Dec 21, 2009
Market Service: Global Business and Outsourcing Services
Proving Value, Establishing Trust: Assessing Oracle's Services and Support Strategy
Dana Stiffler
Oracle has strengthened and focused its services and support business in recent years. For a publicly held software company, this means focus, automation, and innovation while aligning more closely with the product side of the house, with pricing and delivery models gradually shifting toward software as a service and the cloud.
Sep 30, 2009
Market Service: Global Business and Outsourcing Services
Xerox-ACS: Cloud Services Potential, or Dinosaurs Huddling Together for Warmth?
Dana Stiffler
Xerox is the latest in a long line of technology manufacturers to realize that its future lies in services, not products, particularly in the B2B value chain. Its acquisition of ACS makes sense when executives talk about synergies in document management and transaction processing, but key ACS businesses like broad finance and accounting BPO will likely languish post-transaction.
Sep 22, 2009
Market Service: Global Business and Outsourcing Services
Texas Two-Step: Dell To Acquire Perot Systems, Expand Portfolio for U.S. Small and Midsize Enterprises
Dana Stiffler, C.J. Wehlage
Dell's acquisition of Perot Systems greatly expands its services portfolio, making it a more formidable competitor against HP and IBM in the U.S. SMB market. To be competitive in other markets and on a global scale, Dell will need to make additional acquisitions.
Jul 7, 2009
Market Service: Global Business and Outsourcing Services
Another Sign Fujitsu Means Business in North America
AMR Research Staff
Fujitsu America announced last week it will enter into a 10 year, $400M outsourcing deal with Alliance Data Systems, the Dallas-based marketing information services company. The transaction addresses what was a significant infrastructure services gap in North America, allowing Fujitsu America to compete on more equal footing in the hotly contested midmarket segment for IT services.
Dec 22, 2008
Market Service: Global Business and Outsourcing Services
The Human Resources Outsourcing Industry Landscape: Less Complexity Drives Renewed Growth
Phil Fersht
The human resources outsourcing (HRO) industry has struggled to live up to expectations in recent years, with many buyers grappling with poorly integrated service delivery, overly complex operational issues, and a lack of common HR standards and technology platforms. However, new AMR Research findings show this market has rebounded significantly as a direct result of HRO engagements being less complex, the bundling of HR technology and processes, the increased maturity of global outsourcing providers, and the rapid deployment of offshore HR delivery models.
Sep 16, 2008
Market Service: Global Business and Outsourcing Services
Why BPO Providers Need To Acquire To Stay Competitive, Part 2
Phil Fersht, Mickey North Rizza
As the global services market continues its path toward rapid maturation, enterprises are evaluating more complex services that encompass both IT and business process services at a global level. Part 1 of this article series discussed recent acquisition activity in the BPO industry and evaluated growth opportunities for BPO suppliers. In Part 2, we'll discuss why acquisitions give BPO providers far more competitive bite in this industry than opportunistic partnerships.
Sep 3, 2008
Market Service: Global Business and Outsourcing Services
Why BPO Providers Need To Acquire To Stay Competitive, Part 1
Phil Fersht
A successful business process outsourcing (BPO) engagement is dependent on the service provider delivering business processes that can be enabled by technology and offered in the language required. Making upfront investments in these resources is a costly business, however. For many of the up-and-coming providers, forging alliances to fill short-term service gaps is an essential part of their growth strategies. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we discuss recent acquisition activity in the BPO industry and evaluate growth opportunities for providers. In Part 2, we'll delve into some specific partnership and acquisition activity and discuss the pros and cons of each strategy.
Jul 16, 2008
Enterprise Application Strategies
Indian Outsourcing Providers Energizing the HR Outsourcing Industry
Phil Fersht
Many companies were highly skeptical about the entry of the top-tier Indian outsourcing providers into the human resources outsourcing (HRO) market three years ago. Not many people believed companies could take broad-scale HR services offshore and run them successfully, while saving significant costs for clients at the same time. However, the times-and the attitudes-have changed, with the Indian top tier now competing aggressively for hybrid IT-BPO contracts. In fact, AMR Research expects an increased number of major HRO engagements announced in the coming months to go in their favor.
Apr 4, 2008
Enterprise Application Strategies
Outsourcing: The Rx For Stripping Out the Cost in the Healthcare Value Chain?
Phil Fersht, Hussain Mooraj
High costs plague the U.S. healthcare industry throughout its value chain, from R&D costs of the pharmaceutical companies to the heavy administrative costs of managed healthcare services. The industry desperately needs a catalyst to reduce the overall costs throughout the value chain and in the healthcare system in general. Outsourcing may be one answer.
Mar 20, 2008
Enterprise Application Strategies
Is Trouble Brewing for HR BPO? Starbucks Dumps Deal With Convergys
Phil Fersht, Janet Suleski, Christa Degnan Manning
With the news that Starbucks and Convergys have mutually agreed to terminate their human resources business process outsourcing (HR BPO) deal after only eight months, serious questions should be asked about the record of success of enterprise-wide HR outsourcing. The reason for the reversal in HR BPO strategy may stem from the recent change in leadership at Starbucks, with chairman Howard Schultz replacing Jim Donald as CEO.