the final quarter and demonstrated steady overall performance for the year. It is especially heartening to see the adoption of cloud-based services accelerate across the region, following a slow start in previous years. European businesses are seeing the potential of new technologies to help them on their digital transformation journeys, while reducing costs and improving agility. Macroeconomic uncertainty across Europe makes the business of predictions tricky. Nonetheless, the trend towards as-a-service is one we can expect to see accelerating over the next 12 months, with consistent growth of 20 percent or higher for the as-a-service market.”

"Tragic news": GSA statement on Carillion

(Past member) — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON, 15/1/18: Firstly, of course, it’s only right to express our dismay at these events and to extend our deepest sympathies to the thousands of Carillion employees currently facing an extremely uncertain and worrying future. We can only hope that as many as possible of these jobs will be safeguarded by any potential rescue action, or transferred to other service providers under TUPE legislation in the usual manner.

The collapse of Carillion is, simply, tragic news: the list of major UK services companies is not a huge one and the apparent collapse of one of its number is deeply troubling for the market generally – and perhaps symptomatic of the intense pressures facing the industry today. Be that as it may, however, we have to ask: how did things get this bad for Carillion specifically? How did such a huge and hitherto successful company fail so spectacularly and at such apparent cost?

While many details have yet to emerge it appears that Carillion’s fall has resulted largely from substantial cost overruns on merely three very large contracts. There are of course countless potential causes of failure in outsourcing – but correct relationship management, constant review and a decent level of transparency go a long way towards safeguarding against such breakdowns, and any autopsy into recent events should certainly examine whether the above factors were present to the requisite standard in the three contracts in question (and, indeed, in any others which contributed to Carillion’s woes.

Properly managed, properly governed, properly scrutinised outsourcing arrangements simply should not go bad in this way – and if they do, remedial action should be taken as soon as possible, involving all stakeholders from the start. It’s easy to blame Carillion but those on all sides of these deals had a responsibility for their successful implementation and completion, and it remains to be seen to what extent the right governance was or was not lacking on the part of Carillion’s customers and partners.

We do not yet know how this situation will unfold in terms of the measures to be taken to ensure the integrity of the many services provided by Carillion to the British public; calls have already come from many corners for the company, or individual contracts, to be nationalised, but considering the government’s track record can we possibly be confident that this would be the best – or least bad – outcome?

On the other hand, allowing private sector organisations to cherry-pick still-profitable contracts whilst leaving the state to pick up the tab for bedevilled ones would surely be insurmountably unpalatable to the public and further add to the cloud hanging over the sector as a result of Carillion’s untimely demise.

Finding a solution to this crisis which appeals to all parties involved may well be impossible – but whatever the final decision, the priority now must be safeguarding the provision of those public services for which Carillion has up to now been responsible, and protecting as many as possible of those jobs whose future is now in doubt. Anything less would be a failure more significant even than the collapse of one of the country’s most important and most prominent service providers.

Kerry Hallard

CEO, Global Sourcing Association (GSA) UK

Trump NAFTA position worries neighbours

(Past member) — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The Canadian dollar and Mexican peso dropped yesterday, along with several key stocks across North America, after Canadian government sources revealed that Ottowa is “increasingly convinced” that President Donald Trump intends to pull the USA out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

One source – requesting anonymity “because of the sensitivity of the situation” – told Reuters that “the government is increasingly sure about this… It is now planning for Trump to announce the withdrawal.”

Meanwhile, a Mexican government source told the aforementioned news agency that “we have always said that this is a possibility”, referring to a possible US exit from NAFTA.

President Trump has consistently railed against NAFTA since before entering the political arena, and with treaty renewal negotiations ongoing has called for several significant and controversial changes, threatening repeatedly to yank the USA out of the Agreement should they not be forthcoming.

Separately, in another sign of worsening relations between Canada and the USA – which enjoy the second-largest trading relationship in the world – the government in Ottowa on Monday filed a 32-page complaint against its southern neighbour with the World Trade Organisation, accusing the USA of repeatedly breaking trade rules over the last two decades.

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USA soothes Indian H-1B concerns

(Past member) — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The United States Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) announced on Tuesday that the Trump administration does not intend any changes to the controversial H-1B visa regime which would force visa holders to leave the USA, in a move which has been greeted with relief by India’s tech community.

Fears had arisen following reports last week that President Trump was considering changes to the system which might result in the deportation of up to 750,000 Indian employees currently residing in the USA. However, the USCIS “is not considering a regulatory change that would force H-1B visa holders to leave the United States”, the organisation announced – with USCIS media relations head Jonathan Withington adding that “even if it were, such a change would not likely result in these H-1B visa holders having to leave the United States because employers could request extensions in one-year increments” under a different section of the visa code.

India’s National Association of Software & Services Companies (NASSCOM) has repeatedly cautioned against any disruption to the H-1B program, saying that it would have detrimental effects on both the USA and India; nevertheless, it remains to be seen how President Trump’s ‘America First’ approach and current antipathy towards further immigration might eventually impact on overseas tech workers and their employers.

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An injection of optimism for the Indian economy and the BPO sector

(Past member) — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

There is optimism surrounding the Indian economy after the release of the nation’s GDP figures and a recent decision by Moody’s, the credit ratings agency, to upgrade the country’s rating for the first time in more than a decade. The rosy outlook stems from an expectation that Narendra Modi’s institutional and fiscal reforms will improve the long term economic outlook of the nation, which has been plagued with stagnating growth in recent years.

The BPO industry should take courage from this outlook, which represents a maturing of the economy and the outsourcing industry in particular. Outsourcing firms are moving from a model that simply capitalises on labour arbitrage, where people are employed to carry out routine and repetitive tasks. The BPO industry is reaching its maturity to become a technology partner equipped with the latest innovations in machine learning, and staffed with the country’ brightest minds.

Firstly, as a growing hub for technology excellence, observers of the Indian tech scene should take note of what is happening in regards to large firms setting up their own parallel operations in the country, beyond the simple support function. Goldman Sachs recently set up their Bangalore operation which not only supplied operational support services to European and US offices, but also provided ‘parallel services’ in the form of analytics and data modelling.

The workforce that is manning this ‘new back office’ is increasingly representative of India’s emergence as a leader in STEM education. It is not uncommon to find a clutch of highly skilled and highly qualified scientists (up to PhD level in many cases) providing data services to clients in alternate geographies.

These individuals are increasingly drawn to India as a result of the better opportunities for high-aptitude roles. Some have even pointed to the growing protectionism and isolationist visa-policies of some Western nations as contributing to the trend of young and dynamic Indian tech workers returning to their land of birth.

The need for digital transformation services across many western businesses is accelerating the growth of India’s high-skill, high-aptitude workforce and the trend is set to increase as the demand from digital services on an agile software-as-a-service (SaaS) basis continues.

Many larger firms are still lagging behind when it comes to embracing digital opportunities in the form of machine learning, AI tools and data analytics, especially in the established BFSI sector. When it comes to a large organisation that have been trading for perhaps over 100 years, the likelihood that it can immediately integrate these technologies greatly decreases as dated legacy systems hamper technology integration.

This is felt particularly within the BPO sector. Outsourcing began as a way to cut IT costs, but has now become a key part of helping organisations to remain competitive in the digital age. Today the industry is increasingly at the forefront of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.

For instance, a common issue for large banks is that, despite flashy front-end digital services, mortgages and other loans take a lot of time to manually approve, opening them up to competition from more agile entrants. Indian expertise has driven automation solutions to satisfy these problems, reducing approval time from 11 days to 48 hours for one leading bank.

The Indian economy has adapted and ‘leap-frogged’ more established economies in many ways, which do not have the same ability to provide cost-efficient and agile technology services across sectors. The latest reassessments from international ratings agencies such as Moody’s reflect a broader optimism that India’s fortunes as a provider of third-party technology services has never been stronger.

Investments from large multinationals in enhanced back-office services from players such as Goldman Sachs go some way to supporting Moody’ assessment. With continued investment in the areas that the nation excels in, such as the STEM education areas, India will be able to compete on a global level with up-start hubs such as Manila.

Last quarter’s GDP figures have reinforced the wave of optimism that is felt by many executives in the BPO space. From the client’s perspective, this can only be a positive result – continued excellence depends on sustained investment in the latest technologies and education for those innovators who operate them.

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Talent - the unsung hero of an outsourcing provider’s compliance woes

(Past member) — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

From cyber security risks to payment services rules to health and safety protocols, every sector shoulders an increasingly heavy regulatory burden. Ensuring your business is compliant is critical to fend off both reputational and financial harm. The enforcement of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) from May next year - which unifies data protection rules across the EU – is a case in point. The new rules will impact all commercial entities handling the personal data of EU citizens, including foreign businesses. Any business that falls into that bracket needs to prepare, if they have not already. At up to 4 percent of global turnover, the penalties for non-compliance are high.

The benefit of having compliance resources in place is not just to avoid fines; it can also increase new customer win rates, as well as client loyalty and longevity. However, the discussion of regulatory compliance typically focuses on the internal processes within a business, such as the need to appoint a chief compliance officer or a chief information officer. Outsourced functions, including business process outsourcing (BPO), software development, and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), are often overlooked. Developing a robust compliance regime is where outsourcing providers can differentiate themselves from the crowd.

Keeping up with the speed of regulatory change can be difficult. Staff expertise and processes can become quickly out-dated. With heavy-hitting regulations like GDPR and the EU’s Second Payments Services Directive (PSD2) on the horizon, skilled resource is at a premium.

Finding the talent from within

The fastest, most effective and repeatable approach to fill any skills gaps is to increase the training and upskilling of existing talent. Many firms achieve this goal through in-house graduate schemes. By starting the upskilling process as early as possible, they can nurture the best talent within their business. As these schemes recruit annually, employees can be trained to acquire the latest skills and expertise needed.

Another benefit of upskilling in-house talent is that expertise becomes a valuable business asset. With the introduction of new technologies such as AI, the Internet of Things and machine learning, the compliance landscape will continue to evolve and become more specialised. Having that resource on tap is an advantage.

For consultancy-based outsourcing providers, new skillsets are highly valuable and offer potential for increased revenues from existing service offerings. New expertise also allows the business to expand into unchartered areas where clients require new forms of assistance and are perhaps less price sensitive. Supported by a technology backbone, the potential to accelerate margins is even greater.

The impact of good talent

Having processes in place, whether that is a strong training regime or corporate development programme, will help ensure the future stability of your business and, in turn, lead to a higher valuation for your company. For outsourcing providers working in highly regulated industries, these processes are critical. Having a track record of successfully upskilling people is a far more scalable and cost-effective approach than a series of expensive hires. Investors in service providers will put a higher value on an agile company that can evolve whatever the regulatory environment.

In light of upcoming shifts in the regulatory space, such as GDPR, PSD2 and the Senior Managers Regime in the UK, which strengthens personal accountability and is soon to be extended across the financial services sector, businesses have an opportunity to think strategically about their approach to outsourcing compliance and the talent they require. Doing so is not simply risk mitigation; it is also a means to consolidate your market position and value.

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M&S to outsource “over half” of IT to TCS

(Past member) — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Marks & Spencer has announced it will be transferring more than half of its current IT workforce to Indian outsourcing and tech giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as part of an agreement which sees the latter named M&S’ “principle technology partner”. Approximately 250 of M&S’s current 430 IT staff will now be employed by TCS, though will continue to work from the retailer’s Stockley Park, London offices, according to a company statement; meanwhile, a spokeswoman said that M&S is “not moving any additional services offshore as a result” of the deal.

The agreement means that M&S’ “core supplier services will transfer directly to TCS and the day-to-day relationship and project management of specialist suppliers will move under the control of TCS”, the retailer announced.

According to M&S CEO Steve Rowe, the company’s transformation of its technology team will save the company up to £30m annually by 2022 – making a significant contribution to Rowe’s five-year turnaround plans.

“Technology plays a huge role in this transformation – and having the right partners and model will enable us to be more agile, flexible and responsive,” he said. “Through our technology transformation program our business will be faster, simpler and more focused on achieving a seamless customer experience.”

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Belgium’s largest telco makes Infosys pick

(Past member) — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Proximus, Belgium’s largest telco, has selected Indian IT and outsourcing major Infosys to carry out a large-scale business transformation – named Excite - which among other things will see a reduction from Proximus’ current 40 legacy systems down to a mere six.

The “multi-year” deal (precise details were not available at press time) will also see Infosys deploying tools across a variety of finance and procurement activities, realigning business processes and remodelling Proximus’ portfolio of enterprise-level offerings.

Proximus CIO Geert Goethals enthused that the Excite project will “establish greater agility, collaboration, and bring in superior quality and efficiency in the way IT and business interacts”, adding that Excite will “transform the way we sell professional services to our enterprise clients”.

Meanwhile Infosys’ President and Head of Energy, Utilities, Telecommunications and Services said that his firm is “pleased to be a part of Proximus’ journey of becoming a digital services provider”, adding that today’s companies “need to continuously deliver more value and superior experiences to its customers, and the same applies to the telecommunications industry especially given the highly competitive nature of its business.”

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Customer Experience Pioneer TeleTech Announces Name Change to TTEC

(Past member) — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Customer Experience Pioneer TeleTech Announces Name Change to TTEC (pronounced T-tec), Launches New Brand in Europe

LONDON, 9th January 2018 -- TeleTech Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEC) a global customer experience company that designs, builds and operates captivating omnichannel customer experiences on behalf of the world’s most prestigious and innovative brands announced today that it has changed its name to TTEC (pronounced T-tec). With this new name, the company is affirming that it has successfully evolved to become an end-to-end strategic business partner in the design and delivery of world-class customer experience, engagement, growth, and digital trust and safety services.

TTEC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ken Tuchman explains, “Our clients are relying on us for transformative services that engage and strengthen their customer relationships day in and day out. Companies are seeking omnichannel customer experience solutions to acquire and retain customers that increase revenue, profitability, customer satisfaction and loyalty. After eight years of innovation and investment to build a holistic technology-enabled, data-rich customer engagement services platform, TTEC is uniquely positioned to respond to growing market demand.” Tuchman continues, “While we remain proud of the industry we pioneered and helped to build, we chose to part with our old name because it limited the perception and understanding of our full capabilities, potential and value.”

While the Company will still operate its four business segments, Customer Strategy Services (CSS), Customer Technology Services (CTS), Customer Growth Services (CGS) and Customer Management Services (CMS), TTEC is streamlining its go-to-market to make it easier for clients to understand how its capabilities integrate together. TTEC Digital is the company’s digital centre of excellence, blending strategic consulting services and cloud-based technology platforms to design and build innovative customer experiences, all powered by insights. TTEC Engage is the company’s global hub of operational excellence providing clients award-winning, turnkey customer acquisition, care, revenue growth, and digital trust and safety services. This brand launch follows the company’s expansion of operations in the EMEA region in late 2017.

“Business leaders across the globe are facing massive technological disruption in the race to modernise their approach to customer experience. Brands are seeking holistic solutions and they are investing in the strategic guidance, technology expertise and operational excellence they need to succeed,” explained Kyle Priest, TTEC’s Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer. “Through TTEC Digital, we are helping clients design and build a seamless customer experience platform. Through TTEC Engage, we are providing the people and processes, critical thinking and compassion needed to solve complex challenges and create opportunities at scale. With TTEC Digital plus TTEC Engage, we are delivering captivating experiences as brand ambassadors to our clients’ customers. We are providing the optimised digital services that yield bottom line savings, topline growth and improved customer retention, protection and affinity.”

To learn more about TTEC and the company’s new positioning visit www.ttec.com/emea.

About TTEC (pronounced T-tec):

TTEC (NASDAQ: TTEC) is a global customer experience company that designs, builds and operates captivating omnichannel customer experiences on behalf of the world’s most innovative brands. The Company provides its outcome-based customer engagement solutions through TTEC Digital which designs and builds customer experience consulting and technology solutions and TTEC Engage which operates customer care, growth and trust and safety services. Founded in 1982, TTEC partners with business leadership across marketing, sales and customer care to design and deliver a simple, more human customer experience across every interaction channel. The Company’s 49,500 employees operate on six continents across the globe and live by a set of customer-focused values that guide relationships with clients, their customers, and each other. To learn more about how TTEC is bringing humanity to the customer experience, visit www.ttec.com/emea.

The DDC Group Reveals Rebrand

(Past member) — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Significant growth over the past decade has meant the brands within The DDC Group have increased in number and variety. Much of 2017 was spent bringing together the images and personalities of each brand to better represent the global presence of The DDC Group. The New Year is the ideal time to launch this new image.

Jan Trevalyan, CEO of The DDC Group was a key driver behind this rebrand: “We have been delivering fantastic results across a variety of industries for decades now. This is the time that the expertise across our many successful entities should be recognised as one cohesive outsourcing platform.”

The grey of DDC OS (UK, USA and EUR) represents the professional and efficient nature of these brands. The blues of DDC Analytic Solutions, Charity Solutions, Digital Solutions, Multilingual Solutions, KPO Solutions and FPO Solutions, recognise the innovative nature of these more recent entities; Whilst the stand out and traditional red of The DDC Group represents its position as the umbrella, lending direction and a constant between us all.

Look out for many projects and announcements coming during 2018; It promises to be another exciting year for all involved, and another stepping stone for the future success of The DDC Group.

To find out more about The DDC Group take a look at their new website www.theddcgroup.com

ABOUT THE DDC GROUP

The DDC Group is a successful global group of companies recognized within our industry as a leading business process outsourcer. We are passionate about customer service and delivering innovative outsourced solutions that reduce costs and drive efficiencies.

We do this by optimising our unique combination of onshore, nearshore and offshore locations, which are driven by our people and advanced technology. DDC prides itself on its highly qualified, carefully trained team with decades of experience specific to the industries that it serves. Our unique approach is fostered by a passion for what we do, promoting from within; many of our team members have been with us for over 20 years.

Our people are proud to be a part of the DDC family and are actively engaged and motivated to make a difference to the company and to our clients.

Global footprint by one of the leading Bulgarian mid-market IT service providers

(Past member) — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Accedia has been one of the fastest growing companies in Bulgaria since its establishment 5 years ago and recently made it to the prominent Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 ranking. Being one of the technology providers with record-breaking growth rates - 495 % over four years, is a clear evidence for being on the right track to becoming a truly global company. The region’s outstanding reputation for quality outsourcing however is not the single advantage the company leadership counts on.

For the past two years the company has achieved a staggering twofold increase in team size, reaching over 120 people to date. Success is based on ongoing and transparent communication, in combination with sustainable professional and personal development. A remarkably successful initiative which encourages that is Accedia Innovation Development Center, now in its second season. IDC supports the realization of project ideas, generated and owned by the team members, into viable software products. This approach not only boosts the technology expertise with cutting-edge cloud, IoT and machine learning tools. Inciting people to run independent projects and team up is also a way to develop their entrepreneurial and critical thinking skills, much appreciated by clients from different industry backgrounds.

Such talent development opportunities and strong links to the company culture result in more than 90% of the employees granting highest possible satisfaction mark according to the benchmark survey run by ComputerWorld & JobTiger. It is the base for the annual Top ICT Employer award which was deserved by Accedia for a second time, together with the winner’s mark in the Software Development category. The regular advancements with regards to employee engagement also brought the extraordinary Silver Employer of the Year award in the Stevie Awards for Great Employers. This international stamp rewarded Accedia amongst computer software SMEs from USA and Canada, with a great many positive remarks on being the only Bulgarian company among the best in the competition.

Continuously setting the transparent, collaborative and value maximizing approach as a best practice has resulted in Accedia being named the Outsourcing SME of the Year 2017 by the Global Sourcing Association. This recognition supports the dedication to excel in technology, outsourcing expertise and market specifics when working with clients from different geographies. As part of this strategy, Accedia partners with organizations like GSA to carry out awareness events and networking initiatives on key areas of the successful outsourcing relationship.

If you’d like to get in touch with Accedia, you can use one of the following options:

T:+359 (2) 444 20 03

E: office@accedia.com

Teleperformance UK Awarded New Contract with NHS Blood and Transplant.

(Past member) — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

BRISTOL, November 2nd, 2017 – Teleperformance, the global leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management, is delighted to announce that Teleperformance UK has been awarded a new contract for NHS Blood and Transplant.

Through delivery of a national contact centre service it will continue to support donors seeking information on blood donation or joining the organ donation register. The team supports the end-to-end customer service journey of donors, from registration, appointment booking, general information or guidance and post donation questions or support.

The new agreement is for an initial period of five years, with the ability to extend by a further two. The contract commences March 2018. The service will be delivered from within the existing Teleperformance locations in Bangor and Newry (Northern Ireland) supported by Bristol (England).

Teleperformance has a long history of working in partnership with government and has been working with NHSBT since 1998. During that time the partnership has grown from answering inbound queries to a full omni-channel solution.

Teleperformance in the UK has been partnering with Central Government clients for over 20 years. The public sector represents a large, and very successful part, of Teleperformance UK’s growing business. The new contract with NHS Blood & Transplant will mean over 100 jobs are safeguarded for Teleperformance employees based in Northern Ireland.

Ryan Creighton (Head of Donor Services, NHSBT) said: "The National Contact Centre is a front line service that is critical for NHS Blood and Transplant to help deliver on our mission to help save and improve lives. The experience we provide to our donors is essential to ensure we can maintain our operations and build positive relationships. The staff at Teleperformance truly go above and beyond every day in this pursuit. I’m extremely pleased we have been able to extend our partnership for another 5 years.”

Rachel Robinson, Executive Vice President for Public Sector Services at Teleperformance said: “We have a long established and very successful partnership of over 18 years with NHS Blood & Transplant. I am therefore absolutely delighted we have secured another contract with them. We have a fantastic, committed team who work tirelessly to deliver great customer service to donors on a daily basis. We look forward to building on the important partnership we have with NHS Blood & Transplant to continue to grow, transform and deliver excellence to donors for this critical service.”

Matt Sims, Chief Executive Officer, Teleperformance UK and South Africa said: “The retention of this long term partner is a testament to the success of the Teleperformance UK team. It recognises how Teleperformance UK continues to evolve and drive innovation in an increasingly complex customer service environment. Coupled with the rigour and governance that underpins all our work, I look forward to supporting UK public sector services for many more years to come.”

ABOUT TELEPERFORMANCE

Teleperformance (RCF - ISIN: FR0000051807 - Reuters: ROCH.PA – Bloomberg: RCF FP), the worldwide leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management, serves companies and administrations around the world, with customer care, technical support, customer acquisition (Core Services), as well as with online interpreting solutions, visa application management services, data analysis and debt collection programs (Specialized Services). In 2016, Teleperformance reported consolidated revenue of €3,649 million (US$4,050 million, based on €1 = $1.11).

The Group operates 163,000 computerized workstations, with 217,000 employees across 340 contact centers in 74 countries and serving 160 markets. It manages programs in 265 languages and dialects on behalf of major international companies operating in a wide variety of industries.

Teleperformance shares are traded on the Euronext Paris market, Compartment A, and are eligible for the deferred settlement service. They are included in the following indices: STOXX 600, SBF 120, Next 150, CAC Mid 60 and CAC Support Services. They also have been included in the Euronext Vigeo Eurozone 120 index since December 2015, with regard to the Group’s performance in corporate responsibility.

For more information: www.teleperformance.com

TeleTech expands its EMEA operation with UK senior executive appointments

(Past member) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

TeleTech (NASDAQ: TTEC), a leading global provider of customer experience, engagement and growth solutions delivered through its proprietary end-to-end HumanifyTM Customer Engagement as a Service offering, today announces it is expanding its EMEA operation with the hiring of key executives to focus on the United Kingdom and Europe.

The new appointments demonstrate TeleTech’s commitment to growing in the European region. The company is poised to disrupt the Customer Experience (CX) industry with the promotion of their Humanify Customer Engagement as a Service offering which brings together smart people, proven processes, and best-in-class technologies to deliver engaging customer experiences - within and across channels all the time.

Iain Banks, VP, Client Partner for EMEA at TeleTech, commented; “We are seeing an increasing global and local demand for CX, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and consultancy services in the UK and across Europe. Our global footprint, a strong executive EMEA team and sustained client growth will enable TeleTech to significantly expand our UK and European offering.”

TeleTech’s Belfast contact centre is a shining example. Established in 2001, the 800+ seat facility has a loyal workforce, strong multilingual skills, and experience across multiple industries and programs. With one of the youngest populations in Europe, nearly 55% of the population being under the age of 40, its location also provides access to a staffing pool of nearly 68.4% of the overall population*.

In partnership with Invest NI, the regional business development agency, TeleTech has been contributing to the growth of the local economy. Northern Ireland is experiencing strong economic growth with unemployment at its lowest levels. Belfast, recently named as the world’s 8th fastest growing retail city, is known for its competitive business environment and highly educated and multi-lingual workforce.

Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive of Invest Northern Ireland, who recently announced plans for 40,000 new jobs by 2021, said; “Our role is to provide support to businesses to help them grow, stimulating investment in our economy. We are delighted to have seen TeleTech expand and create many new job opportunities. Belfast has a lot to offer and the company’s achievements in setting new standards for customer experience, is something we are proud to be part of.”

For more information on TeleTech operations in EMEA please visit: www.teletech.com/emea

ABOUT TELETECH

TeleTech (NASDAQ: TTEC) is a leading global provider of customer experience, engagement and growth solutions delivered through its proprietary end-to-end HumanifyTM Customer Engagement as a Service offering. Founded in 1982, the Company helps its clients acquire, retain and grow profitable customer relationships. Using customer-centric strategy, technology, processes and operations, TeleTech partners with business leadership across marketing, sales and customer care to design and deliver a simple, more human customer experience across every interaction channel. TeleTech’s 48,000 employees live by a set of customer-focused values that guide relationships with clients, their customers, and each other. To learn more about how TeleTech is bringing humanity to the customer experience, visit TeleTech.com/emea.

* Source: https://www.nisra.gov.uk/news/labour-market-report-october-2017

Lisbon - The Crown Jewel of Portugal

(Past member) — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

In between Europe and The Americas, Portugal stands to capture the new wave of tech innovation investments. After being hard hit by the 2008's global financial crisis, the country is showing promising growth signs. At the forefront of the recovery is the Portuguese IT industry, which is gathering the attention of tech companies, multinationals and VC firms.

Portugal is in the same time zone as London, with world-class telecommunications infrastructure and a high-quality education system that makes it 15th out of 72 countries in English proficiency, this sunny country has opportunities until recently left undiscovered by tech firms. Its mature legal and fiscal environment, government incentives to investment, and political stability, among the other characteristics presented above, led Gartner to place it in 5th best country for captive or outsourced IT and business process services in 2015.

Culture is another reason why the country has been gathering such buzz, besides the well-known climate and cuisine, Portugal has a high educational quality with several thousand new IT graduates entering the job market a year with western standards of performance. Indeed, one of the major worries of companies experimenting with outsourcing is the level of culture compatibility between the head office and the team overseas; a challenge that is greatly diminished by the similar business culture between Portugal and the rest of the Western world.

To get ahead, companies need to cut costs while still being able to improve the quality of their end product. This was the conundrum of the 20th century, however, with globalization and the disruption of international markets due to technological innovation, the 21st century's answer to it has but one name: nearshore - the establishment of a dedicated team of developers in a foreign country. Portugal's labour costs are about 50% of the EU average and there are several government financial and tax incentives should you decide to set up a business here; which is also increasingly easy to do so due to bureaucratic reforms in recent years, you can now create a business in 2.5 days (4th fastest country in the world).

Lisbon, Portugal's crown jewel, is increasingly talked about as one of Europe's leading innovation hubs. The capital was the first one to be awarded with the European Entrepreneurial Region of the Year in 2015 by the EU's Committee of Regions and is rated by an Allianz 2016 study as the 5th best performing startup community in Europe. Adding to it, the city also boasts a high quality of life, low cost of living and is listed as one of Europe's safest cities.

At Lisbon Nearshore, we are keen to provide the very best nearshore and staffing services to help your business reach its goals. We are proud to have in our ranks some of the best developers around, a talent which has been recognized by our clients. To work with us is akin to have an extension of your in-house team, a perfect combination of onshore and nearshore teams, but less costly and more flexible. An authentic connection, in the same time zone, you can expect a pragmatic, iterative agile approach to your projects without experiencing global time zone or cultural challenges, with high quality outcomes. Our Nearshore team will be dedicated to your Project for an agreed timeframe alongside your specific requirements, and can be blended to include Technical Coordination, Solution Architecture and Project Management. We provide world-class development capabilities that can be employed at half (or lower) of central Europe costs, high level of English proficiency, modern telecommunications infrastructure, tax incentives and a favorable business environment.

Cooperative Group Moves Away From Bank

(Past member) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Cooperative Group sold its remaining stake in the Coop bank today, removing itself completely from the business. The Cooperative Groups stake in the bank has been cut down dramatically in the past month from 20% to nothing as part of a restructure of the business. Underlying profit at the bank has fallen by half from last year as the US hedge fund that bought a majority stake in the bank tries to turn it around by 2020. Sales at Coop food increased by 3.5%, with convenience stores doing well in particular, rumours persist of a potential buyout of food stores owned by Nisa with the proceeds.

More news from sourcingfocus: UK Retail Growth Continues Long Upward Trend

Influential Financial Think Tank Warns on Brexit

(Past member) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The City UK, an influential trade body for the financial industry in the UK has warned about the unpredictability of Brexit and is hoping for a transition period with the European Union. Gerard Lyons, an economist and former Brexit campaigner is also arguing for a transition period. The City UK has highlighted the danger of Brexit on the financial industry and how the UK may lose its dominant position. Around 10,000 jobs in finance are expected to leave the UK in the coming years according to a Reuters survey. "For our industry, this really is crunch time." said City UK chief executive Miles Celic.

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Google Returns to Smartphone Market

(Past member) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Alphabet Incorporated's Google said it would bay over one billion dollars for a division of HTC, moving Google forward in the smartphone market. This is not the first foray into the market for Google, whose failed purchase of Motorola raised eyebrows a few years ago. Questions are already being asked by analysts over the decline of HTC over the past 5 years. As part of the deal, Google gains about 2,000 employees and intellectual property rights.

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BMW Encouraging Innovation in Car Market

(Past member) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

BMW have launched their second tech start-up programme in the UK at its headquarters in Farnborough. The programme is looking for five start-ups to improve multi-platform retail process, improve business process through automation, develop software for a pay to use system and regulatory technology. Jonny Combe, General Manager of product and channel development at BMW financial services in the UK said the programme helps keep BMW up to speed with industry change. Four of the five previous start-ups continue to work with BMW, insurtech provider Wrisk, online marketplace Drover, cloud based payment provider Divido and data analytics firm Cazana.

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Capita Restructure on Target

(Past member) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Outsourcing firm Capita has seen profits rise in the past six months but revenues declined, worrying investors. The major contract win rate for Capita has increased from one in three to one in two as the company continues its restructure programme. Nick Greatorex, interim CEO of Capita said "We remain confident that these actions (the restructure) are making Capita a simpler business, well positioned for the future under new leadership."

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Online Retail Shows Healthy Growth Despite Inflation

(Past member) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

UK online retail sales were up +16.4% year-on-year (YoY) in August, according to the latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. This makes August the best month for online retail growth so far in 2017. The Home sector had a particularly strong August, with 20.5% year-on-year growth and an average basket value (ABV) of £130. Clothing also showed good growth at 17.9%, the best performance for this sector in 2017, and with an ABV up £9 on August 2016. These sectors both contributed to the highest overall ABV for the month of August in five years. All this comes despite August inflation of 2.9%, and the reported 2.4% rise in the price of clothing, which has evidently not served to deter fashion shoppers yet. On the other hand, the August results painted a very different picture for Electricals, which suffered its fifth consecutive month of negative growth – the longest sustained period of negative growth for this sector since we started tracking it in 2003.

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BPO Firms Expands Operations in Jamaica

(Past member) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Business process outsourcing company ADV Communications Limited, a joint venture between ICD Group and Advantage Communications Inc of Canada, plans to increase its number of jobs by 500 by the end of next year. It would double the 500 jobs that Advantage currently has in operation to 1,000 and expand the company's footprint in Jamaica. "Our expansion has been fuelled by organic growth from existing customers as well as the acquisition of new customers, mostly from the US/Canada," said ICD President and CEO Peter Melhado on Monday.

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UK Retail Growth Continues Long Upward Trend

(Past member) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Retail sales grew by 1% in the month of August according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) with strong growth in clothes and non-essential items. This is the 52nd month of rises, indicating the continued progress of the UK economy after the financial crash of 2008. The ONS warned however that growth in food sales was flat and the contribution of petrol stations decreased, these could be early indications that growth is beginning to subside.

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FSB Notes Increased Uncertainty in Business Climate

(Past member) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Federation of Small Businesses has released figures from its survey of 1230 of its members indicating that 13% of respondents were looking for a way out of business, the highest rate since 2012. Optimism is tumbling for small businesses due to rising costs and a more uncertain economic climate. "Rent and taxation are frequently mentioned as causes of increased cost, we need to see more support in this space" said Mike Cherry, FSB National Chairman. The survey did note that exporters were more cheerful as the weak pound encouraged more demand abroad and that many small businesses were looking to add more staff.

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Middle East Must Address IT Staff Shortfall

(Past member) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A survey by ComputerWeekly finds that Middle Eastern economies need to offer more training and employ fore women to deal with potentially crippling IT staff shortages. 63% of staff in a recent study of IT professionals in the region indicated that they believe they need more training while nearly three quarters said a lack of training was holding them back. The UAE is suffering from an IT staff shortage due to the growing tech market in the country according to the Dubai Chamber of commerce and industry.

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Sourcing in Europe

(Past member) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

One of the key decisions in any sourcing strategy is the delivery destination. Choosing the right location for your operations can be the difference between success and failure. As part of a mini-series of articles, we will be investigating some of the key destinations for sourcing operations across the globe, highlighting some of the best and most reliable markets for delivery. We will start close to home, by looking at the major destinations for outsourcing in Europe.

In the UK, one of the key markets for offshoring is Europe, partly because of the advantages of geography. The European continent offers a range of different services from business process outsourcing (BPO) and Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. Sadly, the choice by the British public in the summer of 2016 to leave the European Union (EU) will likely cause friction between the renegade Britain and the united nations of the EU which will undoubtedly damage the climate for business. One of the major potential setbacks would be leaving the single market, the customs union that unites the EU and removes tariffs on cross border trade within the bloc. However, the future of sourcing in the EU is not so dire and the continent is ripe with opportunity and options. According to industry research in 2017 by ISG, sourcing in Europe has been growing at pace, thanks in part to several major deals being signed early in the year. Barry Matthews of ISG expects more growth in the EMEA sourcing market. “We expect a robust second half (of the year) for the EMEA market, with traditional sourcing spend growing by a mid-single-digit percentage for the year.”

On shoring is a traditional alternative to nearshoring in Europe alongside insourcing, providing services in house, avoiding outsourcing services at all. The UK market is full of opportunity, the UK has a long history of outsourcing and has the most mature outsourcing market in the world, home to many major outsourcing organisations and new service provider challengers. One of the key drivers for on shoring is the shared business culture, language and legal system, which supports areas such as negotiation, best practice and communication. The UK has a thriving market of automation providers and agile, niche operators, designed for the digital, gig-economy thanks, in part, to major education and start-up hubs (such as Oxford, Edinburgh and London) and a friendly business environment over the past two decades.

One of the best examples of the UK market for sourcing is Scotland. Recently ranked second in customer support centre services research by FDi Benchmark, beating rivals across Europe, such as Wales and Germany, the Scottish central belt has been praised for its industry hubs and low utility costs. Scotland looks to high tech and more complex outsourced services, such as legal sector sourcing, as a core market. As people come to expect more analytics and data skills from service providers, Scottish sourcing suppliers stand to benefit due to a high talent workforce, strong digital infrastructure and a high quality of life. As Stephen Flaherty, Managing Director at J.P.Morgan put it, “Why invest in Scotland? The primary reason is talent.”

The issue of on shoring is that cost arbitrage is not going to be readily available. Although the average salary in Scotland is roughly £120 a week cheaper than London, options across the UK in areas such as Wales are cheaper and in comparison to the continent, salary costs are high. Another major criticism is that on shoring offers little access to the EU market after Brexit including the wealth of talent provided by EU workers.

Ireland offers many of the benefits of on shoring with some added bonuses. Ireland will not be immune to Brexit, recent studies suggest that Brexit may damage Irish Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by as much as 3.5%, although Ireland will remain a part of the single market. The potential reintroduction of a hard-border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland will play havoc with cross-border trade and supply lines and may increase political tensions that have been largely dormant since the Good Friday Agreement. However, Ireland remains an attractive destination, ranked 18th on the World Bank, Ease of Doing Business report, just behind Germany and a quickly growing economy (GDP grew by 5.2% in 2016) as slack from a major recession and banking collapse in the late 2000s. Ireland enjoys the advantages of a hugely talented workforce, with English language skills that open up opportunities in a range of different services.

There are plenty of benefits to outsourcing to Ireland, cheaper average wages than the UK open up cost arbitrage opportunities, tax incentives and a friendly business environment encourage investment, fantastic digital and physical infrastructure and the benefits of the EU market, all adding together to make Ireland particularly popular with financial institutions (thousands of jobs have been transferred to the Emerald Isle in the past couple of years from the UK). High skill manufacturing and research (such as pharmaceutical manufacturing) is growing in Ireland, Almac has opened a new facility in Dundalk. A study by law firm, Matheson, in partnership with the Economist Intelligence Unit found that “a unique combination of factors, not one specific element, attracts investment to Ireland.”

If we move further from the UK, the economies of Spain and Portugal become key options for potential outsourcing services. After suffering severely in the financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent Eurozone banking crisis, the two countries are on the road to recovery. Portugal has a thriving ITO industry and due to being in the same time zone as the UK and good English language skills (ranking 15th out of 72 countries in a recent survey on English language ability), Portugal is also popular for call centre services. In 2015, Gartner ranked Portugal the fifth best country for captive or outsourced IT and business process services. One of the key draws for the region at the moment is its high unemployment rate, especially amongst younger workers. Currently unemployment in Spain is 17.1%, offering a slack in the labour market that reduces upward pressure on wages and provides a good pool of available labour across the business hierarchy.

Spain and Portugal are working hard to take advantage of the current opportunities and incentivise investment with cheap and reliable utilities, innovation hubs, economic stability and tax incentives. Portugal has the 2nd fastest broadband in the Eurozone and the 4th fastest in the world according to Lisbon Nearshore. Thanks as well to the high quality of life, Spain and Portugal are becoming exciting alternatives to established destinations. If the region can develop more stable banking and economic conditions in the medium to long term, the region could become an established destination for the sourcing industry.

Probably the most established sourcing market in Europe is the CEE region, offering a wide range of services across multiple destinations, the most established being Poland and Hungary. Part of the regions success has derived from its ability to create a more digitally focused economy due to reaching maturity in the past couple decades thanks to almost a century behind the iron curtain. Countries, such as Poland and the Czech Republic have been able to develop strong ITO and BPO sectors thanks to skilled workers in IT and plentiful pool of labour. After joining the single market, the region capitalised on cost arbitrage to offer outsourced services to Western nations, everything from BPO to manufacturing, capturing the market and gaining a bank of expertise for offering outsourced services. Newer options are emerging in the CEE market, such as Georgia and Latvia, whose adoption of new technologies and investment in digital hubs and infrastructure mirrors the investment of Poland in ITO services 15-20 years ago. The CEE market still enjoys good economic growth (Poland grew its GDP by 3.7% year-on-year) and opportunities exist for offices in many of the region’s major cities. Skilled and experienced staff populate the BPO and ITO market while the market offers further opportunities to the East. Good connections to Eastern Europe exist across the UK and the experience of sourcing services provides easier negotiation and communication processes.

However, the region is facing increasing issues. Recently tension has been growing between the EU and the right-wing governments of Poland and Hungary is not causing too much disruption in the business environment, however the threat of sanctions and punishments could sour the mood. The major issue for the region however is employment, as the pool of labour in countries like the Czech Republic (where the unemployment rate is 2.9%) and Slovakia reduces. According to Mirolsav Kralik of the Slovak-Serbian Chamber of commerce, Slovakia is short of at least 80,000 workers. This could place pressure on wages and make it difficult to source new talent. Increasingly, other nations in the region, for example Serbia, are looking to steal investment from established markets.

Sourcing in Europe is like a branching menu, depending on what you want and require, the options are there, from high tech and complicated operations to back office business process. Despite Brexit, the European market remains full of opportunity for UK sourcing.

Toys R Us Falls Into Bankruptcy

(Past member) — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

US toy giant, Toys R Us has gone into bankruptcy protection in the United States. The famous toy chain has struggled to keep pace with rivals in the US market, particularly with the move to digital shopping experiences. Toys R Us have only recently released its own web stores which may help the firm pay back its debts. Toys R Us have over 60,000 staff in the US across 1600 stores, it is not clear what affect the bankruptcy will have upon the European and Asian subsidiaries. This is the most recent example in a wave of retail closures over the past few weeks as the retail sector still struggles to carve out a chunk of workers disposable income.

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Flexible Work Demanded by Majority

(Past member) — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Male employees are just as likely to want flexible working hours as female employees according to a new study by consultancy, Timewise. 80% of male employees would like more flexibility over working hours whereas 90% of all workers are against the traditional 9 to 5 work tradition. Flexible working has been shown to allow a more balanced lifestyle and in some studies, more productive workers. The Office of National Statistics agrees with the findings and found in its own study that 1 in 10 Britons feel that they are overemployed, doing more hours than they want. The studies have found that young people are more supportive of flexible working.

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UK Rates to Rise Soon

(Past member) — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England has said that interest rate rises in the UK will be gradual and that the time for a rise is approaching. "Withdrawal of monetary stimulus is likely to be appropriate" said the governor at a meeting in the US yesterday although he warned "inflation is likely to remain above 2% for the next three years". The governor mentioned Brexit as "a shock" and said that monetary policy could do little to affect the outcomes of Britain's exit from the EU.

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NHS to Unveil New Network

(Past member) — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The National Health Service (NHS) is preparing for the introduction of the health and social care network (HSCN) this October as it replaces the old N3 broadband system. The move is part of NHS's big procurement programme in an attempt to offer a more digital service to customers at a reasonable cost. The first customer will be introduced to the system this October after successful testing periods, Dermot Ryan, programme director at NHS Digital says that they are "turning the tap on slowly before pushing up the rate in the new year". The new system promises to deliver cost savings for the NHS.

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Office and Outlook Suffer Issues

(Past member) — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, Office 365 and Outlook experienced problems and issues that affected users across Europe. There were connection problems across the system all day however problems were reportedly fixed and issues reduced. Pete Banham, a cyber resilience expert, said " this event highlights the importance of multiple providers to meet cloud needs" Increasingly digital services will encounter issues such as these however mitigation of issues must be made a priority.

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UK Business Losing Potential Productivity Boost

(Past member) — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

UK businesses are failing to invest in their workforces and new technology, relying on cheap labour according to the Centre for Social Justice. The UK is struggling to increase productivity, the lack of productivity may be an explanation for the UK's high employment rate but low wage growths. The report argues that the education system is failing, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. One potential solution is far more vocational training, giving young people the skills they need for work.

IT Professional Concerned with Cyber Security

(Past member) — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A recent survey reveals that IT professionals are more concerned about cyber security than losing their job to artificial intelligence. Only 18% of respondents were concerned about the impact of AI, while cyber security garnered 91%. AI appears to be generating new jobs according to a recent study by Capgemini.

Leadership Shuffle at KPMG South Africa

(Past member) — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

KPMG have removed the leadership team from its South African arm due to the connection with the Gupta family. Although there is no evidence of wrong doing, KPMG said that work 'fell short' of their standards. The Gupta family have been involved in an influence peddling scandal in South Africa and the government of Jacob Zuma.

Fallout of Data Theft Continues

(Past member) — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

US credit rating firm, Equifax, has removed two senior staff in the continuing fallout from a data breach last week. Data of 143 million US citizens may have been stolen along with information on UK and Canadian citizens. The company is working with the FBI to continue investigations.

Robo-Advice Increasingly Popular for Investment Plans

(Past member) — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Financial advice from a robot is becoming increasingly popular as people believe it will be faster, cheaper, and more impartial than human advice. Consultancy firm Accenture found that 68% of global consumers would be happy to use robo-advice to plan for retirement with customers feeling awkward with face-to-face discussions over financial planning. Robo-adviser firms use algorithms to analyse your financial situation and goals and then work out an investment plan to suit you. Many of these robo-advisers will offer human advice as well to, support you if your finances are more complicated or you need tax planning services as well, another example of automation supporting the generation of more specialised jobs for human workers. You can read the full report on the BBC website.

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Deutsche Bank Leading Charge on Automation

(Past member) — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The CEO of Deutsche Bank said a "big number of staff will eventually be replaced by robots” as it looks towards artificial intelligence technology.Thousands of Deutsche Bank staff could lose their jobs as the German financial services giant replaces “people behaving like robots” with robots acting like people. Technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation software is taking over many repetitive tasks at businesses, with the financial services sector leading the charge.

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New Hack in US as Financial Firm Hit

(Past member) — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

More news on the cyber security front, a major breach as financial services company Equifax has been attacked in a hack that may have compromised the personal records of 143 million American consumers, along with an undisclosed number of people in the UK and Canada. The perpetrators exploited a vulnerability in a US website application to gain access to confidential information – including names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers, as well as around 209,000 credit card numbers – over a two month period from May 2017. Cyber security is a growing market for the sourcing industry and we discussed it at the GSA Symposium a couple of months ago, read the report here.

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust Chooses Civica Prescribing

(Past member) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Civica, a leader in business critical software applications, digital solutions and outsourcing services, has partnered with Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) to provide the Trust with a new Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (ePMA) solution, Civica Prescribing. Developed with a specialist user group of nurses, pharmacists and doctors, Civica Prescribing ensures safety and efficiency for prescribing and medicine administration. The system will support the Trust’s long-term vision for electronic prescribing and medicine optimisation including specialised capabilities for mental health and substance misuse cases. Civica Prescribing will initially be rolled out across the Substance Misuse Specialist Services at GMMH, one of the largest non-private substance misuse services in the UK, which includes six sites across the North-West of England and works with more than 5,200 patients.

