Report: Latin America Running Short on Skilled ICT Workers
March 11th, 2013BY STAFF REPORT
Countries in Latin America are struggling to keep pace with a growing demand for skilled labor in the information and communication technology sector, posing a key barrier to the region’s economic growth, says an IDC report commissioned by the U.S. networking company, Cisco.
There will be a shortage of nearly 300,000 networking/ communications professionals in the region by 2015, the study revealed.
The report has warned that the lack of skilled professionals may limit the countries’ ability to adopt new technologies, adding that increasing the number of skilled ICT professionals should be a priority to accelerate economic growth, improve productivity, and create new jobs.
The report titled ‘Networking Skills Gap Latin America’ has analyzed the availability of skilled ICT professionals in Latin America between 2011 and 2015.
In 2011, Latin America lacked approximately 139,800 professionals with networking skills (those needed to plan, design, manage and support the networking technologies in …
Analyst Sanchez: Almost no competition
By Narayan Ammachchi
When they flew to the Caribbean islands back in 2004, the founders of Columbus Communications had only a few million dollars in the bank. But in the world of telecoms (an industry renowned for mega-wealth, think Carlos Slim, and mega-losers like Bernie Ebbers), fortunes can be created in surprisingly short periods of time. Fast forward nearly eight years and Columbus is a carrier that is flying high across the Caribbean and now into Central America. Just about every telecom carrier in the region is a client and Columbus is now worth an estimated $2 billion.
Stringent Oversight of Employees Underlies New Wave of Administrative Security
February 26th, 2013
Allus and Akamai put rigorous controls in place
By Tim Wilson
Any company that is handing over business processes to an outsourcer needs to have full confidence that all its information is secure. Often the focus is on the technology, perhaps expanding to include information management. However, it is just as important to keep administrative security on top of mind. “We will block USB ports, and our employees aren’t allowed to bring cell phones onto the floor,” says Federico Jaramillo, VP Commercial Head for North LATAM & USA for Allus, which has sizeable operations in Colombia and Argentina. “As well,employees only have access to authorized web pages.”
JAMPRO President Bennett Templer to Step Down
February 12th, 2013
BY STAFF REPORT
Sancia Bennett Templer, President of Jamaica’s trade promotion body JAMPRO, is stepping down after seven years of service. Over the past several years, she played a pivotal role in expanding the country’s IT services and outsourcing industry, which has generated thousands of jobs for professionals in the Caribbean country.
Virtually Uncontested, Sutherland Wins $100 Million Contract With Air India
February 11th, 2013BY STAFF REPORT
BPO service provider Sutherland Global has landed a contract worth more than US$100 million with India’s state-run carrier Air India, according to India’s Economic Times.
Reports say several domestic BPO providers including Serco Global Services, Aegis and Wipro withdrew from the contest after learning of the terms of the proposed deal.
The state-run carrier has been running losses for the past several years and India’s federal government is under tremendous pressure to streamline the carrier’s operation.
BPO companies in India are showing little interest in government contracts following a series of scandals that has shaken the country’s federal government. Air India has faced multiple problems, such as enormous market share losses, declining profits, and escalating labor disputes.
Air India postponed the tender process more than three times before handing over the contract to Sutherland Global.
However, the new contract will help Sutherland strengthen its base in India, where it has …
Commentary and Video: “The Whole World Should Pay Attention to Haiti”
February 8th, 2013
Commentary: Haiti – for many Americans – has sadly fallen off the ‘radar’ once again. The country remains in miserable shape, and it doesn’t take a Ph.D to recognize that there is no medicine to cure the deep suffering experienced by huge swaths of Haitian society or enough funding and leadership to fix all the systemic flaws in governance and rule of law. Yet, for those of us who have built our lives and careers around the thriving Nearshore outsourcing industry, we do possess important value to the people of this uniquely needy country.
Cloud and Mobile Become Major Influencers in the Contact Center
February 6th, 2013By Clayton Browne
The contact center industry is starting to experiment with new business models and customer interaction methods which could profoundly change the way outsourcers delivery services to clients. The economic slowdown of the last few years actually accelerated this process, as contact centers discovered the potential of software-based data analytics to maintain their margins and deliver improved brand management. The fact is that transitioning to cloud-based operations, developing mobile customer service capabilities and implementing robust workforce optimization suites have all moved from the back burner to front and center in 2013.
Buying a Business in Costa Rica In Four Simple Steps
January 30th, 2013
Fervoy: Specialty shops are hottest targets
By Tarun George
In October of last year, global outsourcing giant Accenture bought a midsize digital marketing and entertainment provider, avVenta. With offices in New York and San Jose, Costa Rica, the acquisition only added to Accenture’s already enormous service capability. There was nothing earth-shattering about the deal, and the buzz surrounding it soon died down. Nonetheless, this marked a growing trend we’ve been noticing at Nearshore Americas: US companies are increasingly looking to buy businesses in Costa Rica.
NARS is No More
January 30th, 2013BY STAFF REPORT
U.S. and LATAM business process services provider National Asset Recovery Services Inc has announced that it had renamed the company as ‘Integrity Solution Services, Inc,’ bringing together all subsidiaries under a single umbrella and brand.
The outsourcing services provider stated in a press release that National Asset Recovery Services, Inc. (NARS), Pinnacle Financial Group, Inc. (PFG) and Integrity Financial Partners, Inc. (IFP) will now be called Integrity Solution Services, Inc.
“The new, single brand name better describes the scope and breadth of our service offerings and also reflects our company’s commitment to effectively operating in an increasingly complex regulatory environment,” said CEO Tim Bauer.
NARS acquired Pinnacle Financial Group in 2010, and Integrity Financial Partners in 2011.
Harry Jackson, President of NARS, said the new name ‘more accurately’ describes the company’s focus on providing solutions to the BPO, CRM and ARM industries.
Jackson said the rebranding …
Site Visit: A New Model for the Next Generation Delivery Center?
January 28th, 2013By Tarun George
When you ask a call center agent what they like most about their job, and one of their answers is “the management team”, you know that this is not an ordinary Nearshore delivery center. Agents at Laurus International’s contact center in the Dominican Republic are loyal and it shows. How did the leadership team at Laurus manage to create such a committed workforce?
