By Luke Bujarski
Distinguishing between domestic and export driven business is becoming increasingly important to vendors operating in LatAm. How are Brazilian banks outsourcing their back office? Why is Mexico’s manufacturing industry rebounding and what technology solutions are producers looking for? Is Colombia’s telecoms market the next big opportunity? Likewise, multinational enterprises will be looking for those service providers best suited to support their specific industry, as they invest in these oft complex markets.
Why Has IT Lost So Much Credibility Inside the Enterprise?
April 18th, 2012IT has to make itself more relevant or risk allowing ‘shadow IT” to drive the needs of business, says Alex Camino of Softtek
Don’t Let Stagnation Kill Your Shared-Services Operation
January 25th, 2012
Speed is of the essence, DeMent says.
By Patrick Haller
Success of a shared-services operation depends upon more than just a good plan and solid execution – like any good relationship, it requires constant monitoring and regular maintenance. Without a serious, ongoing commitment by the CEO, CFO, CIO, and managers throughout the company, shared services will implode. The entire corporate way of thinking has to change.
Nearshore Needs More Training, Greater Scale
January 11th, 2012By Patrick Haller
Shanker: India has a better grasp of "the training concept."
The prospect of managing multiple locations in the US, India, Mexico and Japan can be daunting for many people. But Ravi Shanker, Sales Director for HCL America, Inc., has been doing it for years. His experience overseeing IT development projects began with Polaris Software in the early 2000s, then with HCL. As an insider, he has been directly involved in a market that has shifted from Indian-centric software development to new destinations like Brazil and Mexico. We asked Shanker about the current state of outsourcing, the trend toward onshoring, and what countries need to do to remain relevant or become more competitive.
Nearshore Nexus 2012: Bigger, Bolder and Coming to Broadway
January 11th, 2012The most exclusive outsourcing event of the year comes to New York City, April 19. Buy-side executives (including vendor management, IT, BPO, site selection and software leaders) are invited to attend.
Setting Out to Train More Scrum Masters and Develop More ‘Agile Nations’
December 13th, 2011By Dennis Barker
In the big international competition with India and other low-cost outsourcing destinations, some Nearshore IT providers have been taking their game to the next level (apologies for the sports cliche) by adopting agile software-development methods. And one of the keys to helping teams become skilled agile players is to hire or train good coaches – leaders who are certified scrum masters.
(Scrum is defined by the Scrum Alliance as “an agile framework for completing complex projects.” The term was adapted from rugby – hence the sports cliche – in a 1986 study by Takeuchi and Nonaka that alluded to a team trying to “go the distance as a unit, passing the ball back and forth.”)
Chilean Services Account for 60% of GDP
October 27th, 2011Source: The Sacremento Bee
When we speak of exports, we usually associate them with products such as fruit and wine; however, technology, videogames or engineering, for example, also go out into the world to provide effective solutions and opportunities for development. This is the behavior shown by countries such as China, India, Korea, Brazil, Mexico and Russia, which are currently the leading countries in the export of services. Chile also figures as an important supplier in this worldwide trend.
According to the World Trade Organization, services generate two-thirds of the world total of added value, and their export is growing at rates above 10%. In Chile, the export of services in 2010 reached $10,800 million U.S.; it has grown at rates averaging 9% over the past decade and accounts for 60% of GDP, and 70% of the labor force. Furthermore, it is estimated that the export of Chilean services …
The Allure of Having Services Near as Shared Services Undergoes Major Shifts
October 25th, 2011By Stan Lepeak, KPMG
Over the past couple of years there has been an uptick and rebound in buyers’ interest in the use and expansion of shared services operations to support various back-office functions and processes in areas such as IT, Finance & Accounting (F&A), HR, and procurement. While historically some have viewed shared services as a precursor to outsourcing, there are a range of scenarios and situations in which buyers see shared services as complementary or preferable to the use of outsourcing.
Majority of Brazilian IT/BPO Exports Go to the US
October 19th, 2011
The United States is Brazil’s main client when it comes to exportation of IT and BPO services, according to data from the research firm IDC and a new study done by Brasscom. The report also reveals that US -based multinational companies in Brazil are in the top ranks of exporters, with IBM, Accenture, and HP being the three biggest revenue earners — followed by homegrown success stories Stefanini, T-Systems, and Ci&T. Last year Brazilian IT and BPO companies exported US$ 2.4 billion worth of services, a figure projected to grow by 11% this year. After the U.S., Brazil IT providers’ biggest customers are in Latin America, followed by Europe.
Fleeing China: How Will Returning US Jobs Impact IT?
October 14th, 2011
By Dan Berthiaume
Factors including higher US productivity, lower overall labor involvement in product creation and the rise of both Chinese wages and yuan value will all lead to the return of two to three million currently outsourced American jobs, according to a new estimate from Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The majority of these jobs are expected to be in the manufacturing sector, especially in the areas of transportation goods, electrical equipment/appliances, furniture, plastics/rubber products, machinery, fabricated metal products and computers/electronics.