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HCL Announces Strategic Partnership with Banking Solutions Provider Alpha Insight

(Past member) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global IT services company, today announced a new strategic partnership with Alpha Insight, an intelligent products and solutions company headquartered in London, UK, with industry leading expertise in Business Flow Monitoring and Operational Intelligence. The transaction, which includes purchase of select assets, bolsters HCL’s DRYiCE™ Platform and its positioning as an Enterprise A.I Foundation. Integration of Alpha Insight’s iControl product into the DRYiCETM suite of products, provides deep visibility into end–to–end horizontal business flows and robust operational intelligence to Digital Enterprises.

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WNS Named a ‘Leader’ in Finance & Accounting BPO Services by IDC MarketScape

(Past member) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

WNS (Holdings) Limited, a provider of global Business Process Management (BPM) services, today announced that it has been named as a ‘Leader’ in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Finance and Accounting (F&A) BPO Services 2017 Vendor Assessment Report. The IDC MarketScape report recognizes WNS’ strategy and delivery models, including the company’s commitment to tools, methodologies, and technology-enabled “as a service” offerings with embedded robotics and analytics. The IDC MarketScape also cited WNS for its vertical and geographic market expansion focus, and tuck-in acquisition strategy.

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Organisations Deploying Artificial Intelligence Are Creating Jobs and Increasing Sales

(Past member) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Capgemini, a leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing services, has today announced the findings of “Turning AI into concrete value: the successful implementers’ toolkit”, a study of nearly 1,000 organizations with revenues of more than $500m that are implementing artificial intelligence (AI), either as a pilot or at scale. The research both counters fears that AI will cause massive job losses in the short term, as 83% of firms surveyed say AI has generated new roles in their organizations, and highlights the growth opportunity presented by AI: three-quarters of firms have seen a 10% uplift in sales, directly tied to AI implementation. To see the full report, click here.

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Downing Street Looks for Business Support Over Brexit

(Past member) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The UK government has been seeking the support of UK business over its Brexit stance and negotiation tactics by sending out a letter to major businesses urging support. Many businesses have been hesitant to express support given the vague plans of the government on Brexit although they are happy that the government have reached out to business over Brexit. Downing Street has been quiet over the letter as a lack of support is turning the stunt into another embarrassment on the Brexit rollercoaster. Yesterday, business was alarmed at the immigration rules that the government is hoping to implement after Brexit which they fear would lead to a shortage of workers.

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Sri Lanka Lays Plans for Economic Future

(Past member) — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Presenting a united front, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday jointly unveiled the Government’s policy framework titled ‘V2025: A Country Enriched’, which detailed the broad goals that the two parties wished to achieve over the next few years. “Over the next years, within the 2025 Vision, we will implement a comprehensive economic strategy to address constraints to growth. We will aim to raise per capita income to $ 5,000 per year, create one million new jobs, increase FDI to $ 5 billion per year and double exports to $ 20 billion per year. These intermediate targets lay the foundation for our Vision 2025: Sri Lanka to become an upper-middle income country,” read the page titled ‘A Three Year Economic Delivery Programme’. Other sections such as Constraints to Growth identified persistent fiscal deficits, poor investor confidence, poor export performance and limited public finance as culprits. The booklet also reiterated previous Government pledges to increase direct taxes, increase public revenue to 16% of GDP, allow a floating exchange rate and continue fiscal consolidation.

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HCL Acquires Automation–Driven Data Management Platform

(Past member) — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

HCL Technologies (HCL), a global IT services company, has agreed to buy ETL Factory Limited, doing business as Datawave, a UK–based company that has created an innovative data automation platform which enables enterprise customers execute large scale, complex data–migration and data–integration projects in a leaner, faster and smarter way. The flagship product Datawave, won the Informatica Innovation Award and is also extendable to other platforms, including big data. “The acquisition of Datawave and its suite of products bolsters HCL’s capabilities to collaborate with clients on their mission–critical data transformation projects, incorporating a culture of DevOps and continuous integration,” said Rahul Singh, President and Head – Financial Services, HCL Technologies. “Datawave also brings in significant banking industry expertise.”

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Non-IT Workers Could Fill Cyber Security Shortfall

(Past member) — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Organisations should look to fill cyber security roles with people who are curious and have work experience rather than focusing solely on graduates according to the findings of a recent survey of IT security professionals. In fact, the survey of 200 senior IT security professionals in the UK, commissioned by MWR InfoSecurity, revealed that 46% consider curiosity a required core skill, while 34% note on-the-job experience as vital. The survey revealed that 49% of respondents viewed the UK as a top five country in terms of cyber security, while 46% rated the UK as average.

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Artificial Intelligence Threatens Jobs in BPO Industry

(Past member) — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Trade Department of the Philippines is sounding the alarm on the threat posed by artificial intelligence (AI) on hundreds of thousands of jobs in the country's $25-billion business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. "AI has presented itself more than just as a new technology, but as a threat to the current employees servicing the service export industry and the BPO, including the contact centres," the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said in a statement Wednesday. It warned that AI can "potentially diminish 45 to 50 percent of the approximately 1.2 million Filipino employees of the BPO industry."

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Retail Sales Grow, Despite Fears

(Past member) — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Retail sales rebounded last month despite shoppers facing pressure from higher inflation, according to an industry report. The British Retail Consortium, working with consultancy KPMG, said like-for-like sales rose 1.3% in August, against a 0.9% fall for the same month in 2016.

Sales of autumn fashion ranges and back-to-school kit were big contributors to the rise, it said. But the body warned belt-tightening by consumers was still a risk.

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No Rate Rise Expected Until 2019

(Past member) — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Economists believe that the Bank of England will not be raising rates until 2019 despite inflation being above target. Many believe that the Bank of England will not react much during Brexit negotiations, in part to avoid further criticism, however the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is trapped between a rock and a hard place with inflation likely to rise thanks to a falling pound and growth likely to slow thanks to slowing investment and consumption surrounding Brexit uncertainty.

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UK Government Launch Survey for Digital Skills

(Past member) — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The UK government has launched a survey to find out what advanced and specialist digital skills are needed in the UK and to better understand the UK’s specialist digital skills needs. Technology roles such as cyber security specialists and data scientists are growing in demand, and organisations are on the lookout for people with the right skills to fill these positions. In some cases, firms are at risk because of a lack of workers with these skills. Many believe the UK’s skills gap will only get wider unless the government, education providers and the technology industry work together to develop the skills that industry needs to fill roles now and in the future.

More news from sourcing: No Rate Rise Expected Until 2019

Deconstructing Strategic Sourcing. Core Elements for Consideration.

(Past member) — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The very concept of outsourcing has changed massively over the past 20 years, and during this time it has become more complex and sophisticated. In practice, it should be more aligned to optimising operations. While outsourcing is a general catch-all phrase, in reality there is a great difference between simplistic approach and more thought-through strategy.

In the early days of outsourcing, it was common practice to off-shore some back-end task-based operations to the lowest cost location. This is rarely the case today, as modern organisations now want to remain agile need to confront the entire aspect differently:

1. Is the outsourcing location still crucial?

Location is critical. The common issues such as where to locate your business are driven by the usual factors that Gartner, IDG or AT Kearney would rank the outsourcing destination countries on are still valid. They include aspects of the educational system and related number of graduates per year, government stability and support, cultural alignment (time zones, languages), countries’ approach to IP security, infrastructure etc.

However there might be slightly different takes on these issues, as in most of the areas the top scoring outsourcing destinations will go head to head.

The key problem in the current business environment is sustainability. Most organisations want to know whether their investment will sustain the market changes, and hence questions like attrition and fluctuation on job market, compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in terms of salary, real estate market situation, or saturation are all becoming more important.

Furthermore the strategy or location for business process or desired skillsets may be completely different than strategy for other business process or skillsets, even if both processes would complement each other within the same operations group.

In such environment, only organisations with the right expertise to forecast and have the capabilities to scale and adjust their strategy to address specific processes, in addition to being able to offer alternatives (e.g. location, capability or process wise) will be taking the advantage.

2. Quality, quality and quality

A typical rule of the thumb is that in order to replace an on-shore resource, you need two to three full-time equivalent’s (FTE) off-shore. This approach is incorrect, because it does not drive the efficiency from the starting point. Organisations should build in their efficiency factors and KPI’s very early in the process and avoid FTE-based comparisons. Although they may be limited by lack of maturity which is common when starting to provide service only recently transitioned, this problem needs to be confronted together with the efficiency issue during early design phase.

Businesses with very strong change management and process reengineering capability, equipped with high quality resources, and driven by continuous improvement may be better positioned to address these requirements.

The bottle neck though is that companies may not be flexible enough, and able to dedicate/relocate their top quality resources to run such changes. Many times the firefighter approach is more common, and issues are being addressed as they arise which is slowing down the entire transformation, and affects time allocated to realise the benefits.

3. A question of underutilisation

Once an implementation is complete and a new Shared Services or support centre is running, it is often the case that the demand for the services offered is not quite as expected. This is very common situation as large organisations typically face resistance to change, lack of trust and maturity. These problems are difficult to crack especially in the short term, and require ongoing effort to breach the gap between ‘old state’ and ‘new state’ of mind in the organisation.

Even if the centre has overcome these early issues and is up and running at the expected utilisation rate, the situation may change because of the shifting market. This again highlights the problem of flexibility and scalability. Very often once the investment is made the organisations are reluctant to downscale and struggle with building a model that is more closely tracking to the picks and drops in the internal demand. That is because they are too much driven by the number of headcounts as opposed to measuring the operational efficiency.

The solution to that may be to an extent third party subcontracting or outsourcing, and Pay Per Use or Pay Per Service model.

4. ‘In house’ or maybe strategic partnership

Companies that don’t specialise in strategic sourcing, and their core operations are creating values elsewhere, are unable to address certain issues. They learn their outsourcing process and strategy on the way.

The answer to those problems may be partnership with flexible, and agile players that are focused on providing core skills to complement the location strategy, who can professionally address transition and transformation process, who can offer maturity in the areas of nearshoring, offshoring and foresee market changes.

The innovation is also a key aspect that the process can bring, and most of the organisations would miss if they consider only task based offshoring instead of developing holistic, more synergetic model.

Insourcing fresh talents into organisations, different maturity, and culture is natural incubator for innovation.

Relying on the skilled business partner, and moving part if not the entire problem, may give organisations the ability to focus on their core business, and also to develop more insight into their established processes, which are operative but may not be the most effective.

The businesses which can accept such insights may outperform those which only rely on their own expertise, and mostly aim to protect their resources.

Conclusion

While we acknowledge that outsourcing, if done correctly, can significantly decrease costs while increase the productivity, competitiveness and value of a business, key factors need to be aligned. Strategic Sourcing is a vital part of the success of businesses these days, and the most important thing is making sure it is aligned completely with an organisations short and long term goals.

The more flexible and adaptable organisations are, the more advantage can be gained.

Visit Soitron’s website here and learn more.

HCL Opens New Delivery Centre in Gothenburg

(Past member) — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global IT services company, has opened a new delivery centre in Gothenburg, Sweden. The new centre will be a key hub in HCL’s global delivery network, providing cutting–edge transformational IT services as part of the global shared services model. In addition, the Gothenburg office will also become HCL’s global headquarters for its mainframe services and automotive centre of excellence. With the opening of the Gothenburg office, HCL now has 36 delivery centres in Europe and 12 delivery centres across Nordics.

More news from sourcingfocus: Capgemini to Create the Digital Big Mac

TV Industry at Risk from Online Giants

(Past member) — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The UK TV industry is at risk of losing around £1billion to online giants if they move into the industry. A new report from OC&C's, suggests that if major online aggregators, such as Amazon, Facebook and Google were to take 10% of the market for TV, legacy firms would be at risk of losing profit margins. If the behemoths of the internet were to generate content, the size of revenue lost would increase as marketing and control distribution would be handed to the major internet firms. The broadcast industry is facing some tough questions as this wave of competition closes in, such as the possibility of syndication and the notion of becoming their own digital platform.

More news from sourcingfocus: Euro Strength Could Lead to Pound Parity

GDPR a Hurdle for Local Councils

(Past member) — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

UK councils are struggling to prepare for the coming introduction of GDPR which could leave them vulnerable in areas such as financial, personnel and process requirements. From May 2018, any organisation holding data on EU citizens must be able to clear that data on request as part of the 'Right to be Forgotten', this includes local councils as well as most private businesses. GDPR is designed to give the customer control over their data and may lead to an overhaul in the way councils store and use the data it collects. In another startling move, it was found that with only nine months until GDPR comes into effect, nearly a quarter of firms are yet to hire a data protection officer (DPO).

More news from sourcingfocus: Philippine BPO Sector Unfazed by Protectionist Rhetoric

Capgemini to Create the Digital Big Mac

(Past member) — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Fast-food chain McDonald’s has chosen Capgemini as its global supplier to support the use of digital technology for its customers. McDonald's is keen to utilise disruptive technology and place new and innovative solutions, front and centre in its customer approach so as to not lose ground on competitors and make the most of its economies of scale. The agreement will see Capgemini open a support centre for McDonald’s in Chicago, showcasing its applications and offering jobs to local people, which will keep Mr Trump onside by giving the American worker a prominent place in the corporate strategy.

More news from sourcingfocus: GDPR a Hurdle for Local Councils

zMessenger partners with Bangladesh company SSD-Tech

(Past member) — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Multi-award-winning digital marketing agency in Sri Lanka, zMessenger, recently expanded their services in the region by entering into a partnership with Bangladesh-based multinational technology company, SSD-Tech. The partnership agreement was instigated with zMessenger’s vision towards expanding to the region and ideally, Bangladesh had come on top. The partnership was confirmed through an agreement which was signed between the two companies at the zMessenger Head Office in Colombo 02. zMessenger brings innovation to business through technologies, data, creativity and aims to provide integrated solutions delivering exceptional customer experiences that are digitally led, data driven and multi-channel. Systems Solutions & Development Technologies Limited (SSD-Tech) is a USD $65 mn company and acquires experience in providing solutions to clients ranging from for telecommunication operators, financial institutions and large enterprises.

More news on Sri Lanka from sourcingfocus: SLASSCOM and ICT Norway to Boost Sri Lanka’s IT Sector, Asian Development Bank Supports Sri Lanka with New Funds

Infosys Disruption Comes at the Wrong Time for IT Giant

(Past member) — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The bust up at the top of Infosys has come at the worst possible time for the IT outsourcing giant as pressure mounts for a serious change in the business offerings of Indian IT firms. After the resignation of Mr Sikka, following constant harassment from one of the firm's founders, Mr Murthy, questions about the future of Infosys are being raised. Pressure was already mounting on Indian IT outsourcing firms as procurement directors look to nearshoring and in-house IT providers as the cost advantage of India has eroded away. Infosys, like other firms such as Wipro and TCS, are looking to invest in more innovative offerings to clients in an attempt to move away from basic offerings, however the recent management problems may damage Infosys' mainframe-maintenance contracts which act as the firms bulwark in terms of earnings. Infosys, and other Indian firms need to diversify away from the reverence it holds for company founders so as to maintain confidence in their business structure, otherwise their transformation will be short lived.

Mitie Face FCA Probe Over Profit Warning

(Past member) — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The FCA are investigating outsourcing firm Mitie in connection with a profit warning issued last September. Mitie is being investigated on the content and timing of a profit warning issued last year and is "fully co-operating" with the financial regulator. It is more bad news for Mitie who are struggling with the uncertain climate around Brexit and faces another investigation into Deloitte's auditing of Mitie's accounts for the years ending 31 March 2015 and 2016. Mitie employs over 50,000 people in the UK for major clients including the NHS.

More news about the sourcing industry from sourcingfocus: Infosys Disruption Comes at the Wrong Time for IT Giant, Puerto Rico Showing Strong Signs of BPO and ITO Growth

Philippine BPO Sector Unfazed by Protectionist Rhetoric

(Past member) — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Philippine BPO sector is not worried about the protectionist rhetoric of foreign markets according to Convergys Asia Pacific president. Despite threats to reduce outsourcing from the likes of President Trump, businesses continue to outsource offshore in the Philippines, so the protectionist environment really has not had the major negative impact on business as expected. Although some clients are moving operations back to the United States, new clients are filling the gaps keeping the business environment strong.

More news from sourcingfocus: Mitie Face FCA Probe Over Profit Warning

SLASSCOM and ICT Norway to Boost Sri Lanka’s IT Sector

(Past member) — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies together with ICT Norway kicked off a fresh initiative to empower start-ups in Sri Lanka. SLASSCOM and ICT Norway have come together to offer Sri Lankan start-ups the opportunity to take part in the Oslo Innovation Week. Start-ups across Sri Lanka will be given an opportunity at a pitching event organised by both the Sri Lankan and the Norwegian bodies on 30th August, 2017. The start-ups with the most unique and innovative pitches will be shortlisted and the top three winning companies will be sponsored by ICT Norway to take part in the five-day Oslo Innovation Week in Norway from 25th to 29th September, 2017. The tie up between SLASSCOM and ICT Norway to strengthen Sri Lanka’s ICT sector, is also seen as an effort to further enhance the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

More news about Sri Lanka: Asian Development Bank Supports Sri Lanka with New Funds, Sri Lankan Central Bank to Promote Innovation

Euro Strength Could Lead to Pound Parity

(Past member) — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A stronger Euro is, thanks to a stronger economic outlook in the Eurozone could lead to parity with the UK Pound. The two currencies are coming closer as the economies of both diverge, meanwhile the US Fed is less likely to raise rates after the events in Texas this week leading to greater strength in the Euro. A stronger European economy is bad for Brexit as negotiations look better for the continental negotiators.

More news from sourcingfocus: Financial Services Boost Sourcing in the UK to Record Period

Asian Development Bank Supports Sri Lanka with New Funds

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has earmarked up to $ 5 billion to work on a new country partnership strategy (CPS) for 2018-2022, with the Government to address policy reforms and growth-oriented infrastructure as well as strengthen drivers of growth through sustainable, inclusive and environmentally friendly solutions to help Sri Lanka’s transition to upper middle income country status. Under the new five-year CPS, ADB is committing around $ 800 million-$ 1 billion per year, while technical assistance is expected to amount to about $ 8 million a year. In addition, ADB will also increase its private sector operations by expanding into non-finance sectors.

Read more news about Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan Central Bank to Promote Innovation

Sri Lankan Central Bank to Promote Innovation

(Past member) — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Sri Lankan Central Bank yesterday assured it would play a proactive role in promoting the adoption of new technology and innovation in the economy, especially the financial services industry whilst being a regulator. In a globalised world with its continuous race to compete, Sri Lanka should stay focused and keep abreast of the latest technologies the world has to offer, Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy said while insisting that innovation and localisation in applying new technologies was the key to success. He said the Central Bank had to take regulatory measures to minimise technology risks as well as to ensure economic and price stability as well as financial system stability, while facilitating innovation and the introduction of new technologies.

Read the full story here.

Philippines Expecting Rise in Outsourcing Spend

(Past member) — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Digital transformation is set to see a rise in outsourcing spend in the Philippines according to a recent study. The Philippines is already an establised outsourcing location, however changes in IT procurement and rapidly evolving service delivery models, will drive the Philippines outsourcing market to continue growing. Digitalization has created opportunities for new areas of business and organizational structures. However, as companies increasingly embark on a DX journey, outsourcing has been a way for them to address business challenges, such as growing complexity of ICT, lack of ICT budget, and the need for proper governance. "The Philippines outsourcing market is undergoing a dramatic transformation propelled by the increasing adoption of disruptive technologies,” says Alon Anthony Rejano, Market Analyst for Services, IDC Philippines.

You can read the full report here.

Puerto Rico Showing Strong Signs of BPO and ITO Growth

(Past member) — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The BPO sector in Puerto Rico is booming with the government reporting growth of 110% in the past four years. According to data provided by the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO), the government-owned investment promotion agency, the rapid growth is attributed to the Act 20 law, which offers a 4% income tax rate to companies that export services to mainland US or foreign countries. An increasing number of BPO companies are operating in Puerto Rico alongside a growing ITO sector, leading to an established eco-system of businesses and boosting confidence in the economy.

Read the full story here.

Financial Services Boost Sourcing in the UK to Record Period

(Past member) — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Strong business investment between January and June 2017 saw UK market achieve strongest half-year performance since 2012, according to the Arvato Outsourcing Index. The research, compiled by outsourcing provider Arvato and industry analyst NelsonHall, revealed outsourcing deals worth £5.2 billion were agreed in the first six months of the year, with financial services accounting for 55 per cent of the total contract value at £2.9 billion. The sector’s investment in outsourcing services was behind a steep increase in spending by UK businesses, according to the findings. Companies signed contracts worth £4.5 billion between January and June, representing a 95 per cent year-on-year rise. The latest figures follow a particularly strong first quarter, which saw firms agree deals worth £2.5 billion - the strongest quarterly private sector spend since the last three months of 2011 (£6.4 billion).

You can read the full report here.

Infosys Experiences Change at the Top

(Past member) — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The chief executive of Infosys, Vishal Sikka, has resigned from his post with an unconventional and lengthy letter blaming "personal attacks". In the letter Mr Sikka said the "continuous drumbeat of distractions" contributed to his decision to resign. It follows public criticism of the company and its board by its founders. Infosys is one of India's largest IT services firms. Shares in the firm plunged 9% following news of Mr Sikka's departure. Mr Sikka was appointed in June 2014 and tasked with turning around the struggling business. The company announced he was resigning as chief executive and managing director with immediate effect, but would stay on as executive vice chairman.

You can read more here.

Killer Robots a Concern for Society

(Past member) — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Over 100 influential leaders in robotics and artificial intelligence have sent a letter urging the United Nations to act now before robotics dominates warfare. The 116 experts are calling for a ban on the use of AI in managing weaponry. Experts are calling for what they describe as "morally wrong" technology to be added to the list of weapons banned under the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). Along with Tesla co-founder and chief executive Mr Musk, the technology leaders include Mustafa Suleyman, Google's DeepMind co-founder.

Move Towards Electric Cars Accelerates

(Past member) — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Hyundai is the latest car manufacturer to announce plans to boost investment in electric cars with a new model with a expected range of 500 miles per charge. The move comes as governments have sets targets on limiting cars that run on fossil fuels in the next few decades. The future of oil is becoming a much talked about topic as experts debate on the future of travel. Sadly for the oil industry it appears to be on the precipice of major change that will disrupt business models, however, electric cars offer new possibilities and with the increasing use of machine learning and artificial intelligence in the motor industry, a self driving electric car may become available to buy in the coming years.

Full stroy here.

Symphony Ventures Secures Funding in Expansion Campaign

(Past member) — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Symphony Ventures has secured £3.5 million of funding from Livingbridge to continue their global expansion. Symphony Ventures provide consultancy, implementation and managed services to enterprise clients looking to automate operational processes and have expanded rapidly in the past three years. “We are delighted to be working with Livingbridge. We had a choice of partners and selected Livingbridge for their strong track record of helping founders achieve rapid growth, while respecting the company and the culture in place” said Chief Executive Officer David Poole. Livingbridge is a mid-market private equity business with particular experience working with high growth technology companies which gives the Symphony Ventures the high accolade of being backed by a market specialist.

Full story here.

Retail Sales in UK Show Contrasting Picture

(Past member) — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Retail Sales in the UK are showing a rather contrasting picture as growth slows and becomes focused upon food. Buoyant sales in food have helped sales rise by 0.3%, offsetting falls across the board in other sectors as consumers feel the squeeze on their wallets. The slowdown in growth adds to a murky picture of the UK economy, as the country struggles to find strong underlying statistics after the Brexit vote. It feels like the UK economy is bumping along, trying to discover what will happen in negotiations with the European Union, as business puts major decisions on hold and consumers bunker down to prepare for any inflationary pressure in the coming years.

Full story here.

European Tech Market Grows at a Sluggish but Steady Pace

(Past member) — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Forrester's latest European tech market forecast projects that growth will be sluggish but steady in the coming few years. Purchases of technology software, hardware, and services by European businesses and government measured in Euros will hold steady at 1.6 percent in 2017, and increase to 2.2 percent in 2018 while spending on software and tech consulting services will do better, with software spending rising by 2.5 percent in 2017 and 3.5 percent in 2018. Three main factors have contributed to the figures, sluggish growth in the Eurozone, slow adoption of cloud technology and services and strong adoption of business technology contributed to the steady pace of growth.

Full story here.

Canadian Bosses Losing Satisfaction in IT Outsourcing

(Past member) — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A recent study by IT World Canada found that CIO's in Canada are losing satisfaction in IT Outsourcing as part of a shift away from conventional outsourcing. The study does not reveal a slowdown in spending but suggests that businesses would be less likely rush into outsourcing their IT infrastructure in the next two years. In the survey, about 28% of respondents said their outsourcing experience had “fallen below” expectations, the findings do not necessarily mean that Canadian firms dislike outsourcing, as they still expect external IT firms to help them increase operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve employee productivity.

Full story here.

Silicon Valley’s Synopsys to Invest in R&D Capabilities in Sri Lanka

(Past member) — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Synopsys, Inc, a global high-tech leader enabling companies to innovate from Silicon to Software, this week announced plans to invest in R&D capabilities in its Sri Lanka operations. To extend its local R&D capabilities, Synopsys is working with the University of Moratuwa, the University of Peradeniya and the University of Ruhuna to build very-large-scale integration (VLSI) and electronic design automation (EDA) skill sets to help graduating engineers meet ever-evolving challenges in semiconductor design, EDA, semiconductor IP and software security and quality, the company said in a media release. Synopsys established its operations in Colombo in 2015, and since then the R&D team has grown to approximately 100 engineers involved in the research, design and development of key EDA technologies and products that enable “Smart, Secure Everything from Silicon to Software” in the global electronics market. The Sri Lanka operation is engaged in R&D activities across core EDA, and its objective is to grow in advanced technology areas such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to embrace the era of “smart everything,”, the release said.

Is Your Technology Stopping you from Building a Winning Bid Team?

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The moment a relevant RFP or invitation to tender (ITT) document arrives in your inbox, you need to act fast. Unfortunately, the bidding process is complex and resource-heavy. Large bid management situations can involve dozens of people across the business. With multi-million-pound tenders and lucrative multi-year contracts in the balance, teams must be able to access bid documents and information at anytime, anywhere. But as many service providers have seen all too frequently, the major road block to this is legacy collaboration technology.

A successful bid is often won on subject matter expertise, which means tapping into many different sources of knowledge - sales, finance, operations, legal counsel, etc - to raise the quality of the bid. However, the bid team is unlikely to be working in a single, stationary location. What is more likely is that the team will be separated by location and time zones, often working from hotels, airport lounges or even at home – throwing another logistical spanner into the works.

On top of battling dispersed teams, many businesses are still unaware of just how costly the inefficiencies during a bid process can be. One of the hidden costs of the bid management process is ensuring staff stay efficient. According to recent research into the UK professional services sector, at least seven people are typically involved in a new business bid, with each senior member of the team dedicating approx. 12.6 hours to the process. This equates to an average of 84 senior hours per bid. A costly endeavour, which can escalate if the team is repeatedly working on the wrong version of a document or spending precious hours trying to catch up with the latest feedback.

With as much risk as potential value to the business, bid management teams must make sure that the process is as efficient as possible. With this in mind, here are the top three ways in which upgrading collaboration technology can deliver savings in both resources and bottom line revenue when pursuing new business:

Controlling ‘versionitis’

Everyone who’s been involved within the bid management process understands it’s inherently a document-intensive process. As such, managers find themselves dealing with many document-related challenges including maintaining audit trails and retaining version control. In fact, when surveyed, 68% of all professional services respondents admitted that, within the last six months, they had spent substantial time working on a document only to discover it wasn’t the latest version.

Without proper document processes in place, mistakes and wasted efforts are more than likely. This may mean spending wasted time on editing content that has already been changed, or worse still, compounding the error by sharing the wrong version of a document for feedback.

To take control of document processes, bid managers must step away from legacy technologies like email and opt for cloud-based collaboration platforms. The Go-Ahead Group, an operator for a significant proportion of UK public transport franchises in the UK, deployed Huddle for exactly this reason. With large teams working on a single bid document, version control problems were common, and proving inefficient and costly, and had the potential to jeopardise bid success.

Being able to track content and version changes, create clear approval and review processes and revert to previous versions if necessary can save the team time and money and dramatically reduce the inefficiency and otherwise wasted time in creating each bid.

Locking down security threats

Security is non-negotiable when it comes to preparing a bid response.

But typical collaboration “work arounds” are often inherently insecure. Email is too uncontrolled; USB sticks are inherently and notoriously easy to lose; consumer-grade file-sharing services are exactly that – consumer-grade.

In many cases, participation in a bid requires signing confidentiality agreements and acknowledgements that your systems and processes comply with the latest in security and access management regulations. Without a cloud-based collaboration platform it can become an uphill struggle to prove your organisation can adhere to the strict security procedure. And yet, fewer than half of our professional services survey respondents (46%) said that they used robust file-sharing systems.

Without central control of the document and its accessibility, Intellectual Property can easily leak to inappropriate third parties, and even to competitors. For many opportunities, data security is mission-critical, especially for the public sector – any leak during the bid phase will be fatal and taken as a sign of likely future non-compliance.

Reinventing the wheel

Many opportunities are won or lost based on the subject matter expertise displayed during the bidding process.

Yet, when surveyed, the largest portion of professional services respondents (33%) confirmed that collecting information and evidence of expertise from within the business was the primary time drain in bid construction – with 24% spending more than five minutes to retrieve every document. It is a cruel irony that the most important part of the bid is the hardest to deliver.

Many tender writers fall into the trap of starting the knowledge gathering process from scratch with every new bid. Within large and diverse organisations, creating repeatable, universal processes and learning from previous projects is simply too difficult – especially where there are multiple teams performing similar roles within different geographies or divisions. What the UK bid team is learning and developing as a consistently successful process may never be seen by the US team, and vice versa.

But if a bid is built within a secure cloud-based collaborative space that maintains a digital audit trail of version changes, comments and approval workflows, then the entire process remains transparent and examinable. This then becomes the start of the creation of a bid library, filled with collateral, graphics, templates and processes, with teams learning from what has worked well before. The organisation-wide availability of this material not only removes the complexity of the bid construction, but it also removes the dangers of duplicating work, brand inconsistencies and the omission of specialist input.

Conclusion

There are many common frustrations felt by bid management teams during the bidding process; access to expertise, duplication of effort, security and managing the division of labour. For most, these frustrations will be traced back to inefficient technology and poor collaboration processes.

Controlling the root causes of potential inefficiency in bid management with secure, cloud-based workspaces will increase efficiency, save costs and ensure data and Intellectual Propert security. Even more importantly, these improvements will do more than remove the burden of the process – they will increase the chances of the bid’s success.

By Morten Brøgger, CEO, Huddle

MoU Between FITIS and SLASSCOM to use ICT, Knowledge Services and Innovation as Enabler for Growth

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The MoU is signed between FITIS and SLASSCOM to achieve collaborative efforts in developing the information and communication (ICT), knowledge services and innovation sectors of Sri Lanka recently. This will enable better cooperation between the two organisations that combined represent Sri Lanka’s domestic ICT industry and the export ICT industry.

The MoU will ensure an environment where sustainable and rapid development of the ICT, knowledge services and innovation will be the primary focus. It is an industry that cuts across traditional industry verticals with the ability to transform businesses models, challenging the productivity, efficiency and margins enjoyed. This has the potential to add tremendous value to the Sri Lankan economy, and become core to Sri Lanka’s economic transformation.

The ICT industry also has the potential to provide the highest employment to youth of Sri Lanka in the coming years with its high growth rate, and is able add up to 95% direct value additions in foreign earnings back to Sri Lanka. This revenue is easily retained in Sri Lanka as the industry itself does not incur material import costs or high capital expenses. It is also one of the key industries that promote entrepreneurship as it provides an opportunity for anyone with a brilliant idea and perseverance to create a solution, and achieve financial success with limited capital.

Eurozone Health Improves in 2017

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The economic health of the Eurozone is improving as growth and employment rise. The Eurozone GDP grew by 0.6% in the second quarter and unemployment in the bloc is at its lowest since 2009, indicating a steady and stable current of economic stability in the bloc which has been blighted by the Eurozone crisis. Many of the established Eurozone economies (France, Spain and Germany) have had an upward re-evaluation of future growth from the IMF.

More news from Sourcingfocus here.

No Tax Breaks After Brexit

(Past member) — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Chancellor of the Exchequer says that there will be no tax breaks after Brexit. After Brexit the UK will not try to undercut European economies with low tax rates and lax regulation as it may start a trade war. Many might see the chancellors announcement in a French newspaper to be conciliatory tones before fresh negotiations however it raises questions as to what the government will offer to incentivise companies to remain in the UK after it leaves the much larger market of the customs union. Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said the move was "an extremely risky strategy" although Labours strategy on Brexit remains undefined.

More recent news from Sourcing Focus.

Deloitte Audit Into Outsourcing Firm Faces Probe

(Past member) — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Deloitte's auditing of outsourcing firm Mitie Group's accounts is to be probed by the UK's accountancy watchdog. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said its investigation related to Mitie's financial statements for the years ending 31 March 2015 and 2016. Deloitte said it took the investigation "very seriously" and would co-operate fully. Last month, Mitie reported a full-year loss after being hit by charges stemming from an accounting review. One-off costs of £88.3m meant the company - which provides pest control, cleaning, security and healthcare services - posted an operating loss of £42.9m for the year to March. The accounting review, which was carried out by KPMG, found the company's accounting was "less conservative" than its peers.

More news from Sourcing Focus.

Sri Lanka PM Predicts More Growth in Next Year

(Past member) — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday assured more economic growth was likely next year as against an estimated range of 4.5-5% this year. He said that the original forecast for 2017 was 6% growth but drought, followed by floods, is likely to reduce it to 4.5-5%. He said that as opposed to some individuals’ perceptions, the twin natural disasters experienced are unlikely to cause a major impact as the country was resilient. “The floods and drought should have had a negative impact on the economy. Already our agriculture has suffered and our growth should have come down from the 4.4% we had in 2016. This is not the case. We have stablised, despite all these issues,” the Prime Minister said. To support his view, Wickremesinghe quoted the IMF’s mid-July statement which said: “Macroeconomic and financial conditions have been stable, despite severe weather events and global market volatility.” However, he said Sri Lanka has to get ready if this climate pattern continues impacting the economy. The Prime Minister also reiterated the country has been placed on the “right track.” “We are accumulating reserves to create non-debt inflows, particularly through exports and FDI. We are entering into bilateral economic partnerships,” he added. He said the Government took strong decisions early to reduce fiscal deficit, to rebuild foreign reserves and introduce a more equitable tax system to restore macroeconomic stability. “Fiscal consolidation has been the key macro concern for all of us,” he added. “We are now navigating a period of transformation amidst global turbulence. Our country has enormous potential,” the Prime Minister emphasised.

More news on Sri Lanka.

Portugal

(Past member) — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

By Lisbon Nearshore, visit their website here and find out more about Portugal as an attractive business destination.

Sri Lanka BOI to be Restructured

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Government yesterday confirmed that with the support of Harvard University it intends to restructure the Board of Investment (BOI) within the next month. Speaking at the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2017 organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, International Trade State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe said they were in the process of revamping the BOI with an investment of $ 6 million in collaboration with a team from Harvard University in the UK. Agreeing with Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, he insisted that the BOI has now become more of a regulator than a facilitator. “I think the attitude has changed from the top to the bottom. With Harvard University we are restructuring the BOI. Thus, it can be a friendly facilitator for investments in the future,” Senasinghe stressed.

Lloyds Still Paying Out for PPI

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Lloyds bank has set aside another £1 billion for the repayment of mis-sold PPI and mortgage insurance in what has become one of the most costly actions in banking history. Apparently, despite years of terrible adverts advising people claim money for mis-sold financial products, some are still unaware that they are entitled to claim. Lloyds recently announced a half-year pre-tax profits of £2.5bn, 4% higher than last year. Lloyds alone has now set aside £18bn. In total, UK lenders have been forced to set aside more than £30bn to cover PPI compensation costs.

Free Movement to End in March 2019

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A new immigration system will be in place by March 2019 when the UK will officially leave the EU and therefore will begin devoting vast resources on stopping people from making the UK a vibrant economy. Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis was speaking as the government commissioned a "detailed assessment" of the costs and benefits of EU migrants. The CBI said businesses "urgently" needed to know what EU migration would look like, both in any "transitional" period after March 2019 and beyond. It's another fantastic leap into the dark which has become all too common since the UK decided to leave the Union which constitutes its biggest trading partner. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Lewis would not confirm details of how the government plans to manage migration after Brexit, saying these would be revealed in a white paper later this year.

Full story here.

Car Production Continues to Slow in the UK

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Car production in the UK has fallen for the third month in a row as the market continues to cool. Once again, underlying trends in the UK economy are looking sluggish as the effects of Brexit slowly cut the productive ability of the UK economy. The fall in production mirrored a decline in UK car sales. Foreign demand for UK cars has remained steady, falling by only 0.9% in the past six months.

Arvato Appoints New Business Development Director to Drive UK Market Growth

(Past member) — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Business process outsourcing provider Arvato has strengthened its Customer Services and Public Sector business with the appointment of Fraser Tusler as Business Development Director. Reporting directly into Arvato’s board member and Sales and Solutions Director David Morton, Fraser will be driving new business opportunities across retail, automotive, high-tech and the public sector. Fraser brings more than 15 years’ experience in sales and business development to the role. Prior to joining Arvato, Fraser was Sales Director for Computer Sciences Corporation’s (CSC) big data and analytics offering. Previous roles include IT and data analytics focussed sales and leadership positions at IBM, Salesforce and Teradata. The move follows Debbie Nolan’s appointment as commercial director of the company’s financial solutions business in the UK & Ireland.

Debra Maxwell, CEO of CRM Solutions UK & Ireland, Arvato said: “Our clients and prospects across retail, automotive and the public sector are facing disruptive changes in their sectors, so they’re looking to outsourcing partners to help them with implementing new technology and ways of working to transform their services.”

Research Shows SMEs Struggle Without a Procurement Function

(Past member) — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

New research by eProcurement provider Wax Digital reveals that procurement is just as vital for SMEs at it is for large organisations, with formal procurement processes serving an equally critical role in helping them reduce costs, keep control of spend and eradicate labour intensive processes. The research conducted with both procurement professionals and other management in 260 UK businesses asked what the tipping point was for introducing procurement into their organisations. The results were as follows:-

• 75% said procurement was needed once a company reaches a £50M turnover

• 77% claim to need procurement by the time it has 100 supplier contracts

• 72% said once 500 invoices per month are being processed, procurement was necessary.

Rising costs was the most common reason for first introducing procurement, cited by 68%, followed by inefficient and labour intensive processes for 45%, and increasing business risk for 30%. 48% of businesses said they ended up implementing procurement reactively in response to a negative situation compared to 31% who said that it was a positive and proactive step forward.

Wazoku Platform Delivers Ideas, Creativity and Improved Communication at SSCL

(Past member) — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Wazoku ideas platform, installed last year at Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL), has already engaged 67% of the company’s workforce. It has created 400 ideas with over 50 of these progressed, such as a texting reminder scheme for its customers that has had a significant impact on payroll efficiency. It has also led to a new employee engagement programme for all employees, due to roll out in the autumn. The ideas platform has been so successful that SSCL, which provides business support services to the public sector, saw a rapid return on investment as well as an increase in employee engagement relating to service improvements and innovation. SSCL was established in 2013, bringing together people from different government departments and the Wazoku platform offered a common innovation portal covering all SSCL locations.

Robust Activity Drives EMEA Sourcing Growth

(Past member) — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A rise in the number of traditional sourcing contracts fuelled overall market growth in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region in the second quarter, according to the findings of the 2Q17 EMEA ISG Index™ released by Information Services Group (ISG) (NASDAQ: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm. The EMEA ISG Index™, which measures commercial outsourcing contracts with an annual contract value (ACV) of €4 million or more, shows ACV for the combined EMEA market (including both as-a-service and traditional sourcing) reached €2.8 billion in the second quarter, up 13 percent. Traditional sourcing grew 5 percent, to €2 billion, on the strength of 188 contract awards, the second most ever for a quarter. ACV in the as-a-service (Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Software-as-a-Service) segment grew 40 percent, although the region continues to remain more dependent on traditional sourcing than other parts of the world.

Poland: Now One of Europe’s Hottest Outsourcing Destinations

(Past member) — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Poland is a very important country for many reasons. Its growing $500bn economy is one of the world’s biggest growth countries, and its $1.114 trillion GDP is significantly larger than that of the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, while roughly half of the UK’s. As a member of the EU, it has also been proven to have one of the most resilient economies, escaping the latest economic downturn with little pain.

Poland has taken advantage of the negative market conditions affecting greater Europe and built a stronghold in technology. This has resulted in the country now being touted by many, including Gartner, AT Kearney and KPMG, as one of the hottest outsourcing destination in the world.

The results of a government strategy implemented after the fall of communism more than 25 years ago, Poland build up a sound infrastructure for growth, with a strong focus on education. So much so that Poland now boasts the highest number of graduates per capital in the world, producing more than 400,000 university graduates annually. The Polish proposition is also about quality and practicality; graduates are high-performing, coming far ahead of its global competitors in everything from reading to ITC skills. Graduates are emerging with strong and highly employable fields such as computer science and engineering, and as such people with science, mathematics and computing degrees are plentiful. A string of governments have invested in a network of 20 information and telecommunication academic centres, modelled on the highly successful Indian model, which have been very successful in developing the skillsets of more than 150,000 IT, computer science and telecommunication potential employees. They make up around 10% ICT specialists of all university graduates in the European Union.

However its not just IT and technical skills that set Poland’s rich talent pool apart. Linguistics skills are of the highest standards, with many Polish citizens showing proficiency not just in their second language, English, but most Western and Eastern European languages as well. This has very much helped Poland become a bridge from East to West, and as there are many cultural similarities, it makes Poland one of the easiest places in the EU to do business.

During this time, the Polish economy went from strength to strength during a period where others were faltering. This was driven by and increased domestic demand and supported by increases in exports as well. The economy also benefited when millions of Polish workers migrated throughout Europe, driving unemployment down and increasing the flow of capital back into the country. With workers returning to the country, armed with capital and experience, it has contributed to Poland being a force in the CEE outsourcing market, and a serious challenger to the powerhouses such as India too.

There are also macroeconomic factors that have contributed to Poland’s attractiveness as an IT and outsourcing hub. Without doubt, membership to the EU offers businesses both stability and security, especially when it comes to data protection. Adhering to strict EU data protection laws, of which are becoming even stricter next year with the introduction of GDPR, Poland is required to offer the highest possible customer security requirements in the world, and when compared to the offshore model utilising offshoring destinations, few businesses can afford to sacrifice cost for compliance.

Economic stability also comes in the form of the fastest GDP growth in the OECD region, however worth noting that average wages have remained the same for years. This means that Poland will remain a destination to achieve strong ROI. Also worth mentioning that Poland has achieved a unique trade balance between UK and Germany; no other CEE country has achieved such a feat.

Outsourcing puts countries on the map, and Poland has wedged its place among the usual “nearshoring” destinations of the CEE region, typically defined by the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria. AT Kearney’s latest report on outsourcing listed Poland as the number one most attractive outsourcing destination in Europe (and 10th globally). This was based on three key criteria: financial attractiveness, people skills and business environment. Two years ago it was ranked at 24.

The business market has recognised this, and acted accordingly. The likes of Credit Suisse, UBS and BNY Mellon have already moved IT work out of London into Poland, and IBM has outsourced more than 7,500 jobs there, joining Cap Gemini (6,000) and HP (4,600). Since the Brexit vote, Poland has been tipped to be the big winner to attract UK banking jobs, with more than 30,000 jobs predicted to move from Britain in just this year alone. Even German and Italian companies are moving to Poland now to take advantage of Poland’s rich environment of skills, business culture and location, with so many skilled employees, and highly competitive costs, too.

Poland is doing a lot of things right, and it is making inroads into becoming Europe’s IT hub.

Visit Soitron's website here and learn more.

Innovation in Sri Lanka

(Past member) — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Sunny skies, pristine beaches and fantastic wildlife are all part of the Sri Lankan holiday experience, no wonder the tourism industry is booming on the island as holiday makers arrive for two weeks of great weather and care free cocktails. However, there is a lot more to the island that is attracting business from across the globe, it has a vast array of untapped talent, encouraging innovation and disruption across the economy and nurturing the growth of a tech eco-system.

Sri Lanka has watched its neighbour India become the home of global business process outsourcing thanks to its vast pool of human capital and cheap operating centres. However, in the digital age, Sri Lanka has spied an opportunity to gain a march on its rival. As the digital economy grows, the focus of business is focused on creating technology hubs, inspiring innovative firms by supporting new business and encouraging growth. Sri Lanka has a fantastic start in creating a digital based economy thanks to government support of skills programmes, bringing computing skills into the classroom and building an economic base on IT skills. The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology is one of the great technology based centers for learning in the emerging world, inspiring graduates in computer based subjects.

The results of government support and skilled individuals are starting to emerge. Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology company unveiled their brand-new office in Colombo in June. The establishment of CSIC is one of Huawei further contributions to support Sri Lanka’s digital economy. “The Huawei Customer Solutions Innovation and Integration Experience Center (CSIC) in Colombo is a great platform where we can develop innovative ICT solutions. I wish more youth and students can visit the center and witness how a global ICT company innovates” said Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure, Harin Fernando.

The Global Innovation Index report of 2017 places Sri Lanka ahead of its peers in the South Asian region apart from India. The report in particular highlights the infrastructure in the country which has helped the country rise up the rankings from 2016. The output pillars from the report are really promising for Sri Lanka, acting as a good indication that the nation is building an efficient ICT sector with good growth potential.

A lot of the success in Sri Lanka comes from good foundations for a modern economy, such as good health care, strong enrolment rates in education for children and longer life expectancy than many other emerging economies. Building an advanced, technology based economy is a long journey, but it is easier if you have a stable environment to build upon. The Sri Lankan innovation economy will continue to improve with government support and investment from global business. Expect the island to focus upon tackling the digital economy head on and compete as the Asian nation of the digital age.

Sri Lanka & Bangladesh Agree on Free Trade

(Past member) — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have agreed to finalise a Free Trade Agreement between them by the end of this year. The matter came up for discussion during bilateral discussions when President Maithripala Sirisena visited Dhaka last week. As the first step, a Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Partnership was signed between the two countries. The MoU “should pave way for the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by end-2017,” said the joint statement following the conclusion of President Sirisena’s visit. The two countries also signed 14 bilateral agreements during the visit covering areas such as trade and investment, agriculture, information and communication technology, higher education, finance and overall people-to-people connectivity. Bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is $ 142 million and during an investment forum attended by President Sirisena in Dhaka, attention was drawn to make it a threefold rise within the next few years. In order to reap the benefits of wider economic partnership, the two leaders directed the authorities concerned toward the early finalisation of the agreements on customs cooperation, the avoidance of double taxation and the promotion and protection of investment between both nations.

More news from Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka – The Next Asian Economic Miracle

Sri Lanka – The Next Asian Economic Miracle

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ECCSL), in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and Maldives, will conduct a one-day seminar titled ‘Sri Lanka – The Next Asian Economic Miracle? - Resetting Economic Development Priorities’ on Wednesday, 19 July at JAIC Hilton from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be the event’s Chief Guest. The EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Tung-Lai Margue will also address the gathering. The conference will examine the public and private sector initiatives that could determine Sri Lanka’s trajectory in becoming an Asian economic miracle. Participants will benefit from fresh insights into the future direction of the economy through policy statements of key Government ministers and the presentations of reputed academics and speakers from the private sector. The panellists will debate what Sri Lanka must do to overcome current challenges.

Taylor Review Arrives

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Taylor Review into employment has arrived and brings with it a myriad of suggestions for the future regulation and classification of work. The review calls for an end to the cash in hand economy which could be costing the government £100's of millions by introducing a payments system through platforms such as credit cards, contactless payments and PayPal. The review has been said not to go far enough by opposition MP's and unions who call for greater worker protection. The recommendations and agenda of the review appear to be an attempt to mould the gig economy into the old structures of employment that have existed for decades, creating unrealistic expectations for change. If you demand more security, pay and/or employment will fall, it's the flexibility of the gig economy that has made it popular. The government needs to rebuild its ancient architecture of defining and regulating work, not try to change the world to fit it to what the pre-existing structures.

Full story here.

More news: UK Economy Slows Further in Worrying Spiral

Gig Economy Set for Regulation Overhaul in UK

(Past member) — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A government review into the rapidly changing world of work is to demand a radical overhaul of employment law and new guarantees on the minimum wage. A report by former adviser to Tony Blair, Matthew Taylor, will recommend gig economy workers should receive benefits such as sick pay and holiday leave and be covered by some of the minimum wage requirements. The changes will be aimed at companies such as Uber and Deliveroo, who hire workers in what is being known as a new "dependent contractor" payment. It's not going to be that difficult to guess what the outcome will be of these suggestions, if they manage to be squeezed through Mrs May's government then it will be consumers who pay the difference, so prices will rise for those metropolitan types who like a taxi and a takeaway, just as inflationary pressure is starting to bite from the ill judged Brexit experiment. These suggestions are unrealistic and focus on a time when a job was a nine to five affair.

France Declares War on Petrol

(Past member) — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

France is set to ban the sale of any car that uses petrol or diesel fuel by 2040, in what the ecology minister called a "revolution". It's a political move, which many may call a master stroke, Nicolas Hulot (the ecology minister) called for something to happen in over 20 years time when you have left office. Last week, car manufacturer Volvo said all of its new car models would be at least partly electric from 2019, a risky move considering the rather low penetration of hybrid cars in the mass market. It is not clear what will happen to fossil fuel cars when the ban comes into place.

Read the full story.

Recent news: Blockchain Technology Could Help Transform Criminal Justice System

UK Economy Slows Further in Worrying Spiral

(Past member) — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

In a worrying sign for the UK economy, major firms have curtailed investment plans and consumers are spending less on their credit cards according to Deloitte. Once again, the Brexit experiment is to blame followed by one of the most inconclusive elections in British history, which has rather unsurprisingly left everyone rather confused. There has been a steady stream of poor economic figures for the country to digest just as Europe appears to be emerging from a decade of discontent. How a government with little authority or understanding of public opinion will grapple with a slowing economy is difficult to tell, but like businesses, I can't say I'm optimistic.

Read the full story.

Recent news: Gig Economy Set for Regulation Overhaul in UK

Blockchain Technology Could Help Transform Criminal Justice System

(Past member) — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Police Foundation and CGI discuss need for digitisation to shake up a justice system beset by changing crimes, archaic practices, spending cuts and inefficient paper-based systems. A joint report by the Police Foundation together with CGI has discussed how digitisation can transform the UK’s criminal justice system and put service users at its heart, delivering better experiences for everyone. “Reforming justice for the digital age,” outlines the costs and inefficiencies caused by a paper-based system and argues that digitisation, collaborative working practices, and technologies such as intelligent automation and blockchain can help resolve many of the Criminal Justice System’s (CJS) historic challenges."

You can read the full story here.

UK Markit / CIPS PMI Figures Show Minor Slowdown

(Past member) — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

UK service providers indicated another slowdown in business activity growth during June, which largely reflected the weakest upturn in new work since September 2016. Survey respondents commented on subdued business and consumer confidence, alongside some instances of delayed decision making around the election. "A slowing in services sector growth completes a triple-whammy of disappointing PMI survey readings. Although the three PMI surveys are running at levels that are historically consistent with GDP growing by around 0.4% in the second quarter, it's clear that the economy heads into the third quarter losing momentum. With business optimism having been hit by the intensification of political uncertainty following the general election and commencement of Brexit negotiations, at the same time that households are battling against rising inflation, the indications are that the economy's resilience is being tested" said Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at IHS Markit.

Justin Zatouroff, head of business services at KPMG UK comments "fierce competition for new work is putting pressure on pricing, which is leading to an ongoing squeeze on margins. The combination of input cost inflation, Brexit and pricing pressures suggests that businesses in the services sector need to keep an eye on the horizon".

Teleperformance is Accredited by the GSA

(Past member) — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Teleperformance, the global leader in outsourced ominchannel customer experience management, announced today its public sector services programme in the UK has achieved accreditation to the Global Sourcing Standard for Service Providers. Teleperformance is the first supplier globally to achieve the accreditation and follows the BBC as only the second organization to achieve accreditation with merit. Matt Sims, chief executive of Teleperformance UK and South Africa, said: “Accreditation to the Global Sourcing Standard is a wonderful achievement. I am especially proud of our public sector team, and this well-deserved accolade recognises the rigour and governance that has underpinned our work supporting UK public sector services for almost twenty years.” Kerry Hallard, Chief Executive of the GSA added, “I am delighted to confirm the accreditation of Teleperformance to the GSA Standard for its public sector services. I am particularly pleased to announce Teleperformance UK as the first ever supplier to have achieved accreditation and warmly congratulate them on their accomplishment.”

To read the full press release, click here.

GSA Look to Assess State of the Industry with Sourcing Satisfaction Barometer

(Past member) — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

As a truly independent industry association and professional body representing the global sourcing industry, the GSA’s mission is to professionalise sourcing so as to grow the positive reputation, and therefore size, of the industry. To help achieve this, the GSA are calling on everyone to spend just 15 minutes of their time completing the GSA’s Annual Sourcing Industry Satisfaction Barometer. The survey will assess the industries drive towards best practice and the Global Sourcing Standard. Click here to learn more.

Are We Sacrificing The Future Of The Human Workforce For Short-Term Corporate Gain?

(Past member) — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Attend the GSA’s debate on Being Human In A Digital World and have your say.

Unless you’ve been keeping Rip Van Winkle company under a nearby tree recently, you won’t have escaped the hype surrounding robotic process automation and the much-prophesised Doomsday scenario where the jobs of 15 million Britons (nearly half of the UK’s 31.8 million workforce) will eventually be wiped out, taken over by machines.

Whether you believe the headlines or not (the statistic mentioned above was actually volunteered by Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England), there is no doubt that as automation in general - and robotic process automation (RPA) specifically - starts to scale, entire white-collar professions will become endangered, with the lower income professions most likely to be hardest hit.

Of course, the benefits of RPA cannot be ignored; high volume transactions processed with greater accuracy and at higher speeds, with less risk of downtime, providing a better customer experience and inevitably, for a lower longer-term cost. It’s little wonder then that enterprises are falling over themselves to deploy robotics into their operating models to improve profits and increase shareholder value; that’s the nature of business after all, it keeps the wheels of the economy turning and its why the Government has recently provided a £17 million handout to universities for research into artificial intelligence initiatives including robotics and driverless vehicles.

Except that this is only one part of the equation; as more and more people are displaced by robots it begs the questions ‘where do they turn to?’, ‘what jobs will they do?’, ‘how do they earn an honest living so as not to be a burden on an already creaking state?’

At the GSA we strongly believe that if the economy is going to truly benefit from such innovations, there needs to be a broader and ongoing discussion on the impact of technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) on society. The narrative needs to extend beyond purely the commercial benefits achievable and look closely at the human impact in terms of reskilling and redeployment of displaced workforces.

We cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that these technologies will not only significantly impact existing workforces, but recognise the fall-out will impact future generations. Therefore, Government, Business Leaders and Trade Associations must come together and act now, to cohesively apply the learning from previous industrial revolutions and avoid making the same mistakes this time round.

This is why we are hosting the World’s First National Debate on the societal impact of automation at our Symposium on 28 June, where trade unions, buy-side organisations, vendors & industry commentators will come together to discuss the possible consequences for our society. Given the importance of this discussion we are throwing open the doors and allowing attendance to this debate free of charge. Spaces will be strictly limited so please contact us to register your place.

There is no place for workforce abandonment in the 21st Century, I invite you all to come along and play your part in ensuring it doesn’t happen!

Sri Lanka Focus is Upon New Trade and Investment

(Past member) — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Sri Lanka's finance ministry on Monday said it was formulating a new trade and investment policy, tax reforms and various other measures to improve the investor climate in the island country. A statement by the ministry quoted Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera as saying the government aimed to make Sri Lanka an export-driven economic and financial hub of the Indian Ocean, while creating unprecedented opportunities in many sectors. "In order to achieve these objectives, the government has set out a high-level reform agenda in several key sectors of the economy, facilitating and empowering the private sector as the principle engine of growth," Samaraweera said.

The minister added that given the rapid increase in climate-related disasters in many countries, like the floods Sri Lanka faced recently, the building of climate/disaster resilient infrastructure will be of paramount importance for the future. "If we are to meet this challenge, we must incorporate climate resilient concepts into all future infrastructure development projects," he added. The Sri Lankan government led by Maithripala Sirisena recently announced that it hopes to attract foreign investors into the island country and convert it into an international and trading hub due to its geographic location. Already a mega 1.4 billion dollars Port City project, the first of its kind in South Asia, is being constructed near the Colombo Port which will attract investments totalling 13 billion dollars from next year. The project is being positioned as a hub to the whole of South Asia.

HCL launches GDPR Services to Enable Organizations Comply with EU Data Protection Regulation

(Past member) — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global IT services provider, announces the launch of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) services to help organizations comply with EU GDPR regulation. The new GDPR Regulation which is mandated to be adopted by May 2018, extends the data rights of individuals and requires organizations to develop clear policies and procedures to protect personal data and adopt appropriate technical and organizational measures.

“In the digital era, privacy, security and personalization are the most significant issues facing corporations and individual alike. Enabling GDPR compliance is not just about managing regulatory requirements but can also be a source of competitive advantage, said Maninder Singh, Corporate Vice President and Head – Cyber Security & GRC, HCL Technologies. “HCL’s industry leading solutions, IT expertise and extensive European experience working with global corporations makes the company an ideal partner in this space.”

Sri Lanka Sees Growth Fly Despite Dip

(Past member) — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

According to the monthly Index of industrial Production (IIP) released by the Census and Statistics Department, the volume of industrial production in Sri Lanka has increased by 1.8% in April 2017 compared to the same month in 2016. Among the manufacturing industries, the volume of products of ‘Furniture’ (27.8%), ‘Other non-metallic mineral products’ (10.4%) and ‘Fabricated Metal Product’ (10.2%) has shown remarkable increases during April, 2017 compared to those of April 2016 while the volume of food products has increased by 0.1 %. The manufacturing industries, volume of ‘Wood and products of wood’ (22.3%) and ‘Chemical and Chemical products’ (9.8%) and ‘Tobacco product’ (8.6%) reported decreases during this period. However, the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) declined to 98.7 in April from 109.5 in March 2017.

Capita Life & Pensions Awarded for Outstanding Customer Service

(Past member) — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Capita Life & Pensions has been awarded the “Excellence in Outsourced Customer Service” award for its work with Zurich, at the prestigious Global Sourcing Association UK’s Professional Awards. Capita has delivered frontline customer service to Zurich’s two million customers over the last 10 years. The award recognised Capita’s “Voice of the Customer” programme, which has been designed to enhance the way Zurich provides customer service and feedback to its customers.

"The GSA UK’s Professional Awards recognise talent and application of best practice across the sourcing industry, and we are rightly proud of the achievements our partnership with Zurich. This latest accolade is further proof of Capita’s commitment to delivering outstanding customer service for our clients. Zurich’s strategic aims were embedded into the service we helped to provide, and we recognised the need to move from simply hearing what our customers were saying to truly listening. This has been key to the success of the Voice of the Customer programme." said Nikki Moss Customer service manager, Capita Life & Pensions.

To read more, click here.

India to Support Sri Lanka Railway Investment

(Past member) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

India today signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to provide USD 318 million as line of credit to develop the island nation's railway sector, officials said. The agreement was signed by RHS Samaratunga, Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Mass media, and David Rasquinha, Managing Director of India's Export-Import Bank in Colombo.

During his first visit to Sri Lanka as prime minister in 2015, Narendra Modi had declared a line of credit of USD 318 million for the development of Sri Lanka's railway sector. That visit, the first standalone bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1987, had come in the backdrop of increasing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean nation. China has been investing heavily in Sri Lanka, developing mainly ports that could potentially be used as a base for its navy, though Beijing says the investments are part of its Belt and Road Initiative that aims to link it with Europe and Africa via the Indian Ocean.

Bitcoin Stockpiles for Potential Cyber-Attacks

(Past member) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

According to ComputerWeekly.com, large UK firms are prepared to pay out more than £136,000 on average to cyber criminals who launch ransomware attacks, after building stockpiles of bitcoin. A survey, commissioned by secure connectivity firm Citrix, also shows that more than two-fifths are stockpiling bitcoins in case of a ransomware attack, compared with a third a year ago. The 2016 research revealed that one-fifth (20%) of companies with 250-500 employees did not have any contingency measures in place in case of a ransomware attack, however this has fallen to just 7% in 2017. Read the full story here.

Blockchain Heralded by Governments

(Past member) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

It is amazing how different technologies can be adapted to new uses and markets. Blockchain, the technology behind the fabulously fluctuating Bitcoin, is increasingly being heralded by governments as the technology to revolutionise the public sector. An increasing number of countries are trialling blockchain for security in public records. Young countries in Eastern Europe, such as Georgia and Ukraine are pioneers of e-government, using blockchain for land registries to improve the trust in government. They are not the only ones, Sweden, Dubai and Estonia are also implementing the technology. A new wave of innovation is being embraced by government.

BA Highlights Airline Investment Issues

(Past member) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

As the BA scandal moves on to the compensation phase, we need to address a problem in the whole airline industry. To compete with low-cost airlines, major airlines are cutting important costs in IT and support, meaning IT faults are becoming worryingly common. Sourcing is about finding cost advantage through experience and efficiency. By finding a quality service provider, firms can save money, expand operations and improve quality, simply focusing upon cost cutting will not provide the service customers deserve. Investing in quality is much cheaper than massive compensation.

BA Shambles Highlights Importance of Implementing Best Practice

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Spending a holiday stuck in the departure lounge of an airport is not anyone’s idea of relaxation. Sadly, a massive IT fault left many passengers of British Airways (BA) in this exact situation, with the company blaming the fault on a power spike at its outsourced IT division in India. Sadly, blaming the outsourcing company is rather cliché, but the benefits of the sourcing outweigh the negatives. This is especially true if both buyers and service providers adhered to best practice which through transparency and communication helps avoid these fallouts.

Cost cutting can come from both sides of a contract, with decisions impacting on long running business operating models and leaving firms vulnerable to disruption. The BA disruption was caused primarily through a lack of appreciation for risk at the parent company, with limited and outdated plans for recovery in the case of technical disruption. As always, proper planning and good communication are a necessity, you can’t simply blame a service provider.

Kerry Hallard, CEO of the Global Sourcing Association (GSA) is available for comment, please contact jamest@gsa-uk.com or call 44 (0)7432 267 543.

PMI Figures Threaten Slowing Economy

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

UK services PMI figures have arrived and they are looking weak. The expectation of 55.0 (anything above 50.0 indicates growth) proved an unreachable summit as the index creeped in at 53.8 for May. Not great news for the stability of the Pound which is likely to fluctuate over the next week as the election reaches its final stage. Commenting on the figures, Yael Selfin, Chief Economist at KPMG UK said:

“These latest PMI figures point to a more subdued outlook for UK services. Those relying on the spending appetite of UK consumers are feeling the pressure, while export driven services still benefit from the weaker pound. The softer data for UK services contrasted with indications of a pick-up in both manufacturing and construction activity, which represent a smaller share of UK output, hence some resurgence in growth momentum this year should not be ruled out following a weak start in Q1.”

With Brexit negotiations just around the corner, the UK might be about to see a slide towards the Brexit economy that was predicted before the vote in 2016. Sadly, it is unlikely that the next government will have the stomach for liberalising reforms that the country needs to boost growth in the coming years.

Sri Lanka Growth to Accelerate in 2017

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Sri Lanka’s growth is forecast to accelerate to a 4.7 percent rate in 2017 and 5 percent in 2018, a new World Bank report says. According to the World Bank’s June 2017 Global Economic Prospects growth will happen as international financial institution programs support economic reforms and boost private sector competitiveness. Growth in the South Asia region is forecast to advance to a 6.8 percent pace in 2017 and accelerate to 7.1 percent in 2018, reflecting a solid expansion of domestic demand and exports.

The report says excluding India, regional growth is anticipated to hold steady at 5.7 percent this year, rising to 5.8 percent in the next, with growth accelerating in Bhutan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, but easing in Bangladesh and Nepal.

Wavestone Look Into the Possibilities of Blockchain

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Wavestone recently attended the Global Sourcing Association’s Public Sector Day 2017 that focused on the latest developments in public sector digital transformation. It also emphasised the importance of strategic sourcing at a time when public services face great pressure to deliver affordable services that satisfy an increasingly digitally connected audience.

The varied and enthusiastically delivered agenda brought together representatives from central government departments, senior public sector procurement analysts and SMEs in disruptive technologies such as RPA (Robotics Process Automation).

Capturing the curiosity of the room due its disruptive capability and mysteriousness was Blockchain – a potent platform which has the potential to significantly influence the development of digital public services.

You can read the full article from Wavestone here and learn more about upcoming GSA events here.

The Fundermentals of Sourcing with David Rickard of Microsoft

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT

David Rickard, Director of Microsoft Procurement discusses with us the fundamentals of sourcing before speaking at the GSA Symposium this June.

How have buyers of sourcing services adapted to the underlying changes of the industry? Are they driving the change or is technology and innovation?

I think buyers are being compelled to change because the expectations of our internal stakeholders are changing driven by the technology and innovation available to them in the wider marketplace. Buying “stuff” is easier than ever for a consumer who can make a purchase 24x7 with a couple of clicks and have it delivered the very next day. They cannot understand why when they come to work it takes a lot more effort and a lot more time. The smart procurement orgs are the ones trying to simplify the experience as much as possible whilst gather as much BI about the purchases and suppliers as they possibly can to maximise the business benefits of every £ spent in the future. Technology should be an enabler to a world class procurement organisation, not a threat.

How important is it to have a universal standard for sourcing, such as the global sourcing standard in an increasingly globalised and disruptive industry?

Very important. Without a comprehensive and universal standard for an org to follow each department or location within a company’s buying org could be doing totally different things, some adding value but some not. A well thought out and implemented standard can set the direction and guiding principles for the entire company and can be used as a guide for implementing rapid change as the group adjust to the ever changing internal and external landscape. However it is key that any standard implemented is built with the business as it’s priority and not built for the sake of having a standard. Areas where things have to be done because the “standard says so” should be eradicated and only requirements that offer true value should be included and monitored.

How would you describe the importance of having strong fundamentals in sourcing in an increasingly digital age?

Strong fundamentals are vital for the success of any sourcing organisation but especially in an increasingly digital age. Without a strong foundation of good processes, capable staff, timely BI and a clear strategy any of the additional initiatives to leverage the digital age will fail. Digital should be the enabler to the sourcing organisation who should be looking to leverage new capabilities to offer additional value and impact to the company.

How do you build a successful sourcing contract in the age of the digital economy?

I am not sure if there is a perfect answer for this right now as many of us in Procurement are still working through what a true digital economy is and the impact it could have on sourcing. However the fundamentals of sourcing contracts, such as having clear deliverables and expectations of the supplier, will continue to be key in any age.

David will be speaking at the GSA Symposium this June, click here to learn more and book your place at the must attend event of the year for the sourcing industry.

BA Boss denies outsourcing was the root cause of their latest woes

(Past member) — Wed, 31 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

According to statements given to various media outlets, the IT problems were caused by a power surge on Saturday morning at around 9.30am. Cruz claimed the surge had a “catastrophic effect” on some communication hardware which affected messaging across the airline’s system. He said tens of millions of messages every day are shared across the BA network's 200 systems and all systems were affected.

The BA chief then said the airline was then “unable to restore and use some of those backup systems because they themselves could not trust the messaging that had to take place amongst them”.

He went on to say neither an outsourcing of jobs or a cyber-attack were the source of the problem and everyone working with this particular hardware were "locally hired". Mr Cruz has not said who he believes was responsible for the failure or whether BA employees were involved, however, some reported ‘experts’ have questioned the statement about the power surge with some electricity companies reporting to such issues on their networks.

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BA Boss denies outsourcing was the root cause of their latest woes

(Past member) — Wed, 31 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The BA chief then said the airline was then “unable to restore and use some of those backup systems because they themselves could not trust the messaging that had to take place amongst them”.

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Related: "http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/british-airways-boss-alex-cruz-explains-what-went-wrong-in-catastrophic-it-meltdown-a3552906.html

BA Boss denies outsourcing was the root cause of their latest woes

(Past member) — Wed, 31 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The BA chief then said the airline was then “unable to restore and use some of those backup systems because they themselves could not trust the messaging that had to take place amongst them”.

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BA Boss denies outsourcing was the root cause of their latest woes

(Past member) — Wed, 31 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The BA chief then said the airline was then “unable to restore and use some of those backup systems because they themselves could not trust the messaging that had to take place amongst them”.

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KPMG strengthens its ties with FinTech sector through the acquisition of Matchi

(Past member) — Wed, 31 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

KPMG International has recently announced the acquisition of Matchi, a leading matchmaking platform that connects financial institutions with carefully vetted fintech companies worldwide.

The acquisition cements a two year relationship in anticipation of increased client demand for fintech alliances.

Warren Mead, Global co-lead fintech, KPMG said, “Through 2015 and 2016, a total of $71bn was invested in fintechs globally as traditional financial services companies increasingly recognised tech innovation as the best way to remain relevant, manage compliance and cut costs. As we enter the new world of open banking and PSD2, innovation will become even more relevant so we are investing today to make building partnerships as easy as possible for clients and stakeholders. Firms can’t possibly filter the thousands of fintechs on the market so KPMG’s Matchi platform will help them block out the noise and focus on what will work.”

Matchi includes more than 2,500 fintech companies offering innovative solutions to legacy problems or launching ventures into new markets. The platform allows financial institutions to search for a specific company or product, or to use the proprietary “Innovation Challenge” to present specific problems to the fintech community and receive recommendations on solutions. In this way, firms can access the brightest and best thinking to address their challenges.

David Milligan, Matchi CEO commented “Together, we are positioned to help clients find and deploy the fintech solutions that are most relevant to their business needs. We are fulfilling the promise of collaboration between financial institutions and fintech firms, which can ultimately benefit all consumers and businesses.”

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The Fundamentals of Sourcing in the Digital Age

(Past member) — Fri, 26 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Lyubomira Mihaylova of ScaleFocus UK talks to Sourcingfocus about the fundamentals of sourcing and adapting to the digital age.

How have buyers of sourcing services adapted to the underlying changes of the industry? Are they driving the change or is technology and innovation?

Very few companies have the true willpower and readiness to change. No matter the business imperatives, regulations, competition, threat of staying-in/going-out of business, etc., a broad range of industries and industry representatives are more talking about than acting upon, adopting and adapting to the impact of disruption. A typical situation is of a heavy organization where agility is a buzz word, though few truly care to move beyond the comfort zone leaving critical business decisions on the back burner. Furthermore, all are getting into the could of, would of, should of situation… when the “unexpected” difficulties could have been easily prevented a long time ago with timely decisions, vigorous actions and transparent responsibilities. So, there is still a long way to go when it comes to changes and committing to the digital, cloud and data analytics disruptions.

How important is it to have a universal standard for sourcing, such as the global sourcing standard in an increasingly globalised and disruptive industry?

As with everything in life – walking the walk is the one critical detail that makes all the difference. Same with applying knowledge – when not used, it is wasted.

Let us say a company is implementing a CRM system – unless data is uploaded correctly and strictly, and processes are followed, with the aim of ensuring traceability, transparency,an ability to make business decisions in real time, knowing the customers and caring in a personalized manner, etc., it is just a tool not an enabler and facilitator.

Back to sourcing – a universal standard is paramount for stable and complications-free engagements. How many companies can pride themselves with that?

It will always be the case of talking, rather than acting until standards are not just enforced in an organization but all employees understand them and apply them as something they stand for.

How would you describe the importance of having strong fundamentals in sourcing in an increasingly digital age?

No matter how much we talk about digitalization we will inevitably get back to talking about the basics. Before you can think of getting to the next level you should ensure you have everything that is needed to grow, innovate and thrive. Say a company has issues with redundant processes, data warehousing performance bottlenecks or any fundamental technology, infrastructure or business issue – would the digital journey be efficient if you skip addressing the fundamental flaws?

Another example – if 2 employees had to print, sign, scan and upload 2 documents for a process or part of a process and the company invests in replacing that with 2 simple clicks per employee – what will be the ROI of company’s investment if these employees care little to click and play the ‘I am busy’ game? Having a culture of true caring, process transparency and strong business fundamentals is what enables companies to fly when they embrace the digitalization accelerator.

How do you build a successful sourcing contract in the age of the digital economy?

The perfect contract is the one that eliminates excuses to procrastinate and gives clear responsibilities, sets standards, reaction times and communication channels. A contract where commitments, deliverables and outcomes are clear. It ensures that parties will not deviate from the ‘right track’ and interpret vague formulations. The perfect contract is when both parties are putting something in the game. Especially when the relationship is facilitated and accelerated by the digital economy. Sourcing contracts are becoming more transparent and demanding. Once basics like ‘paying your dues on time’, ‘chasing quality and deliveries’, ‘responding timely’ and ‘keeping your promises’ are no-brainers and just in place, precious time and energy is not wasted. Then and only then the relationship focuses on true innovation, R&D, experimenting with business models, joint go-to-market strategies and profit sharing, etc. etc.

Lyubomira will be speaking at the GSA Symposium this June, click here to learn more and book your place at the must attend event of the year for the sourcing industry.

Sourcing Trends with Avinash Vashistha

(Past member) — Fri, 26 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Avinash Vashistha of Tholons has been talking to Sourcingfocus about the trends affecting the sourcing industry.

1. We went through the process of offshoring and near-shoring, is Automation bringing this to a close as efficiency is increased and costs reduced in domestic markets?

Automation is a game changer and brings with it, the threat of obsolescence for the traditional offshore and near-shore model. Increase in the use of smart and cognitive technologies and artificial intelligence will give competitive ability to do things domestically. Highly skilled and innovative smaller countries like Chile, Singapore, Canada and Israel stand to gain significantly. Automation and Artificial Intelligence is replacing repeatable processes and decision making. Significant work has been done in developing customer service robotic agents like Amelia, that probably will pass the Turing Test in couple of years and replace agents. Key is to deploy people with domain and process knowledge to learn how to configure and program these software bots.

2. Will the digital economy drastically change the structure and architecture of organisations and presage serious change in the way we work?

Digital economy is changing the way consumers consume products and services. The future will be defined by consumer experiences like travelling, living healthy, shopping, paying and producing. Enterprises are becoming smarter, liquid and intelligent. The future of work will be Co-work, the future of innovation is Co-innovate and the future of investment is Co-invest, where venture capitalist will invest alongside clients and technology partners.

3. Is the digital age rendering location a lesser priority?

Locations were important and measured by scale, quality and cost of talent. However, digital has changed the equation. Innovation is more important than scale. Design thinking is higher priority than quality. Outcome and experience is more important than cost. Even smaller countries can innovate, have the domain knowledge and bring about the value through collaboration and emerge as leaders. Boundaries of locations are crumbling. Tholons Top 50 “Digital Nations” ranking is already trending in that direction and we expect 2018 rankings to declare the emergence of digital enterprise nations without boundaries.

4. With Brexit and President Trump are we seeing a turn away from globalisation and therefore a more difficult environment for global sourcing?

Politicians and their decisions are made in support of their campaign promises. They are under pressure to demonstrate implementation of their agenda in the first year. Focus is short term instead of a longer-term approach and plan. Businesses are struggling to transform in this age of disruption by digital. This provides an opportunity and ability to even smaller countries to be a larger player in enterprise innovation and globalisation. Overall, we believe this will result in increased globalisation to a broader set of countries and companies, but not necessarily only to legacy countries like India, Philippine and China.

5. Are we looking at a new age of sourcing which requires a completely different set of rules for successful strategic sourcing?

Traditional sourcing has been in application development, support and maintenance; business process and infrastructure management. Platform based solutions and intelligent liquid applications has transformed Applications sourcing. Business process management has been significantly impregnated by cognitive computing, artificial intelligence and automation. Cloud has consumed traditional infrastructure management. Players and rules of sourcing have changed! Strategic sourcing needs to work within the digital innovation ecosystem where clients, network of start-ups, mentors, strategic partners / platform integrators and funding have to Co-work and Co-innovate.

Avinash will be speaking at the GSA Symposium this June, click here to learn more and book your place at the must attend event of the year for the sourcing industry.

Behind the Headline - IT Outsourcing in Ukraine

(Past member) — Thu, 25 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Ukraine offers much for the IT sourcing sector, from a highly skilled workforce of young professionals, a busy community of foreign investors and firms and the support of the Ukrainian government. Ukraine is the fourth largest exporter of IT products and services in the world.

Ukraine can boast of it’s fantastic education system, with around 36,000 graduates a year in technical studies, perfect for the IT industry. This is supported by a strong professional sector, allowing businesses the full range of services required to set up and grow operations in Ukraine. It’s pool of skilled technical engineers allows Ukraine to stand out from the competition in the Central and Eastern European block. It’s Ukraine’s technology heavy history that has provided such a fantastic foundation for the growth of technology skills. The government in Ukraine continues to make steps forward to improve education further, creating a long-term future for the industry. NGO’s have stepped in to help the Ukrainian technology future, the BrainBasket Foundation aims to train 100,000 new IT professionals by 2020 and to turn the IT sector into the number one export industry of Ukraine.

Ukraine has a varied but vast labour force to support business in the country, salaries are competitive and it can be a challenge to retain highly skilled workers who look to emigrate into Western Europe. The demographics of the labour pool are in Ukraine’s favour with many of its engineers being below the age of 30.

English proficiency is good in Ukraine, especially in the commercial hubs which improves the ease of doing business. Living costs are very low, easily beating competition in the Central and Eastern European region. While there are cheaper outsourcing destinations – like India, the Philippines or China – Ukraine provides a superior price/quality ratio. Ukraine is ranked 80 out of 190 on the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ report from the World Bank gaining 20 positions since 2014. The World Economic Forum ranks Ukraine 68 out of 140 in its Global Competitiveness Index, with high score in education, business sophistication, health care and innovation. It’s competitive local market also distinguishes Ukraine from some of its geographical competition.

Ukraine has a favourable tax regime, especially for the IT sector to encourage the industry to grow. When coupled with its geographic location at the edge of Europe, the low costs make Ukraine the perfect base for IT or BPO projects. Data Management and Telecommunications are the strong sectors in Ukraine at the moment with Ukrainian developers often working on mobile, software, enterprise and web projects. Continued investment in infrastructure is allowing for improved technology services complementing the existing IT industry.

Many firms and organisations have noticed the potential on offer from Ukraine. Ukrainian firms have been behind the software used at major companies such as Ford, Boeing, Volvo and Scandinavian Airlines. Ciklum was a European service provider of the year finalist for the 2016 EOA Awards while SoftServe and OBH were recognized in the European IT Outsourcing Project of the year, category for the development of the Sense360 smartphone application.

Of course, complications exist. Ukraine has experienced significant political and economic challenges after the recent revolution and geopolitical crisis in the region. However, the military conflict was contained to only 3% of Ukrainian territory in the eastern part of the country and has left many commercial hubs untouched. The new government is working to better commerce and trade in the country by enacting business encouragement policies that are broadly supported by international bodies.

Ukraine has consistently featured in Gartner’s top 30 offshoring and outsourcing destinations for the past six years and is ranked as number one for outsourcing markets in Eastern Europe by Outsourcing Journal.

Ukraine has all the features of an attractive sourcing destination for IT operations and business process outsourcing. If you look behind the headlines, have a bit of patience and get into the facts, Ukraine is a worthwhile investment that will continue to grow.

The GSA are hosting a locations strategy panel at their annual Symposium on June the 27th focusing on global destinations for the sourcing industry. To learn more about the locations that offer the best business join the GSA this June!

Growth on the Banks of the Nile - Outsourcing in Egypt

(Past member) — Thu, 25 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Egyptian ICT industry has remained resilient throughout the past five years, overcoming the political uncertainty that spread across the region in 2011 thanks in part to its infrastructure, pool of talented young workers and its proximity to the lucrative European market. The Egyptian government has realised the potential for continued growth in the sector with its Egypt ICT 2030 strategy supporting the industry and making clear to international markets the commitment that the Egyptian government can offer the sector.

ICT will continue to push the boundaries of every sector of business in the next decade as it has done in the last. Egypt has plans to stay at the forefront of the ICT sourcing and business processing market, aware of the opportunities that the industry brings to an increasingly digital world economy. Having won the GSA European Outsourcing Destination of the Year in 2016, Egypt is demonstrating to the global market the success it has enjoyed over the past few years. Already the home of many IT success stories, with firms such as HP, Vodafone, SAP, IBM and Huawei operating in the country, Egypt is proud of its positive reputation for hospitality and reliability in the sourcing of IT operations.

Why Egypt you may ask, especially when competition for ICT sourcing contracts is growing globally. In A. T. Kearney’s 2016 Global Services Location Index, Egypt ranked a very respectable 16th, the highest country in the Middle East and Africa region. Gartner, an information technology research and advisory company, places Egypt among the nine primary locations identified for outsourcing, shared services and captives in 2016.Egypt thrives thanks to a skilled and abundant workforce, with enrolment for all levels of education rising considerably over the past five years. Statistics from UNESCO in 2015 suggest that the gross enrolment ratio in tertiary education grew by 20% between 2009 and 2015. Skilled graduates are flooding the Egyptian employment market, keeping the supply of labour high and wages cheaper than many rival destinations. The multilingual skills that the Egyptian workforce also acts as a fantastic selling point for the lucrative global market.

Of course, one of Egypt’s key attractions for the sourcing industry is its competitive costs. Egypt is cheaper than many Eastern European countries that specialise in the IT sourcing industry. Egypt has low running costs thanks to its abundant supply of workers, reliable energy supply and cheap rental costs, significantly lower than Eastern Europe and other North African economies with office space in major cities, such as Cairo, competitively priced. Egypt is host to contact centres for Microsoft, Teleperformance and Sykes in part because of the strong international infrastructure the country offers. After floating the Egyptian Pound in November 2016, the current government appears keen to help global and local business with support and advice from the IMF. Egypt ranks highly in areas such as starting a business, electricity generation and reliability and getting credit in the World Bank, Ease of Doing Business Report 2017, well above other emerging markets. The World Economic Forum notes that Egypt’s “upward movement (in its rankings) reflects recent reforms, including reform of energy subsidies, tax laws, and a strengthened business environment, as well as greater political stability”

Egypt does have issues that will affect the IT sourcing industry. Security remains an issue that will harm short term growth, however The Economist Intelligence Unit still predicts GDP growth to average 5.2% annually for the next five years. The government is working to improve the business environment with new bankruptcy laws and changes to the investment law. The government has also launched the ‘Next Tech Leaders’ initiative, to train and certify 11,000 Egyptian youth in the ICT field in collaboration with learning institutions (Coursera, Udacity, and edx) and MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) platforms through online and interactive training. This should push Egypt higher on the World Economic Forum rankings by increasing its score in openness and trade and generate a more favourable environment. Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and the International Finance Cooperation (IFC) have developed the National Competence Framework to further develop a sustainable approach to enhance the employability of Egyptian ICT talent pool.

Gartner notes in its ‘Evaluate Offshore/Nearshore Countries for Outsourcing, Shared Services and Captives in EMEA, 2016’ report “since the turmoil of the Arab Spring in 2011, (Egypt) has resumed strong economic growth, and its international credit ratings with Moody's & Fitch have stabilized”. Egypt’s strong potential and reliable record with the sourcing industry make it a great sourcing destination. It’s reputation and skilled workforce have allowed Egypt to evolve from low-value to high-value services offering a full support system to international organisations. Egypt’s commitment to innovation clusters and its strong digital and physical infrastructure indicate the possibility of long term success for IT sourcing.

Egypt acts as a hub between Europe, the Middle East and Africa, offering a truly global destination for the sourcing industry, enabling quick access to lucrative markets. The GSA’s recognition of Egypt as the European Outsourcing Destination of the Year 2016 praises Egypt’s commitment to global sourcing standards and its potential offering to the sourcing community.

Only a Year Away

(Past member) — Thu, 25 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will introduce tougher rules on processing personal data, and place businesses under a raft of new duties, including obligations to carry out data protection impact assessments, maintain records of the steps they take towards compliance, and report major data breaches.

Fines for non-compliance, of potentially up to 4% of annual global turnover, are far more penal than under the current regime. So, with the GDPR set to apply in a year from today (25 May 2018), now is the time for businesses to ramp up their preparations for the reforms.

Given the volume of changes the GDPR is bringing, organisations should already have begun preparing for the GDPR. However, if they have not done so they do not need to panic. They can begin the process by carrying out a data protection audit.

The GSA will be hosting a legal panel at their annual Symposium on the 28th of June featuring in depth analysis of GDPR from industry experts. The panel will take delegates beyond the current periphery and share their views around the likely next-practice on everything from Brexit and Trump, to how digital is changing both the process and the construct of contracting in sourcing.

Sri Lanka and South Korea Strengthen Ties

(Past member) — Wed, 24 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Minister of Foreign Employment of Sri Lanka, Thalatha Atukorale, discussed cooperation in the employment sector in relation to Sri Lankan workers under the Employment Permit System (EPS) in the Republic of Korea during her meeting with the Korean Minister of Employment and Labour Lee Ki-kweon on Thursday 18 May 2017 in Seoul. Minister Atukorale expressed her deep appreciation to the Korean Government for the employment opportunities provided to Sri Lankan workers under the EPS and for the continued support extended therein. Minister Lee appreciated the mutually beneficial collaboration under EPS, acknowledging its importance to Sri Lanka – Korea bilateral relations. Reference was also made to the strengthening of employment relations when the two countries celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations this year.

Sri Lanka Granted GSP Plus Status by European Commission

(Past member) — Mon, 22 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The European Commission, the legislative body of the European Union, has granted GSP Plus status to Sri Lanka, giving the country access to the EU market under the special scheme.

A GSP beneficiary country wishing to benefit from GSP Plus must submit a request accompanied by comprehensive information concerning ratification of the relevant conventions, its reservations and the objections to those reservations made by other parties to the convention, and its binding undertakings.

The GSP Plus program offers enhanced preferences meaning full removal of tariffs on essentially the same product categories as those covered by the general arrangement. These are granted to countries which ratify and implement core international conventions relating to human and labour rights, environment and good governance.

Travis Perkins select Mitra Innovation as their partner to implement a WSO2-based Cloud Integration

(Past member) — Thu, 18 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Mitra Innovation – a UK, Sri Lankan and Australian based company specialising in SaaS technology platform incubation, digital transformation and Cloud-to-Cloud integration has begun work with a new UK client in the building supplies and DIY industry: Travis Perkins.

Established in the UK over 200 years ago, Travis Perkins is the UK’s largest supplier of building materials to the construction and home improvement markets.

As experts in Cloud-based solutions and digital transformation, Mitra Innovation was engaged by Travis Perkins as part of the program to set up a focused ‘Integration Capability’ using WSO2 middleware. The capability will help Travis Perkins to implement and launch a new Cloud-based ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, and digitally enable other businesses within their Group including their subsidiaries. As part of this engagement, Mitra Innovation plans to:

• Providing WSO2 development, test and quality assurance expertise

• Programme delivery expertise

• Integration analysis resource.

AI in Business: It starts with the basics

(Past member) — Thu, 18 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

We encounter stories and predictions about how artificial intelligence (AI) will fundamentally change a variety of industries on an almost day-to-day basis. In fact, it has become such an important topic that late last year the Council for Society and Technology wrote a letter to the Prime Minister advising how the UK could take advantage of opportunities created by the increasing convergence of robotics, automation and artificial intelligence. As more and more industries, including healthcare and financial services, adopt AI technology, we’ll continue to see increased benefits on our society as a whole.

It starts with document management

Conversations about AI tend to have a sci-fi vibe: robot personal assistants, self-driving cars, you name it. But the real, day-to-day business value of AI is much less futuristic, starting with the hundreds and thousands of contracts that keep business deals up and running every day. Unfortunately, many companies have a problem finding and understanding what exactly is in their contractual agreements, which is a huge problem that can cost thousands or even millions of pounds over time. For example, forgotten auto-renewal terms can hurt budgets and company departments often work in silos and unknowingly have agreed to terms that are in conflict with each other.

While alternative resources were created to find and house contractual documents (think Contract LiveCycle Management, document repositories, etc.), those options still require manual reviews from in-house legal operations teams or having them outsourced to law firms. The problem with this is they are time-consuming and expensive, and not accurate. Also, manual reviews are rarely up-to-date, meaning when data or values are extracted in the past, they don’t reflect changes in contracts, and when different data is needed, say for a new event or regulation, the reviews must be done over again. Fortunately, in recent years new technology has been introduced to open up a whole new opportunity for contract discovery and management.

Using Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing to “Read” Contracts

Combining technology like machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) can automate the extraction and review process; taking the process from tedious and time consuming to relatively painless. Think about it: business users shouldn’t have to contact the legal team every time they have a question about a contract and then wait around for days to get the answer they need. This type of technology allows them to locate and view any contract, at any time.

Not only is this more convenient, but it can also be more accurate. Machine learning technology is capable of seeing patterns in data that even trained professionals don’t always catch. Automating those tasks allows professionals to do their work faster and focus on higher-value activities that their computers can’t do. Machine learning and NLP has opened the door for an ongoing process of automation, allowing business leaders to make more informed decisions based on insights derived from contract data.

Legal tech isn’t just for the lawyers

When you think about contracts, you might think of the legal department within an organisation or lawyers in general, who are becoming more open to automating data review and management tasks, allowing them to focus their time on providing the high value strategic counsel they’ve been trained to give. But really, the legal teams aren’t the only ones who can benefit from this type of technology. The business intelligence that comes out of an automated contract data extraction and review process is being used to power decision-making for other levels of the business (c-suite, sales, procurement, facilities, etc.) across a variety of sectors. Contract data includes all of the terms, obligations, incentives and liabilities organisations have with external parties, on the buy and sell side. This data fuels better decisions overall, and can lead to a higher performing organisation.

Not only is AI a cost saving option for many companies, but the true value lies in the intelligence it provides to the business. Companies now have the ability to make better business decisions, and manage contract data and data in other systems, in a way that they couldn’t do before.

Sri Lanka exempts income tax on IT and BPO

(Past member) — Mon, 15 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Sri Lanka’s Finance minister announced some features of the new Inland Revenue Act which include income tax exemptions for IT exports, waste management, entrepôt trade and other sectors while imposing capital gains on real estate. He said that an earlier government initiated 10 percent tax on capital gains through equity trading, would be dropped. “Capital gains on land and houses acquired within a period of 10 years will attract a 10 percent tax and lands sold after ten years will not be taxed,” Ravi Karunanayake, Finance minister told reporters on Sunday.

GSA Professional Awards 2017 Winners Announced

(Past member) — Fri, 12 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The GSA Professional Awards 2017 were held last night in Manchester, celebrating the individuals and teams who work tirelessly to improve the souring industry. The glamorous event was attended by the great and good of sourcing, the full winners list is included in the link here.

Capita Learning Upgrading

(Past member) — Fri, 05 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Capita Learning has unveiled its newly restructured organisation, which it is confident will make it the UK’s market leading L&D provider, to be presented to the market at the 2017 CIPD Learning and Development Show. The new-look Capita Learning will group a number of Capita specialist companies, bringing together the expertise and experience of each to create a learning service provider that leads the way in delivering demonstrable performance improvement in L&D. Click here for more on Capita Learning.

Delivering Value from Indiana to India

(Past member) — Fri, 05 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Adapting to change, quickly. That’s always been at the core of the BPO business. In fact, outsourcers are now judged by their adaptability to changes in different markets, as they are expected to adjust more quickly than a business operating in that specific market.

Outsourcers are measured not by inputs, but outcomes, and are expected to make judgements rather than simply follow rules. Business growth, regulatory compliance, development and application of next-generation technologies – and even customer experience improvements – are all within the remit of today’s BPO. The shift towards a more sophisticated set of outcomes, rather than simply a set of low-cost operatives, enables services firms to focus on delivering strategically valuable business results. As a selling point, cost arbitration is of diminishing importance for the outsourcing market.

This gives the industry a real resilience in the current political, social and economic climate. When majoring on strategic outcomes rather than just cost-based calculations, a business process outsourcer can maintain their value-add within any market conditions from anywhere in the world – so long as employees have the domain expertise they need to set them apart.

This introduces a crucial flexibility to the outsourcing business model. Whether a customer wants to off-shore, near-shore or re-shore, the value will stay the same. Political and social pressures are creating a new focus on local employment in many locations. Companies offering to deliver a business outcome through outsourcing must be ready to deliver this outcome no matter where the need is or in what manner clients want it delivered. If businesses want, for whatever reason, to switch locations or change the demographics of their workforce, it is the job of global services companies to facilitate that change.

For a recent project in Abu Dhabi, for instance, our customer organisation wanted to employ local people. The dual criteria for success are that the service level agreements are being met – and that we are creating jobs for local people. The importance of being able to meet this second criterion is increasing, and is a key reason why a culture of training must run through the business. We were able to put together a workforce which is 98 per cent local, training staff to deliver the sophisticated outcomes that drive value for this particular client.

Ensuring that the same level of value – the sophisticated judgements, technology expertise and thought leading insights into their markets – can be delivered from any location around the world is the task of today’s global services provider. Business process outsourcing has already moved, metaphorically, over the past 15 or so years, towards developing next-generation technology and knowing the business of our clients better than they do. Outsourcers who survive, and thrive, over the next 15 years will be marked by their ability to continue this march towards value-led outcomes, whilst remaining agile across different delivery locations.

Click here to learn more about Intelenet® Global Services

GDPR Dominates Future Concerns

(Past member) — Thu, 04 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

European research conducted by PAC on behalf of Reliance acsn has outlined the challenges and concerns that security professionals across Europe are facing and how they approach the serious issue of outsourcing functions. One of the key findings of the report was that compliance and GDPR were not seen as important reasons for employing third party security firms, despite the need for detailed knowledge to comply with regulations. You can read more of the report here.

Outsourcing Expands with Strong Growth

(Past member) — Thu, 04 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The UK’s private sector outsourcing market recorded its strongest quarterly performance in five years in Q1, with businesses agreeing deals worth £2.42 billion, according to the Arvato UK Outsourcing Index. The research, compiled by business process outsourcing (BPO) partner Arvato and industry analyst NelsonHall, revealed the largest private sector spend since Q4 2011 (£4.04 billion) as companies ramped-up investment in digital transformation.

• The value of deals agreed by UK companies reached £2.42 billion in Q1, the largest private sector spend since Q4 2011

• Businesses spent £1.65 billion on introducing new technology between January and March

• All contracts signed in Q1 involve UK delivery

• Outsourcing deals worth a total of £2.73 billion were agreed in the UK over the period

• Telecoms businesses accounted for 18 per cent of all contracts signed in Q1

Avanade Support for Aspect

(Past member) — Thu, 04 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Avanade, the leading provider of innovative digital and cloud services, business solutions and design-led experiences for its clients, today announced that it will help Aspect to manage its IT platform with scalable product support and development, supporting the company’s strong growth trajectory.

Rapid transformation in the global commodities trading market combined with often dramatic volatility in the global trading prices for oil and gas, has driven exponential growth in demand from FTSE 100 and S&P 500 companies for Aspect’s cloud-based trade, risk and market data solutions. The company needs an IT platform to meet this demand while also delivering the improved operational efficiency that is key to its growth ambitions.

Smashing Expectations

(Past member) — Wed, 03 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Another boost for the UK economy as a survey from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply suggests that the manufacturing sector is growing at a healthy pace. The manufacturing PMI jumped to 57.3, well above 50 (an indication of stagnation), as the weak pound and an undercurrent of global stability helped boost confidence.

False Start

(Past member) — Wed, 03 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Theresa May has managed to back herself into a corner in Brexit negotiations before they have really started by declaring she can be ‘Bloody difficult’. After rumours of a disastrous meeting with Jean-Claude Junker, the European Commission President, Theresa May stressed her credentials, but to some it might appear slightly childish to start negotiations in such a chilly and robust way.

Related news: Tories to Target Take-overs

Automation in Action

(Past member) — Wed, 03 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Hull City Council has entered a new partnership with Civica Digital, a division within the Civica Group which provides organisations with end-to-end digital solutions. The new engagement will see Civica Digital provide a Digital Enablement Suite to increase the efficiency of back office automation. You can read more of the story here.

Unveiling a New Wipro

(Past member) — Wed, 03 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Wipro unveiled its new brand identity that signifies a higher level of engagement and brand permission that helps clients leverage Wipro’s expertise to address their business requirements and drive future opportunities in this digital era. The new brand identity marks Wipro’s emergence as a trusted digital transformation partner to clients, delivering at global scale with increasingly localized capabilities, and leveraging hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics, cognitive and emerging technologies. Click here to read more.

OFGEM Happy With Selection

(Past member) — Wed, 03 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) has awarded National Grid Gas Distribution Ltd, in partnership with DNV GL, a major new innovation contract which will seek to improve the way gas bills are calculated, and enable the use of lower carbon alternative gases to fuel the homes and businesses of the future.

Related news: Energy Firms Face Price Cap

GDPR a Cause for Concern

(Past member) — Wed, 03 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will have a global impact when it goes into effect on 25th May, 2018, according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner predicts that by the end of 2018, more than 50 per cent of companies affected by the GDPR will not be in full compliance with its requirements. You can read the full story here.

Infosys to Boost US Business

(Past member) — Tue, 02 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Indian IT services firm, Infosys, says it has plans to hire 10,000 workers in the US over the next two years and open two new tech hubs in the United States over the next few years. Indian IT firms have become a target in the US after Trump pointed the finger at them for outsourcing American jobs. The Indian IT service industries relies heavily on the H1-B visa program, which U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to review. You can read more here.

BCC Warns of Brexit Tunnel Vision

(Past member) — Tue, 02 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) has called on party leaders to remember other business policies rather than simply talk about Brexit on the campaign. The BCC wants parties to consider business environment and upgrades to infrastructure.

Tories to Target Take-overs

(Past member) — Tue, 02 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Tories are likely to unveil plans this week in their election manifesto over takeovers by foreign firms. In a move to raise further drawbridges around the UK economy, plans to scrutinise foreign take-overs of more than 25% in business considered critical national infrastructure could be included by the party in the election campaign.

Sri Lanka Looks to Trade with EU

(Past member) — Tue, 02 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

In a bid to tap into the product-driven global network, Sri Lanka is mulling expanding its Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with top markets in Europe. He pointed out that if Sri Lanka could sign an FTA with the EU, then the country could continue to enjoy the advantages of GSP+ trade facilitation. Read the full story here.

UK Unicorn Plans to Expand

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

UK tech firm, TransferWise is expanding in the Asia Pacific region as the unicorn firm looks to make the most of its approval for online verification in Singapore. TransferWise has proved to be one of the UK’s biggest tech successes with 10 offices worldwide and over 600 staff.

NAFTA Ready for Reset

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Donald Trump has decided not to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), but wants to renegotiate something he once called the "single worst trade deal ever". The trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico was a major part of Trump’s election campaign in his mercantilist rhetoric.

Cyber Threat Needs Addressing

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

According to the latest Data Breach Investigations Report by Verizon, organisations are still not prepared for cyber-attacks despite a rise in cyber-crime. The use of ransomware and cyber espionage are hitting an increased range of organisations although the financial industry appears to be most at risk. You can read more about the story here.

The GSA is focusing its annual Symposium on cyber security, learn more here.

Sri Lanka Attracts Big Investors

(Past member) — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Sri Lanka Investment Summit, organised by the influential Finance Asia magazine, was successfully held in Hong Kong recently in partnership with multiple stakeholders including Standard Chartered Bank and Asia Securities. The summit involved a large number of Sri Lankan business leaders and professionals as well as longstanding and new foreign investors in Sri Lanka such as Singer Asia, apparel giant Courtaulds and the World Bank private sector investor arm IFC. You can read more here.

The Doc Will See You Now

(Past member) — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

UK tech firm, Babylon Health, have raised £50 million to create the perfect AI doctor. An app allowing customers to text symptoms to an artificial intelligence software before receiving advice is already being used by 800,000 people and is being trialled by NHS London as a replacement for the non-emergency 111 number. The money will be used to create a new app that offers a diagnosis.

The Industry 4.0 - new generation of Smart Factories

(Past member) — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

In 1990 Detroit, USA, was one of the economic centers of the world. At that time, the value of the top three companies in the automotive sector was estimated at $36 billion. Within a quarter of a century, most of Detroit's factories had shut down, and the city had lost half its population, gaining only the title of the murder and arson capital of America in return; while the value of the three largest companies from the new center of the global economy, Silicon Valley, exceeded $1 trillion, employing 10 times fewer staff than Detroit's automotive giants during their own glory days.

The contemporary equivalent to Detroit in the 1990s is the economy of Germany, which is still based on industrial production, despite the digital revolution. Here, however, the similarities end as, unlike their American counterparts, the German economy is in a very good state, with no sign of any change in the near future. No wonder, because it was here that the idea of Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution, was born. It may sound somewhat bombastic, but it is worth taking a closer look at specific projects and solutions, as these are what make the German economy one of the most competitive in the world, notwithstanding the growing demographic problems associated with an aging population and ever fewer people of working age.

The fourth Industrial Revolution

In brief, the first industrial revolution was based on mechanical production driven by the steam engine; the next revolution was mass production and electrification; while the third was the introduction of integrated circuits that allow automation into factories. As mentioned above, Detroit is the symbol of the exhaustion of the economic model created by these phases of evolution in industry. In the case of the fourth revolution, the driving force is the network, but in a much wider sense than the Internet itself:

• social networks, signifying the development of the network economy, based on a network of partnerships between companies, co-operation, and business networks,

• the Internet of Things – a key element of so-called smart factories, that operate based on a network of interconnected production machines equipped with sensors, readers and recorders that collect data and regulate the production process,

• the Internet of services – on the one hand, this means cloud services; on the other hand, the specialization and outsourcing of services, using a partner network, which is also possible thanks to the use of modern communication technologies, enabling work to be done remotely,

• the Internet of data – the use of both one’s own and external data as a resource to ensure the competitiveness of your enterprise. It also includes phenomena such as mass customization, or mass production including parameters identified by specific customers, as well as fog computing, the transient state between the local server and the cloud, and completely new ways of communicating - both within the company and with customers and business partners.

Industry 4.0.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has the potential to address some of the most pressing contemporary issues facing industry, and more generally the economy as a whole, such as innovation and productivity problems, demographic problems, and the necessity of developing industries that are ecologically sound, economically efficient, highly innovative, and bring more added value than the service sector, but are also less susceptible to economic crises (reindustrialization).

Paradoxically, Industry 4.0 is also a response to social unrest in highly developed countries caused by relocating production to countries where manufacturing is cheaper. It turns out that this phenomenon, which is typical of globalization, is losing steam. While in the United States this is simply Donald Trump's unfulfilled campaign promise, many of today's leading German companies, such as Adidas and Stihl, are bringing production back to Europe. But what has brought this on?

Offshoring production is becoming less and less profitable (due to rising labor costs in Asia, which is also the result of globalization), and does not ensure swift order fulfilment, which is especially important in industries such as fashion. The ever shorter fashion cycles (the days of having two seasons, spring-summer and autumn-winter, are already a thing of the past, as we now have at least eight seasons), as well as mass customization (Adidas has long been offering customers the chance to customize their own shoes online), mean that production is obliged to move closer to the customer. But production is usually much more expensive there. So robotics is the solution, and the German and Swiss markets are leading the way.

Bystronic and smart factory solutions

For many readers, the theory of the fourth industrial revolution may sound naive, like another idealistic economic stimulus project, full of murky definitions and unclear guidelines. Therefore, it is worth giving an example of how it can work in practice. To do this, I will use the example of the Swiss company Bystronic, with whom I have the opportunity to cooperate in person.

Bystronic offers advanced systems and services for industrial processing, including the cutting of various materials by means of laser and water jet, as well as sheet bending (for the automotive and shipbuilding industries). The equipment produced and used by the company requires specialized software that ensures the highly precise processing of materials. To that end, the company decided to establish a partnership with JCommerce, entrusting them with software development.

“The demand by many users for automation and digital process solutions is increasing. This trend is being intensified by impulses from the field of Industry 4.0, which are changing also the world of sheet metal processing. Software plays a key role in this transformation. Software solutions support users in the planning, interlinking, monitoring, and optimizing of all their processes. In cooperation JCommerce and Bystronic are working on new software solutions, in order to support customers within a world of automated and networked manufacturing”, Bystronic says.

JCommerce specialists are currently implementing software projects to support Bystronic by developing new solutions in the field of Industry 4.0.

Clearly, the strategy of Bystronic is the idea of Industry 4.0 in practice, meaning that the company is aware of the potential of information that can be obtained using industrial machines, connected to a common data processing system, in the IoT model. It also takes advantage of the opportunities that a network of trusted business partners brings, carrying out tasks more effectively thanks to its specialized nature. Bystronic remains a company in the industrial sector, it is still a factory above all - although a smart version - because it utilizes advanced IT technologies to a great extent.

Author: JCommerce

Originally published on NearshoreIT-Blog

CBI Notes Export Increase

(Past member) — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has reported that export orders rose to a six-year high while optimism about foreign orders increased at the fastest rate in 43 years. The good news for Brexit negotiations is that orders to non-EU markets improved at a record pace. A weaker sterling and stronger global economy are credited for the growth.

Energy Firms Face Price Cap

(Past member) — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Conservatives have begun firing shots at energy companies in recent days after a promise for ‘muscular’ action turned out to be a price cap. The pledge will be part of a Conservative manifesto and has left energy firms down in the dumps. The defence against the cap is that it will deter competition and damage consumers.

Related news: Energy Switching on The Rise

Tech Benefits Must be Shared

(Past member) — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The UK needs to make sure that the dividends of machine learning are shared with everyone in society according to the country’s top researchers in the field. Researchers have passed recommendations to the government to ensure that the UK can remain a leading centre for technology.

HCL Announce Merger in US

(Past member) — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

India's fourth largest software services firm HCL Technologies announced it will acquire US based Urban Fulfilment Services (UFS) for up to $30 million in cash. UFS is a provider of mortgage business process and fulfilment services. Founded in 2002, the company has over 350 highly skilled professionals. It has three centres in the US. The total cash consideration for this transaction is up to $30 million, including contingent payments.

IMF Drops Protectionist Vow

(Past member) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has dropped its commitment to ’resist all forms of protectionism from its most recent statement, suggesting the Fund’s commitment to global trade is waning. It is believed that the election of Donald Trump on a protectionist agenda and popular discontent with the European project has pushed the Fund aware from its globalisation commitment. Read more here.

Related news: IMF Sees UK Growth Potential

Deloitte Confirms Consumer Confidence Dip

(Past member) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

According to Deloitte, consumer confidence in the UK economy has dipped in the first quarter as rising prices put pressure on households. The fall in confidence could spell trouble in the coming months as the UK finds itself heavily reliant on consumer spending to prop up GDP.

Workers Welcome AI

(Past member) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

According to a recent survey from Adecco Group, 48% of employees believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will positively affect them by helping them achieve a more flexible working structure. 54% believed that technology will provide more jobs than it destroys while two-thirds of those surveyed think technology has increased the number of jobs.

Macron Vs Le Pen

(Past member) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

In the race to be the President of France, only two candidates remain. Emmanuel Macron will face Marine Le Pen in the second round, setting up a fight between a pro-European and a French nationalist which could have large ramifications for the future of the EU. Odds are currently backing Mr Macron in the second round. Read more here.

DDC Outsourcing Expands Operations

(Past member) — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

DDC OS are delighted to announce the opening of a second office in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, due to continued growth. This move represents their commitment to the local area, as they continue to utilise this central location to handle global outsourcing contracts. The new space offers the opportunity for DDC OS to expand further over the coming years, and the current recruitment drive will see them create at least 60 jobs in the next 3 months. Managing Director, John Callachan, said: "Our history with the Bassetlaw region spans 25 years, so we are keen to further our investment in the area. Our new office marks the next stage in our development and we look forward to continuing our growth at an even faster rate with our additional space."

IMF Sees UK Growth Potential

(Past member) — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised forecasts for the UK economy to 2% growth this year, up from 1.5%. The IMF said that the British economy had proved resilient to the effects of Brexit ad that consumer spending continues to feed growth however the uncertainty of Brexit may dampen the predicted growth.

Change at the BBA

(Past member) — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Anthony Browne is stepping down as head of the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) this summer after spending five years in the role. The move comes as the BBA prepares to merge with five other trade associations to become UK Finance. To learn more about the BBA, click here.

UK Election Announced

(Past member) — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, has called for there to be an election on the 8th of June that will likely return the Conservatives to government with a stronger majority. An early election, prior to the German elections later this year, will likely strengthen the UK’s bargaining position in Brexit talks as the government will have a more stable mandate to hammer out a representative Brexit. You can read more by clicking here.

Fintech Arms Race

(Past member) — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

An arms race is underway between fintech firms and banks as the number of patents filed for financial technology grew considerably according to new figures. Nearly 10,000 patents were filed in 2016 with nearly half coming from the US. Technologies include voice biometrics, digital currencies and identity verification.

Lifelong Learning Encouraged

(Past member) — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A new report from the Charted Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) has suggested that a lack of training and digital skills is leaving the UK with a skills gap. The UK has not been investing in adult learning leaving it behind it’s EU competitors. The CIPD has called for skills funding to be at the heart of the UK’s industrial strategy. The GSA offer workshops for effective upskilling, click here for more information.

Cyber Criminals Run Riot

(Past member) — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A fifth of British businesses have been hacked by cyber criminals in the last 12 months - with larger firms the most at risk. A survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) found 42% of big businesses had fallen victim to cyber crime, compared with 18% of small companies. Only a quarter (24%) of those questioned said their business had security measures in place to guard against hacking. To read the full story from Sky News, click here.

The GSA are focusing on Cyber Security at their Symposium this June with keynote speakers Dr David Bray of the FCC and John McAfee of MGT Capital Investments and founder of McAfee. Click here to learn more.

Renault and Arvato Expand Award-Winning Partnership

(Past member) — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Business process outsourcing provider Arvato has expanded its award-winning partnership with Renault UK, securing a new three-year contract to deliver the manufacturer’s back-office customer service in the UK and Ireland. Arvato, which has operated front-office customer services for the automotive group’s Renault and Dacia brands since 2011, will now handle all customer complaints across telephone, email, web chat, SMS and social media. To read more, click here.

Newark and Sherwood Council Join with Civica

(Past member) — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Newark and Sherwood Council has boosted customer service, saved valuable hours of admin time and increased revenues collection since implementing OPENRevenues self-service technology with Civica, a market leader in critical software applications, digital solutions and managed and outsourced services. Civica’s OPENRevenues provides council tax and business rates administration. This includes a ‘citizen portal’ where customers can view their account and claim information, and retrieve e-bills online, removing the need for paper bills. Click here to read more.

Business Confidence Builds in 2017

(Past member) — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Business in Britain is feeling increasingly confident according to two new surveys. The Federation of Small Businesses has found that confidence among small business in London is at its highest level in a year. The British Chamber of Commerce found that a greater number of firms believed that their turnover would increase in the next 12 months.

Related news: UK Consumers Show January Cheer

Gig Economy not Appealing to Workers

(Past member) — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

New research suggests that the rise of the gig economy may be limited as workers look for more stable employment. A recent survey would suggest that only 13% of workers would consider a job in the gig economy. Clear salaries, benefits and career progression remain the key factors supporting a stable job. Join the GSA for the Future of Work in the Digital Age Conference this May, click here to learn more.

GSA Announces Keynote Speakers for its Upcoming Symposium

(Past member) — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Global Sourcing Association (GSA) is today calling on the sourcing industry not to overlook the growing threat of cyber-attacks amidst the tsunamic push for digital enablement currently sweeping the industry. John McAfee and Dr David Bray will keynote at the UK Symposium in June to highlight how the acceleration towards becoming digitally enabled must not be pursued at the expense of putting in place the proper safeguards against potential cyber threats.

To read the full press release, click here and book your place today.

Cyber Security a Principal Priority

(Past member) — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The cost of cyber-crime on the value of a firm’s shares has been calculated in a report by CGI Global and Oxford Economics, the damage is calculated to be a permanent fall of 1.8% after a breach. 87% of FTSE 100 companies now state that cyber security is a ‘principal risk’ and increasingly investors take into account cyber security readiness before investing. The GSA are focusing on cyber security at their Symposium this June, click here to learn more.

Webhelp Expands to Latvia

(Past member) — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Leading global business process outsourcing and customer experience expert Webhelp, has announced plans to expand its business with the addition of a new site in the capital of Latvia, Riga. With 40% of the population in Latvia speaking fluent Russian, this move allows Webhelp to offer an additional non-European language capability from a base in the EU. To read the full story, click here.

Heathrow Booming with Trade

(Past member) — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Heathrow airport reported its best monthly cargo growth for over five years as volumes increased by nearly 13%. Mexico, Brazil and India were the big growth markets for trading volumes as the UK government prepares for Brexit negotiations.

Wage Growth Slim as Inflation Stays Steady

(Past member) — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The UK unemployment rate has remained at 4.7% however inflation is beginning to wipe out wage growth. The ONS said in a statement: "Average weekly earnings for employees increased by 2.3% including bonuses and by 2.2% excluding bonuses, compared with a year earlier. "However, adjusted for inflation, average weekly earnings grew by 0.2% including bonuses and by 0.1% excluding bonuses, over the year, the slowest rate of growth since 2014." You can read more here.

City is Aiming to be New Tech Hub

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Innovate Finance, the fintech industry body backed by the City of London is moving from Canary Wharf to the heart of the City. Innovative technology is at the forefront of the future of London enterprise with plans for faster broadband part of a plan to bring Fintech to the City. Increasingly tech giants are moving to the City as rents in the traditional tech hub of Shoreditch have risen. The GSA is hosting a Future of Work in the Digital Age Conference in Manchester which embraces innovative technology and its impact on work. Click here to learn more.

Cyber Crime Left Unreported

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

City police commissioner Ian Dyson warned firms of the increasing threat of cyber criminals yesterday at the Innovate Finance Global Summit. He reported that estimates suggest only 10% of cyber-crime is reported with many firms worried about the damage to their reputation. Join the GSA at the symposium to hear John McAfee discuss cyber security and it's increasing role in business. Click here to find out more.

Related news: Huge Hack Highlights Security

Carillion Confident on Contract Win

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Carillion have been awarded a contract worth up to £200 million by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to build soft facilities management services. The contract will see Carillion provide services at 87 defence sites across the South-East region. To learn more, click here.

Cognizant to Support ABN AMRO Clearing

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Cognizant announced that it has been selected by ABN AMRO Clearing, a clearing firm, as its strategic partner to cloud-enable its global IT infrastructure and lay the foundation for digital transformation. This will enable AACB to increase operational resilience and application availability, enhance speed and agility in managing market volatility, and lower capital investment and operating costs.

UK Inflation Holds Steady

(Past member) — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The UK inflation rate remained at 2.3% in March, the highest level since September 2013. The rate was unchanged from February, but much higher from January's rate of 1.8%, partly thanks to the fall in the pound after the Brexit vote, which has raised import prices. To read more on this story, click here.

Huge Hack Highlights Security

(Past member) — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Yet more evidence of the increasing role of cyber security for business as pay day loan company, Wonga, has been hacked with the personal data of 270,000 customers being stolen, both in the UK and Poland. The theft is of personal data such as names, email addresses, phone numbers and bank account numbers. Wonga has been struggling recently, reporting a pre-tax loss of over £80 million for 2015. The Global Sourcing Association (GSA) will be highlighting the importance of cyber security at their Symposium this June featuring John Mcafee, you can book your ticket here.

London Still Fintech King

(Past member) — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

London has held off competition to retain its Fintech crown in the recent rankings from Deloitte for the Global Fintech Hubs Federation. Singapore held off competition as well to stay near the top, with new challenges from Chicago and Tokyo. The UK must continue to champion innovation to maintain its fantastic appeal to this emerging industry.

Brexit May Sap Mergers in Insurance

(Past member) — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Rating agency AM Best have said that “Brexit and political uncertainty in Europe are likely to depress merger activity among European insurers this year”. More likely will be foreign mergers, especially with weaker currencies inside the Europe and many foreign insurers looking to expand offerings. US insurers in particular may be looking to diversify assets and product offerings.

Sourcing Deals Extended as Brexit Countdown Begins

(Past member) — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Now that Article 50 has been triggered, the countdown to Brexit has officially begun and according to the Financial Times, this has led to the extension of many outsourced contracts within the UK government as staff have to focus on Brexit duties. It is true that the extension of a contract does not always to the cheapest outcome for the taxpayer, who may prefer a new tender, but one key reason the FT may have missed is that many of the extended contracts are examples of successful sourcing. Despite some high publicity failures, sourcing in general is a success and the avoidance of transfer costs can save departments millions. You can read the FT article here for more information.

Accentures Buys Genfour

(Past member) — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Accenture has acquired UK-based Genfour, an automation service provider with deep domain expertise and industry experience in assessing, implementing and managing automation solutions. The acquisition strengthens Accenture's capabilities as a leading provider of intelligent automation services, the company said. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. You can read more of the story here.

UK Firms Warn of Serious Hacking Attempt

(Past member) — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

UK firms have been warned about "serious" cyber attacks originating in China that seek to steal trade secrets.The gang behind the attacks has compromised technology service firms and plans to use them as a proxy for attacks, security firms have said. PwC and BAE said the group had mounted many different attacks as part of a campaign they called Operation Cloud Hopper. By targeting the suppliers of IT outsourcing, the attackers were able to stealthily gain access to the networks and systems of their true targets. Dr Adrian Nish, head of threat intelligence at BAE, said the attackers used these third parties as a "stepping stone" to get at the companies and organisations they were really interested in. You can read more here.

Related news: Cyber Crime Continues Increasing

Looking to the Future

(Past member) — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

This is a good article from All Things IC about the Future of Work that offers some interesting insights, Breaking the issues down into five categories, the article discusses the uncertainties of the future of work and the major things to consider around the topic. IF you want to learn more on the Future of Work, join the GSA at their Future Of Work In The Digital Age conference this May.

Sri Lanka Explores Digital Identity Council

(Past member) — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Sri Lanka seeks to establish a Digital Identity Council to implement the national policy on collection, storage, sharing and use of citizens’ personal data under the proposed centralized Household Transfer Management project. In 2015, the cabinet authorized ICTA to facilitate implementation of the centralized Household Transfer Management project. The project aims to establish a National Digital Identifier and National Digital Transaction platform where data including biometric information of citizens would be stored and shared with government organizations through a National Authentication Platform. The Digital Identity Council also sends a message to the international community that Sri Lanka is a country embracing digital transformation. To read more, click here.

Abritas fully integrated into Civica

(Past member) — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Civica Group, a market leader in business-critical software applications, digital solutions and outsourcing services, has established a stronger position in the social housing sector with the integration, re-naming and re-branding of the former Abritas business, following its acquisition in December 2016. The move consolidates the Group’s market-leading portfolio of housing, repairs and asset management software under the Civica name and enhances the company’s ability to help social housing providers respond to a changing environment through more responsive and efficient services. Combining the specialist expertise of both companies, Civica now supplies more than 400 customers in the sector, supporting services for five million tenants. You can read the full story here.

That Shrinking Feeling

(Past member) — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Lloyds Bank have made the decision to shrink hundreds of its branches in size, which in some cases will mean boarding up the old counter sections. The new "micro branches" will be staffed by just two people, who will help customers to use machines, including pay-in devices. As customers have increasingly turned towards online banking and renting premium high street space is not cheap, this looks like a good move and should free up capital for the bank. It has already announced plans to close 400 of its branches around the UK, with 9,000 job losses. The micro format, modelled on an existing branch in Paternoster Square in the City of London, will use as little as 1,000 square feet of space. To read more, click here.

Related news: Lloyds Restructure with IBM Move

Intelenet Shakes Things Up

(Past member) — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Intelenet, which wants to reach $1 billion in revenue by 2020, is building automation products in the areas of healthcare and transport that will cut into its revenue in the short term, in order to help win new customers in the next few years. Automation is seen by many as the most promising area of business investment in the current climate, having a greater effect than location. Indian sourcing firms need to experiment with automation to secure their long term future as their strengths in ITO are fading. To read more, click here.

Wavestone Provide Thought Leadership in Sourcing of IT Systems

(Past member) — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Wavestone, one of the largest independent management consultants have released the first in a series of four pieces of thought leadership providing insight into the sourcing market and industry. The sourcing of IT systems and services is a time consuming and complicated process which typically commences up to 18 months before the end of existing contract arrangements. While organisations are typically looking to reduce costs on new contracts there is a balance needed between cost reduction and technology transformation to deliver next generation infrastructure.

Ultimately the most successful IT contracts are those where the expectations are clear between customer and supplier and both parties have agreed a contract which addresses the customer needs and enables the supplier to deliver the services at a profit. Getting to that point requires these nine steps that are detailed in this insight to be executed well to deliver a successful end-to-end strategic IT sourcing. You can download the article here.

LISA, the World’s First Impartial Robot Lawyer

(Past member) — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

LISA, the world’s first impartial robot lawyer, allows users to create legally binding Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) in less than 7 minutes at absolutely no cost. By asking questions about the users’ needs, LISA intelligently drafts the document while helping them understand the legal and commercial principles on which it is based.

This means that individuals and businesses are able to use LISA to protect themselves without any prior legal knowledge. LISA is also the first law robot to provide unbiased and objective assistance to both parties, allowing users to avoid having to engage traditional human lawyers on either side.

Click here to learn more about LISA or join the GSA for their Digi-tech event this April.

Capgemini Win Big at Awards

(Past member) — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing services, announced that it was named Star Performer of the Year both for Overall IT Services as well as Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) Services in Everest Group’s PEAK Matrix Service Provider of the Year awards. With more than 190,000 people, Capgemini is present in over 40 countries and celebrates its 50th Anniversary year in 2017. Mark Devonshire, Executive Vice President of Capgemini recently joined the GSA Council to further the sourcing industry. You can read more here.

Supplier Management and Retaining Talent Key for Procurement Sector

(Past member) — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Consero’s 2017 Procurement and Strategic Sourcing Report has found US procurement executives key concerns for the coming year. The procurement talent gap, technological frustrations and suppliers who are insufficiently focused on risk are among the challenges with 39% saying supplier management is the main focus area for the year while 37% cited talent development and retention. To read more from Supply Management, click here.

The GSA are offering workshops on key areas such as risk management and relationship management, click here to find out more.

HCL Win Ocean Race Contract

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

HCL Technologies, the leading global IT services company, has been chosen as the strategic IT services provider to the Volvo Ocean Race. HCL will be responsible for developing and delivering IT solutions for the 2017–18 edition of the race around the world. The IT infrastructure being developed in collaboration with HCL will form the backbone of Volvo Ocean Race’s streaming and TV production for key events such as arrivals, departures and the In-Port Race series. To learn more, click here.

Time to Invest in Sri Lanka is Now

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Australia’s most populous city Sydney was told yesterday that it was time to invest in Sri Lanka given the future upside supported by progressive policies in place or planned under a unity Government. This message was conveyed at the ‘Invest Sri Lanka’ forum organised by the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in partnership with several stakeholders at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney. Over 150 Australian citizens, companies, other firms and representatives based in Sydney as well as Sri Lankans living in Australia attended the forum. Click here to find out more.

GSA Launches Independent Automation User Group

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The GSA UK is today launching an industry wide Automation User Group to look at Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) beyond the hype to focus on how organisations can create an automation Centre of Excellence. The GSA will run a series of user groups across the UK, driven by major buyers, with a focus on how organisations can harness the incredible opportunities automation can offer through correct implementation.

The Automation User Group will be an opportunity to learn from those who have successfully implemented RPA and AI programs and hear the challenges and obstacles they faced when trying to make automation work for them. The GSA UK’s aim is for the independent meetings to help the Association’s members streamline the implementation process and steer participants away from the potential pitfalls of embracing the technology through the development of best practice guides and a repository of case studies.

The Automation User Group has been initiated by the Global Sourcing Association’s buy-side members, who want a forum to stop the hype and share the reality of automation in practice. Already, firms including Zurich, Direct Line, the NHS, Aviva and KPMG have registered membership for the group. This is an independent initiative and the GSA is inviting buyers, service providers and advisors in order to create a vibrant platform for guidance, support and two-way communication.

Kerry Hallard, CEO of the GSA UK said “So much hype surrounds automation that it is becoming difficult to tell fact from fiction. By offering an Automation User Group to our members we are going to cut through the embellishment and hyperbole to get the real story on RPA and AI implementation. We know that there are great benefits to be had from implementing automation but they are not as easy to achieve as the hype would make people believe.”

“Our Automation User Group will unify the industry in its understanding of automation in implementation and practice. By sharing insights through the GSA, organisations can get to grips with automation and really benefit from this disruption to business. The GSA has an independent role in these workshops, acting as a facilitator, bringing members together and creating unity on the issue. It’s encouraging to see our buy-side members taking the initiative to push for action on Automation and its role in modern organisations.”

The GSA UK has organised initial meetings of its User Group in Leeds on the 30th March, London on the 21st June and later in Manchester and Dublin as part of an ongoing programme of activity “Automation in Practice”, a key part of the GSA’s Transformational Roadmap. The topic of

automation will remain central to the GSA UK’s current programme with future events and thought provoking debates centred around the automation transformation.

Change at the Top of Uber

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Disruptive technology and innovative ideas don’t necessarily mean business success if the basics are not covered. Uber, the taxi booking app has shook up the taxi market but it is struggling to come to grip with the governance expected of a large firm. This week the president of Uber, Jeff Jones announced he was leaving the company after six months with the firm. This comes after Travis Kalanick, CEO and co-founder of Uber admitted he needed ‘leadership help’ following some high-profile PR slips. You can read more here.

WNS Aquires HealthHelp

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

WNS Limited (WNS), a provider of global Business Process Management (BPM) services, announced it has acquired HealthHelp, an industry leader in care management. HealthHelp works closely with both payors and providers to help improve patient outcomes and drive long-term sustainable cost savings for the healthcare industry. With the acquisition of HealthHelp, WNS has taken a major step forward in strengthening our end-to-end Healthcare and Insurance BPM offerings. WNS plans to leverage HealthHelp’s industry-leading capability in care management to address the needs of payor, provider and insurance organizations,” said Keshav Murugesh, WNS’ Chief Executive Officer. You can read more here.

Vodafone Part of Telecoms Giant

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Big mergers in the Indian telecoms market as Vodafone has merged its Indian business with Idea Cellular to create a 400 million customer behemoth. The move is believed to be a counter against the rise of Reliance Jio. India's leading mobile networks are embroiled in what analysts have described as "a vicious price war", started by the arrival of Jio. You can read more here.

Egypt a Great Option for Sourcing

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Interesting bit of analysis on Egypt and its ITO and BPO industry from the Oxford Business Group, notes the many awards that the country has won. The report gives a past, present and future section and is worth a quick read. Egypt offers many opportunities for the sourcing industry, with a young and skilled workforce, established technology businesses, a list of firms already operating in the country and the geographical advantage of being between Asia and Europe.

Revolution in the Student Rental Market

(Past member) — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A new app that promises to revolutionise the way students find and choose rental properties has been brought to market this month. SPCE is described by its founders as the equivalent of AirBnB for student accommodation and the long-term rental market. It brings together students and landlords on one platform and allows them to interact and build relationships with their peers, roommates and landlords alike. Students can use the app to search and pay for university-specific student rental properties based near campuses, without using estate agents. The properties available range from studios, one-bed flats and eight-bed houses to privately catered university halls housing up to 250 students. Click here to learn more.

Genpact Strengthens Artificial Intelligence Capabilities

(Past member) — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Genpact, a global professional services firm focused on delivering digital transformation for clients, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Rage Frameworks, a leader in knowledge-based automation technology and services providing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Enterprise. As part of its strategy to drive both digital-led innovation and digital-enabled intelligent operations for its clients, Genpact is investing in leading technologies, such as AI, that are transforming the way companies in many industries compete. The acquisition of Rage Frameworks advances this strategy, extending the frontier of AI for the enterprise. Genpact will embed Rage’s AI in business operations and apply it to complex enterprise issues to allow clients to generate insights and drive decisions and action, at a scale and speed that humans alone could not achieve.

To read more, click here.

GSA Professional Awards 2017

(Past member) — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Global Sourcing Association (GSA) have unveiled the shortlist for the GSA Professional Awards that will be held in Manchester this May. The GSA Professional Awards celebrates the teams and individuals that demonstrate exceptional sourcing practice, epitomising the value that the sourcing industry adds to businesses around the globe. Massive congratulations to everyone who has been nominated. Click here to view the shortlist.

The GSA Professional Awards are the finale to the GSA Northern Conference, an event looking at the key role that organisations in the North of the UK in the wider sourcing industry.

Manufacturing Leads the Way in Sri Lanka

(Past member) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Manufacturing in Sri Lanka is growing at pace according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka who posted the latest purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showed good growth prospects in the sector. With a score of 56.1 in January 2017, rising demand and stronger sales are seeing the index into positive territory, any score above 50.0 indicates growth. However, fears are growing that the industry will have a labour shortage as a skills gap is developing. It is urgent that the gap is addressed as Sri Lanka is hoping to get approval on its GSP+ trade deal with the European Single Market in May, potentially opening new trade routes for the economy. To read more click here.

To read our review on Sri Lanka as a sourcing destination, click here.

Donald Trump and business analytics – trends in BI in 2017

(Past member) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

It has been estimated that as many as 91% of the ‘facts’ from Donald Trump’s election campaign are untrue. The scale of this phenomenon means that the denial of false information has ceased to be effective, because such messages are drowning in a sea of memes, tweets, catchy titles and brainless posts. No wonder that Oxford Dictionaries declared post-truth the word of the year for 2016. In a broader sense - not just in political terms - this could be due to the phenomenon of data-pollution. Just as Polish cities are suffocating in smog, virtual reality is suffocating from too much information. Experts from Qlik say that this phenomenon is so severe that it will come to define technological trends in the coming years, just as with business. Certainly this is the case in the field of Business Intelligence. 2017 will be the beginning of the fight against data illiteracy, which is the process of spreading the skill of “reading data”, its analysis, verification and selection. Other trends for 2017 are Big Insights, business intelligence based on context, and the increasing use of data analysis tools by employees at all levels.

Data-pollution

It is estimated that by 2018, 80% of data stored will be completely useless, with neither the possibility nor sense of processing it. This is directly related to the abovementioned phenomenon of data-pollution. Infrastructure for data storage is cheap and widely available, so companies are producing an increasing number of bytes - unfortunately, their value is questionable at best. The collection of such data is often art for art's sake, without purpose and strategy, just a vague idea that it may prove useful sometime down the track. The result is that even information which is important to a company often dies in the black hole which is the database. Such a situation fails to facilitate the wider use of IoT, which is the Internet of Things. Like every great idea, which originally was to serve the good of humanity (economical and ecological houses or cities, the comfort and convenience of senior citizens and people with disabilities, etc.), the Internet of Things is becoming a caricature of itself. The Internet can be connected to absolutely everything from the kettle to the cat’s litter tray, collecting terabytes of completely useless data. Wired magazine mentions that the ironic term the Internet of Shits is ever more popular - which basically means the imminent death of ideas, at least in their present-day, gadget-like form.

Big Insights and data visualization based on context

Everything points to the fact that the coming years will mark the end of the Big Data fetish and the beginning of Big Insights, which is a critical approach to the data being processed. And there will be more and more of this data, which will be more nuanced. Expanded reality and IoT will bring about the contextualization of data in the real world, which will enable the capture of specific events (our actions, decisions, and behavior) in a particular place and time. And this will further blur the boundary between the physical and virtual worlds. The game Pokemon Go is just one such example. This also means that business analytics will need to exceed this limit.

Data analysis must be based on an ever wider context. Otherwise, the company runs the risk of operating in a virtual bubble. A similar phenomenon is now being observed by social networking researchers, who have noticed that their users operate in an environment of friends who are similar to each other, with access to selected information served to them depending on the choices made (the number of likes) and calculated by preference algorithms. This is the so-called filter bubble. Of course, the image of reality which thus arises is false, distorted, and is also harmful in many respects because it means that our choices influence the shape and content of the information presented to us. For business this situation is equally dangerous: a company functioning in the business reality created by the paradigm of their own data is on the direct route to being isolated from the expectations of customers, the situation on the market and, of course, to financial disaster. By the way, it is completely unaware of this danger - because of course it uses the most modern IT solutions. The conclusion is obvious, it is not enough to analyze their own data – it is ever more important to confront this data with external data and take that into account in the decision-making process. Even if - and perhaps especially - when such data makes us uncomfortable and disturbs our comfortable perspective.

The democratization of data analysis

On the one hand, we must decide what data to collect, but on the other hand, we must learn to read the data. In companies it will mean the dissemination of tools for business intelligence. But what does this mean exactly? Well, access to advanced analytical tools can no longer be reserved exclusively for top-level executives. Access must also be granted to all employees, who can more effectively carry out their tasks thanks to the use of data. Not only that - analytical initiatives (i.e. how and what is to be analyzed) must be bottom-up, because every employee knows their area of operation best and knows what data is most useful. An employee also adds his own input, a unique perspective, which significantly reduces the risk of enclosing decision-makers in a virtual "filter bubble" distorting the image of reality. Companies must therefore develop a new complex ecosystem of Data - People - Ideas. The IT department must be at the center of this, and must be equal to the task in terms of the provision of relevant data and the mechanisms for processing it.

This is obviously a much more complicated task than simply implementing the appropriate Business Intelligence tools - entrepreneurs should in fact change the operation of their businesses, focus on the education (training) of employees in the framework of acquiring, analyzing and using data on the job. Data analysis soon ceases to be a narrow specialization for IT people only, but becomes a key competence of every employee, regardless of his position - it can be considered on a par with language skills and ability to work in a group in one’s CV, without which employment in a modern company is practically impossible.

Author: JCommerce

Article from NearshoreIT - Blog

Technological debt – everything you need to know

(Past member) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Sometimes there comes a date which must be circled on the calendar. It looks different for different people: for a programmer it can be a "spaghetti code" where it is necessary to add a new feature, and for an IT Director it will be the need to implement a new tool and integrate it with a complex ecosystem of years of patchwork IT infrastructure. Something that connects these situations, a specific phenomenon which often occurs at the last minute, may be something we are not yet aware of – the phenomenon of Technological debt. This debt, even subconsciously, gives us a sense of comfort, as it allows us to indefinitely postpone hard decisions, effort, or even admitting a mistake. And this is life on credit, which Billy Gibbons warned of when he sang: "It's too easy, it's too easy to feel good," lyrics which in this case are found in a bitter song about the consequences of postponing things until a later date.

Get to know your enemy

Technological debt means additional work that must be done in order to accomplish a task, due to past neglect within the project. This phenomenon often occurs in IT projects when negligence in terms of the work done means that there is a time-based debt which should be devoted to getting the project up to the expected state. In the earlier example of the IT Director, facing the challenge of implementation of new tools, paying off the debt will be based on the fact that integration with obsolete and poorly-documented infrastructure, which may have been used for years, is likely to be a long and painful process. In addition to the implementation process, a lot of work will have to be undertaken to adapt the entire system and repair unsolved problems which have built up over the years.

Debt is also used to refer to problems that arise in sloppily written code. Personally, I am inclined to say that the problems themselves are not Technological debt, but more interest on the debt incurred. We incur debt while doing any activity that contributes to the delivery of any code which is not quite up to expectations, not only in terms of the tasks to be undertaken, but also performance, readability, maintainability, and how it can be developed in the future. There may be many reasons for this state of affairs.

The sources of Technological debt

To face up to a challenge which puts us in Technological debt, we must take a look at the causes, among which the following phenomena can most often be found:

• lack of employee involvement in the tasks to be undertaken;

• insufficient coverage of functionality in terms of testing;

• lack of automatic testing;

• outdated tools / technologies used in the project;

• lack of experience of the team;

• time pressure;

• lack of documentation / low quality of documentation.

This list is not complete, of course, and some aspects may be closely linked to each other. Programmers can write low quality code for many reasons: because of a lack of motivation, knowledge or experience, or because of time pressure or lack of proper tools. The programmer is often only an indirect cause of the debt, as management is the responsibility of the project manager who makes decisions regarding time, tools, technology, and how they are allocated – without outside input. Sometimes it is difficult to identify the causes of the debt. Small errors in a project or strategic decisions - such as the need to provide a solution in a very short time – can lead to the creation of such debt. The origins of the phenomenon in each project can vary and are very complicated, but it does not change the fact that, regardless of its origin, Technological debt must be managed effectively.

Debt’s not always that bad

It would be a mistake to unambiguously define Technological debt as something that should always be avoided at all costs. Just as a loan may allow the company to spread its wings, Technological debt incurred reasonably can be helpful in many cases.

Technological debt may be divided into three types, which clearly show that not all debts are created equal:

1) Naive debt – resulting from negligence, bad practices, and immaturity in business.

2) Unavoidable debt – debt which we are not able to predict. Good decisions taken today may be a cause of debt in the future.

3) Strategic Technological debt – debt is incurred consciously, when the benefits incurred are greater than the consequences.

It may turn out that the incurrence of debt brings with it very tangible benefits, especially in such situations as when the project hangs in the balance, and providing a sufficient batch of a program becomes "to be or not to be" for the project. The decision to incur such debt could even save the whole project (and sometimes the entire company). One should, however, take extreme care when making this type of decision, because poor management of the resulting debt can lead to disaster.

Am I in debt?

If we are aware of our debts, we are able to pay them off regularly - the debt itself is not a problem if it doesn’t harm ongoing operations. Ignorance in this case is absolutely not bliss, because we do not expect the impact, nor do we know when it will occur. Fortunately, in IT projects, symptoms that indicate the existence of the Technological debt appear quite quickly and are visible to the naked eye.

Here are a few diagnostic questions:

• Does the programming solution work slower and slower?

• Is there partial or total downtime in the operation of the system?

• Are the same errors repeating themselves?

• Is the time taken to implement new solutions constantly increasing?

• Does the application work slowly?

• Are your programmers reluctant to work on the project?

• Did you push your team to implement new functionalities quicker than planned?

• Are there instances of errors which are difficult to recreate or solve?

Even if the answer to all questions is no, you should not feel overly safe. Some experts are of the opinion that Technological debt is a permanent element of the possession or development of software and IT infrastructure.

So let’s assume that Technological debt occurs in every IT project in some form. This means that the effective management of the debt is very important. In other words, it is not enough to merely control and neutralize the effects – much more important is a methodical approach to the quality of the application, and preventing the occurrence of debt where we don’t want to incur it.

How to manage debt?

You need to manage debt and fight it on all fronts. The following are of crucial importance:

1) Building awareness of the importance of quality within the company. Quality itself must be seen as a value which we should care about. Without this, it’s difficult to manage debt, because we can’t do much without the proper approach from employees. Their involvement is key.

2) Controlling processes. Constant feedback about what’s going on in the project helps us to react quickly when issues arise.

3) Quality assurance. Caring about the quality of software, getting it checked by specialists, not just in terms of testing, but including all aspects of quality.

4) Tests. The quicker testing begins, the sooner problems can be found. Tests at the level of documentation and unit testing eliminate debt very quickly.

5) The application of best practices, such as:

a. adherence to rules for naming functions, procedures, etc.;

b. the application of coding style, involving the introduction of appropriate indentation;

c. the creation of technical documentation;

d. the prevention of basic mistakes, e.g. table overflow, problems with the initialization of variables etc.;

e. management of versions/backups;

f. refactoring - the improvement of the code in order to obtain better readability and easier maintenance, future development;

g. algorithmics: simplifying functions;

h. pair programming – to create better quality code;

i. code review: reflecting on those solutions used, and the removal of visible errors.

6) Training employees.

7) Promotion of unit testing. As a basic tool, including TDD as a standard tool of creating software for programmers.

Just as before, unfortunately, this list is incomplete, as debt can have very different sources, often specific to a particular company, or even a project. A company should therefore develop its own technique of debt management – most importantly, it should not ignore debt until it's too late – until disaster strikes and the bailiffs knock on the door.

Author: Leszek Zieliński, JCommerce

Software Quality Assurance Engineer.

Since 2011, he has implemented and managed QA projects. An expert in the field of manual and automated testing. Fascinated mostly by BDD solutions. A graduate of the Silesian University of Technology. After hours he’s a social activist, musician, and triathlete.

Originally published on NearshoreIT-Blog

Page not found: how to avoid a customer experience roadblock

(Past member) — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

For automotive brands, customer experience is easy. It’s all about the swish showroom, smooth test drive, and slick salesman spiel – right?

Wrong. The automotive industry is changing, and with it, the expectation for brands to deliver an end-to-end customer journey. A journey that takes the consumer from browsing on mobile, through the showroom, into a test drive and ending with purchase.

Take Tesla, who are redefining how we think about the buying process, with their streamlined straight-to-buy site and customised design studio. Or Honda, whose VR driving experience unveiled at this year’s CES uses geotagging and interactive content to immerse the user in a virtual test drive.

But as more and more people expect to browse, explore, and purchase all via digital, there are even more points at which brands can lose their customers. And it’s becoming a huge issue – exactly as we found at our Excellence in Customer Experience event held in February in conjunction with the Global Sourcing Association.

The event covered everything from how to measure and improve CX, to a panel discussion on the new technologies driving customer experience. But how did we get our audience really getting to grips with how customer experience affects purchase?

We set up a workshop to assess the mobile web CX of ten major automotive brands. Users had to complete three tasks on their mobile devices which were scored using a featherweight model of our CX Score. Each group had to find the garage fit, NCAP safety rating, and the dealership’s contact details of a specific model available nearby. And the results were startling.

Own your space

Let’s start with the positives. Out of 10 major British and International automotive brands, Seat came in at top place. Why’s that? We noticed that the brands who ended up with the best scores were those who had the best integrated digital experience. That means that our group used external sites to help them find the information they needed – and it worked.

This seemed to be a trend. Groups who used aggregators which directed them back to the brand’s site ranked their overall customer experience higher. Users researching the Toyota Yaris successfully completed the tasks, but poor search optimisation in aggregators meant they were rarely directed to the most helpful site, straight away affecting their overall score.

If users can quickly find out what they need to know, that’s one half of your customer experience sorted. But if you’re losing customers to aggregators because your site doesn’t meet requirements, that’s poor CX. Brands need to own the spaces where customers are interacting with their brands at every level. You’d think in this day and age that would be second nature, but our findings showing it to be far from the case.

Think best practice

Moving back to the brands’ sites themselves, and testers were regularly reporting poor customer experience. BMW’s navigation was deemed ‘laughable’ and landed it in the bottom three, while Audi’s site looked good but wasn’t comprehensive and failed in two out three of the tasks.

And yes, it may sound obvious, but sites need to be easy to navigate with a helpful (and working…) search function, an intuitive layout and a clear, fair value exchange. Ford and Peugeot were ranked low because their poor CX meant lots of scrolling, a clunky search function, and users ending up on different tabs and PDFs which interrupted their journey.

Once brands have this best practice in hand, they can focus on making their customer experience memorable. While users found Fiat’s site ok to navigate, as one user put it ‘if you didn’t want a Fiat 500 before you went to the website, you wouldn’t want one after’. Inspiring content is an essential element in delivering excellent customer experience.

Join the dots

While the main site may be the main event, auto-manufacturers need to bear in mind their entire brand ecosystem. We found users had to navigate a number of individual branded microsites – and that’s where they found inconsistencies.

Honda’s dealer websites may have all the necessary information, but they weren’t similar enough to make them easy to compare. Similarly for VW, the main site had positive feedback but the details on the dealership sites were poor.

This disconnect can be hugely detrimental, even if a company’s main site is strong. Brands need standardised control over microsites to ensure excellent customer experience in all user interactions.

So where did that leave the overall standings?

1. Seat Leon

Came well ahead in first place for its performance on Google and other aggregators.

2. Kia Picanto

Site had good content but users found it difficult to find exactly what they were looking for, and wouldn’t go back.

3. Honda Civic

Good main site but overall experience let down by poor dealership sites.

4. Fiat 500

Website was easy to use but it was nothing special and generally uninspiring.

5. VW Polo

Microsites weren’t standardised enough, creating inconsistencies and made it difficult for the user to compare information.

6. Toyota Yaris

Dealership sites were ok but the overall experience wasn’t exciting enough to get users wanting to buy.

7. Audi A1

The site looked good but wasn’t comprehensive: users couldn’t find the information they were looking for.

8. BMW Mini

Poor overall CX, with searching throwing up 404s and a poor value exchange when users were asked to input information too early on in the journey.

9. Peugeot 208

Lots of disconnect between pages, with lots of scrolling needed to find information and major loss when the website didn’t mention the 5 star NCAP rating.

10. Ford Fiesta

Poor search tool, with users ending up on different tabs and PDFs making the journey difficult and too complicated to find necessary information.

Snapshot: what we learned from automotive CX testing

1. It’s the simple things that make the biggest difference

When users are unable to complete simple tasks, it’s the basic functions of customer experience which need to improve first. Brands need to minimise the number of steps in the journey to purchase by simplifying layout and keeping users on the site. Once customers are able to easily find what they’re looking for, they’ll have time for the more emotive content. And that’s what will get them coming back – and even better, buying.

2. External aggregating sites are owning the customer experience

While overall digital experience is key in delivering best practice CX, brands are losing out to aggregators who are owning good navigation. Whilst search optimisation is one half of the battle, the other is improving your site’s search functions and internal navigation so users will trust your brand to find them what they want, before they look elsewhere.

3. There’s a disconnect in quality across the digital experience

You can’t expect customers to stay on one site throughout their journey to purchase. Which is why brands need to ensure the quality of their main site extends to microsites and beyond. Wherever there’s branded content, it needs to meet the same standards. That will help create a seamless and coherent experience which will guide your customer to purchase.

Alastair Cole, Chief Innovation Officer, Partners Andrews Aldridge

Follow the yellow brick road to customer experience outcome

(Past member) — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Good CX saves money and makes money. A 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect as decreasing costs by 10%, while 86% of buyers will pay more for good customer experience.

That’s why we hosted a CX Event with the Global Sourcing Association on Excellence in Customer Experience. The event focused on how to measure and improve CX, introducing revolutionary new products such as CX Score and instigating a workshop which got the audience rating mobile web CX for major automotive brands.

The real revelations came in the panel discussion, which saw leading experts in the industry debate the new technologies driving improvements in customer experience. It covered everything from new channels for brands to interact with customers, to understanding customers’ omni-channel journey.

And through this, the overriding message for providing good CX was clear: don’t overcomplicate what customers want as an outcome.

Keep it simple, stupid

The scope of customer experience is changing with the increasing impact of AI. Not only do customers expect more from their brand experience – whether that’s through innovative tech or tailored personalisation – customers are actually choosing products because of their AI.

But with brands keen to jump on the AI bandwagon there’s a danger of overloading the consumer with information. With so many opportunities to overcomplicate the customer journey – through different channels, targeting, tagging, and interaction points – brands need to focus on simplicity.

A shining light here is Aviva, whose simplistic layout and intelligent architecture make sure the user doesn’t get lost. Their ‘Shape My Future’ tool guides you to a personalised page which feels unique but doesn’t demand any superfluous information. It really doesn’t matter if brands do deliver slightly less if they’re doing so in a better way.

Put down the scattergun

Tired of being fed the same ads over and over again, even though you bought the product they’re selling you 3 months ago? That’s poor CX – and there’s no excuse for it. The solutions for clever retargeting are out there, and brands need to use them.

Highly specialised retargeting tools mean brands can easily avoid the ‘send to all’ approach. Instead they can map each individual to send them a personalised message, and use that first party data to feed back out into wider ecosystem.

It’s those brands who capture people at the right moment and keep them satisfied before delivering the content they need that will make the customer journey more seamless.

Tech for tech’s sake

Keeping CX simple means using AI in the right way to get a focused, personalised outcome. It also means using AI in the right places, to keep the customer journey as simple as possible.

Unnecessary AI actually has a negative impact on CX. One panellist spoke of an instance where chatbot features are only available once you’re through to your basket. At this point in the journey, your questions have probably already been answered, so it’s annoying and unhelpful that the chatbot wasn’t delivered at better point in their journey – say on the FAQs page.

Sounds obvious? It is. If brands are investing in innovative tech, they need to learn where and when to place it in order to get the best results.

Robots have feelings too

Using AI to fine tune your customer experience is risky in more ways than one. While customers are constantly searching for the quickest, most efficient brand interactions, they still crave the human factor. How often are we left frustrated by a non-responsive robot at the other end of the phone?

The human factor makes AI empathetic, intelligent, and nuanced – which is exactly what you’re looking for when you’re interacting with customer services, for example, and getting a reply to a complaint. The ‘humanity’ in AI also makes an experience memorable and special as it conveys a brand’s personality – essential for good CX. Netflix are doing it well, with their IBM Watson ‘Papal Artificial Intelligence’ trolling Twitter users with quotes from the Bible to promote the new season of Young Pope – and more brands need to follow suit.

Outcome beats output

You’d be forgiven for thinking that good CX demands a lot of contradictions: simple but intelligent, efficient but personal, multi-faceted but specialised. But it all makes sense when brands remember to put the customer outcome first.

Keeping the customer journey simple, tailoring personalised messages, using AI only where it’s wanted and making it feel human are all ways of putting the human experience front and centre. That doesn’t just mean their journey to purchase, it also means their experience with the product once they’ve bought it.

So how do brands show that the outcome is the most important factor in customer experience? It can sometimes take a bold move. Lloyds was one brand mentioned by the panel for their moving, stereotype-inverting campaign which puts the focus on the customer end point. We recognise that good banking has played a part in the outcomes they’ve achieved, but the focus is on the achievement itself: a same-sex marriage, a child’s first day at school, a first kiss.

Brands who recognise what consumers want at the end of their journey will find it easier to create an experience which will get their customers where they want to be.

By Imogen Lees, Content Editor at Partners Andrews Aldridge

Lloyds Restructure with IBM Move

(Past member) — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Lloyds Banking Group plans to move about 1,900 staff to IBM in a restructuring plan aimed at reducing costs but which could see the bank's security weakened, according to a trade union. Chief Executive Officer Antonio Horta-Osório is looking to shed thousands of jobs to streamline the business, support dividend payments and boost the share price as the government prepares to sell down its remaining stake in the bank this year. You can read more here.

Driverless Cars in Intel Sights

(Past member) — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

US chipmaker Intel is taking a big bet on driverless cars with a $15.3bn (£12.5bn) takeover of specialist Mobileye. Mobileye and Intel are already working together, along with German carmaker BMW, to put 40 test vehicles on the road in the second half of this year. Intel expects the driverless market to be worth as much as $70bn by 2030. Announcing the deal, Intel said that as cars "progress from assisted driving to fully autonomous, they are increasingly becoming data centres on wheels". You can read more here.

Hounslow Council Announces Contract Winner

(Past member) — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Hounslow Council has announced its intention to award a Corporate Services Contract to Liberata. The contract will see Liberata deliver a range of services including revenues and benefits assessments, transactional finance, HR administration, and payroll services on behalf of the Council. The initial contract is for seven years, with the option to extend it for a further three years, and is potentially worth up to £75 million. Click here to read the full story.

The GSA is hosting a public sector sourcing event in March, click here to learn more.

UK to Invest in the Digital Future

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The budget today unveiled new support for disruptive technologies and innovation in the form of £270m of funding to put the UK "at the forefront" of disruptive technology industries. The funds for the hi-tech research come from the National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF), set up by the government last year. The sums, however, are smaller than those announced by some other countries. For example, the US Department of Transportation proposed a 10-year plan to invest $4bn (£3.3bn) in self-driving cars. It’s good to see that disruptive tech and digital infrastructure is getting some recognition from the government, however actions speak louder than words and the government faces stiff competition on the global market for tech research. Click here to learn more.

Manchester City Council Leads the way in Procurement

(Past member) — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

According to the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES), Manchester City Council is playing a pioneering role in progressive procurement thanks to key changes it has made over the past 10 years. The new corporate procurement department has led to savings of over £65 million and has focused procurement in Manchester with the proportion of total procurement spend with organisations based in, or with a branch in, Manchester has increased from 51.5% in 2008/09 to 73.6% in 2015/16. To read more about this story, click here.

The GSA is hosting a Northern Conference this May focusing on the value of the Northern sourcing and procurement sectors, click here to find out more.

Sri Lanka Attractive Destination for Potential Business

(Past member) — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

According to JETRO, a Japanese trade promotion organisation, Sri Lankan labour costs are a bargain when compared to other potential business destinations in the region. Despite good economic growth since 2009, Sri Lankan wages have remained stable. The problem is that much of the labour pool is being pulled into hospitality industries, making it difficult to attract workers to manufacturing. Sri Lanka could see a lot of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Japan in the coming years thanks to its competitive wages. You can read more about the story here.

Sourcingfocus.com investigated Sri Lanka to assess its potential as an outsourcing hub, click here to find out more.

UK Tech to Benefit from Digital Strategy

(Past member) — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The government digital strategy, pledges to grow the UK’s technology skills and make the country the best place for digital businesses to invest and grow. The strategy is focused upon preparing the UK economy for digital transformation, including upskilling the UK labour force and businesses. Karen Bradley, secretary of state for culture, media and sport, said the strategy “sets a path to make Britain the best place to start and grow a digital business, trial a new technology, or undertake advanced research as part of the government’s plan to build a modern, dynamic and global trading nation”. You can read more here.

The GSA is hosting a Public-Sector Day this March focused on the digital transformation facing the public sector, click here to find out more.

Capita Boss to Step Down

(Past member) — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Capita, the outsourcing firm, has announced its Chief Executive, Andy Parker, will be leaving the firm later this year once a replacement is found. The news came as it revealed that annual pre-tax profits had fallen 33% to £74.8m. Capita is under investigation by the BBC for how it collects the TV license fee, after claims it was too aggressive. Earlier this week, BBC Director-General, Tony Hall, wrote an open letter to Mr Parker in reference to Capita’s conduct.

Parker said 2016 had been a "challenging year and Capita delivered a disappointing performance". In addition to these issues, the company will drop out of the UK's FTSE 100 index of leading shares later this month because its share price has fallen sharply.

You can read the letter from the BBC here, or read more about the story here.

Social Sourcing and the New Ethics of Business

(Past member) — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

In recent years, the global sourcing industry has had to cope with numerous changes to the way it does business. The Internet of Things, more in-depth analytics, compliance with government regulations, and the need for efficiency have all made service providers’ task that much more difficult. In order to still make a profit, they therefore need to get the maximum usage out of the resources available to them.

There’s a long precedent for this approach. Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman argued that, so long as a business respects the law, it should do all that it can to maximize profits, since this is its primary purpose. Whatever the organisation does, Friedman stated that the business’s only social responsibility is to make use of the resources available to it. Generations of economists have followed this philosophy, and as a result, they have always looked at innovative ways of gaining a competitive advantage over their rivals. However, businesses are increasingly being called upon to follow their social obligations, and use their power to give something back to communities.

Peter Durker, an important figure in the field of management, has more recently argued that rather than being measured in profits, business is more complex. Instead, he says that it is all about behaviours, from productivity and financial activity, to creativity and the use of technology. Durker notes that these all have an impact on society, which gives businesses an enormous amount of responsibility. Michael Porter takes this one step further, stating how many people see corporations as “prospering at the expense of the broader community.” His solution to this problem is that of shared value, which “involves creating economic value in a way that also creates value for society by addressing its needs and challenges. Shared value is not social responsibility, philanthropy, or even sustainability, but a new way to achieve economic success.” Not only does this idea of shared value help businesses prosper in a changing economic climate, but it also ensures public trust- a key component in business-consumer relationships.

Porter notes that given the size of many businesses, they are able to do what individuals alone cannot, and scale up their solutions to a societal problem to have a widespread effect. He further points out that what benefits society in general also benefits the business itself, since it leads to a more prosperous economic climate.

Countless corporations are now rethinking their ethical practises in response to what the public now expects of them, and this should eventually lead to a much more open and honest business sector that consumers feel actually utilizes its power for good. It also means that companies are re-examining their approach to employees (and employers), especially in a world where outsourcing has become so prevalent. Professional bodies like the Global Sourcing Association (GSA) have designed new standards of industry best-practise and acknowledge the power of social responsibility within organisations.

This is before we even take into account the environmental effects of sustainable sourcing, when it comes to physical materials. Countries all over the world are adopting stricter legislation when it comes to environmentalism, to combat the pollution created in methods of production. Again, consumers are becoming more savvy about environmentalism, and businesses are therefore under pressure to conform with what the public expects of them. This means that ethical sourcing of raw materials is becoming standard across most industries.

As we can see, then, the world of business is increasingly looking towards new, more ethical practises that not only boost their own profits, but also have a beneficial effect on society in general. If this trend continues, then we could soon see a world where big companies are seen less as unethical boogeymen, and more as helpful entities that work for the good of society.

New Automated End-to-End Chatbot from IMImobile

(Past member) — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

IMImobile, a cloud communications software and solutions provider that helps companies use mobile and digital technologies to engage with customers, today announces the launch of IMIbot.ai, its automated end-to-end chatbot customer engagement solution. The fully managed solution builds on the success of IMImobile’s existing chatbot technology and is designed to work with multiple messaging channels such as SMS, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype and AI engines like Amazon Alexa.

To read more, click here.

Tackling the Skills Gap Within the Northern Powerehouse

(Past member) — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Manchester cloud firm UKFast is teaming up with global tech giant Cisco to tackle the skills gap within the Northern Powerhouse. Schools and education providers in the north of England are set to benefit from access to specialist resources and training, accelerating the delivery of digital education in the region. Andrew Smith, Senior Lecturer in networking at the Open University (OU) & Head of the Cisco Academy Support Centre said “Developing our workforce and developing skills in the networking and cybersecurity sectors is critical as our digital economy grows. This programme allows young people to become more tech savvy and more employable.”

To read more, click here.

The GSA has a conference dedicated to the sourcing industry in the North of the UK.

Webhelp Acquires Ocon Office Concept GmbH

(Past member) — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Webhelp, global provider of business process outsourcing services (BPO), has announced the acquisition of Ocon Office Concept GmbH, a state of the art BPO service center in Stuttgart, Germany with excellent technical expertise. This acquisition will ensure Webhelp continues its successful growth trajectory, furthering its strong market position and adding to its expertise in the automotive, retail, technology and public service sectors.

To read more, click here.

Civica Selected for Council Contract

(Past member) — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Leeds City Council has chosen Civica, a market leader in critical software applications, digital solutions and outsourcing, as a strategic partner to support its business transformation and improve tenant services through the implementation of its integrated housing management system. This new partnership, worth more than £2 million, is the first since Civica acquired specialist social housing software provider, Abritas, and includes the use of the Abritas Housing Needs solution, highlighting the new and improved capabilities of Civica’s specialist Housing platform.

To read more, click here.

The GSA is hosting a public sector sourcing event in March, click here to learn more.

Will Test Automation lead to job losses?

(Past member) — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

As we stand on the brink of the fourth industrial revolution in the modern history of mankind, a philosophical question comes to everyone's mind, what will happen to jobs in the new age of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Automation and the Internet of Things?

I recently visited the booth of one of the largest companies in the Robotics space at a leading Industry Conference where they had a working prototype of a robot doing the work of an airline check-in agent. This got me thinking about the employability of humans in the future. Will machines and robots be able to do most of the tasks which humans do today? And specifically with respect to the software testing industry, what impact will test automation have on testing jobs?

Will people lose jobs? Maybe. Is it all doom and gloom? No.

While Test automation results in fewer people doing manual testing, it is creating jobs which are better, more productive and more rewarding for testers. In today's agile world, ‘testing has become development’ and is so integrated into the development lifecycle that it requires higher levels of technical skill, including expert programming knowledge. The trend is to move from large testing teams to small high performance and highly efficient agile teams working collaboratively. This has led to a tremendous shift in a testers’ role and in the way quality assurance happens during projects. From being a reactive mechanism to identify problems in software developed, QA has already turned into a proactive measure to ensure the high quality of software. Furthermore, the focus of QA will be on ensuring business outcomes which will directly improve the quality of services and products delivered to the end consumers and ensure a better world for everyone.

So, today’s manual testing jobs will move to more high-skill roles where the testers will contribute to automation and overall product quality by moving up the value chain. This will result in higher work satisfaction and better salaries leading to a better quality of life.

Growth in Digital Technologies and devices

On top of this, the growth of digital technologies and software has been unprecedented and there are newer, more complex software applications being built each day. With evolution of the Internet of Things, maturing digital technologies, adoption of internet at mass scale, complex integrations and humongous amount of data, we will see increasing demand for software testing to ensure a faster time to market and high performing, scalable secure software applications. Data is the new oil in the fourth industrial revolution and has to be mined and refined before distributing it. Hence, data quality is going to be of paramount importance in the new world which opens another plethora of opportunities for testing professionals.

Is Automation the end of the road?

Another key question which crops up in a lot of discussions is, what happens after a particular task or process has been automated? Will we need fewer people after that?

The answer is No. We have to understand that automation is not the end, it is means to an end so automation will continue even after we achieve initial goals. The customer needs will always keep changing as change is constant and the only permanent thing. Companies have to adapt to what customers need, the applications will keep evolving and so would the corresponding test automation.

Where are we heading?

During all the previous industrial revolutions, starting in the 18th century, there has been fear and concern that machines will take up the jobs which humans are doing. It was the case when mechanical tools came in, when electricity and automated production came in or when the computers came in. Reality is that all of us are employed and doing far more innovative and challenging work than our ancestors did. No one could have imagined 50 years ago, the kind of jobs we are doing today. Hence it is part of human evolution and I am sure humans will find more interesting and innovative things to do in future. However, what’s important is that we keep re-skilling ourselves to match the needs of tomorrow and contribute towards the fourth industrial revolution with optimism and confidence as a bright future awaits all.

Author: JCommerce

Article from NearshoreIT - Blog

Will the Next Uber-like Company Hit Your Business?

(Past member) — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Until recently, the concept of organizational flexibility was one of the hottest topics in the world of organizational management. But it's time to delete it from your vocabulary, because the events of recent years - whether it be the crisis in the Euro zone, the emergence of the sharing economy, Brexit or the US elections - have made the word passé. So what’s the buzzword of today? Well, resilience is the new flexibility. This term means the company's ability to anticipate, prepare, and react and adapt to sudden disruptions. In other words - it is the skill of rolling with the punches, of rapid reorganization and continuation. The origin of such blows in today's business environment can be very different, not just from politics or the economy, but also from technology. Currently, every industry is probably anxiously looking for its own Uber, which will come out of nowhere to destroy the market. So how do you ensure the resilience to roll with such punches?

Competence on demand

No matter what the industry, your company is - or will be - forced to cross over to the digital side. All branches of the economy are digitizing at a dizzying pace, because so far it is the best way to prepare for the unpredictable. Data analysis, Big Data, machine learning, it all means the tools that can predict threats before it is too late to react to them. Do not delude yourself that you are not involved. Technology is a powerful weapon - the biggest threat, however, is in the hands of the competition. Not every company is prepared for the digital arms race. This is not always deliberate and effective. It requires having the right people, creating a team, and developing the right business model.

The process of building an effective team is long and complicated. It is worth taking a moment to answer the following questions:

- is IT my core business?

- Do I have sufficient knowledge of how the team should help in the development of my business, and how it should function?

- Do I have the opportunity to find suitable specialists on the labor market for the right price?

- Can I afford to wait until my team is complete, established and has the requisite project qualifications?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, you should probably think about IT outsourcing, which can be vividly illustrated as a service to share competences on demand.

Competence as a Service

Outsourcing IT services allows a company to acquire knowledge, experience and skills without having to incur the costs associated with recruiting employees, building a team and training them, and can be done exactly at the point at which it becomes necessary. This means that the organization does not have to invest valuable resources and time in activities that are not the primary goal of its activities, and can therefore focus its efforts on what it knows and specializes in. The IT outsourcing service provider acts as a technological security agency that responds quickly to customer needs. The on-demand services model ensures that, in the case of necessary changes to the structure of the company, changing priorities or backing out of certain projects, this process can be carried out quickly, efficiently and painlessly.

Outsourcing of IT services means:

- just-in-time competencies – exactly when they are needed rather than as and when an organization manages to create a team with the proper qualifications; the team does not become a financial burden in the intervals between projects or when the project ends.

- scalability - meaning the ability to adjust the number of specialists and their work to the needs of the company;

- diversification – depends on the possibilities of one internal team or specific people, the possibility of acquiring competencies from different sources, suppliers, even different regions and countries, which reduces the exposure of the firm to political and economic risk;

Team leasing, Talent Leasing and Managed services - find what suits you best

IT outsourcing service providers offer different models which the client is able to adapt according to specific needs:

Talent Leasing – If your company lacks specific expertise, you can take the opportunity to hire a specialist who can help you implement a project or solve specific problems. This method can also be used to complement your existing team e.g. in case of a sudden vacancy or difficulties in recruiting specialists. Using this model, you can benefit from the expertise of specialists such as programmers, consultants, business analysts, and testers, as well as Technical Team Leaders and Project Managers.

Team Leasing – in this model you hire an entire team, consisting of specialists who will be indispensable to your project. The service provider helps you to specify a list of competencies that will be required, based on which technologies must be applied, what form of team management will be used, and to what extent the software will be tested. Such a team can be managed directly by the customer or by Project Managers or Project Owners, who are also outsourced specialists.

Managed Services – is a comprehensive service of business application management in the IT environment, from the implementation of applications, their development and maintenance, to technological support. In practice, this means that all processes related to IT infrastructure and the use of business applications are supported by the service provider. This service thus relies on outsourcing all business operations to a company which specializes in such projects. Without a doubt, such a model requires an appropriate level of confidence in business relationships between cooperating organizations; however it brings great advantages, particularly relieving the burden on companies in terms of particularly technologically complicated areas of the company’s operations.

Author: JCommerce

Article from NearshoreIT - Blog

Tax the Robots?

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Tax the robots, not the response of the Luddites to the technology of the 19th century but probably a more rational approach to the coming wave of RPA and AI. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, suggested this weekend that taxing robots that replace human jobs is a good idea. Terry Walby, CEO of thoughtonomy and expert in Automation said “I suspect it's designed to grab headlines and stimulate debate about the macroeconomic and societal impact of what is being called the fourth industrial revolution - robotics and AI. And it's true that policy makers need to consider the impact on everything from labour markets, to educational needs, to legal liability for the actions of autonomous entities, as the velocity of innovation and rate of adoption increases”. However, he believes “If it's a genuine suggestion, it's plain daft”. Tom Reuner of HfS Research noted that “The European Parliament is debating it, Finland has started a trial on "Universal Basic Income". Yet, our industry is largely on the side-lines. We need a debate on the ethics of AI and the retooling of society”.

Kerry Hallard, CEO of the Global Sourcing Association (GSA), says “We should focus on reinvention and not taxing innovation. Robotics are a positive to the future and will provide new, different jobs that require new skill sets. The short-term focus must be upon retraining displaced workers as part of constant reinvention. We are expecting the topic to be front and centre at our Symposium in June”.

The advance of robotics is unlikely to be the only evolution to the way we work over the coming years and decades. Longer working lives and the gig-economy are likely to have just as much of a seismic effect. This editor is cautious, taxing innovation is wrong, great ideas must be rewarded, but robotics could lead to a them and us society, manipulated very easily by politicians bent against globalisation and the business elite. We will need tax revenue to act as a safety net for workers left behind and that must come from somewhere. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Inflation Up to New High

(Past member) — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Inflation in the UK hit highs not seen since 2014 as the weaker pound made an effect on prices. Consumer Prices Index (CPI) reached 1.8% in December according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Input prices, the price for fuel and raw materials paid by manufacturers, rose at an annual rate of 20.5% in January. Click here to read more.

Data Discovery Platform from Wipro and IBM

(Past member) — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Wipro Limited, a global IT, consulting and business process services company, announced it is delivering analytics-based insights for specific industries with the Data Discovery Platform, its newest big data analytics-as-a-service solution. Built with IBM BigInsights and IBM dashDB and developed on Bluemix, IBM's cloud platform, the solution accelerates insight-driven decision making through pre-built applications for specific industries, such as banking and financial services, retail, energy, education and manufacturing. Click here to find out more.

UK Employment Sky High

(Past member) — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The employment rate in the UK is at a record 74.6% – the highest employment rate since records began in 1971. Unemployment rate remains at 4.8% which is the lowest rate for 11 years while wages grew by 2.6%. Secretary of State, Damian Green said “With employment at its highest rate since records began, and unemployment at its lowest in over a decade, we remain in a position of strength. With youth unemployment down, women in work at record levels and number of disabled people in work increasing too, we’re delivering on our pledge to build a country that works for everyone.” Click here to read more.

Emerging Economies an Option for Offshoring

(Past member) — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Interesting article on the Entrepreneur about outsourcing to emerging markets. Focusing on the Philippines, Vietnam and Rwanda, the article provides an overview of the potential for business process outsourcing and information technology outsourcing in these economies. It is certainly worth a read.

IT Soars in Sri Lanka

(Past member) — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

everjobs.lk, the fastest growing online career portal in Sri Lanka, has in a new report said that jobs in the Information Technology (IT) sector led the demand for jobs in Sri Lanka in 2016. Put together in a simple-to-read infographic, everjobs.lk’s new release identifies key trends within the job seekers’ sphere in Sri Lanka and reveals the top industries hiring in 2016. Rushabh Sheth, Managing Director for everjobs Sri Lanka, as follows: “Sri Lanka is ranked 12th in the world by IBM for business process outsourcing and is home to BPO units of companies such as Google, J.P. Morgan or Microsoft. Needless to say, IT and system engineers are some of the most in-demand talent in the job market and we see this trend continuing in the future.” Click here to read more.

Co-op Bank up for Sale

(Past member) — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Co-operative Bank is putting itself up for sale, following its near collapse in 2013. The bank has around four million customers and focuses on ethical standards which it hopes will attract buyers. Potential buyers include TSB who are still completing a separation with Lloyds. It is worth noting that Western Mortgage Services, part of Capita, will continue to provide mortgage administration services and new mortgage application processing for the bank and its clients. Click here to learn more.

H-1B Visa Trouble

(Past member) — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Interesting little article in the Economist about H-1B visa programme and how it’s curtailment could affect US industry. The Indian IT industry is struggling thanks to Donald Trump’s mercantilist rhetoric, the pain of this appears unlikely to ease. Click here to find out more.

Blackstone Buys Aon Employee Benefits Business

(Past member) — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Blackstone Group has agreed to the acquisition of insurance broker Aon’s employee benefits outsourcing business. It is expected that the deal will be worth just under $5 billion and gives Blackstone a business that processes work benefits of 15% of the US population. Aon is likely to use the capital to move into growth areas such as cybersecurity. Click here to find out more.

Infosys Looking to Avoid Distraction

(Past member) — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Infosys Chief Executive Vishal Sikka said talk on concerns over corporate governance at the software services firm was "distracting" and that he had good relations with the firm's founders. India's No.2 IT services company has been locked in an escalating public war of words with its founders and former executives, who have accused its board of lapses in corporate governance. However, the reassurance has sent shares in Infosys up slightly. Click here to find out more.

DAI Europe Invites Proposals in Support of Sourcing from Palestine

(Past member) — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

DAI Europe, a global development company specializing in the implementation of economic development programmes for international cooperation agencies, seeks to invite qualified firms to submit proposals to execute an advisory assignment titled “Determining the Value Proposition for Palestinian Information Technology and Information Technology-enabled Outsourcing Services in the UK.”

The objective of the work intended under this assignment is to determine a feasible value proposition for UK-based companies to potentially source part of their Information Technology and Information Technology-enabled Services (including ITO and BPO) from providers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

In the request, consultants will be required to identify a competitive niche for Palestinian firms in the UK market, pinpoint the addressable market and services required in the UK, and suggest a market penetration strategy.

This request for proposals is part of DAI Europe’s Palestinian Market Development Programme (www.pmdp.ps), a £20 million, five-year, economic assistance facility in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Palestinian Market Development Programme is financed by the UK Department for International Development and the European Union.

The deadline for submission directly to DAI Europe is 5pm, 3rd March 2017. Contact tenderpmdp@dai.com to register your interest and obtain full copies of the RFP.

RPA and AI are not the future – they are the Now!

(Past member) — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are becoming more prevalent in business and society. As the technology becomes more accessible and efficient, more and more organisations are looking at RPA and AI. Although both of these technologies are not new it does seem that they are now beginning to come of age and radically changing the way the world does business.

So, what is RPA and AI? Let’s consider RPA first of all. Perhaps the most important thing to say about RPA is that it is not a robot! At least it is not a physical robot. RPA is a type of software that is able to interface with computer systems in the same way as a person does. RPA software is able to ‘type’ and is able to ‘click’ and is able to move a cursor. This enables it to open and close programs and to use programs. This is why the term ‘robotic’ was coined – there’s no physical robot but the software behaves in a robotic way. What is key though is that the RPA software is able to carry out tasks with a much greater level of efficiency than a human operator – and it never gets tired.

RPA has been shown to be a highly effective option for carrying out certain types of tasks. It has delivered huge cost savings for organisations and eye wateringly massive returns on investment of 100s of per cent in some instances. It is certainly worth every organisation taking a serious look at how they might take advantage of what it is able to do.

Shop Direct, Telefonica, RAC and nPower are just some of the organisations that have reported substantial benefits to their businesses. Some of those benefits include the reduction of costs of processes. It isn’t however only a matter of cost reduction. Using RPA helps to further improve the quality and consistency of outputs – why wouldn’t it? It also provides organisations with greater auditability / trackability of their processes down to key stroke level. A boon for those in say the financial services sector.

Neither is RPA just about the commercial sector. In 2015, Sefton Council became the first local authority in the UK to trial RPA in its revenues department. At the beginning of the project, leading international service provider, Arvato automated three processes in Sefton’s revenues department to ensure the RPA solution was accurate, robust, auditable and scalable, before extending it to cover a number of high-volume tasks across the department. The tasks vary in complexity, from indexing documents and assigning them to specific workflows to signing up people to direct debit payment of Council Tax and processing discount applications.

Alastair Bathgate, CEO of Blue Prism is confident that RPA has a greater role to play for local government in the future, “We believe there is huge potential for RPA to make a difference in local government thanks to the large number of repetitive back office tasks which can be automated”. His view is support by a a recent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers it was estimated that 45% of work activities could be automated, creating $2 billion of savings in global workforce costs.

RPA is clearly an important tool for organisations to consider. There is though considerable confusion that surrounds it. Many wonder what all the fuss is about given that most organisations already have very high levels of automation and have had for many decades. This gets us to the key to RPA’s appeal. We pointed out that RPA software uses other systems, like a human operator. This is crucial. It means that we can improve the efficiency of a process that is largely automated without necessarily having to make any changes to the existing legacy systems. For anyone who has wrestled with old legacy systems and over stretched IT teams the prospect of being able to make improvements, without instigating costly and resource hungry IT projects, is a very attractive proposition indeed.

RPA often acts as a link, bridging the gaps between systems or it can act as an effective work around for a system that could not quite accommodate a particular set of tasks. Often these system shortcomings have been addressed by getting people to fill the gap. Not only is this often quite inefficient it also creates mind numbingly dull tasks that someone has to do. RPA offers the opportunity to improve the efficiency of a process, reduce cost and often take away tedious tasks, allowing people to focus on more added value, more highly skilled tasks – like talking to customers.

This takes us nicely to the difference between RPA and AI. RPA is a dummy. It is pretty stupid. It does exactly what it is told to do – exactly. There’s no thinking – no judgement – just a set of rules which it blindly follows. It can only work with structured data. If the task requires working with less structured data RPA is struggling. If the rules for what it needs to do – down to individual key strokes – cannot be defined, then RPA is going to struggle.

Enter Artificial Intelligence. AI does have the capacity to work with less structured data. It can find patterns in data and be programed to make choices. AI can learn, based on what it experiences and that learning can then inform future choices. AI is advancing quickly and has evolved into an incredibly useful tool for organisations. Unstructured data such as emails and phone calls can be sifted with AI programmes by identifying key words or phrases before checking parameters and categorising what is required. Virgin Trains have been using AI for some time now to analyse emails received from customers. They are able to make sense of what the email is about by analysing key words. They are then able to decide to make for example further checks on the validity of the email content by perhaps checking if a specific train journey mentioned in the email actually exists. It might then go on to check if there was any reported issue with that train journey. It can then pass the task on to person who is now able to make a judgement about what needs to happen next having been saved the chore (and the time) of checking key facts.

In some instances AI can be used to help structure data allowing it then to be offered perhaps to an RPA solution to progress further. A combination of AI and RPA can potentially transform a process, massively reducing costs through reducing FTE’s while being more efficient and effective at completing tasks than human employment.

What has happened alongside the growing popularity of exploring and implementing RPA and AI is a growing appreciation of not only the benefits of these solutions but also the challenges. Understanding implementation and the processes that RPA and AI can improve is crucial to getting the best return on your investment. There has perhaps been a view that RPA certainly could be almost bought off the shelf and implemented by a school leaver with a GCSE in woodwork. The reality is somewhat different. More people are recognising that there is in fact a lot to consider to get the most from RPA. How to choose the best processes to RPA. How to gain buy-in and support. How to design the new target operating model. What software to choose. How to manage long term. How to ensure the fit with IT . How to set up effective governance.

RPA and AI are not the future, they are the present. A great return on your investment that efficiently and effectively gets the job done. Whether or not you and your organisation ultimately invest in RPA and AI solutions importance of investing in finding out more about it the case for investing some time and energy in finding out more about it and how it might add value to your business is extremely compelling. Those that don’t run the risk of missing out on a very good thing.

By sourcingfocus.com

The GSA in partnership with Symphony Ventures is hosting 'Making Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and AI Work' on Wednesday 22nd February 2017. This is a great opportunity to learn more about RPA and AI implementation for your organisation. Click here to find out more and reserve your place today.

Internet of Things Key to Future Success

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

HCL Technologies, a global IT services company, released the findings of an independent survey of senior business and technology decision–makers on the Internet of Things (IoT) in large global enterprises. 43% of respondents say their customers will suffer due to their organisation’s inability to utilise IoT and nearly half of respondents (49%) said an uncoordinated, siloed approach to IoT is holding them back from moving beyond pilots into revenue generating opportunities. Click here to learn more.

Global_IoT_Report_2016.pdf

Automation at Forefront of Tech Landscape

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A study conducted by Wipro Limited, a global information technology, consulting and business process services company has found an 85% jump in Test Automation across industries to keep pace with the evolving technology landscape. The study focuses on the five cornerstones of testing and Quality Assurance (QA) engagements:

• Automation

• Performance Engineering

• Test Environment and Data Management

• End Customer Experience (Mobile Applications)

• Quality Engineering

To learn more, click here.

Civica Software Chosen for Care Homes Workforce Management

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Anchor has chosen Coldharbour Time and Attendance software from Civica, a market leader in business-critical software applications, digital solutions and outsourcing, to provide a workforce management solution for its 120 care homes. The new solution offers touch screen capabilities using fingerprint recognition, to enable verification of staff attendance, ensuring absence, sickness and holiday rules concerning pay are correctly applied, to increase cost efficiencies. Click here to learn more.

Indian IT Faces Challenges, Overcome Them

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

HfS Chief Analyst and CEO, Phil Fersht, has been writing about how the Indian IT industry must adapt to save themselves from President Trump. With so many challenges being raised by the new President’s opinions on the outsourcing industry, this piece really puts in perspective the opportunities for change, we need to be looking forward, not backwards. Sourcingfocus recently mentioned an article in the Economist about IT in India, it is certainly a hot topic in the industry. Click here to learn more.

To read more on India's IT industry, click here.

Digital Service Helps Government Save Cash

(Past member) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Government Digital Service (GDS) helped to save £339m through its spend controls and approval processes for Whitehall IT projects during 2015/16, according to the Cabinet Office. The figures are part of a total of £3.3bn of operational savings made through a number of internal measures to improve government procurement, to reduce the Whitehall property estate and by tackling fraud and error. Click here to read more.

DEFRA Looking for Managed Print Services

(Past member) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said that 25 suppliers are interested in working to deliver its managed print services as part of efforts to replace long-term IBM and Capgemini contracts. The IBM and Capgemini contracts, which end in 2018, will be replaced by a larger number of smaller, more flexible contracts as the department works with more suppliers across its ICT services. Click here to read more.

End Outsourcing Act Introduced in US

(Past member) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Three Senate democrats, Joe Donnelly along with Senator Sherrod Brown and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, on January 30, 2017, introduced the “End Outsourcing Act” in the view of supporting American workers by ending outsourcing. The legislation plans to take the following steps:

• Federal contracts, funded by taxpayers, should go to companies that employ American workers.

• Federal policies to encourage businesses to invest in American communities.

• Incentives to be cut back and prohibit companies from receiving tax deductions in case they are outsourcing.

• Companies shipping jobs to foreign countries will be required to forfeit tax breaks and incentives.

• Tax incentives will be awarded to companies that relocate foreign jobs to rural and impoverished communities in United States.

You can read more here.

Arvato UK Outsourcing Index Released

(Past member) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Customer services dominated the UK outsourcing market in 2016 while the sector remained stable in the face of high economic and political volatility, according to the Arvato UK Outsourcing Index. The research, compiled by business process outsourcing (BPO) provider Arvato and industry analyst NelsonHall, revealed customer services contracts accounted for 17 per cent of UK outsourcing spend over the year, with a total value of £1.04 billion (2015: £449m), up from seven per cent in 2015.

Arvato-UKOutsourcing-Infographic-Design-Fullyear-2016_V3.pdf

DFM Alliance Announced

(Past member) — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Five discretionary fund managers (DFM’s) have launched an alliance to educate advisers about risks and realities of outsourcing. The alliance said both the regulator and the industry knew the time was right to improve knowledge of DFMs. ‘What we are trying to do with the DFM Alliance is make our industry more accessible to the advice community' said a spokesman. To read more, click here.

Apple to Manufacture in India?

(Past member) — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Apple is to start making iPhones in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, the state's government has said. Ministers said Apple would start an initial manufacturing operation in the state, whose capital is the tech hub Bangalore, in April. Apple has yet to officially confirm the plan, saying only that it is keen to "invest significantly" in India. Click here to read more.

Somerset Council Outsources to Save Money

(Past member) — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A North Somerset Council service which supports some of the district’s most vulnerable families is set to be outsourced. The council says the service’s projected overspend during the next financial year is likely to be about £76,000 – meaning outsourcing is ‘necessary’ to reduce this amount. The new outsourced contract is likely to be worth £300,000 for three years if it goes ahead, and interested organisations are now being asked to submit their bids directly to the council. Click here to read more.

New Zealand Lenders Face Sourcing Restriction

(Past member) — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand’s lenders say they will have to fork out as much as $870 million to meet the Reserve Bank’s new plans for what services can be outsourced. The new rules for outsourcing are integral to the RBNZ’s open bank resolution policy, designed to ensure an orderly management when a lender collapses because third-party arrangements could undermine the efficacy of the regime. The loss of third party services in certain areas of the financial industry will massively damage profitability and restrict the lending industry, not strengthen it. You can read more here.

Fintech Acquisiton Demonstrates Changing Industry

(Past member) — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

SoFi, the biggest online lender in the US, has taken a big step in its attempt to build a retail banking empire by buying Zenbanx, another “fintech” challenger that offers bank accounts, money transfers and debit cards. Anthony Duffy, Director Retail Banking, Fujitsu comments “SoFi’s acquisition of Zenbanx is a further sign of the rapid change underway in the financial services industry. On-line lending, challenger banks and the potential of fintech have been topics of interest for some time now, as they offer the potential to bring new ideas, technologies and services to the industry. This is a good thing.” You can read more here.

Wipro Supporting IoT

(Past member) — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Wipro Limited, a global information technology, consulting and business process services company, announced that it has joined the Industrial Internet Consortium, the global, member-supported organization that promotes the accelerated growth of the Industrial Internet of Things. Wipro is a recognized leader in the Internet of Things (IoT) space, leveraging connected assets for the transformation of enterprise business, services and processes. IoT is a key enabler of Wipro Digital’s transformation strategy for its customers. Click here to learn more.

Trump Continues Outsourcing Attack

(Past member) — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with executives from Harley-Davidson to discuss job creation. Harley-Davidson has shifted IT jobs to Infosys, a large offshore outsourcing firm based in India which could cause some friction with Trump’s America first rhetoric. In 2012, Harley-Davidson entered a long-term "partnership" with Infosys, which is a major user of H-1B visa workers. The president has been critical of the use of visa workers by offshore outsourcing firms. You can read more here.

RTÉ Planning to Outsource Making of Youth Programmes

(Past member) — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Irish broadcaster, RTÉ, is still planning to outsource the making of youth programmes to the independent sector but may continue to produce presenter links between shows in-house. RTÉ told staff in the youth programming department in November about the plan to outsource the production of all its young people’s programming. The RTÉ move may benefit Irish independent production companies, if they win commissions because of it. You can read more here.

Best in KLAS 2017

(Past member) — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

CTG, an information technology solutions and services company, announced that it has been named “2017 Best in KLAS” in the Partial IT Outsourcing category. KLAS Enterprises, a global research and insights firm, unveiled its “2017 Best in KLAS: Software and Services” report, which recognized CTG as a 2017 award winner. Over the last three decades, CTG Health Solutions has provided reliable IT services to more than 700 healthcare clients, including a comprehensive suite of Application Management Services (AMS) for which the Company was recognized as Best in KLAS. To read more, click here.

Firstsource Partners with Sky

(Past member) — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Firstsource Solutions UK, a customer experience expert, has signed a ten-year deal to expand its existing partnership with Sky, Europe’s leading Entertainment Company. The deal comes as a result of Sky’s decision to consolidate its outsourced areas under the core TV and Broadband service into one strategic partnership. The expanded partnership will see Firstsource take on 1,200 new people and continue to provide customer experience solutions for Sky’s TV and Broadband services until 2026. This comes after Firstsource reported its consolidated financial results for the quarter ended December 2016 highlighting revenues of $132.0 million, up by 8.2% year on year. Click here to find out more.

Trump Brand of Protectionism Damaging Philippine Economy

(Past member) — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Philippine property market could be poised for a slowdown despite the countries strong economic growth rates. One of the most likely causes is the new President of the United States. That's because the newly inaugurated U.S. president has been pushing a mercantilist policy and is fond of protectionist rhetoric. In December, Trump threatened in a tweet to impose a 35 percent tax on products sold in the U.S. by any domestic business that moved operations overseas. The Philippines is a major destination for offshore services and as such would feel the weight of the Presidents potential policies. Click here to read more.

Bank Fined for Mirror Trades

(Past member) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Bad news for Deutsche Bank as UK and US regulators impose a fine of £504 million in connection with a Russian money laundering plan. Clients would purchase stock in Roubles before immediately selling the same stock from the London branch of the Bank, a process of mirror trades. Regulators blasted the bank for failing to spot the ruse, saying it had conducted its business in an "unsafe and unsound" manner. To find out more click here.

UK Consumers Show January Cheer

(Past member) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Market research company GfK's monthly consumer sentiment index edged up in January reflecting a bit of cheer in British consumers. However, the index for big purchases slipped after a bumper December with analysts wondering if this may be caused by consumers moving big purchases forward in anticipation of price rises. "Rising inflation and weak income growth is forecast to squeeze households' disposable income, and these two factors could conspire to depress confidence for the year ahead," said Joe Staton, head of market dynamics at GfK. To find out more, click here.

Redcentric Chosen for Peering Exchange

(Past member) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The IT managed services provider Redcentric has been chosen to provide the peering exchange for the UK’s new Health and Social Care Network according to PubicTechnology.net. Redcentric – which is one of the largest suppliers of N3 connectivity solutions – will be responsible for providing the peer exchange on an initial contract for three years, with the option to extend for a further three years. Mo Siddiqi, Redcentric’s chief operating officer, said that the company was “extremely proud to have been selected to underpin this key NHS Digital initiative” and was “totally committed to delivering this critical infrastructure and service”.

Best of Brexit

(Past member) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Call it clean, hard, dirty or red, white and blue, Brexit means Brexit. That vague statement, used so frequently by the government in the months after the crucial referendum on Britain’s future position in the EU, is finally getting a bit of clarity. It increasingly looks as if the UK government will sacrifice the free trade agreement with the customs union to protect its borders.

This is not really what the sourcing industry wants, over 80% of Global Sourcing Association (GSA) members were supporting the remain option. This editor voted remain, but in the spirit of uniting to make the best possible Brexit (and to avoid being labelled a ‘re-moaner’) sourcingfocus will be considering what would make the best possible Brexit for the sourcing industry.

The sourcing industry has thrived thanks to a connected world with supply chains linking economies through trade. Therefore, an industry tied up so tightly with the success of globalisation, supports free trade and low tariffs. The importance of keeping good trade links with the EU is therefore paramount to Brexit negotiations, if tariffs were to creep in between the UK and the rest of Europe, UK industry would lose competitiveness on the continent.

But wait, the UK government says that by leaving the EU, we can negotiate our own trade deals with the rest of the world on our own terms, becoming a ‘global Britain’. It is probably worth pointing out that the UK economy is considered by many to be one of the most open and free in the world with lax rules on foreign takeovers and investment (Softbank of Japan bought ARM in 2016, a move that many countries would have been sceptical about).

“The UK will have to renegotiate 53 trade agreements with countries around the world, many of which we currently trade with under the terms of the EU trade agreement as part of our membership” notes Amelia Bishop of Weenie Business Solutions, a business consultancy firm for small to medium size businesses. This is a gargantuan task, especially for a country that lacks trade negotiators.

It would be best if the government worked on a transition deal with the EU and set about improving global trade links, hence lessening the initial blow of Brexit and complementing it with new deals with other economies. This means negotiation and diplomacy, something the British government is sadly short of. The hope remains that the UK government is true to the wishes of the people and negotiates the best possible trading deals it can with the EU and elsewhere” says Milan Panchmatia, Managing Partner of 4C Associates, a leading procurement consultancy.

Although trade is crucial to the sourcing in the short term, in the long-term immigration matters just as much. By closing our borders to bright, skilled and hardworking Europeans (or the great unwashed in the eyes of UKIP) the UK is losing out to more open nations. Innovation and productivity growth is greatest in areas of diverse population, such as London.

The UK desperately needs to attract professionals to its economy, thanks to a skills gap in computer technology and areas such as engineering and scientific research. Increasingly in a digital economy, these areas will provide innovation and growth, attracting investment to an economy. Robert Barbus, Operations Director of Soitron Group said “Brexit has brought upon many uncertainties, and the potential IT skills gap is a very important one.

Ultimately, it depends on what trade and immigration agreements are made between the UK and other EU countries.” Increasingly, developed nations need young workers to replace those who are leaving the work force and into retirement. Bringing up the drawbridge has serious ramifications for the future of the UK budget.

The final section of debate is regulation and investment from the EU in areas such as production, wages and scientific research. Many of the EU laws that are in place will stay after the UK leaves Brexit although the investment in science and redevelopment will inevitably go leaving the UK desperately short of innovation and training in deprived areas, look to South Wales for evidence of the support the EU gives to communities.

If we are to get the best Brexit for the sourcing industry, trade would be paramount and immigration supported, watering Brexit down to minor regulatory change, encouraging trade outside the common market and using any savings from contribution to invest in digital infrastructure and training of skills to boost the domestic employment market.

By James Tate, Editor of Sourcingfocus.com

This is an abridged version of 'Best of Brexit', click here for the full article.

Pharmaceutical Firm Invests in UK

(Past member) — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Denmark's Novo Nordisk is to invest £115m in a science research centre in Oxford, providing resilience for the pharmaceutical industry after Brexit. The centre will hopefully employ around 100 academics researching new drugs, however manufacture and profit resulting from success will remain in Denmark. The European Medicines Agency currently based in London, is likely to move to the continent along with around 900 jobs. Click here to find out more.

Vodafone to merge in India

(Past member) — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Vodafone is to merge with rival Idea Cellular in India to combat the volatile telecoms market in the country. A new operator (Jio Infocomm) is causing ruptures in the industry by offering customers new packages to include more free features. Vodafone’s stock rose on the news but analysts warn that the company may have to face extra costs after a write-down of its Indian business last year. Click here to learn more.

Mixing AI and Human Intelligence to Boost Productivity

(Past member) — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

In Computerweekly.com, there is an interesting article on artificial intelligence and its effect on productivity. Increasingly, businesses must find the right balance of AI and human brain power as different roles require a mix of the two. The FuturaCorp: Artificial Intelligence & the Freedom to be Human report outlines the future workplace where humans and machines together increase output. The GSA is hosting a workshop, Making Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and AI Work in February, click here to learn more,

GSA Partners with D/SRUPTION

(Past member) — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Global Sourcing Association (GSA) and D/SRUPTION have announced a partnership that will focus on dispelling the myths surrounding technology, disruption and innovation and their impact on evolving business models. The partnership agreement sees the two organisations come together to deliver a programme of knowledge-sharing initiatives and dissemination of thought-leadership content to benefit members and subscribers alike throughout 2017. Click here to read the full press release.

The Future of CX is 'Phygital' Experiences

(Past member) — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Digital technologies provide amazing ways for us to communicate with each other and engage with brands. But we all know that physical experiences are more engaging and memorable than digital ones - after all, major life events rarely involve us staring at a smartphone.

‘Phygital’ experiences (those that combine the physical and digital worlds) create immediacy, immersion and interaction. 2017 will an increase of the number of these projects, and the outsourcing community has the ability - through their successful delivery - to enhance customer lives and add brand value.

Why it’s important to think phygital

The communications landscape is becoming increasingly complicated for brands. How do you reach your customers, when they are operating beyond the predictable places?

The new ‘phygital’ shopper was born in the 1990s and doesn’t see a difference between the physical and the digital. They use their mobile phones to browse stock levels in the shop they’re already standing in.

So e-commerce brands need to think in the same way. It’s no longer enough to be simply ‘digital’. In fact, for savvy brands, there is no ‘digital’.

After all, the very best ‘digital’ experiences don’t occur on screen – they can now happen instore. Think of Charlotte Tilbury’s VR pods in Selfridges or YSL Beauty’s Google Glass makeup tutorials, which merge the best of the physical and the real. Augmented and virtual realities have transformed the instore experience arguably more than an extra sales assistant ever could.

And likewise, we’re now realizing the age-old brand ambition of recreating the in-store experience online. Virtual experiences like Ted Baker’s shoppable videos give customers the level of immersive experience and customer service they could expect in the real world.

Today, customers are not loyal to any channel and they expect a seamless experience – online or offline.

Navigating the traps

So, should brands be encouraged to attempt phygital experiences, no matter what their platform bias? Absolutely - but only with proper planning in place.

That’s because there are lots of pitfalls involved when you navigate the phygital. Scatter gun messaging is an obvious no-go. Instead, brands should work to understand the strengths of each platform. Mobile is the medium of convenience and browsing, for example, but more people make purchases on laptop - not forgetting that people can start journeys digitally, but finish them in-store too.

With such an inherently complicated purchase journey, marketers should embrace fluidity in their customer experience. It must be easy to move between platforms without interruption or worse, disruption. Anything that jolts the customer out of their seamless perception of the phygital will be damaging.

To do this, brands need to consider the details. Low stock levels in the real world need to be reflected quickly in the online world in order to manage disappointment and maximize customer experience, for example. What starts out as an advantage can quickly turn sour without proper connections in place.

Getting it right

But working through these issues can yield untold rewards. As the lines continue to blur between platforms, fearless brands won’t hesitate to tap into the collective power of ‘online’ and ‘instore’ to create the ultimate, uninterrupted customer experience. The old adage of a sum being greater than its collective parts holds very true here.

And fortune will favour the brave; it’s those brands who admit that traditional channel marketing may have had its day can win the e-commerce sector. Those who talk about ‘digital’ or ‘in-store’ will most likely lose.

It’s time to say goodbye to one-dimensional experience forever.

By Alastair Cole, Chief Innovation Officer at Partners Andrews Aldridge

Join the GSA and Alastair Cole at Excellence at Customer Experience on Thursday 16th February 2017

Tesco Tie Up on Wholesale Food

(Past member) — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Tesco has agreed a deal to buy wholesale food supplier, Booker in a £3.7 billion deal. Booker supplies restaurants, pubs and convenience stores with a range of food items and also owns the Premier, Budgens and Londis convenience-store brands. Tesco is expanding beyond its traditional food retailing business and making strides into the restaurant and takeaway food sectors. Markets have reacted favourably to the deal, as Tesco acts to adapt to a food market with fewer weekly shops and more cash and dash consumerism. To read more, click here.

Why not check out our newsletter, click here to find out more.

New Industrial Plan Not Exciting European Firms

(Past member) — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A spokesman for an elite club of some 50 European industry bosses said the new industrial plan announced by Mrs May this week will do little to dampen the effect of leaving the EU. Kurt Bock, head of German chemicals giant BASF who speaks for the European industry chiefs, said, "If we're talking about an industrial policy that aims to control what should grow and what should shrink, I can't really see that having been successful in any open society." Bock said tax cuts would do little to lure investments and jobs to Britain. British finance minister Philip Hammond this month hinted at this option should Britain be denied a comprehensive trading deal with the EU after Brexit. Read more here.

Why not check out our newsletter, click here to find out more.

Sourcing Market Could Win in Brexit

(Past member) — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

After the result yesterday in the supreme court, sourcingfocus.com is looking again at the impact of Brexit on the sourcing industry. John Keppel, partner and President of ISG says “While it is too soon to predict the full impact of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, it has had minimal impact on contracting to date. The emergence of As-A-Service sourcing has given a huge boost to the UK market, with 2016 seeing a significant uplift in contract values for this type of activity, and we expect even stronger growth in this area going forward. This means that Britain is in a healthy place to deal with any macro-economic turbulence in 2017. One area that could be boosted by Brexit is public sector contracting, as governments departments address new challenges outside of Europe and look for more efficient ways to improve public services.”

UBS and HCL Continue Partnership

(Past member) — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

UBS AG, the Swiss global financial services company, renewed its Finance Operations services contract with HCL Technologies, a leading global IT services company, announced HCL. HCL will continue to deliver key Finance Operations services to UBS AG, supporting cost transparency and continuous improvements to the operating model of its finance department for the next three and half years. HCL will further invest in developing Proof of Concepts (POC) for robotics use cases to deliver efficiency gains through the automation of mutually selected business processes within UBS AG’s Finance department. To read the full press release, click here.

Indian IT must Transform

(Past member) — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

An article in the Economist this week explains why Indian ITO companies need to change, adapting to market forces. The rise of RPA and AI technology and the inauguration of President Trump create headwinds for the outsourcing companies based in India. Increasingly, focus has moved towards research and development but Indian firms have a long way to go to catch up with western rivals. As globalisation is threatened, companies that built themselves off its opportunities find themselves weakened by its suppression.

Arvato Named Top UK Employer by National Apprenticeship Service

(Past member) — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Arvato has been recognised as one of the UK’s best apprentice employers by the National Apprenticeship Service. The business process outsourcing (BPO) partner, which works with several public-sector organisations and international businesses in the UK, including Renault, BMW and Slough Borough Council, has been featured in the annual Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer List. Inclusion recognises those organisations with the highest standards of excellence in employing apprentices. Debra Maxwell, CEO, CRM Solutions, Arvato UK & Ireland, said: “Apprenticeships not only provide an important route into the workplace for young people, but they deliver a fresh source of ideas and can help build up the skills sets and talent organisations need for the future.” To read about the awards, click here.

Luton Borough Council Commits to Further 10 Years with Civica

(Past member) — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Luton Borough Council has extended its strategic partnership with Civica, a market leader in software applications, digital solutions and outsourcing, with a new ITO contract which will support the council’s drive to transform digitally and deliver continuously improved services for residents. The partnership will support Luton as it delivers a £1.5 billion investment framework package into the borough. “Civica will deliver the IT services and flexible infrastructure required for us to achieve our digital ambition to revolutionise the way that residents access services. More of our offerings will now be automated and available 24/7 online, allowing for rapid self-service. And everything is secure by design so we and our users can do so with complete peace of mind.” says Trevor Holden, Chief Executive, Luton Borough Council. To read more about Civica, click here.

Boosting Skills will be Boon for UK Economy

(Past member) — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

After the unveiling of a new industrial strategy, focused on infrastructure, training and research and development, the government appears to be addressing a problem that has persisted in the UK economy since the financial crisis of 2007-08, low productivity growth. Ash Merchant, Fujitsu’s Director of Education comments “It’s encouraging to see the Government intends to boost STEM skills, digital skills and numeracy as well as set up specialist institutions. It’s a sign that the conversation is moving onto more granular and specific skill sets that will become more and more valuable to the UK economy in years to come. However, the challenge that will come to the fore is who will teach the students these skills?” Now that the government is making the right noises, we await action. To read more, click here.

The Trump Effect

(Past member) — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A lot of news this morning surrounds the inauguration of President Trump and his effect on the sourcing industry. Mr Trump’s statement of ‘America first’ has put a lot of worry into major outsourcing destinations such as India and the Philippines. Nasscom (The National Association of Software and Service Companies) of India has warned Trump of the dangers of reducing outsourcing. Nasscom President R Chandrasekhar said the US lacked the high-skill workers required to keep the country’s economy “globally competitive”. To read more about the NASSCOM warning, click here.

Cloud-Based Contracts Surge Forward

(Past member) — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

According to Computerweekly.com, cloud-based contracts made up a third of IT outsourcing contracts in 2016. Using the information gathered by ISG it was found that a quarter of total spending on IT and business process outsourcing contracts was on cloud-based services, or as-a-service contracts. John Keppel, president at ISG, welcomed the emergence of as-a-service contracting “Although growth in the use of these new technologies and services has been slow to take off in EMEA, we expect to see the impetus around these systems build in the region as public cloud providers expand their datacentre footprint across Europe,”. To read the article by ComputerWeekly.com, click here.

A New Plan for UK Industry

(Past member) — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Prime Minister, Theresa May, will be unveiling a more interventionist business strategy today to help the UK economy as negotiations begin on Brexit. The plan is expected to include information on topics such as investing in science, research and innovation, encouraging trade and inward investment, developing skills and upgrading infrastructure. The hope is that the plan will help new technologies such as smart energy, robotics, artificial intelligence and 5G mobile network technology. To read more, click here.

ISG Index Released

(Past member) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, released its Q4 2016 EMEA ISG Index, which reveals that growth in as-a-service sourcing accelerated across the region in 2016, driven by the increasing demand for digital solutions. The EMEA ISG Index, which measures commercial outsourcing contracts with an annual contract value of €4 million or more, shows that combined ACV in the (EMEA) market reached €11.8 billion in 2016, up 2 percent on 2015 totals. While traditional sourcing value in the region slumped to its lowest point since 2009, as-a-service ACV climbed to just over €3 billion, up 33 percent over the previous year.

Symphony Ventures and Celaton Announce Global Partnership

(Past member) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Symphony and Celaton announced a global partnership to offer enterprises an end-to-end solution for implementing and managing core automation processes. Celaton, which is an artificial intelligence (AI) software company, will join Symphony’s Digital Ecosystem, a platform that enables customers to construct comprehensive automation solutions using best-in-class tools and methodologies. As part of Symphony’s Digital Ecosystem, Celaton’s AI solutions will expand the scope of business automation to handle complex, unstructured processes. This addition complements existing tools such as robotic process automation (RPA). To read the full report, click here.

Business as Usual After Brexit Announcement

(Past member) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Reaction continues to pour in after Prime Minister May’s speech on the future of the UK after Brexit earlier this week. CEO of Houghton International (a high voltage coil manufacturer), Michael Mitten, said “Regardless of the UK’s position in the EU, we will continue to be, open for business internationally. Nothing has changed yet and it’s unlikely that it will for at least a few years – at the moment it is very much business as usual for us.”

Robert Barbus, Operations Director of Soitron Group said “Brexit has brought upon many uncertainties, and the potential IT skills gap is a very important one. Ultimately, it depends on what trade and immigration agreements are made between the UK and other EU countries. If they remain similar to the current EU agreements, then the level of skills provided by non-UK EU workers will remain broadly the same. However, if EU workers have to re-apply for visas or are limited in numbers, this is when we will see a skills gap develop.

WNS Announces Q3 Financial Results

(Past member) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

WNS (Holdings) Limited (WNS), a leading provider of global Business Process Management (BPM) services, today announced results for the fiscal 2017 third quarter ended December 31, 2016. Revenue crept up to $145.4 million, up 0.7% from $144.4 million in Q3 of last year leading to a profit of $18.0 million, compared to $15.7 million in Q3 of last year. WNS added 7 new clients in the quarter, expanded 6 existing relationships and has a global headcount of 32,184 as of the 31st of December 2016. For the full release, please click here.

Brexit Rolls On

(Past member) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

After receiving some confirmation of plans to leave the EU single market earlier in the week, business and world leaders can now develop a clear strategy on Brexit. Already, financial companies such as HSBC and UBS have announced that 1000’s of jobs will be moved from London to continental Europe. Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund has warned that the UK economy will face huge risks in leaving the EU single market. Our industry is aware of the challenges but welcomes clarity. Milan Panchmatia, Managing Partner of 4C Associates, a leading procurement consultancy, says “We believe that the vast majority of the procurement community, both in the UK as well as in the wider world will welcome the increased clarity now offered. The hope remains that the UK government is true to the wishes of the people and negotiates the best possible trading deals it can with the EU and elsewhere.”

Lack of Developer Skills Pool Hinders AI

(Past member) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, a panel discussion has highlighted the lack of diversity in the developer skills pool. Computerweekly.com report on how the problem could lead to gaps in the industry as programmes only reflect their developers view of the problem. The need to develop a diversified talent pool is important as AI becomes a greater part of the world economy.

Government Urged to Change to Accept Data Revolution

(Past member) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

John Manzoni, the chief executive of the civil service has noted in a special edition of the Civil Service Quarterly magazine, that the increase in data availability and quality, along the shift towards digital services, was changing “the whole fabric of government”.

The scale of the data available to government offers huge potential to improve public services, but Whitehall needs to change the way it works if it wants to make the most of this by embracing new policies, tools and techniques. You can read more here.

Trade Missions to India and South Africa with the GSA

(Past member) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The GSA will be hosting two Trade Missions in February; one to India to attend the 25th NASSCOM Indian Leadership Conference in Mumbai, and the other to take a closer look at South Africa. Places on these Trade Missions are at an absolute premium so contact the GSA immediately if you are interested in attending. You can learn more about the trade missions at the GSA website. If you are new to sourcing, or already very active in the market and simply seeking an update on the benefits of offshoring or how it is transforming lives globally, then this is a fantastic opportunity for you.

Four Cornerstones of Best-in-Class Customer Experience

(Past member) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Outsourcing partnerships and projects have the potential to create outstanding customer experience (CX) - because they bring together complementary experts and specialists. When buyers and suppliers work in harmony, and when creative vision is delivered through technical implementation, customers are the winners.

One of the biggest outsourcing challenges for 2017 will be creating seamless and connected customer experiences. If this can be achieved, it won't just satisfy increasingly demanding customers, it will also boost bottom lines.

Forrester has 6 years of data showing that CX leaders grow revenue faster than laggards. But where should effort be focussed to deliver the greatest CX impact? Below are four cornerstones of creating best-in-class customer experience.

1. Fit-For-Purpose Measurement

Quantifying customer experience is critical - until you know what’s underperforming, you don't know where to invest.

Creating a truly holistic view of CX

To report on true customer experience, organisations should be measuring customer service channels and offline/in-store experience as well as multi-channel activity on key digital properties.

Current methods don’t work

The bad news is that current methods such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) are flawed. Single score metrics such as NPS work well if you want a snapshot of brand perception, but are too simplistic and emotionally-focussed to measure the real complexities of digital customer experience.

Organisations with the ambition to create great CX (and prove they have) need to use performance indicators fit for 2017 and beyond.

2. People And Platforms Pulling Together

The ability for outsourcing projects to deliver great CX requires teams and technologies working together to facilitate the easy flow of data and rapid creation of new content.

People

Projects teams made of buyers and suppliers need to be connected and in regular or real-time contact with each other, ensuring that both sides understand the impact their actions have on the customer experience. And these working groups must be incentivised to share insights and openly collaborate on customer-centric solutions.

Platforms

As we move to a data-driven future, technology platforms need to be better integrated. Only when this happens can the true potential be realised for customer engagement across multiple channels.

3. Give Customers Consistency

As customers effortlessly hop between devices and try new communications tools, they expect brands to provide a consistent, joined-up experiences.

Create a Single Customer View (SCV)

The unprecedented levels of data available, plus the interoperability of CRM and CMS systems, and increasing power of on-site optimisation mean that creating (and taking advantage of) a true SCV is now possible.

Having this capability will make it easier for organisations (working with their technology partners) to create content that is personal and highly relevant. This means customers can be offered experiences based on the context of their engagement - past, present and future. Increasingly savvy consumers are already turning their backs on organisations that aren't using this data to enhance experiences.

A number of smaller, nimbler alternatives to the enterprise set emerged in 2016. These are enabling CMOs to build the future at a fraction of the cost and implementation time.

4. Rich And Rewarding Relationships

The world’s leading service brands have raised the bar to unprecedented levels, and customers now expect interactions to be surprising, rewarding and innovative. They’re also extremely fickle - one in four Brits deletes apps on the same day - so organisations need a laser focus on ensuring content is engaging and experiences areremarkable.

Personal, relevant and timely

Unsurprisingly, personalised content encourages users to stay longer on a brand’s website, whilst weaker content results in higher drop off rates. Recent research we completed found that ecommerce retailers who published stronger content experienced 21% lower bounce rates than those with weaker content.

And the longer a customer stays on your site, the longer they have to browse and the more likely they are to convert to a sale. In the same study, simple product recommendation functions saw brands reap the rewards of 140% more page views.

Product innovation unlock incomes

A Gartner study found that 83% of customers are willing to pay more for innovative products. That’s why brands are creating accelerator programmes and investing in startup technologies that they hope will become game-changers in their industries. One recent example is Dazzle - the winners of the latest Marriott ‘Test Bed’ accelerator – which will be trialling its voice-activated personal assistants in one early adopter hotel.

Experiments like this that combine IoT devices, new digital interfaces and cognitive technologies have the potential to reinvent customer interaction. The challenge to reach the market first is now greater than ever, and first movers benefit by generating PR “buzz” and the ability to charge premium prices.

Conclusion

In today's increasingly complex digital and omni-channel world, CX has become a battleground for competitive advantage. How the outsourcing world meets this challenge will have a significant effect on perceived project success in 2017.

As ex-Mercedes Benz USA President and CEO Steve Cannon put it, “Customer experience is the new marketing.”.

Find out more at EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE with CXScore on Thursday 16th February 2017.

ERP and BI Systems Come in Handy for Startups as Well. Find Out Why.

(Past member) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

IT tools for managing enterprise resources, such as ERP or Business Intelligence systems, are mainly associated with large, well-developed organizations that require modern, integrated information systems for the purposes of effective management. But can these systems also be useful for start-ups?

It seems that the answer is no. Startups are ventures which are burdened with considerable risk, so their origins are normally associated with minimal financial outlay, and investment in areas that are not crucial to the running of the business is usually postponed for later. The creators of startups forget, however, that apart from the idea itself, strategy is most important from the perspective of success. So if a startup is not designed for success from the outset, there is a risk that it will never come to pass.

Advantages of the implementation of IT systems

The implementation of ERP and BI systems gives you the opportunity to organize business processes - both in the case of developed organizations and those in the initial stages of development. In the latter case, an additional advantage is that there is no need for reorganization. An entrepreneur can organize his business enterprise around the selected tool, without losing sight of any relevant elements. It is worth remembering that such systems were created to optimize the operation of enterprises, so they are supported not only by technology, but also by decades of experience in business management.

An important step in the implementation of any system is the pre-implementation analysis stage. The Implementation Partner is able to locate the weak points of the organization, as well as indicate the place where the system will achieve the best results. In the case of a startup, the analysis phase can turn out to be groundbreaking for the entire business, and innovative ideas can lead to equally innovative technological solutions that will ensure effective implementation and success.

It is also a good idea to take the implementation of appropriate IT systems into consideration even at the stage of business plan creation. For potential investors, it is a clear signal that the start-up is built on firm foundations, and not just good intentions. In other words - the project gains credibility in their eyes.

It is also worth taking into account the fact that the ERP system gives the company a comprehensive solution that eliminates the need to implement specialized systems, some of which are required by law, as in the case of accounting software. This means reducing the cost of implementation and licensing. A BI system, on the other hand, allows users to control the effects of the company’s operations and enables a rapid response to the rapidly changing external circumstances.

Costs of implementation

The implementation of IT systems may involve considerable costs - especially in the case of highly developed organizations with complex business processes. However, in the case of start-ups, costs need not be so large. First of all, the design of system functionality in parallel with the organization of the company itself can help to reduce implementation costs. Secondly, users can easily select tools whose price will be within the realms of budgetary constraints.

What to choose?

ERP systems facilitate modular design, which means that they consist of functionalities serving different areas of the company. These modules are fully integrated (i.e. the data from each module is available in one place), but do not all have to be implemented immediately. At the beginning, you can successfully focus on the key functionalities, while others may be implemented later, or you can also leave them out completely.

ERP solutions available in the cloud are also a good option for start-up owners, as they are very flexible in terms of costs. They allow you to adjust the price to specific requirements, as well as facilitating full scalability in case those needs change.

Even completely free tools can be used for business intelligence, as such tools will handle basic analytical tasks even at the early stages of the company’s operations - they are primarily self-service applications and the like. Another advantage of tools of this type is that they allow for the evaluation of the benefits of data analysis within the company, before the implementation of a more advanced system.

It is also worth remembering that most companies already operate basic tools which make use of analytics - we are talking, of course, of the ubiquitous Excel, as well as SQL Server, which has built-in analytical functions for the fully licensed versions at least. It’s also a good idea to check if the selected ERP system provides such functionality.

Consultation

As we can see, the range of possibilities in terms of the selection of tools is broad and does not require companies to immediately invest large sums in complex tools. Of course, in the case of a brand-new, startup adventure with business, such a choice will not be easy for entrepreneurs. So it’s worth taking up the option of a consultation to help you make the right strategic decisions. Such assistance can mean turning to organizations that support businesses, such as a platform for startups, or to a professional company which deals with the implementation of IT systems. This initial consultation is generally free of charge.

Confirmation of a Clean Break

(Past member) — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

We finally have some clarity on the future of the United Kingdom, it appears Brexit means ‘hard’ Brexit for the government as Mrs May edged us closer to leaving the customs union. Quite simply, this means that the UK will be excluded from the EU single market and will therefore have to negotiate a new deal with the EU once it leaves. The positive side of this argument is that the UK will get to negotiate new trade deals across the globe, as a member of the union we could not negotiate our own deals. It must be said that we are more certain of the plan ahead, Mrs May has laid out a vague structure which can provide a foundation for negotiations. The Pound appreciated sharply against the Dollar during the speech, most notably when Mrs May confirmed the final agreement would have to go to Parliament.

UK Employment Stuck in the Mud

(Past member) — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The employment situation in the UK is looking a bit sticky, as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the number of people in work slipped by 9,000 to just over 31.8 million in the three months to November. The employment rate held at all-time record high of 74.5 percent and wage growth picked up pace. The suggestion among analysts is that Brexit uncertainty has kept hiring low among firms with wage growth reflecting a skills shortage among professionals and specialists. For more information on the data, click here.

New Finance Chief for Mitie

(Past member) — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Outsourcing firm Mitie has issued a new profit warning, saying the effects of Brexit uncertainty are causing delays in contract signings. The firm has brought in Sandip Mahajan as its new finance chief in a further change to its top management after a change of CEO’s at the start of the year. It is thought that the introduction of new labour laws are hurting Mitie, although the industry as a whole is adapting well. To learn more, click here.

Infosys Investigate AI Impact

(Past member) — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Infosys, a leader in consulting, technology, and next-generation services, released multinational research findings on artificial intelligence (AI) business impact, market maturity and expectations. The report revealed a clear link between an organisation’s revenue growth and its AI maturity: organisations who report faster growth in revenue over the past three years were also more likely to be further ahead when it comes to AI maturity. Sandeep Dadlani, President & Head of Americas, Infosys, said, “Our research shows that the next four years will witness further spikes in interest, and general bullishness about the significant value and benefits that can be obtained through AI adoption. As an industry, therefore, we must take necessary steps to ensure AI is developed morally and ethically across every part of society and that employees are actively engaged and provided with the necessary training to be central to this journey.” Learn more about Infosys here.

Upskilling Becoming Increaingly Important

(Past member) — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Economist has been reporting on the importance of constant upskilling and learning in a society where technological innovation sees new developments in employment. It is well worth reading the report in full but in a quick review the report argues that jobs are evolving, becoming a mix of skills and abilities that would have been alien to a worker 25 years ago. It explains the concept of ‘hybrid’ jobs and how teaching and course are adapting to teach applicants practical nano-courses. The need to gain new skills throughout your working life has never been more apparent and important. The GSA offers a wide range of practical workshops in topics like design thinking, RPA & AI, negotiation and governance that can lead to a diploma or MBA.

UK Inflation Climbs

(Past member) — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

UK inflation bounced in December 2016, reaching 1.6% up from 1.2% in November. The figure is above expectations although analysts expect higher inflation in 2017 as the fall in the Pound impacts imports with rises being passed to consumers. Some analysts think 3% is possible, especially if oil prices edge up over the coming months. The news may worry the Bank of England, governor Mark Carney noted that the UK’s economic recovery increasingly relied on consumers making price rises a potential torpedo to the economy. Read more here.

Cleverti Strengthens UK Operation in 2017

(Past member) — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Cleverti, an emerging Portuguese technology company, is seeking to strengthen its cooperation with British companies, following a number of successful projects in the United Kingdom. England and Ireland are the main target for Cleverti’s specialized software development. Results so far evidence the added value Cleverti’s business model can bring to UK companies and hence this market has become a priority for Cleverti in 2017. Carlos Coutinho Silva, CEO of Cleverti, explains “2017 will be a challenging year for us. We are seeking to consolidate our client base and also increase our presence in international markets, with a special focus in England and Ireland.“ Beyond the UK, Cleverti’s services currently extend to Belgium, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland, where Cleverti has been helping innovative companies to develop their software products by enhancing internal crews with highly talented IT professionals based in Lisbon.

To learn more, visit www.cleverti.co.uk

WNS to Acquire Denali Sourcing Services

(Past member) — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

WNS (Holdings) Limited (WNS), a leading provider of global Business Process Management (BPM) services announced that the company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Denali Sourcing Services, a leading provider of strategic procurement BPM solutions. Denali delivers high-end global sourcing and procurement services to some of the world’s leading brands in the High-Tech, Retail/CPG, Banking and Financial Services, Utilities, and Healthcare verticals. Focused solely on procurement, Denali has pioneered “sourcing as a service” in a technology-agnostic capacity, and currently manages over $30 billion in spend on behalf of over 25 clients via a multi-location global delivery network. Over 90% of Denali’s revenue is recurring in nature, and over 95% of revenue is derived from clients in the United States. “The acquisition of Denali Sourcing Services adds a strategic procurement capability to our existing Finance and Accounting solutions. Denali is a unique asset which we believe helps position WNS as an industry leader in F&A, and enhances our Industry Specific Solutions,” said Keshav Murugesh, WNS’ Chief Executive Officer.

To read more, click here.

The Brexit Headache

(Past member) — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Every time the government starts talking about Brexit plans, the Pound takes a beating on international markets as investors and speculators try to price in the cost of a hard Brexit on the UK economy. Prime Minister May is expected to announce plans for the future of the UK on the 17th of January, many think the plans will detail a hard Brexit. As the Pound falls, the worry will be its effect on UK consumers, who may find themselves squeezed due to rising prices, which could lead to a challenging year for UK retail. You can read more here.

Evolution in Manufacturing

(Past member) — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The Economist briefing this week explains the evolution of the manufacturing industry, from hammer and steel, to computers and consultancy. It is an interesting read for those involved in the sourcing industry as the article details how jobs changed and evolved and how the sourcing industry facilitated improving production and how changing technology has meant that the jobs offshored in the industry are very different to those that were originally in rich countries. If you want to read the article, please click here.

Technology Talking Point at Davos

(Past member) — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The World Economic Forum in Davos will welcome Xi Jinping this week as a star attraction, signalling China’s growing role in the global economy. However, the big talking point may be the effect of new technology on the future of work and jobs, as AI and machine learning threaten jobs across all sectors. As ComputerWeekly.com notes in this article, technology is affecting the way we work and may be causing the big political changes we have seen in 2016. How the world adapts to these new technologies will define the coming decades.

Chinese Trade Slips Again

(Past member) — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Chinese exports fell by 7.7% in 2016, figures not witnessed since the global recession in 2009. It’s the second year in a row that exports have fallen, with analysts worried that the election of President Trump, who pledged to label China a currency manipulator, will dampen Chinese trading prospects further in 2017. China’s trade surplus with the US was above $350 billion in 2015 which could bring China to the negotiating table to find common ground with the new President. Read more about China's trade figures here.

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Energy Switching on The Rise

(Past member) — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Energy UK has reported that nearly 5 million people changed energy suppliers in the UK in 2016. The upward trend in switching providers has continued for the past two years. The introduction of the Energy Switch Guarantee last year helped make switching easier and provided greater confidence for customers when switching supplier. New research for the Guarantee also reveals nine in ten (89 percent) people were satisfied with the overall switching process. To read the report, click here.

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Better mobile customer experience is driving m-commerce

(Past member) — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Better mobile customer experience is driving m-commerce

By Alastair Cole, Chief Innovation Officer at Partners Andrews Aldridge

It was always on the cards, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise – but the time is now. Customer experience on mobiles has eclipsed desktop. M-commerce has finally taken over from ecommerce.

For several years, we’ve seen a gradual shift towards mobile becoming the primary channel for retail sales. It was predicted that there would be an eventual tipping point, where online retail commerce would take place primarily on mobile devices as opposed to desktops. 2016 has proved to be that moment.

In a recent study of fashion Ecommerce customer experience, users were found to be 2.6% more likely to successfully complete a transaction on a mobile than on a desktop. The result is close, with 82% for desktop and 84.6% for mobile, but it’s a clear indication that change is happening - right now.

Changing shopping behaviours

The prevalence of downtime browsing on mobile devices can’t be ignored as a factor. Whether it’s on the Tube or on the sofa during an ad-break, people are increasingly using their free time to have a look at what’s out there. Say you’re browsing outfit inspiration for the summer. You’ve likely got a board on Pinterest dedicated to your new season wardrobe. And when you’ve added a product you like, it takes just one click to get you to the product’s website.

The retailer websites which provide the best customer experiences are taking the lead in converting browsers to buyers. Generating retail sales requires understanding how customers use popular browsing sites like Pinterest and Instagram, and providing click-through content that brings them directly to your site.

Customers are also using their devices for on-the-go browsing. With retailer websites so readily accessible, consumers are frequently using their devices to look for deals, research products, and compare prices. The immediacy of mobile browsing means the transition from ‘want’ to ‘buy’ can be shorter than ever.

M-commerce vs. the real world

So, which brands need to think about m-commerce? We know how easily mobile browsing can convert to sales, and brands need to recognise that an increasing number of consumers are using their devices to shop and to buy.

Mobile customer experience is absolutely vital for online-only retailers whose traffic will primarily come from online browsing. For these brands, it’s crucial that the transaction process on a mobile is as quick and seamless as possible. How often do we put an item in a basket on a mobile, get to the ‘checkout’, and give up once it’s asked for the 3rd line of your address? An online-only brand cannot afford to lose the customer at any point in the purchasing process.

Interacting with a brand through your device is just one of the multiple touchpoints which all brands now have available to them. It is now almost impossible for a consumer to solely engage with a brand through one point of contact, making it even more important that m-commerce is optimised to drive sales.

The net is wider, but the holes are bigger. So whilst a far-reaching approach may create more ways to engage and communicate with customers, it can also generate more ways to lose them.

What are customers looking for?

As more and more brands invest in mobile friendly sites, it’s becoming clearer what consumers are looking for and what exactly has pushed m-commerce to take the lead over ecommerce on sales. Best-in-class customer experience requires clean design with simple navigation, minimal clicks and form fields, and pop-up free browsing. No one wants to think their personal details are at risk thanks to a load of spammy pop-ups and hundreds of pages to work through.

So what’s the future? We know that too much complexity alienates customers and that great customer experience had a direct impact on the bottom line. The potential for m-commerce to help simplify and streamline the retail process is constantly growing. Seamless payment services such as Apple Pay make the physical transaction quicker than ever, while devices like beacons are merging the physical and digital world to mean m-commerce will also become the most enjoyable retail experience.

And quantifying customer experience on mobile is critical — until you know what’s underperforming, you don’t know where to invest. To report on this, organisations should also be measuring the channels that intersect with mobile, namely the offline/in-store experience and customer service channels. Only then can brands really understand the impact of their mobile customer experience on m-commerce.

To find out more about transforming customer experience, contact alastair.cole@enginegroup.com

Find out more at EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE with CXScore on Thursday 16th February 2017.

Sourcing Predictions 2017

(Past member) — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The sourcing world is changing fast, embracing new technology and ideas while transforming business models. 2017 will be another twelve months of evolution in the industry. Sourcingfocus.com has been asking what people predict for the industry in 2017.

“Organisations will be forced to think more radically about how they source services for their organisations. The blistering pace of technologically driven change means that the status quo that has been accepted for many years will now be challenged. The digital and automation revolution will continue to accelerate and impact more organisations in more significant ways.

In practice this means long standing outsourcing arrangements changing – outsource to in-house, in-house to outsource, changes in 3rd party supplier – with a view to transforming the capability of organisations. Decision makers who in the past often extended contracts as the most risk averse choice will now need to bite the bullet and change to alternative suppliers. The will expose poor Exit planning and inadequate knowledge management processes and systems.

For some organisations 2017 will be a year where that take off, for others it will be the year they start their terminal decline.” said Chris Halward, Global Standards Director of the Global Sourcing Association.

With that in mind it may be time to upskill with a GSA workshop, you can find out more here.

“2017 will continue to see an expansion of cloud and digital transformation initiatives. Many deals which might historically have been done as a form of outsourcing transaction will instead be recrafted as a cloud services arrangement” says Kit Burden of law firm DLA Piper.

Movement towards the cloud and digital services will continue to transform not just business life but home life as well. The introduction of technologies that utilise the cloud into all aspects of our lives is on the rise with devices such as Amazon’s Alexa a key example.

“Process standardisation through the cloud may be the single most important element for CFOs to put into action. The agility, dynamism and standardisation of cloud-based applications give companies the means to continually innovate, a competitive necessity in a business world that is constantly changing” says Andy Bottrill, Regional Vice President of BlackLine.

Benson Schliesser of Brocade says “Research into machine learning (ML) algorithms has been advancing for many years, but in 2016 we saw it storm onto the mainstream stage. ML algorithms can now be trained on all sorts of data, thanks to the availability of high-powered processors, “big data” collection architectures, and open source software implementations. And in 2017 we will continue to see ML expand in importance as a fundamental technology driving innovation in every industry.”

Robotics and AI also feature heavily in predictions for the industry in 2017. “AI has gradually been creeping into the business landscape for a couple of years now. In 2017 there will be a noticeable shift towards a broader incorporation of the technology. The latest robots have the ability to learn how to complete multiple jobs, so they can be plugged in practically anywhere along the supply chain” says Wendy Kent, COO at Matrix.

“The impact that Robotic Process Automation (RPA) will have on sourcing in 2017 should not be underestimated. According to intelligence firm, Research and Markets, the global RPA market is expected to reach $8.75 billion by 2024 (up from $0.183 billion in 2013), as companies increasingly scramble to take advantage of the enhanced accuracy, cost savings and scalability that RPA promises to deliver” notes Laurie Padua, Director of Technology and Operations Consulting, Alexander Mann Solutions.

The GSA is running a ‘How to make RPA and AI work’ workshop in London on 22/02/2017. Click here to find out more.

“Customer service has become an integral part of creating a successful brand and, as a result, many companies are placing customer experience at the heart of their business. This means that we have seen a shift in the relationship between brands and third-party BPOs. Rather than acting as an external service provider, BPOs now work closely with their customers to becoming a truly collaborative partner - one that can transform business processes and introduce innovation to better serve the company and customers. It is likely that this close collaboration will continue in 2017 and beyond.” says David Potter, SVP – Business Development at Firstsource Solutions.

You can learn more on how to improve the customer experience your organisation offers at ‘Excellence in Customer Experience’.

Tom Kemp, CEO of Centrify notes how cyber security will change over 2017. “In 2017, we’ll see a renewed effort by government regulators to accelerate the implementation of security technologies. Ignoring the regulations or inching toward adherence will no longer be acceptable. Extensive progress will be expected – and required.”

“Brexit has brought upon many uncertainties to European outsourcing, especially in relation to IT staff augmentation. Ultimately, it depends on what trade and immigration agreements are made between the UK and other EU countries. If they remain similar to the current EU agreements, then the level of skills provided by non-UK EU workers will remain broadly the same. However, if EU workers have to re-apply for visas or are limited in numbers, this is when we will see a massive skills gap develop” says Robert Barbus, Operations Director of Soitron Group on the future of Britain outside the EU.

Britain’s Trade Deficit on The Rise

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Britain’s trade deficit widened to £4.2 billion in November as imports grew rapidly before the Christmas period. The weaker pound meant imports were priced higher however retailers have so far managed to shield consumers from the price rises. 2017 is likely to see a squeeze on consumer spending, as pointed out by retail giant Next last week. Exports grew by £700 million providing some relief to the government ahead of Brexit negotiations. Click here to find out more.

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Learndirect Expands IT Managed Services Contract with Trustmarque

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Trustmarque Solutions Limited (part of Capita PLC) have announced an expansion to its multi-million-pound managed services contract with learndirect, the UK’s largest provider of skills, training and employment services. This second phase of the contract will see Trustmarque transform and deliver learndirect’s technology architecture, property IT services, software development and testing, project management and service management over the next five years. You can learn more here.

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Sourcing is what the procurement function does, right?

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

An interesting article on the future of procurement and sourcing from betterbuyingconcepts.com. The digital revolution is quickly changing the objectives of a Chief Sourcing Officer as procurement must play a larger role in sourcing new solutions and service offerings. This article from betterbuyingconcepts.com looks at the changes that the profession is undergoing and the new priorities that are emerging in the sector.

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Best Practice in Sourcing Can Save an Organisation Millions

(Past member) — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Jim Hemmington, Procurement Director at the BBC tells us about how sourcing and the Global Sourcing Standard has helped the BBC and saved the organisation millions.

"With the Digital age coming, competition is growing for the BBC – we had fixed income via the Licence Fee income but big competitors with big bags of cash were coming thick and fast from places we never even expected - today Netflix is one of our most feared competitors.

So we needed drastic action. Part of that action was this - a programme of rapid outsourcing. That started in 1996 with Finance and now includes activities like collection of the Licence fee, audience services, technology, playout of our channels, and transmission.

Because we did so much outsourcing relatively quickly we learned quickly and now some of our contracts are 2nd even 3rd generation. We have found and, still find, incidences where we didn’t really know best practice, or how to get to it. It can be very confusing – for example we have seen suppliers in the same market telling us to measure different things and consequently some contracts having 100s of KPIs and others having just a handful. And in the same vein in the area of risk, we found some suppliers enthusiastically taking on risk, like volume risk, while others told us it would be cheaper to manage the risk itself. But while we continued to address these types of issues and thought we had become excellent at outsourcing, we didn’t really know how good we were, so I wanted to find experts that could check our work and appraise what we were doing objectively. That brought us to the NOA (now GSA).

So first what was the process? What did we find in going through accreditation and achieving the standard?

The benefits are compelling. For the BBC if we can achieve the improvements identified from the accreditation process, and I am confident we will, I expect to see not only better and more collaborative relationships emerging as a result, but reduced acquisition costs of between 4-7%, that could convert across our entire outsourced portfolio into annual savings of £24m (4%) or £42m (7%) for the BBC, or 5 quality dramas (Night Manager or Poldark, Happy Valley), at a time when we are having to cut services.

But, also, I’m so pleased to have the opportunity to be a part of the Standards Advisory Group, promoting the standard and the accreditation process, to achieve it, because it would be fantastic to see it in action and help establish the obvious benefits that could be played out right across the industry for buyers and service providers alike.

I’m already supporting Kerry Hallard in discussions with the UK’s National Audit Office, to implement the standard across the public sector. Imagine the impact of a 4-7% across the UK Government’s outsourced spend of £15b pa (£1b over in savings), plus what could be a near to equivalent saving on the supply side. But it’s not just applicable to the big organisations doing big deals, it will give equally give buyers and suppliers of all sizes, especially smaller organisations where cost is such a huge driver, a means to create value and help sustain their business relationships more efficiently and make these organisations more competitive. The impact globally of course could be breath-taking! The GSA standard is a development with which the future must reckon and reckon seriously! Why would you not take part!"

If you want to learn more about best practice in sourcing why not attend the GSA workshop Outsourcing lifecycle and best practice.

Accenture & Blue Prism in RPA Alliance

(Past member) — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Accenture and Blue Prism, a leading provider of enterprise robotic process automation (RPA) software, are working together to provide RPA solutions to help organizations across industries automate a wide range of business processes for reduced costs, improved compliance and increased productivity. More than 40 organizations have already selected Accenture and Blue Prism to help achieve this, including international retailer Circle K and Raiffeisen Bank International. The alliance combines Accenture’s global reach and cross industry expertise with Blue Prism’s RPA software robots to provide the next generation of the “digital workforce”.

To read more, click here.

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Car Industry Could be Omen for Trump Presidency

(Past member) — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

The car industry is seemingly bowing to pressure from the President-Elect with Fiat-Chrysler and Ford changing investment plans, focusing on US manufacturing as oppose to factories in Mexico. Many will see this as the beginning of a more inward-looking America which could spell problems for the sourcing industry. Maybe the offshoring industry will take a hit as the US looks to focus on ‘made in the USA’ but domestic providers could see real growth. Adapting to the market is one of the sourcing industries most valuable characteristics, it may need it to face a future with Mr Trump.

To read more, click here.

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New Record for New Cars Sold in UK

(Past member) — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

2016 was a record year for new car sales according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) with sales 2% higher than in 2015, the previous high. However, the SMMT are predicting a weaker performance this year thanks in part to the falling value of the pound pushing up domestic prices. More than 85% of UK cars are imported, the loss of access to the single market could see some cars gain over £1,500 in price.

To read the report by the SMMT, please click here.

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IBM Thinks Big for the Next 5 Years

(Past member) — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

IBM has released predictions for five scientific advancements and changes that will affect our lives in the next five years. IBM have based their predictions around changing market and social trends beside research from IBM’s own research labs. The five predictions include the effects of AI in combating mental health issues, hyperimaging, macroscopes, smart sensors and medical labs “on a chip” that will serve as nanotechnology health detectives.

To read the full report on the predictions from IBM, click here.

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The Possibilities of Alexa

(Past member) — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

AI has been in our homes for years but thanks to Amazon’s Alexa we can now all experience a AI that not long ago would have featured in science fiction. ComputerWeekly.com has been considering the potential for AI in our households. Although it is early days for Amazon’s push for home AI, the potential for the future is massive, with a range of potential tasks that the programme could complete if integrated into the home.

To read the report by ComputerWeekly.com, click here.

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A Year of Transition Ahead

(Past member) — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

HfS (Horses for Sources) have been investigating what is in store for the world in 2017, suggesting that the digital economy will remain the focus of growth leaving the legacy of the past world behind. It rightly suggests that the best thing is to embrace the changes and tailor education and infrastructure to the new digital world. We are in a transition phase, moving towards a digital and global economy, however some will try to fight this (some notable names of 2016 come to mind) but the foundations for this change are in place.

To read the article by HfS, click here.

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The future of new technologies

(Past member) — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

We invite you to read an interview that we conducted during this year’s programming hackathon on 8 October at JCommerce. Marcin Szeliga is a data philosopher and independent consultant, who for 20 years now has worked with SQL Server on a professional level. During the break between lectures and the competition for database developers, at which he served as a mentor, he agreed to answer our questions about the future of information technology, careers of the future and artificial intelligence.

During the inauguration lecture of our hackathon, you said that over the next 20 years the world will change more than it did over the previous 200 years. If so, then for sure a lot of professions that we know today will disappear. So which do you think will carry on or will develop anew? Which profession is the best choice, for ourselves or our children?

First, you need to have an open mind, there is no point deluding oneself that common patterns will work in the future. I think everything will change ever faster. Perhaps those young people who have come here today to take part in the workshops and competition represent the last generation for whom driving will be a common skill. For the next generation it might just be a hobby like horseback riding for us, and most people will have cars which will drive themselves to the destination point. And that means you have to be very open to change. The most valuable professions, the most prospective, will be all the jobs that are associated with data - that's for sure. So the job of a statistician, an analyst, but also an engineer. There will also be some professions which are strictly related to the humanities, such as a psychologist, who will lend us an ear, or the arts, so the professions which either cannot be or which we will not want to be computerized.

So then which jobs will become obsolete?

All those in which humans had to learn some rules and now apply them, such as, for example, primary care physician, lawyer and translator. These are professions in which computers have now taken over from humans. How many of us are treated by Dr. Google? In the future, instead of blindly pestering Google, we will have a computer equipped with artificial intelligence, which actually studied medicine which means that it learned on real cases - what the symptoms are, what the causes are, what happens to a person during illness, and how to treat it. And such a computer, just as it plays chess today, will someday be able to diagnose patients - perhaps even more effectively than a human doctor.

So apart from programmers, not many of us can sleep soundly?

Not necessarily, because on the other hand, there are also jobs that can be computerized, but have not been. Some time ago I worked on a project for a garbage truck that gets around without a garbage man or a driver. And indeed several such garbage trucks were produced. It was a pretty good prototype, actually went round in the morning without human involvement, and the computer and sensors controlled the mechanical arm which gathered up the trash, and the garbage truck continued on. But in the end the project was abandoned. The arm didn’t always manage to pick up the trash, or the garbage bins were not always in the right place, or someone had forgotten to put them out, or they were hidden somewhere. Probably it could have been figured out, but in the end it was definitely cheaper to just hire people to do the job. And it is quite distinctive. Once upon a time in fantasy books or science-fiction movies, it was machines or robots that twisted the screws and did the worst jobs, and people functioned as managers. But now it turns out that it is often quite the opposite. In shopping centers, logistics centers and loading bays, the computer tells the worker where to go, and a man with a speaker in his ear hears: six steps to the left, two steps to the right, the third shelf, raise your hands ... These roles can be completely reversed.

It’s a bit like in the Matrix…

It could turn out in one of many ways, as computers are very good at making decisions and, increasingly often, we let them. For example, in the recent high-profile case of driverless cars, which from time to time will have to decide, for example, whether to kill a passenger or a pedestrian who forced his way onto the road.

So the most important roles will be played by the programmers, right?

Well, not quite. Because artificial intelligence is not programmed. At least not in the sense that there are sets of rules that we have input, and now the machine must abide by them. No. It works like this: at the beginning we put some data into the machine. Information, figures, some content. For example, a model of artificial intelligence, which was asked to write an essay, had previously learned the content from Wikipedia. As it read, it received the command: contribute your opinion. There were no rules which would have regulated this process in advance.

Well, but if we do not implement rules at the start, we may completely lose control of the process. As with the example of the bot which was supposed to learn how to interact with Twitter users. The result was that it turned into a racist Hitler-lover, a ‘hater’ to all around, and had to be switched off ... And this driverless car which we talked about, based purely on data, would probably sacrifice the person who was older, in worse physical condition, or of less importance to society. Because such is the logic of data. But it is socially unacceptable.

I think that it will. Because data changes the way of thinking, the paradigm is changing. Today we have your beliefs, your views, so in science we have hypotheses. After they have been constructed we set out to verify them, we draw some conclusions and get to work. In this model which I am talking about, there is no initial hypothesis. Only data - text, a number, a picture. Then there's the model, meaning that we have learned something from the data, first came the abstraction, then the generalization, we have some rules, but the rules are derived from the data. And only with these rules are we able to draw any conclusions. And because there is so much data, everything is somehow connected to each other, this model turns out to be not so terrible. We can tell it: learn from this data, then verify it using different data. And then something arises, which was missing in the approach based on one’s belief system: it conflicts with empirical evidence. This way I can very easily judge whether I was right or not.

I don’t know if you know, but it has been estimated that as many as 70-90% of scientific papers, especially in the field of medicine, are falsified. The conclusions drawn are simply untrue. Why? Because someone had their hypothesis, perhaps even somehow reached it objectively, for example, he had a group of patients, he found something noteworthy. On this basis, he developed a hypothesis, then generalized it to all of us. But without the support of the data. Because really the result came first, and the data was adjusted to fit later. Because the data can easily be juggled, if we already have our conclusions before we even start.

Okay. But people have a tendency to impose rules. Just as medicine has bioethics, which prohibits certain tests and treatments, purely because of convictions, there may be a need for such regulation in computer science, the creation of infoethics ...

I don’t know what it would look like, but it would be very interesting. Perhaps it will turn out this way, but at this stage, however, it is still science fiction.

Well, yes, because we are talking about artificial intelligence, which is also still just science fiction. But now let's focus on something that is more real. The analysis of Big Data. Is it ethical to analyze all the data on network activity, payments, GPS positions? Theoretically we are able to connect all this data to a particular person, say, a Social Security number and know almost everything about him, even the most personal, intimate details.

That’s true. And it actually happened some time ago. There’s a book, Dataclysm, or data cataclysm, about how much computers know about us. The book was written by an American who ran an online dating site. It’s a specific kind of site where you can lie about certain issues, but you can’t, for example, lie about your preferences, because you want to meet a person who you find interesting, not the opposite. So there are aspects of your privacy which you have to tell the truth about, and yet these are things that you wouldn’t want to read about yourself in the paper. It’s amazing how much people are willing to tell you about themselves after all. The analysis of such data allows us to build a complete profile. As being off-line is slowly becoming a kind of luxury, so privacy is already a luxury nowadays.

That’s why we’re starting to see regulations come into effect. The European Union ratified the ‘right to be forgotten’ last year - so these are the first steps to giving us back the rights to our data.

That’s true. But on the other hand, we know that the Americans, the Russians, the Chinese and others are also listening to and recording all the telephone calls in the world, all emails, anything you have ever said or written. There are people who analyze and archive it for some reason. The technology already allows it - the storage and processing of data is now so cheap that governments are able to do it. Being anonymous is really a luxury, but it seems to me that people don’t really want it. They are able to put a lot about themselves out there online. It’s true that if we want to enjoy the benefits of the Internet, we need to share data. The system needs to know about us. And that’s okay. However, in using our data, we must take into account the benefits and drawbacks. We sell our data for tangible benefits. And the problem lies in the fact that in reality we sell data for below its true value. Or even for a song.

Okay. We’ve gone off topic a bit. Since there are so many unknowns and so many threats, what decisions about the future can we make to minimize this risk, even a little? Even if only in a professional sense, where to start?

The key word is data. There’s more and more and there’s going to be more still. We generate it, devices generate it, and soon we will process it on an even greater, unprecedented scale. So, people who deal with this data, plus those who have an open mind, will be increasingly indispensable. Anyway, for now there is a lack of them, good professionals are always lacking in these developing fields. In a year’s time they’ll be lacking even more, and in two years more still.

But won’t it be another ‘golden direction’? Twenty years ago, parents dreamed that their children would become doctors or lawyers. Nowadays management is most fashionable. And everybody has a tertiary degree. And now they have nowhere to work. Isn’t it going to be the same all over again? What if a machine ends up taking the place of this analyst?

That’s true. After twenty years it might actually turn out that these professions related to information technology which we know today will no longer exist. Today, however, universities are not able to turn out as many graduates as the labor market needs. Information technology today is changing the world and drives development in its entirety. It changes the scientific approach; it affects all areas of the economy and human activity. Twenty years is not all that short-term a perspective. It seems to me that during these next twenty years, the outlook in terms of IT specialists won’t worsen. And what comes next? After that, we simply don’t know, nobody can predict what will happen.

Marcin Szeliga, Data Scientist, JCommerce SA

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Brexit Bites Back in 2017

(Past member) — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

We are not even a week into 2017 and already Brexit is dominating the headlines as it probably will do for most of the year. Top EU ambassador Sir Ivan Rogers, has resigned his post, leaving a stinging letter for his staff, hinting at the reasons for his decision. A mixed response in general to his resignation, remain campaigners calling it disaster and Brexit campaigners saying it is about time. Brexit will be a big topic for UK business in the coming 12 months as the path towards leaving the union is slowly laid down. You can read more on the story here.

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Retailers Face Tough Year

(Past member) — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

High street retailer Next has warned of a difficult year ahead after sales fell in the pre-Christmas period. The retail industry is likely to face continued pressure in 2017 as prices rise, putting pressure on consumer spending. The BRC (British Retail Consortium) has warned that the industry could face tough challenges in 2017 after noting the start in an upward trend in prices in the final months of 2016. Many in the industry may use innovation and digital technology to cut costs and increase output.

To read more from the BRC, click here.

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UK Behind on Tech Start-Ups

(Past member) — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

According to Gary Shapiro, attending the CES tech show, the UK governments support for tech start-ups is embarrassing, trailing France and the Netherlands. Many countries set up stalls to advertise tech start-ups from their countries at the well-attended event however the UK was not among them. UK companies have complained before about the UK’s lack of investment and support for start-up tech firms and many hope that change is on the way. To illustrate the point, 55 UK companies are attending CES, France has 248.

To find out more, click here.

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Brexit to Unravel Red Tape

(Past member) — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

In the Economist this week is an interesting article about the effect of Brexit on the regulations that effect British industry and procurement. The red tape that surrounds much of the EU has of course spilled over into and untangling the web would be a daunting challenge. Areas such as manufacturing, regulatory bodies and public procurement will all face change as the UK leaves the European Union. You can read the article here.

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Cyber Crime Continues Increasing in 2016

(Past member) — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The BBC is reporting that insurance claims for data breaches are being made at a rate of more than one a day. The figures come from CFC Underwriting which says it dealt with over 400 claims cyber-breach policies in the year of 2016. The main focus of the attacks was to steal data or cash according to the firm. “Cyber-insurance was becoming necessary to help firms cope with the volume of attacks they faced everyday” said Graeme Newman, chief innovation officer at CFC Underwriting. For more on the story, click here.

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Intelligence Agencies need to work together on Cyber-Crime

(Past member) — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Britain's intelligence agencies need to do more to help regulators protect the financial services industry from cyber-crime, the head of an influential parliamentary committee said on Monday according to Reuters. "It is essential that the intelligence community gives the regulators the technical and practical support they need to do their job. This means making sure that financial cyber-crime has a high priority, and is not subordinate to other work," said Andrew Tyrie, a lawmaker in the ruling Conservative Party. To learn more, click here.

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HfS Release RPA Premier League 2016 Table

(Past member) — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

HfS has released their 2016 RPA Premier League table, providing a list of the big players in the industry as we move into 2017. The table assessors the competitive landscape of service providers in two categories: Transformation Enablers and Automation Pure Plays. The report focuses on implementations not just broader advisory services or tool selection projects. This is fascinating report for the end of 2016 with the changes predicted for the coming year. You can learn more by clicking here.

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More news about HfS from sourcingfocus.com: HfS Research & GSA Announce Global Partnership

South Africa - Three Times Winner of Outsourcing Destination of the Year

(Past member) — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

South Africa is steadily asserting itself as a key global hub for the BPO, LPO and call centre services sectors in 2017 and beyond.

Ranked 74th on the World Bank's ‘Ease of doing business report’, it is placed well above those regions it views as being its main competitors - India (130) and the Philippines (99) - scoring highly in topics such as protection of minority investors, obtaining credit and paying taxes. What’s more, The World Economic Forum ranked South Africa among the top 50 countries, noting its innovation investment (making South Africa the region’s most innovative economy), its efficient financial markets (placing among the top 15 in the world) and its strong institutions and robust legal framework. Plus, of course, South Africa recently won the ‘Outsourcing Destination of the Year 2016’ at the GSA UK Awards, it’s third victory in the category in five years.

The sourcing delivery destination has been working hard to continuously improve the business environment that the country can offer. The first world infrastructure is a particular draw for service providers, with world class airports, good road systems and a capable digital infrastructure. With such a robust telecoms and transport infrastructure already in place and well established, the cost of operating a business in the country has been rapidly falling, making it an attractive competitor for business investment. Thanks to time zone similarities (South Africa is two hours ahead of the UK) and direct flights from London airports, South Africa also claims an advantage over its competitors with ease of access.

The highly skilled and English speaking workforce is also comparatively cheap, with wages roughly half that of the equivalent UK worker. South Africa’s strong higher education system provides plenty of graduates with perfect English language skills. Alongside this, many South African companies have been using impact sourcing, a practice supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, designed to reduce poverty by offering career development opportunities to people who otherwise would have limited prospects for formal employment due to poverty.

Many large organisations have already set up operations in South Africa including Amazon.com, Bloomberg, TalkTalk, Lufthansa and British Gas. Four of the leading six UK contact centre service providers have operations in the country including Capita and Serco, and organisations such as State Street, Old Mutual and Prudential also leverage South Africa’s robust legal and financial services systems as well as its pool of talented graduates. Further, numerous leading law firms already have operations there, including Eversheds, Hogan Lovells and Pinsent Masons.

Summary

Thanks to low comparative costs, the high standard of living and the comparatively low risk stability of South Africa in the region, many will consider South Africa a great option for shared services and contact centre services. Boasting a vibrant and dynamic democracy with a credible opposition, the South African economy and business future will continue to offer great potential for a wide variety of services. The OECD predicts economic growth to strengthen in 2017 and 2018 thanks in part to continuing infrastructure improvements, consumption and investment.

Although the South African government needs to stick to its consolidation path to maintain its competitive business environment, the region has undoubtedly risen above its competitors for the past decade and will remain a key market for BPO, LPO and call centre services sectors for the foreseeable future

UK Inflation on the Rise

(Past member) — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

UK inflation rose to 1.2% in November, the highest figure since October 2014. Clothing, restaurants and fuel were responsible for most of the rise with falls in air fares, non-alcoholic drinks and food. Many expect the weaker pound to push up prices over the coming years. For more information, click here.

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Microsoft Awards Accenture Seven-Year Contract Extension

(Past member) — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Microsoft has awarded Accenture a seven-year contract extension to continue providing finance and accounting and procurement business process services. Accenture will leverage artificial intelligence, automation and analytics capabilities to deliver better business insights and help Microsoft increase productivity and efficiency. Sean McNamara, managing director for Accenture’s Communications, Media & Technology business, said, “Our relationship with Microsoft is one of the industry’s great examples of what two organizations can achieve in a long-term, sustained collaboration that’s focused on driving business outcomes.”

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KPMG Warns Against Brexit Complacency

(Past member) — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

According to ComputerWeekly.com, KPMG has warned British business not to be complacent over GDPR requirements because of Brexit. Despite uncertainty as to the future of Brexit negotiations, GFPR requirements will still be followed to trade in the Euro Zone. GDPR regulation will attempt to unify data protection rules from across the continent. To read more about GDPR requirements, click here.

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Transport for London will use Data to Reduce Congestion

(Past member) — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

A plan to reduce traffic congestion on London’s roads by increasing the use of technology will be discussed by TfL’s board in the coming days. TfL’s open data strategy which provides information for developers to create new products has already spawned over 500 applications according to Publictechnology.net. TfL will work with the likes of Google to create new programmes to reduce congestion. If you want to read more on the story, click here.

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Motorcycle Manufacturer hopes to Utilise Digital Process

(Past member) — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

An interesting article in The Economist about the use of digital manufacturing caught my eye this week. A new firm named Vanguard hopes to compete with the big motorcycle producers by using digital manufacturing and 3D computer manufacturing where the product exists and can tested in the digital world well before it is in the physical one. The motorbike was unveiled to the New York Motorcycle show earlier this month.

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UK Economy Faces Slower Growth

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) has predicted that the UK economy will face slower growth in the future, as worries about Brexit and higher inflation hit consumers and business. Crucially, the BCC predict that the UK will avoid recession but will lose momentum as the effects of the weaker pound push up the cost of imports, eroding purchasing power. You can read more of the story here, at the Guardian website.

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Supply Chain Visibility Falls

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The Supply Chain Resilience Report, published by the Business Continuity Institute and supported by Zurich Insurance Group has highlighted that supply chain disruptions have fallen from 74% to 70%. However, the report says that worryingly, supply chain disruptions have cost one in three organisations more than €1m in the last year. To read more of the story, visit SupplyManagement.com.

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The Game of Hacking

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The BBC have reported that a Turkish hacking group has turned web attacks into a game by rewarding people who successfully hit designated targets. Hackers score points for breaking into sites owned by companies that oppose the Turkish government which can then be cashed for prizes. To read more about this, click here for the BBC article.

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UK Trade Gap Narrows

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

According to Reuters, Britain’s trade deficit narrowed in October although there were little sign exports were getting much help from sterling's fall. However, the previous three months of trade deficit was revised upwards, dampening the good news. Official figures also showed a fall in construction output which, along with industrial production figures from earlier in the month, offered a less cheery picture of the economy than upbeat business surveys. To read more, click here and visit the Reuters site.

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Nordic Focus on the Cloud for 2017

(Past member) — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

According to ComputerWeekly.com, the adoption of cloud technology will be a top priority for the Nordic region in 2017. More than half of respondents to the Computer Weekly/TechTarget research believe spending on cloud technology will rise in 2017 while 43% expect IT budgets as a whole to rise with only 27% expecting a fall. You can read more of the article here.

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Gearing up for the Internet of Things

(Past member) — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

An article in the latest issue of the Economist focuses upon the transition of Siemens and General Electric to the Internet of Things and how both firms are approaching the new technology. It is worth a read as both companies are approaching the evolution differently. Other companies and organisations will want to know what happens when operating technology, as represented by GE and Siemens, properly meets information technology. The first tends to be organised in vertical, industry-specific silos, such as machine tools and medical equipment. The second typically comes in horizontal, widely used layers, such as computer operating systems. Bringing it all together could go badly wrong.

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London Stock Exchange Welcomes SL Financial Community

(Past member) — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The London Stock Exchange Group underlined its long term presence in Sri Lanka by calling on the country’s financial community to engage with them and also expressed interest in offering expertise for future Government projects including public-private partnerships. LSEG yesterday announced the opening of its new state-of-the-art technology facility in Sri Lanka. London Stock Exchange Group Chairman Donald Brydon was upbeat of Sri Lanka’s future and insisted the country has “enormous potential” to attract investment, especially in the IT industry. To read more about this story, click here.

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IIAR Analyst of the Year 2016 and IIAR Analyst Firm of the Year 2016

(Past member) — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The IIAR analyst of the year 2016 is Phil Fersht from HfS Research (LinkedIn, @pfersht). Phil was runner up in the award last year, behind Julie Short of Gartner. This is a hat-trick for Phil as was he was also a previous winner of the award in 2010 and 2011. Congratulations once again to Phil. He is obviously doing something right!

For more, please click here.

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NPS is flawed for measuring customer experience

(Past member) — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

NPS is flawed for measuring customer experience

“NPS is becoming less prolific for decision making - there are now better measures.”

- Rachel Lane, Director Voice of the Customer Analytics, Verint (Speaking at Customer Experience World, May 20th to 21st 2015)

We all live in an increasingly complex digital and omni-channel world. And businesses are under pressure to deliver a seamless and connected experience to their customers.

At the NOA’s 2016 Symposium (before the GSA rebrand), I talked about how outsourcing and technology providers could approach working with digital partners to deliver great customer experiences. One of the key factors is measurement - if you don’t know what’s underperforming, how do you where to invest for the biggest return?

This question of ROI is particularly valid to ambitious businesses because there is clear evidence that better CX positively impacts revenue. Gartner research suggests 86% of customers would for pay more for better customer experience, and Forrester has 5+ years of data showing that CX leaders grow revenue faster than CX laggards.

So what’s wrong with using NPS to measure CX? One way to illustrate this is using a true story from my office that happened last week.

My colleague Phil found and ordered a birthday gift for his friend, from an independent seller on Amazon. Having taken responsibility for fulfilment, Amazon informed him 40 minutes before delivery that it would be 24 hours late - missing the party. He was rightly very annoyed and engaged Amazon’s customer service team to arrange compensation.

The day after this all happened, Amazon emailed Phil asking him to rate the seller on a scale of 1 to 5. Phil scored them a 1 - which seems fair, given the item never arrived. However, this one-off score only serves to indicate how Phil was feeling about the whole experience, when asked.

It was not an accurate reflection of Amazon’s intuitive search functionality; or the great content created by the seller that answered Phil’s questions; or the seamless way he was able to add the product to his basket and then check out.

And that’s the problem with NPS - when you base your feedback on a single question you fail to take into account the growing number of functional aspects associated with great customer experience.

It’s great if you want to take a snapshot of brand perception. But to measure the real complexities of digital customer experience? It’s still too simplistic and emotionally-focussed. What we always believed was needed was a performance indicator fit for 2017 and beyond. That’s why we created CX Score.

CX Score is our measurement product here at Engine, and is designed to have three views - one for each of the three key factors of customer experience.

● A data view compiled from select web analytics metrics

● A user view gathered through experience lab testing with hand-picked customers

● An expert view based on the heuristic analysis of our CX team

We apply a weighted scoring algorithm to the metrics that underpin these views, and produce a single score for your brand. The detail behind each view, and the ultimate rolled-up CX Score, can be viewed in a custom dashboard.

So, CX Score does work in a similar way to NPS in that it is able to report a single figure to the business on a regular basis. However, with 50+ metrics contributing to the score and our in-depth analysis of your digital touch-points we’re able to make strong recommendations based on current under-performance.

Although CX Score works alongside existing marketing initiatives, we know it won’t be right for everyone. Which is fine because ultimately what we care about is increasing the quality of digital customer experiences, whether they’ve been improved by us or someone else. As long as the changes enhance people’s lives, we’re happy.

Which is why we’re hosting an event dedicated to CX and in association with the GSA, titled Excellence in Customer Experience.

It takes place on the afternoon of Thursday 16th February 2017 at The Engine Group’s offices on Gt Portland St in Central London.

What we’ll cover on the day

● Presentation of highlights from The Engine Group’s UK retail ecommerce report - and learnings for the outsourcing community

● A case study illustrating how improving CX can have a direct effect on revenue

● Interactive Working Groups that will review and score the CX of well-known British and international brands

● An expert panel discussion on the new technologies driving the real improvements to customer experience

● Networking drinks reception with peers across the UK’s customer experience industry

● FREE copy of The Engine Group’s UK retail ecommerce report

We’d love to see you there and to continue the conversation further.

There should be a really good mix people attending - from independent thought leaders and Engine clients through to CX practitioners, research analysts and data scientists. Book your place today!

GSA Excellence in Customer Experience in association with CXScore

(Past member) — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

We all live in an increasingly digital and omni-channel world, and businesses are under pressure to deliver a seamless and connected experience to their customers. Join the GSA at the Excellence in Customer Experience in association with CXScore on Thursday 16th February 2017. The event will cover topics such as how improving CX (customer experience) can have a direct effect on revenue and how new technologies driving the real improvements to customer experience. Find out more here.

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Sri Lanka Slips to 103rd in Global Enabling Trade Index

(Past member) — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Sri Lanka’s ranking in enabling international trade has worsened during the past two years forcing the country slip down in the latest global ranking. According to the Global Enabling Trade Report 2016 published by the influential World Economic Forum and the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, Sri Lanka was ranked at 103rd out of 136 countries. In the previous ranking released in 2014, Sri Lanka was placed at 96. The Enabling Trade Index (ETI) assesses the extent to which economies have in place the factors facilitating the free flow of goods over borders and to their destination. Read more here.

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Top 4 Emerging Trends Impacting the Global Engineering Services Outsourcing Market

(Past member) — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Technavio’s latest report on the global engineering services outsourcing (ESO) market provides an analysis on the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook from 2016-2020. The top four emerging trends driving the global engineering services outsourcing according to Technavio information and communications technology research analysts are: Emergence of artificial intelligence and machine learning, Evolution of industrial IoT, Growing trend of engaging clients with consulting services, Nearshoring and growing captive operations in emerging countries. Find out more here.

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Uber Launches Artificial Intelligence Lab

(Past member) — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Ride-sharing service Uber has acquired a New York-based artificial intelligence start-up which it hopes can speed up its progress in creating self-driving cars. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, will see Uber gain 15 specialist researchers who will form a new division at the company known as Uber AI Labs. Geometric Intelligence’s co-founder Gary Marcus told the BBC the team would have a wide brief - ranging from improving traffic predictions to working towards a future of flying cars. Read more here.

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GSA Awards Showcase 2017

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The GSA is hosting an awards showcase in February, highlighting the winning projects from the GSA UK Awards. This is an opportunity to gain inspiration for your own projects from critically acclaimed projects. Members of the GSA will be there to give tips as to how you may lift a trophy in 2017. If you are hoping for victory in 2017, this is a great opportunity, register now at the GSA UK website.

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Other GSA Events on sourcingfocus.

Trump Warns US Firms Outsourcing Jobs Abroad

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

US President-elect Donald Trump has warned that US companies would face "consequences" for outsourcing jobs abroad, as he touted his early success in persuading an air conditioner maker to keep about 1,000 jobs in the country rather than move them to Mexico. We knew that a president Trump would push protectionist policies but signalling so early after the election the importance that anti-globalisation will play in his possible agenda is a concern. You can read more here. For more information, you can watch this video from Reuters.

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Italy PM Resigns After Referendum Defeat

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has resigned after suffering a heavy defeat in a referendum over his plan to reform the constitution. This will be seen as a further blow to establishment parties in European elections, with long term concerns over the Italian economy and the health of the European Union. The Italian economy has been struggling with high debts, sluggish growth and a weak set of financial institutions. For more information, click here.

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Number of UK Agency Workers 'To Reach One Million' By 2020

(Past member) — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The number of agency workers is set to reach one million by 2020 if current growth trends continue, according to Resolution Foundation research. The current number of 865,000 has grown by 30% since 2011, it said. Last week, the government announced a review into modern working practices which will likely address the changing way we work. For more information, click here.

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For more on UK employment, click here.

ISG Acquires Alsbridge in Transformational Combination

(Past member) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Information Services Group, Inc. (ISG) today announced the acquisition of Alsbridge Holdings, Inc., a U.S.-based sourcing, automation and transformation advisory firm, to create a new industry powerhouse in technology research, advisory and digital transformation services. The "new" ISG will serve more than 700 blue-chip clients – including 75 of the 100 largest enterprises in the world – up 35 percent from ISG alone, and its global team will grow by approximately 20 percent, to 1,300 research and advisory professionals. "This is an exciting and historic moment for our firm and all of our stakeholders," said Michael P. Connors, chairman and chief executive officer of ISG.

For more analysis, check out Horses for Sources analysis of the deal.

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Sourcing Predictions 2017 with the GSA

(Past member) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The move in recent years to find new ways of articulating the value that suppliers believe are the real benefits of outsourcing has included discussion about how the industry defines itself. It is my view that in the next few years, we will see a split – between those business partners that move inexorably towards the ‘vested’ model and those that remain committed to the long established ‘purchase and supply’ commodity model.

William Carson, GSA A-List Member, Head of Market Engagement, Teleperformance UK

The future of the sourcing industry will be debated at Sourcing Predictions 2017, a GSA event on the 15th of December at Linklaters, 1 Silk St, London. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the trends affecting the sourcing industry.

GSA Sourcing Predictions 2017, click here.

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Sri Lankan Tourism Continues to Grow

(Past member) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Flight bookings for travel to Sri Lanka during the next five months shows a modest 1.3 percent growth compared with the same time last year, according to tourism analytics firm ForwardKeys. “Our data shows that Sri Lanka deserves congratulations on a tremendous year for attracting visitors. In a competitive environment, continued effort will be needed to keep up the impressive rate of growth,” Jameson Wong, ForwardKeys, director of business development, APAC, said. In-depth analysis shows a choppy pattern. Bookings for December and January are respectively 3.5 percent and 4.1 percent ahead, but February and March are 9.8 percent and 21.3 percent behind, the company said.

For more information, click here.

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TalkTalk and Post Office routers hit by cyber-attack

(Past member) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Thousands of TalkTalk and Post Office customers have had their internet access cut by an attack targeting certain types of internet routers. It is not yet known who is responsible for the attack. The attack involves the use of a modified form of the Mirai worm - a type of malware that is spread via hijacked computers, which causes damage to equipment powered by Linux-based operating systems.

To learn more, click here.

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US and UK government expand surveillance powers

(Past member) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

In an article on ComputerWeekly.com, it has been noted that the US has introduced wide new hacking powers for federal agents a day after the UK's Investigatory Powers Act firmed up bulk surveillance powers for intelligence and polices services. Changes to the US federal code of criminal procedure allow judges to issue search warrants that give the FBI the authority to remotely access computers in any jurisdiction, reports Reuters. It’s an interesting article and again emphasises the importance of the cyber security industry to the future of business.

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Ireland Falls Behind in Cybersecurity

(Past member) — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The government agency tasked with safeguarding the state and critical national infrastructure from cyberattacks is significantly under-resourced and has limited capacity to respond to such events, according to The Times. Internal documents show that the National Cyber Security Centre needs a significant increase in investment to adopt EU security requirements and thwart attacks on government infrastructure and major companies.

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More news from Sourcingfocus.

Private Sector Dominates Outsourcing Market in 2016

(Past member) — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The private sector dominated the UK outsourcing market in the first three quarters of 2016 amid an overall slowdown in activity, according to the Arvato UK Outsourcing Index. The research, compiled by business process outsourcing (BPO) provider Arvato and industry analyst NelsonHall, found that businesses spent £3.18 billion on BPO and IT outsourcing in the period January to September, double the value of contracts agreed year-on-year. According to the findings, the financial services and telecoms industries were the most active buyers of outsourced services.

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For more news about the sourcing world, Sourcingfocus.

An Interview with CenturyLink

(Past member) — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Sourcingfocus talks to Jamie Tyler, the Director of Digital Transformation and Innovation at CenturyLink about predictions for the industry.

“In 2017, we will see more demand for intelligent services and devices - this will be powered by more advanced algorithms, AI and advanced machine learning. These technologies will provide the ability for these services/devices to start to understand, learn, predict, adapt and operate autonomously. For example, retailers will provide more reliable online recommendation systems for customers, driverless cars will be smart enough to be rolled out to consumers, security architecture will be more adaptive and permeate all technology processes, etc. Although culturally we, as humans, may not be ready to accept all these new advances.

At CenturyLink, we are seeing our customers move more towards digital outcomes, one of the challenges that businesses are facing is having a more traditional IT system based around 18 month contracts, working in a traditional way around project management and software development. When we move into the rapid development, digital culture, business and culture is struggling to adapt from months and years to days and weeks, it is a struggle to find the skills to adapt to a more agile system of design and implementation. Customers want to make this change but are struggling to do it at a pace as they move over whole operations, which takes time.

One of the key initiatives that CenturyLink has pursued over 2016 is around creating a security platform, what we have classed as a managed security service. And the key thing that makes that platform effective is the ability to predict, it’s using data science and analytics to digest data and predict the likely outcome and then look for strange behaviour, hence identifying a hack before it occurred. Even if it is a false positive initially, the platform learns the more data it has. This is the platform we have been driving with the federal services in the United States, and now it is becoming a more global offering.

In 2017, tackling the complexity challenge will become a top CIO priority as companies tackle ambitious and digital transformation projects (within finite budgets) that will help companies transform their propositions, ways of working and help keep them ahead of the competition.“

At CenturyLink we work with CEO’s to do some skills mapping to understand where their skills are today, because when we look at it from a digital perspective a lot of what is going on is around the modern tech, and new programming being developed, when you look at Big Data and analytics, it is about mapping those sectors in the business today.

The political climate has changed too. Starting with Brexit, because we have not done it yet, we don’t fully understand the outcomes that will emerge. At CenturyLink, we are driven by our customers’ demands so it is very much about supporting the customer globally. Whatever the President-elect does during his term at the White house, we will have the same attitude around meeting customer demand.

We are no longer in a transactional business, we are moving towards an agile, more responsive industry where we are as flexible as possible to the customers’ needs and demands, and the customer is at the centre of all we do. It’s no longer hearing what the customer wants and taking it to them. It’s about the customer telling us what the need to support their business initiatives and strategies.

Sourcing Predictions Event Approaches

(Past member) — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The GSA UK Sourcing Predictions event is fast approaching and as 2016 draws to a close, understanding the landscape of the sourcing market of 2017 and beyond is crucial. Topics such as cyber security and geopolitics will be discussed at the event following high profile stories in both areas (reported on by Sourcing Focus).

“In 2017, we’ll see a renewed effort by government regulators to accelerate the implementation of security technologies. Ignoring the regulations or inching toward adherence will no longer be acceptable. Extensive progress will be expected – and required” said Tom Kemp, CEO of Centrify on the importance of cyber security.

Robert Barbus, Operations Director of Soitron Group notes that “Trump has been vehemently outspoken with his anti-outsourcing stance during his election campaign, but I expect this to soften once he becomes president. He would need to put specific trade tariffs on India and other major offshoring countries, however this will be seen as a major anti-business tact. Knowing Trump's style of business, I can't see how he's going to put more restrictions on businesses, including his own empire.” In the changing times we live in predicting the future is difficult, but the debate is always interesting.

To learn more about Sourcing Predictions 2017, click here.

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OECD Releases Economic Projections For 2017

(Past member) — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The OECD has released its growth projections for the coming few years and it makes sober reading for the UK government, predicting slower growth than the forecast made in the budget last week. India and Indonesia look like strong prospects and growth in the United States is expected to be buoyant. Unemployment predictions remain high for the southern European nations and inflation predictions remain rampant in Argentina. There is a fantastic interactive map to discover more with this link.

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BA Considers Outsourcing Plan

(Past member) — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

British Airways is considering outsourcing more than 1,000 UK-based call centre jobs as part of an attempt to cut costs. According to the Telegraph, the airline, owned by International Airlines Group (IAG), has asked third party outsourcers to bid to assess its call centres in Newcastle and Manchester, which employ a total of 1,400 people, with a view to delivering savings by shifting jobs offshore or cutting the number of people needed.

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More news from Sourcing Focus.

Better Than the Alternative?

(Past member) — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Maybe Donald Trump isn’t that bad. Bernie Sanders, who faced Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination unveiled an Outsourcing Prevention act recently that makes you think that Trump might not be a bad option. This article in Forbes points out the floors in the plan and is worth a read. However, the undercurrent of anti-globalisation and outsourcing is apparent on both sides of American politics.

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Relive the US Election 2016 with Sourcing Focus.

Nigeria Could be Future BPO Hub

(Past member) — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Indian Technology and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firm, iSON Technologies, is targeting an increase in its current investment profile in Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries from $50 million to $100 million in another three months. Chief Growth Officer of, iSON Technologies, Akshay Grover said BPO, if well tapped in Nigeria, can actually provide jobs for millions of unemployed youths in the country.” Grover said the BPO business “is not been fully tapped in Nigeria and some African countries. The country has huge potential to be a leading BPO destination in Africa if well managed.”

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More news on BPO at Sourcing Focus.

The C-suite must wake up to learning and development

(Past member) — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Thousands of new graduates have just entered the workforce at this time of year, and the skills gap remains a huge problem. So why is the C-suite still not utilising learning and development options?

A recent survey by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills found that although well over a million instances of a skills gap were reported, a third of employers hadn’t trained any staff members in over a year.

The 46% of employers that had trained staff in the past wanted to provide more training, but barriers such as lack of time and funding stopped them – suggesting that there is a “ceiling” to the value organisations place on training. This leads to wasted talent and poor loyalty within companies.

Companies now need to be able to provide a blended solution to suit all individuals, and to give millennials, the newest generation of workers, the opportunity to learn.

There is a great deal of frustration currently amongst senior L&D leaders, who know that this means the learning offering needs to be provided in a different way. However, they are told there is no budget increase possible or that spending must be cut, leaving fewer trainers and resources. The need to transform offerings and the lack of funds to do so is a vicious circle.

That circle could be broken if CEOs and CFOs started paying attention to how they can enable the L&D transformation in their own company. If you don’t offer employees something today, you wont have a workforce tomorrow. Without a comprehensive agile learning mechanism, you will not attract the right talent. Without the talent, you will not have a successful business. Every aspect of L&D is aligned with the strategic business plan, so the C-suite need to be working with their own senior L&D person. If that person is not on the board, bring them in. Any plan for success, growth or even changing a company’s direction will require their input.

Talking about transformation doesn’t always mean spending more – it means allocating it in a different way, to gain efficiency. It comes from looking for those marginal gains in performance that create an overall difference. There may be investments required up front, but then the rewards can be reaped within the next five years.

Investing in an external partner to manage an aspect of your business, whether it’s the core or the peripherals, relieves the C-suite of risk or burden. Outsourced partners will be able to outline different models of financial risk and reward, and guarantee you cost savings and efficiency gain.

You can increase opportunities by working with a provider who can source the best training – not just the best that you know about. The C-suite should not be afraid of taking that step, because saving some money is great, but serving a lot of money over a five-year plan is better.

Talk to experts to understand what gains can be made. Invite potential partners to come to you with suggestions, and be completely transparent about what you are trying to achieve, and be prepared to listen to the disruptive thinking and innovation. Just because your company has always done something one way, does not mean that is the right way. The variances of what outsourced partners can achieve is mind blowing, but requires an open mind to accept it.

It’s also important to find the partner that suits you. Don’t force it if you don’t match perfectly, as the right provider will be out there.

The onus is not only on CEOs and CFOs – senior L&D leaders should be pushing their case to the board, too. Perhaps L&D do not know how to put forward a financial argument, and CFOs cannot quantify the emotional arguments. By working together to find the right external partner, you can transform your workplace curriculum to reap the benefits in the future.

EU Trade Sectors Not Up For Debate

(Past member) — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Campaigners are urging the government not to "cherry pick" different parts of the economy for special trade agreements with the EU after Brexit. A report by Open Britain (which replaced the official Remain campaign after the EU referendum) and written by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, says every sector appeared to benefit from trade within the single market with 3.25 million UK jobs directly or indirectly linked to EU trade. Manufacturing would "certainly suffer significantly" from restricted access to the single market, it says, while banking and insurance and professional services also have a "very strong link" to the EU with other sectors having "indirect" links. It’s another twist in the Brexit story which will rumble on over 2017.

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San Francisco Transport Agency Hacked

(Past member) — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

San Francisco’s transport agency has been hit by a hack attack which led to customers being able to travel for nothing. The hackers have made a ransom demand of 100 Bitcoin, which amounts to about $70,000. As a precaution, staff shut off all ticketing machines on the network. Computers across the city’s transport network, including at stations, were disabled with screens displaying a message from the attackers. Again, the importance of cyber security in the digital economy is paramount.

Read more here.

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Samsung to Split?

(Past member) — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

South Korea's Samsung Electronics will consider splitting itself into two as proposed by U.S. activist hedge fund Elliott Management, Seoul Economic Daily reported on Monday citing an unnamed source. A split would allow the heirs of the founding Lee family to strengthen their grip on the global smartphone leader, the crown jewel of the Samsung Group business empire. Elliott proposed a split in October to boost shareholder value. Samsung's board of directors will meet on Tuesday and respond to Elliott's proposals, the newspaper said. The Korea Exchange separately asked Samsung to comment by 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) on whether it planned a spinoff.

Read more here.

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CBI Survey Released

(Past member) — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The service sector saw a decline in optimism in the three months to November, although the fall was less sharp than in the previous quarter. In the CBI's latest quarterly Service Sector Survey, business and professional services firms – which include accountancy, legal and marketing firms – reported that business volumes barely increased and they are expected to fall slightly next quarter. Meanwhile, consumer services companies – which include hotels, bars, restaurants, travel and leisure – saw business volumes grow modestly, with expectations for faster growth in the next three months.

Read more here.

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Third Party Logistics Market to Expand Rapidly Before 2020

(Past member) — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The global third party logistics market is expected to be worth $925 billion by 2020 and will be partially driven by the outsourcing of secondary business activities, according to a new study. Orbis Research’s study found that the challenges of managing geographically dispersed supply chain operations because of increased globalization has led to several companies to outsource their logistics function. Difficulties with addressing logistical challenges has also led to increased outsourcing by wholesalers and retailers, thereby boosting the third-party logistics industry.

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More news at Sourcing Focus.

Autumn Statement 2016

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The first government budget after the Brexit vote has been unveiled, giving us a report into how the economy has been doing since the referendum in July. Firstly, government debt will continue to rise, with borrowing higher than expected. The OBR has forecast growth of 1.7% in 2018 which is relatively strong although may be optimistic depending on the Brexit options. The national living wage is going up to £7.50 from £7.20, a concern for many retailers and other industries who have already seen margins close after the introduction of the living wage. Good news comes from the government’s enthusiasm and commitment to the digital economy with £1 billion for digital infrastructure and £2 billion pounds for research and development which will again help the digital and mobile economy. However, hints of the effect of a more digital ‘gig’ economy, where workers are self-employment or in casual work which is damaging the governments tax take.

Read more here.

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Sri Lanka Builds on Strong BPO Foundations

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Malaysia’s telecom giant Axiata Group Bhd’s, Sri Lankan subsidiary Dialog Axiata has announced plans to form Dialog Business Services Ltd, a company that will provide business process outsourcing (BPO) services. Dialog Axiata, an 83.3 per cent-owned subsidiary of Axiata is headquartered in Colombo and is Sri Lanka’s largest telecommunications service provider and commands at least 50 per cent of the Sri Lankan mobile market. Axiata’s move is in line with other regional players who are shown interest in Sri Lankan BPO industry as Colombo-government has been backing the BPO industry for employment generation in suburban and rural areas. Trying to make Sri Lanka an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hub, the government established ICT centres throughout the country to improve awareness in IT and boost skills.

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Sourcing Predictions 2017

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

With 2016 drawing to a close, it’s time to start looking ahead to 2017. Sourcing Focus has been collecting some insights from industry members as to what the major trends of 2017 may be.

“AI has gradually been creeping into the business landscape for a couple of years now. In 2017 there will be a noticeable shift towards a broader incorporation of the technology”. says Wendy Kent, COO of Matrix.

The rise of digitisation and machine learning is a going to be a large part of the next decade, with inevitable changes on society, noted by Chip Wagner, CEO of Alsbridge. "Sourcing strategies are increasingly impacted by big data and analytics considerations, as well as by digital transformation, including cloud, IT/business integration, anything-as-a-service and Internet of Things.”

"In 2017, tackling the complexity challenge will become a top CIO priority as companies tackle ambitious and digital transformation projects (within finite budgets) that will help companies transform their propositions, ways of working and help keep them ahead of the competition.” said Jamie Tyler, Director of Digital Transformation and Innovation at Century Link.

Sourcing Focus will be considering the predictions for 2017 over the coming weeks. If you are interested in learning more, attend the Sourcing Predictions 2017 conference taking place on the 15th of December 2016, hosted by GSA UK.

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An Interview with HCL Technologies

(Past member) — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Sourcing Focus was awarded the chance to sit down and chat with Executive Vice President & Head of EMEA for HCL Technologies, Ashish Gupta. He gave us his opinions on the achievements of HCL, the digital economy, Brexit and how to succeed in the industry.

Tell us about HCL Technologies achievements over the past 5 years?

HCL has been one of the fastest growing service providers over the last five years. We have been successful in generating the momentum to grow which has left many competitors behind. Growth in the past year has been strong thanks to the signing of major deals. Our momentum comes down to three factors, discipline in business direction, investing in local capabilities in each of the markets we work in across the globe and the quality of talent that HCL has trained and maintained.

How will HCL stay ahead of the game?

Building on why we think we have done well over the past 5 years, we know good business strategy (knowing what not to do as oppose to what to do) and being disruptive in the market is a good way to keep the momentum going. Importantly we have focused upon not differentiating on what we do but how we do it. We articulated a programme of employees first several years back which is a different approach to how a business will work with employees.

As we go forward, we continue to develop digital capabilities. We are moving from a period of total outsourcing where we throw a project at the wall and we go from there to multisourcing, and as we move forward and digitisation becomes embedded in business, we move more towards vested partnerships. This means fewer partners for our customers but deeper relationships vested in the outcomes that the customer wants to achieve. Generally speaking, we are maintaining our current capabilities but moving towards being vested in the customer’s success. We like to say, our digital capabilities are a must, but what will differentiate us and lead us to succeed is our ability to form a close relationship with the customer.

Tell us more about Life beyond the contract?

HCL is the largest R+D Outsourcer in the world in terms of people, and when you work with R+D companies, you need to be in as tight a relationship as possible or it simply won’t work.

In IT, we noticed that there was too much contractual stuff, which prevents customers from moving forward, which is why we started collaborative sourcing. This means we had to embed a culture where the customer’s business is paramount. We are an enabler to their business and their tech and hence, with the contract unlikely to answer all the questions that arise, how do you deal with them. The old way involves a shadow boxer, where we both play a game using the contract to find an answer, the second way is to focus on the real life and deal with the challenges that come up, keeping the relationship front and centre. Our retention rate of customers is over 90%, well above the industry average, that comes from the relationship beyond the contract, time will change what the customer wants so we work with them, moving the architecture to fit the needs of the customer. Retention creates a closer relationship; a closer relationship creates trust and trust means more business.

For us, the relationship is core DNA, built into the organisation, a key differentiating factor which makes us more comfortable going to a procurement situation with a client.

Are we seeing a change in what a company is, a new industrial revolution?

Completely, businesses today and their architecture is going to be out of fashion in the next 5 or so years. Technology will disrupt both products and markets for every firm in every sector. As we go forward, we will see a completely different corporate architecture with all companies integrated with technology. We will see more consumption of technology and more real time decision making enabled through real time analytics with real time data. User experience will be at the heart of every business in the future. It will lead to massive change in culture and structure.

What does HCL Technology think about Brexit and president-elect Trump?

Over the past 10 years, global commerce has grown as a percentage of world GDP by 34%. Global commerce has been the engine of world growth and growth in the participating economies. These events are an indication that the globalisation engine is stalling and nationalist engines are starting to emerge. In the context of the global economy, this is a bad thing. These changes come from the unintended consequences of globalisation, be that job losses or immigration, we will likely see more of this over the next 5 years, so as a company we must focus on local markets. In the end, digitalisation will drive globalisation, a company founded today can trade across the world tomorrow which is something that has never been possible before. In the short term it is precarious, but in the medium to long term, events like this cannot stop the march towards a more connected world. We must buckle down and work on what is best for our customers and drive them towards more efficient models which creates more jobs and provides more confidence on the march of globalisation. We must work on local markets and try to identify the problems that can arise through technological change.

Could you give us one piece of advice for a career as a supplier of services?

Focus, identify what you want to be great at, find out if the market can support it and don’t change the ideas. There are too many choices, hunker down and focus on the market changer. Strategy is not about what you do, but deciding what you don’t do.

BCD Travel Secures UK Payroll Future with NGA Human Resources

(Past member) — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

BCD Travel, a leader in business travel management, has selected NGA Human Resources as its UK payroll solutions provider. This project continues a well-established partnership that has been in place between the two companies for over 13 years in which BCD Travel had been using an NGA HR legacy payroll solution, Empower. Jonathan Legdon, NGA HR, President UK & Ireland said, "BCD Travel has been a long-standing customer of NGA HR and we are delighted that it has decided to extend the partnership, by implementing our ResourceLink solution. It's excellent to know BCD Travel recognises the value of the solutions and services we provide.” Angela Williams, Vice President, Human Resources – UK & Ireland for BCD Travel said, “We wanted to work with a supplier who we had grown to trust and who understood our challenges and would respond to them. We felt confident in working with NGA HR, as it had not only proven it was a trusted partner, but had also proven that it had a solution to meet the needs of BCD Travel both now and in the future.”

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More news at Sourcing Focus.

Indian Cities Offer the Best Property Bargains of 2017

(Past member) — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

In a piece by the Urban Land institute with input from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP on the most attractive South Asian cities for property investment in 2017, Bangalore and Mumbai came first and second with Manilla in third. Commercial property is key with all three cities popular with BPO and ITO firms. The survey was done prior to the scrapping of 500 and 1000 rupee notes, so any effect of this development is not accounted for.

Check out more here.

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US to Quit TPP Trade Deal on Trump’s First Day in Office

(Past member) — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

We may finally be getting a hint as to how president-elect Trump will run the United States of America after his inauguration in January. It looks like TPP (the Trans-Pacific Partnership), a trade deal to lower tariffs between major economies such as the US, Japan, Australia, Canada and Mexico, is in the president-elect’s sights. Mr Trump has promised to quit the deal on his first day office, in an attempt to bring jobs back to US shores. Because the TPP is such a major trade deal covering 40% of the world economy, this would be a huge blow to globalisation and creating the most efficient process of production to help consumerism by keeping prices low. The loss of TPP would be a sad blow to the remaining 11 countries, but it would be a huge loss to the US.

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US Presidential news at Sourcing Focus.

Government Pledges Faster Broadband Ahead of Crucial Budget

(Past member) — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The first Brexit budget will be announced (the first official one anyway) this week as the government will attempt to fit the UK economy for Brexit negotiations. Featuring heavily in the budget will be the digital economy, including cyber security and a new £400 million fund for digital infrastructure development with a further £740 million for the introduction of 5G services and fibre connections. Currently, the average broadband speed for the UK is well below ‘full-fibre’ connection speed. The UK economy does need this sort of investment, it helps business innovate and helps keeps people connected. The first Brexit budget will hopefully have a focus on good, long-term investments like this that will help the economy grow.

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More tech news at Sourcing Focus.

Tech Sector Defies Brexit Worries

(Past member) — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

IBM will triple the number of cloud data centres in Britain according to the company, another boost to the UK tech sector after Brexit. The news follows similar good news about UK investment from both Google and Facebook. Is the tech sectors resilience after Brexit such a surprise, not really. Europe has never had the same entrepreneurial zeal for tech as the US (think of all the big internet giants) and therefore many don’t rue the loss of EU restrictions. The UK has a big tech talent pool, is willing to invest and is enthusiastic about the digital economy, it has the greatest proportion of e-commerce to overall retail spending in the world (17%). Not every sector is concerned about Brexit.

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Sri Lankan Rupee Firmer After IMF Loan

(Past member) — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The IMF has released a second tranche of loans to Sri Lanka, helping the microeconomic and financial conditions in the country. Worries about emerging economies like Sri Lanka have intensified over previous weeks on the potential of a US fed rate rise and the election of Donald Trump. The Sri Lankan rupee has seen a lot of pressure of late as speculators held on to dollars due to global geopolitical conditions and concerns about potential tax changes in the budget leading foreign investors to exit government securities. The IMF loan will boost confidence that the country is on track.

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More news on Sri Lanka at Sourcing Focus.

Review into Innovation to Look at Government Procurement

(Past member) — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The UK government will look into how it’s procurement programme can be used to drive innovation in SME’s according to the Prime Minister. Speaking at the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) yesterday, Mrs May said the review would “increase its impact and give more innovators their first break”. It is good to hear more support for the UK tech industry from the government. In her speech to the CBI, Mrs May also announced a consultation into the government’s new industrial strategy, and a $2bn per year increase in funding for science and technology research and development.

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More news at Sourcing Focus.

HfS Research & GSA Announce Global Partnership

(Past member) — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The GSA and HfS Research have announced a global partnership to bring innovation, skills and knowledge to the wider sourcing industry. The two sourcing organisations will work together to deliver events and research for the global sourcing community throughout 2017. Members of the GSA will now be able to receive HfS blogs as they are published and HfS thought leadership, buy-side members will be given exclusive access to Premium HfS research. HfS will help bring the global sourcing standard to North America thanks to its strong foot print on the continent, while HfS Research CEO and Chief Analyst, Phil Fersht, will join the standards advisory group. Kerry Hallard, CEO of GSA UK said “We are delighted to partner with HfS Research to develop programmes that will greatly benefit GSA members as they grapple with the challenges of this dramatically evolving industry.” Mr Fersht said “We are delighted to be partnering with such a forward thinking organisation and engaging with their members.”

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Mitie Posts New Profit Warning

(Past member) — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Outsourcing firm Mitie has disappointed markets again, issuing a second profit warning in the year citing difficult market conditions and rising staff costs. The firm experienced a £100million loss in the half-year results, down from a profit of £45million in the same period last year. The company will be putting its healthcare unit ‘under strategic review’, and will be withdrawing from the home healthcare market, a sign that the company has identified the troublesome markets. The good news for Mitie is that the firm has won some big contracts with the likes of Network Rail and Scottish Police Authority. Ruby McGregor-Smith, CEO of Mitie said “The first half of this year has been difficult. Second half performance is expected to improve with our new operating model as we adapt to market conditions." Ms McGregor-Smith will be leaving Mitie at the end of 2016 after ten years at the helm.

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More news on Mitie.

Mobile Payments Surge in India on Cash Clampdown

(Past member) — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

It is amazing how the digital world can help people adapt in new ways to problems that arise. The removal of large banknotes (500 and 1000 rupee notes) from circulation by the government to clamp down on the black market has caused disruption to the circulation of money in the country. However, mobile payment firm, Paytm, logged a record number of transactions on Saturday, suggesting that people are avoiding the hassle by moving to mobile banking. It is more evidence of how Fintech is changing financial systems around the globe and how people are quickly adapting to new technology.

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More Fintech news from Sourcing Focus.

Healthcare Payer BPO Market Expected to Grow

(Past member) — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Healthcare Payer BPO Market size was valued at over USD 15 billion in 2015 and is anticipated to grow at over 7% CAGR from 2016 to 2023. Major drivers contributing to industry growth include increasing geriatric population and healthcare costs, shift in ICD-10 coding system, innovations and developments in IT and regulatory changes. North America healthcare payer BPO market led the global industry with over 50% of the total revenue generated in 2015. Factors such as high number of number of public and private medical expenses, presence of strong repayment agenda, high number of claim records and favourable government policies played key part in the strength of the strength of the market. Asia Pacific is forecast to be the most attractive region, mainly due to high economic growth, increase in public and private medical expenses, growing number of insurance services in rural and urban areas, and government policies.

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Fujitsu Predicts Change in Traditional IT Outsourcing

(Past member) — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Speaking to The Register at the Fujitsu Forum trade event in Munich, chief technology officer at Fujitsu, Joseph Reger said: "I don't think Traditional IT outsourcing has had its day completely yet, because that means it would not be a viable business anymore. But it's certainly had its heyday. Just look at the market, this is not rocket science. All the segments of traditional IT are not indicating much growth." Fujitsu is currently undergoing a ‘transformation’ (or restructuring) away from traditional IT and towards security, artificial intelligence, cloud, and the Internet of Things.

To read the full article, click here.

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NHS Tech Chief to Step Down

(Past member) — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Andy Williams, the chief executive of the body helping drive forward the NHS’s digital transformation will step down in 2017 after three years in the role. Mr Williams said “It was a difficult decision, but I am confident that NHS Digital will successfully deliver the personalised health and care agenda”. The body, which is responsible for NHS data, IT systems and information standards and was formerly known as the Health and Social Care Information Centre, has faced a bumpy road since its creation in 2013. From the outset, the team had to work under the shadow of the failed multi-billion-pound National Programme for Information Technology, which was meant to develop national infrastructure and electronic systems for patients but was shut down in 2011.

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Sri Lanka - A Hidden Gem for the Sourcing Industry

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Situated on the south east of the Indian Peninsula and probably best known to most Brits as an idyllic holiday destination, Sri Lanka is also gaining recognition as being an interesting and exciting alternative destination for businesses considering offshoring.

With a population of just over 20 million by most recent surveys, of which maybe 10 million are of working age, Sri Lanka is looking to complement other destinations by offering high skilled and niche professional services, but also be more competitive on quality.

Education and Sector Skills

Sri Lanka has well established legal and financial service sectors among others thanks to its well educated workforce. The country’s 15 state universities and over 20 private educational institutes are creating a highly educated and multi-skilled workforce with close to 100,000 students graduating every year. Already equipped with a fantastic grasp of English having been a former colony until its independence in 1948, Sri Lanka also has a multilingual workforce, capable with many European languages as well as Japanese and Chinese thanks mainly to the growth of the tourism industry. What’s more, the Sri Lankan government is committed to maintaining the fantastic education that the country offers having launched programs to increase IT usage and literacy in schools over the past few years.

Impressively, the IT/BPM industry in Sri Lanka currently boasts over 300+ Companies employing more than 60,000+ employees with a 17% year-on-year employee growth rate. The export revenue generated by the industry stands at 847 Million USD – an average revenue growth of 12% annually. Sri Lanka’s attractiveness as a global destination for IT/BPM services has been gaining steady ground with the country winning many awards and accolades from highly reputed international industry-related bodies such as the National Outsourcing Association of UK, AT Kearney, Gartner, Tholons, and among others.

The Economy and Government Support

The Sri Lankan economy has been growing at pace since the early 2000s, with GDP growth of 3%-6% a year since 2012. Inflation in Sri Lanka is around 4% - 6% which for an emerging economy is very attractive, the central bank has recently been raising interest rates in an attempt to reduce pressure on the balance of payments.

Since Maithripala Sirisena took office as president in January 2015, the government has been striving to reduce the massive debts after profligate borrowing by the previous government. In 2015 Sri Lanka had a budget deficit of 6.7% of the GDP and has a target to reduce this to 5.4% this year and 4.7% in 2017 with ongoing assistance from the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility.

The government is also building its reputation as a pro-business and pro-investment administration by allowing 100% foreign ownership in almost all sectors, which has seen Sri Lanka ranked appreciatively in the World Bank’s Doing Business Index. Given its location in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has a strong trading relationship with India, with nearly a quarter of imports (2015) come from its neighbor, whereas Sri Lanka’s key export markets are the United States and the European Union. This has reinforced Sri Lanka’s desire to act as a complement to the industries that traditionally use India as an outsourcing destination.

‘Vision 2022’ envisioned, created and backed by Sri Lanka’s government has set an ambitious yet achievable export revenue target of US$ 5 billion, a skilled and competent workforce of 200,000, and 1000 new startups. This also ensures that any investor hoping to set up IT or BPM operations in Sri Lanka will be provided with state-endorsed benefits.

Labour costs

The cost of labour in Sri Lanka remains comparatively low when looking at emerging markets. Despite the high skill level, wages remain lower than most competing countries offering attractive value for money when it comes to employment. Many positions, such as IT programmers and accountants cost lower to employ in Sri Lanka, than say India or China, giving the country an attractive quality. Sri Lankan IT and BPM professionals also tend to stay longer in their employment which also contributes to a total lower cost of employment. Real estate costs are also low, with offices in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s largest city, being among the lowest in the region, whilst offering world class spaces.

After the problems during the conflict, Sri Lanka is now considered a secure country which has boosted tourism and investment in the economy. Terrorism is low threat in Sri Lanka and the political situation is looking stable.

Sri Lanka can provide a skilled and professional workforce and is therefore a popular choice for niche investment. Thanks to its stable economic and political environment, the country is a more prosperous and less risky destination for foreign capital. With a strong investment in infrastructure spending and extensive international air links, the country is competing strongly for investment in the crowded Southern Asian area and with a stable

economic growth and low costs, the location is emerging as a frontrunner in the outsourcing space.

The GSA is co-hosting a Trade Visit by the Sri Lankan Export Development Board in November 2016. If you are interested in finding out more about Sri Lanka as an outsourcing destination, or would like to register your interest in the Trade Visit to explore outsourcing options in the region, you can register here.

Fujitsu Partners with Thoughtonomy

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Fujitsu has signed a global agreement with Thoughtonomy to add Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to the suite of tools and services that sit within the Fujitsu Global Application Modernization Integration practice. This addition enables Fujitsu to offer organizations a way to leverage the investment made in systems and applications, delivering more from IT budgets and reducing the risk of implementing new technologies. The partnership delivers a unique, integrated and highly flexible automation platform, offered as-a-service from a scalable and secure hosted cloud based environment or on premise deployment and available globally. Terry Walby, CEO of Thoughtonomy, said “We are delighted to be working with Fujitsu to bring the benefits of the Virtual Workforce to organizations across the globe. We have proven the capability of the technology to deliver efficiency into manual work across back office and front office processes, in business and in IT operations.”

Amazon Expands Morrison’s Grocery Delivery Deal

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Amazon and Morrison’s are continuing their partnership to aim at fast delivery of groceries, in an attempt to shake up the supermarket sector using new technology and speedy customer service. Customers can now add 60-mins delivery for £6.99 or choose a two-hour slot. Morrison’s has seen its share price rise by 50% over the past year as it tries to blend low cost groceries with new innovations. The team up with Amazon is seen by many as a way to break into the South-East and London market where Morrison’s has little market share but Amazon has many Prime subscribers.

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China Expands Service Outsourcing Sector Tax Breaks

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

China will extend tax incentives for outsourcing companies to a further 10 cities in an attempt to lure more firms from the industry to the country. Initially, 21 cities had been selected for the tax incentives in 2014 but the addition of a further 10 should help prove the commitment of the Chinese government to building an outsourcing industry. The tax incentives consist of a reduction in the CIT rate from 25 percent to 15 percent, while they can also benefit from an annual deduction for employee education expenses up to eight percent of total wages.

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More news on outsourcing in China.

Webhelp To Hire 120 People In Cardiff

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Global customer experience and business process outsourcing company, Webhelp, has announced plans to recruit 120 people at its Cardiff site by the end of this year. The demand is for operations manager, customer service advisors and team leaders working on existing clients at the outsourcer’s base in the Welsh city. “This has been a terrific period for Webhelp. We have just added the ninth company to the Webhelp family in a 24-month period, with the acquisition of social media moderation business, Netino, and we have signed a number of high profile new clients, including Unilever and Shop Direct. We have also just been named the Customer Experience Provider of the Year at the recent Global Sourcing Association awards" said David Turner, CEO of Webhelp UK.

For more on the winners of the GSA UK Awards, click here.

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Tieto Develops Finland’s First Real-Time Mobile Payment Platform For Automatia

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Automatia announced the launch of Finland’s first real-time multi-banking platform for mobile payments, named Siirto. Tieto has designed and implemented the service. Siirto is an open payment platform which follows the new regulations set by EU’s Payment Service Directive, paving the way for new innovations and payment solutions within the financial ecosystem. “Modern consumers are demanding real-time services in all aspects of their everyday life. That is why we are very excited and proud to launch Siirto” says Marko Vilo, the Managing Director of Automatia. Similar multi-banking and real-time services, like Swish in Sweden, have been greatly successful among consumers. The first Finnish banks are expected to launch their own mobile payment services, based on Automatia’s Siirto platform, in March 2017.

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Sri Lanka Revenue Reform a Step Toward Stronger Finances

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Fitch, the credit rating agency, has passed judgement on the Sri Lankan budget for 2017, and it is promising news. The budget will be in line with the stipulations of the IMF and will deliver key positive measures to boost the economy. However, Fitch points out that some of the predictions in the budget are optimistic and that the implementation of the plan is the more important aspect. The 2017 budget targets a fiscal deficit equivalent to 4.6% of GDP, down from an expected 5.4% in 2016 and 7.4% in 2015, when the deficit widened mainly because of sharp public-sector wage rises.

You can read more on the report here.

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UK Employment Figures Announced

(Past member) — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The UK unemployment rate has fallen to 4.8% in the three months to September according to the Office for National Statistics. The Bank of England had predicted a rise in unemployment after the Brexit vote but unemployment appears to have defied the analysts. However, the rate of job creation appears to have slowed, with the 49,000 rise in the number of people in work in the three months to September down from August's 106,000. The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in October increased by 9,800, the biggest rise since May.

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UK Inflation 0.9% in October

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

UK inflation fell in October, although there were signs that the pressure on consumer prices is starting to build. Prices grew by 0.9% in the month, lower than the 1.1% predicted by analysts. After initially pushing up the prices of raw materials, the recent fall in the value of the pound is now starting to boost the price of goods leaving factories as well," ONS statistician Mike Prestwood said. The pound has fallen about 16% against the dollar and about 11% against the euro since June which is likely to push inflation higher in the coming months as the UK has a high propensity to import.

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UK’s SMEs Told ‘Adapt to Digital Economy or Pay the Price’

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

In the 12-month period up to the end of June 2016, the Office for National Statistics estimates that there were almost 6 million instances of online fraud cybercrime in the UK. With many commentators focusing on high-profile, state-sponsored cyber-attacks, it remains to be seen how the £1.9 billion investment from the government will affect the UK’s SME community. “SMEs need to become more aware of the dangers of cybercrime and the options that they have available to them. There’s a perception that cybersecurity counter-measures are incredibly expensive, and therefore it’s better just to ignore the danger, put the head in the sand and hope not to be affected by cybercrime” says Tony Richardson, a veteran of the IT industry with 28 years of experience.

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Liberata awarded new contract by the Department for Work and Pensions

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Liberata, the business process innovation company, announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to deliver HR & Payroll and Finance & Accounting services, to a new government-owned company (Benefits Pension Digital & Technology Services Ltd). The one year contract, with a potential one year extension, has been secured under the G-Cloud Framework and is valued at circa £300,000 over the two years. Charlie Bruin, CEO of Liberata, commented: “This is a significant contract for Liberata as it is our first formal engagement with the DWP, and it further increases our footprint working with central government.”

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Civica selected by Victoria state government to improve infringement management

(Past member) — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The Victorian State Government has awarded Civica, a market leader in critical software applications, digital solutions and outsourcing services, a contract worth A$103.6 million for the provision of an integrated Infringements Enforcement and Warrants management system with ongoing support for 8 years. The ‘VIEW’ system will help to improve and streamline operations, allow increased self-service citizen engagement, and support the introduction of the Fines Reform Act 2014. “As a local IT provider with strong global backing and experience, we look forward to delivering a highly functional solution which encapsulates global best practice” said Richard Fiddis, Managing Director for Civica International.

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Samsung to buy car tech firm Harman

(Past member) — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Samsung has agreed to buy Harman International Industries for $8 billion. The acquisition of the maker of integrated car technologies places Samsung in a strong position for expansion into the connected digital economy after the problems with its Galaxy Note 7 phone. "Samsung is using its huge cash pile to pull ahead of rivals in the auto technology market. But it remains to be seen whether it will be able to grow into a company that will be able to compete with the likes of Bosch and Continental," said HDC Asset Management fund manager Park Jung-hoon. Harman will act as an independent subsidiary and will be the front line for Samsung’s push into digital automobiles.

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Outsourcing of contentious Tasmanian forest logging could spark community backlash

(Past member) — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The decision by the Tasmanian government to outsource the logging of contentious forestry reserves could lead to anti-logging protests warned a private saw miller. The Tasmanian Government intends to contract out logging to private companies, hoping it will improve the chances of a bid by its state-owned company Forestry Tasmania (FT) to get Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. The private logging companies are concerned about the public perception of the logging and are acting to secure confidence over any operation on the contentious land.

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Pharma and biotech outsourcing firm purchased

(Past member) — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

A Hertfordshire-based outsourcing business specialising in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets has been acquired. Bionical has purchased Emas Pharma, which provides pharmaceutical development and clinical research services to biotech, medical device and specialised pharmaceutical companies, for an undisclosed sum. The tie up is expected to boost the clinical services division at Bionical which provides communication, commercial and clinical services.

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JP Morgan Chase confirm BPO future

(Past member) — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The Inqierer.net is reporting that American Bank J.P Morgan has reaffirmed its commitment to outsourcing business process to the Philippines. J.P Morgan employs around 15,000 people in the Philippines and Rohit Chatterji, J.P Morgan head of investment banking for South and South-East Asia has confirmed that despite the election of Mr Trump, the Philippines continues to offer good value and American companies won’t necessarily unwind their positions in the company. Click here for more.

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The Benefits of Outsourcing your Social Media Marketing

(Past member) — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

With social media an increasingly important part of a business, many firms may look to outsource social media operations. As the election in the US showed, social media is becoming a big part of any marketing campaign which includes social media. Because updates can potentially reach millions through social channels, social media marketing can hugely increase your brand recognition. Increased visibility to a larger audience can only mean that more people will become familiar with your business and what you do, making you a more trustworthy option than companies who don’t market through social media.

Click here for more from TGDaily.

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Sri Lanka needs more investment for boost in infrasructure

(Past member) — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Sri Lanka needs USD 8 billion to strengthen its economy, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament. He said that Sri Lanka received between USD 600-700 million this year but it needs more than that to have a stable economy. The Prime Minister is hoping to boost trade by signing deals with China, India and Singapore along with the US and the EU. He is also hoping to boost tourism and trade infrastructure by expanding Sri Lanka’s airports.

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For more on Sri Lanka, click here.

GSA UK Awards 2016

(Past member) — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The GSA UK award winners have been announced at the awards event last night at the Intercontinental Hotel at Park Lane in London. The Awards highlighted the forward strides made by the industry over the past year and celebrated the new global brand of the association. Best practice and sourcing excellence was recognised and celebrated by representatives of the global sourcing community at the 5 star hotel, with 18 awards in a wide variety of topics being awarded. Kerry Hallard CEO of the GSA UK said "This was without a doubt the most competitive year ever in terms of submissions. Those who attended the awards ceremony were given the inside track on the very best examples of technology in outsourcing, but also relationship and contract management, innovation, service delivery and collaboration." On the 1st of December there will be an awards showcase in London, a great opportunity to learn more about the winning submissions.

Find out more here.

Sri Lanka & Bangladesh Agree Free Trade Accord

(Past member) — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are set to sign a free trade accord next year to boost trade and pave the way for a huge-cross border trans-shipment via the port of Colombo. “The Shipping Ministry of Bangladesh is also cooperating in this. We decided to use Colombo port in our future trans-shipments as we feel other regional ports to be expensive." said Bangladesh's Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed. Total bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which stood at $48 million in 2010, has grown to $131 million by 2015.

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Golden Age for UK and China

(Past member) — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The Prime Minister Theresa May has promised a ‘golden age’ in the relationship between the UK and China after she met the China’s vice-premier in London. Speaking before the eighth UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue got under way, Mrs May said: "I'm determined that as we leave the European Union, we build a truly global Britain that is open for business. There will be an announcement that the Chinese contractor CITIC Construction is to invest £200m in the first phase of the £1.7bn London Royal Albert Docks project, headed by the Chinese developer ABP. Investment from Chinese companies in the UK has become a major part of investment programmes, despite the thaw in relations after the delayed confirmation of Hinckley Point C.

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The US Election 2016

(Past member) — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Well, what can you say. The polls and pundits were wrong, or at least the clear majority of them. Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States of America after beating Hillary Clinton in the race to White House. Theresa May, the UK Prime Minister congratulated Mr. Trump this morning in a statement from Downing Street, “I would like to congratulate Donald Trump on being elected the next President of the United States, following a hard-fought campaign.” What will a Trump Presidency mean to the world economy and to the Sourcing industry? HSBC analysts have predicted “Trump will throw US economy into recession 'after a year or two'. Contraction in the labor force and disruption to world trade”.

The victory achieved by Donald Trump has left many in shock, markets tumbled on the news this morning as investors and business leaders tried to understand what a Trump presidency would look like, the sad truth is we don’t know. Much of what is said on the election is forgotten in office and therefore many outlandish policies Mr. Trump campaigned are unlikely to gain traction. Ricardo Reis, an economist at the London School of Economics said “For sure, this is a huge increase in uncertainty. And for the most part what certainty is available seems bad. Like the Brexit vote, this raises the likelihood that trade deals will be repudiated and borders will be closed.” His attacks on trade and on the loss of American jobs may see a more protectionist America, which could see a fall in outsourcing and offshoring contracts but it is too early to know.

Over the coming days, weeks and months we will gain a more comprehensive picture of the new Presidents regime. Already over 1000 CEO’s of US companies have written an open letter to Mr. Trump warning of “an urgent need to restore faith in our vital economic and government institutions” (However the letter was written pre-election result for whoever won). Business uncertainty is high and a President Trump must act to maintain economic and business confidence. Otherwise the American dream may be a footnote in history.

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US Election Reaction

(Past member) — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

As the news sinks in we are beginning to get a clearer picture of the response of the worlds politician’s and companies to the prospect of a Trump presidency. Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, the communications service, says the election was "effectively a second Brexit that leaves many very surprised, including the markets and me. It's going to take a significant amount of time to assess the implications beyond the short term. Increased levels of uncertainty will mean more hesitation to make important decisions in the short term, both by people and governments. But it may accelerate implementation of helpful reforms in the medium term to reduce uncertainty and stimulate investment as a result.”

Jo Sellick, managing director of Sellick Partnership says “Thanks to our special relationship with the US, we must take the result incredibly seriously in the UK and decide whether we really want to be so closely associated with our friends across the pond moving forward. we must hope that Congress is able to water down some of the outrageous ideas that won Trump the vote in the first place. UK business leaders will most likely join me in their concern for the future relationship between the UK and US, especially those involved in trade deals between the two nations.”

HfS have reacted to the election, calling the result the death-knell for traditional offshore outsourcing... as we know it. The article (link here) describes the first thoughts of the outsourcing industry to the election of Trump.

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UK Trade Deficit Grows

(Past member) — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The UK trade deficit widened in the month of September as exports decreased by £0.2 billion and imports grew by £1.2 billion, emphasised by the fall in the value of the pound. The Government had hoped that the depreciation of the pound in recent months may have spurred exports and reduced imports but it appears to have had little effect per the Office of National Statistics. "So far there is little evidence in the data of the lower pound feeding through into trade volume or prices” said ONS statistician Hannah Finselbach.

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BPO Hopes for Clinton Win

(Past member) — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies worldwide could benefit from a victory by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, said COL Financial. Donald Trump plans to place tariffs on BPO activity if he were to win the race to the Whitehouse, damaging many south Asian countries that specialize in in the sector. “I think one of the reasons why people believe that Asia will not benefit from a possible Trump victory is his talk against trade between other countries and the US, like he would impose tariffs,” said April Lee Tan, head of research at COL Financial.

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Cognizant Delivers Strong Underlying Growth

(Past member) — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, a provider of information technology, consulting, and business process services, today announced its third quarter 2016 financial results. Revenue for the third quarter of 2016 was $3.45 billion, up 8.4% from $3.19 billion in the third quarter of 2015. “We see ongoing client demand for our services across industries and geographies,” said Francisco D’Souza, Chief Executive Officer. Fourth quarter 2016 revenue is expected to be in the range of $3.45 billion to $3.51 billion.

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Sri Lanka has new BPO Heavyweight?

(Past member) — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Scicom is on track to be the largest business process outsourcing (BPO) provider in Sri Lanka by March 2017, according to group executive director and chief executive officer Datuk Leo Ariyanayakam. Scicom recently became the call centre provider for SriLankan Airlines, according to local reports. In addition to strengthening its BPO presence in Sri Lanka, Scicom also expressed interest in moving into e-government services in Nepal, Cambodia and Laos. There's more opportunity in these markets because they're quite constrained in terms of their budgets”.

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Check out our report on Sri Lanka: SRI LANKA – A HIDDEN OUTSOURCING GEM

Tesco Bank Blames 'Systematic Sophisticated Attack'

(Past member) — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, Tesco Bank froze over 20,000 accounts after suspicious activity was reported including money being taken from accounts. About 40,000 accounts saw suspicious transactions over the weekend. Chief Executive, Benny Higgins blamed "a systematic, sophisticated attack" which would be unprecedented on a UK bank. The bank has described the incident as a hack, days after Mr Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced a £1.9 billion scheme for cyber protection.

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Click here to read more.

Easyjet Expands Webhelp Workforce

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

easyJet, Europe’s leading airline has created 37 new jobs at leading global customer experience and business process outsourcing company, Webhelp. There were 23 people working for Webhelp on the easyJet account on a temporary basis and the signing of a permanent contract not only secures those 23 people on a permanent basis but also allows the company to recruit a further 14 people. Lisa Burger, easyJet’s Head of Customer, said “We have been working with the Webhelp team for a number of months and have been very impressed by the quality of their work, we are delighted to be creating 14 new jobs at Webhelp’s Rothesay site in addition to making 23 existing roles permanent”.

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Related news: Easyjet Hit By Slump in Pound

New Rail Franchise to be Responsible for High Speed Rail

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The government has announced that a new rail franchise will combine the current InterCity West Coast services with the development and introduction of High Speed 2 (HS2) services. The franchise will be responsible for the West Coast main line from 2019 and high speed HS2 for its first three years. Bidders to run the line include current East & West coast operator Virgin and First Group.

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Panini Progresses With New Payment Technology

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Panini, a global payments technology leader, officially announced that its Everest solution architecture that integrates computing platforms with check capture, was recently fully patented in the United States. Panini's Everest unleashes the full power of Panini scanning platforms while dramatically removing the cost and complexity of integration, deployment and support for its customers and partners. Check scanning devices developed with this new technology can be used in different settings and even shared among users, making the move from Branch Image Capture (BIC) to Teller Image Capture (TIC) more attractive to financial institutions and aligning with the "bank of the future" trend of empowering roaming universal bankers in an open lobby environment.

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Why not join us at our BFSI conference in London on the 23rd of November to learn more about Fintech and changes in Banking Technology.

Emerging Markets See Boom in Mobile Banking

(Past member) — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

A new study from Juniper Research has found that the total transaction value of Mobile Financial Services in emerging markets (including domestic money transfers, deposits on loans, insurance products, and savings accounts) will approach $500 billion in 2021, up from an estimated $198 billion this year. However, the research cautioned that a key challenge would be tailoring financial service products to the needs of individual markets. It cited the case of several early implementations of mobile financial services in markets such as India, the Philippines and Nigeria achieving limited adoption where products were often ill-suited to their target audience.

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Challenger Bank Begins Fintech Rollout

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The Tandem banking app is being rolled out today as the challenger bank hopes to take a bite out of the traditional banking industry. The app will be rolled out gradually with the hope of going public next year. Currently the app allows you to manage any existing UK bank account, however Tandem has plans for its own products, such as current accounts and loans, in the future. Tandem is part of a wave of financial focused start-ups that have been receiving a lot of attention from investors and industry analysts.

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Brexit Legal Battle Leads to More Uncertainty

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, in a massive legal for the future of the UK, it was agreed that parliament must be consulted as to the terms of when Article 50 can be triggered. The deal is a blow for the Government who face months of political warfare as parties in the House of Commons (such as the Liberal Democrats and the SNP, both against ‘Brexit’) and the House of Lords can debate the future of the UK outside the EU. We can expect more uncertainty from the decision although chatter of an early election is still speculation.

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More news: Brexit News Round-Up

Sitel UK Wins Deal with NCS

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Outsourcing customer experience firm, Sitel UK, has been awarded a contract to provide contact centre services for the prestigious National Citizen Service (NCS). The contract will see Sitel UK providing multichannel services in support of the programme from their new location in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Karl Brough, General Manager of Sitel UK and Ireland, said; “We are delighted to be involved with helping this great British Institution that is helping our young people. Public sector outsourcing is a growth area and we are seeing many opportunities to provide world-leading public service.”

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Hull City Council Extend Deal Ahead of UK City of Culture Year

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Kingston upon Hull City Council has extended its strategic partnership with Civica, a leader in software applications, digital solutions and outsourcing, with a new BPO contract to take on contact centre services ahead of its year as UK City of Culture 2017. Civica will deliver contact centre services for Hull City Council, which receives an average of 70,000 calls each month, provide the underlying telephony infrastructure and support the authority in its strategic digital and communication transformation.

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More news on Council Outsourcing.

India to Introduce Unified GST System

(Past member) — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

In a move to simplify and consolidate its tax collection, the Indian government have set rates for the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) system. Indian businesses have been lobbying for the countrywide tax rates as the reform is expected to reduce costs, particularly for shipping goods across state borders. The change will unify the countries tax system and could encourage further growth in the country. The announcement marks a significant step in the right direction for India although many details of the plan must still be confirmed.

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Avanade to Manage Aspect IT Platform

(Past member) — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Avanade (a provider of innovative digital and cloud services, business solutions and design-led experiences for its clients), announced this morning that it will help Aspect (a provider of multi-commodity trade, risk and operations management applications) to manage its IT platform. Aspect recently moved its outsourced operations from Russia to India. Working with Avanade’s Global Delivery Network and local delivery centres, Aspect established a new scalable workforce, within a matter of weeks. “Avanade is well placed to help us transform our business and create value over the coming years through new IT approaches” said Steve Hughes, CEO at Aspect.

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CMA Slammed by MPs for Retail Banking Report

(Past member) — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The Treasury Select Committee chair Andrew Tyrie, along with other influential MPs, have criticised the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for its light touch approach to high street banking, days before the city regulator publishes a verdict on the sector. The report from the CMA, published during the summer, was attacked by challenger banks for failing to tackle fundamental barriers to competition such as capital buffers and a corporation tax surcharge which appears to punish new comers to the market.

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Ventrica to Create 200 Jobs

(Past member) — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Outsourced customer contact centre Ventrica is continuing its impressive growth with the opening of its new contact centre. This expansion and a second site planned in 2017 will create 200 new jobs. The extension is due to an increased demand for its omni-channel customer services. Dino Forte, Managing Director and founder of Ventrica said, “We have attracted a number of new high profile B2C and B2B brands this year who are part of a wider trend of organisations that are looking to outsource non-core services.”

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Nigeria Should Focus on Growing its Sourcing Industry

(Past member) — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The National Association of Information Technology Enabled Companies in Nigeria has suggested that the government should explore the possibility of outsourcing. Chairman of NAITEOC, David Onu, said that outsourcing can absorb five million youths from the unemployment market and earn the nation more than $5 billion in the next five years. The outsourcing industry currently generates about 1% of gross domestic product at present, employing over 10,000 people.

Read more here.

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Philippine Outbursts May Damage Call Centre Industry

(Past member) — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The Indian BPO sector is looking to capitalise on the outbursts of Philippine President, Rodrigo Duturte against the US and Barack Obama. With over a million-people working in call centres in the Philippines increasing hesitancy from US buyers is opening the country to competition from India. Christopher Caldwell, CEO of BPO company Concentrix, said “We have seen some American companies become more hesitant about the Philippines. They have centres there and in other geographies but now they are coming back and looking at India for their investments.”

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UK Government to Boost Cyber Security

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The UK government is expected to announce that it is investing an extra £1.9 billion in cybersecurity. The plan will expand specialist police units to combat cybercrime while money will also go on training and educating cybersecurity experts. The £1.9bn to pay for the national strategy was allocated last year and will fund the programme until the end of 2020. The government also is boosting funding for security based start-ups via an innovation fund.

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UK Business Offered a Hand in Cyber Defence

IfG Suggests UK Government Could Save With Tech

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

A paper from IfG, the Institute for Government, suggests that by using digital technology more successfully the UK government could save between £1.3 - £2 billion. The report suggests that the government needs to focus attention upon IT and technology investments but is currently distracted by Brexit. "We have reached a tipping point. If the leadership does not emerge to drive the changes, there is a risk that digital teams will continue to be viewed as website designers, brought in only at the very end of policy design processes," the report said.

For more, click here.

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Tieto Team Up With Amazon Web Services

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Tieto has joined the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Global Channel Reseller program, enabling the company to resell AWS services to both commercial and public sector customers. The program will further extend Tieto´s cloud capabilities, helping customers to be more productive, innovate rapidly and take advantage of new data-driven business opportunities in the Nordic region.

For more, visit the Tieto site.

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Bahrain Hoping for IT Boom

(Past member) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Bahrain is investing in its IT industry in a new attempt to diversify the economy of the gulf state. Bahrain hopes to attract foreign IT companies and nurture its own IT community by advertising as the gateway to the Middle East. “Given the geographical limitations in terms of land size, IT is an obvious sector for Bahrain and the government wants to grow it.” said the head of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, John Kilmartin. About 12,000 of Bahrain’s 1.3 million population are employed in the IT sector.

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Cognizant and Centrica Tie Up Deal

(Past member) — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Cognizant today announced that it has been selected by Centrica, an international energy and services company, as a partner to deliver end-to-end digital assurance as-a-service across Centrica's technology landscape and enhance the efficiency, reliability and user experience of Centrica's web and digital applications and smart devices. Part of the three-year agreement is that Cognizant will standardize and automate processes enabling Centrica to respond effectively to changing business needs.

David Cooper, Interim Group CIO at Centrica, said "The programme will standardize our processes across the Group, ensuring best practice digital assurance and control capabilities, while achieving significant cost savings, too."

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Mark Carney has a Difficult Choice

(Past member) — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The job of a central banker is not an easy one, even though for much of the last decade (since the financial crash) your main tool has been kept so static that it would fit in perfectly as a Halloween prop. Mark Carney, governor of the bank of England will currently be considering his future, he may leave in 2018 or may extend his term to 2021. Many in business hope Mr Carney will continue, he has been a stable helmsman and has faced many situations (the Scottish referendum and the Brexit referendum) which would normally be scary enough to derail an economy and yet Britain staggers on (GDP growth was 0.5% in the last three months).

Read more here.

Read the Economist's article here.

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More about the Bank of England.