InformationWeek Outsourcing Weblog

Next For India? Business Analytics

Paul McDougall — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:57:10 -0500

Accenture is adding 8,000 positions to its Indian operations, a move that will push the outsourcer's total headcount on the subcontinent to about 50,000. Many of the new employees will work on business analytics tools. Last week, IBM opened a biz analytics lab in the country. Smell a trend yet?

Benioff Discloses All In 'Behind the Cloud' Except...

Charles Babcock — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:05:31 -0500

Five copies of "Behind the Cloud" have arrived at my desk, two intended for fellow IW staffers and three for me, an embarrassment of riches. It's Marc Benioff's book on how Salesforce.com was created and built into a successful company. I am reading it avidly� but some disclosures will apparently have to wait for the sequel.

InformationWeek SMB Virtual Event: Dealing With Data Centers

Fredric Paul — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:04:00 -0500

Whether your company's data center is a couple of servers stashed in a closet or a gleaming, state-of-the-art climate-controlled facility, you're still facing the same set of challenges: how to keep the IT lights on while controlling costs, take advantage of new technologies to stay competitive, and position your company for an economic recovery in the midst of the toughest times for IT that many of us can remember.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, help is on the way.

IBM Preparing Self-Service Software Infrastructure

Charles Babcock — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:56:43 -0500

IBM has been investing in cloud computing for several years, although Willy Chiu, VP of IBM Cloud Labs, acknowledges it may be difficult for those outside IBM to develop a picture of what its cloud initiative will finally look like.

Dell's Acquisition Of Perot Helps Healthcare Push

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:39:38 -0500

Dell's $3.9 billion acquisition of Perot Systems will help fortify Dell's pursuit of new customers in the healthcare industry, a sector that's been getting a lot of attention from Dell--and its competitors--in recent months.

Vendor Offers 'No Excuses' Guarantee For Docs To Get Fed's Rewards

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:49:57 -0500

The federal government's definition for "meaningful use" of health IT won't be finalized for several months. But that's not stopping EMR software and business services provider Athenahealth from guaranteeing clients that they'll be getting their health IT stimulus checks from the feds.

Hospitals Are Helping Docs Defray EMR Costs, Challenges

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:54:25 -0500

Are hospital-sponsored e-medical records the best way to get lots of doctors using these systems in their offices quickly and affordably?

Survey Reveals Healthcare CIOs Are Seeking Tech Talent

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:45:21 -0500

The healthcare industry plans to increase IT hiring about 5% in the fourth quarter, according to a new report. The figure might not appear to be blockbuster, but it's above the national average. Overall, CIOs across many industries plan to add zero tech people to their staffs in the near term.

Cloud Computing Takes Away Business From IT Outsourcers

Mary Hayes Weier — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:14:13 -0500

Something that often gets lost in the discussion about cloud computing is what it means for traditional IT outsourcing. Many of the benefits are the same: Reduced costs, less internal development of software, reduced management of applications and hardware. So as cloud computing matures, it seems the IT outsourcing industry will have to evolve to adapt.

India Outsources Election To U.S.

Paul McDougall — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:32:04 -0500

For those who believe outsourcing represents a one-way passage to India for American jobs, here's an interesting tidbit: Authorities on the subcontinent have hired a big U.S. software company to help manage national elections.

Should TARPfare Bums Be Allowed To Outsource?

Paul McDougall — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:10:48 -0500

A Pennsylvania lawmaker is blasting JP Morgan Chase for accepting $25 Billion in TARP funds while planning to outsource thousands of U.S. tech jobs to India. And you thought AIG bonuses were a hot-button issue.

Microsoft Tells Senator It's Laying Off American And Non-American Workers

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:42:54 -0500

When Microsoft announced plans in January to lay off 5,000 workers over 18 months, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, fired off a letter questioning Microsoft about who the company was planning to cut. Grassley wanted to know whether Microsoft -- which has been lobbying Congress for years to raise the cap on H-1B visas -- would cut foreign workers before Americans. Grassley finally got a reply from Microsoft yesterday.

Satyam Woes Threaten SanDisk

Paul McDougall — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:42:19 -0500

Gadget maker SanDisk is warning investors that the trouble at scandal-plagued outsourcer Satyam has put its business operations at risk.

Smart Companies Still Looking For Smart IT People

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:24:30 -0500

Are IT jobs defying gravity as overall U.S. employment figures continue to tank? Latest monthly employment figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and a recent IT pay trends study by research firm Foote Partners sheds some insight into what IT skills remain hot in an ice-cold jobs climate.

Economy Is Biggest Wild Card Outsourcers Face, Says Wipro Co-CEO

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:12:15 -0500

If the global economy doesn't improve over the next six months, there's likely to be more industry consolidation, not only involving IT services providers, but especially among big outsourcing clients, predicts Girish Paranjpe, joint CEO of Wipro Technologies.

Satyam's Crisis Will Spawn New Outsourcing Models

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:54:59 -0500

In the past, IT services vendors often resisted terms clients tried to include in their offshoring contracts. But in the aftermath of Satyam's financial fraud mess, outsourcers will be more willing to bend on client demands, especially if they're anxious to pick up work from Satyam's ex-customers.

Senator Quizzes Microsoft On Layoffs

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:58:35 -0500

Microsoft's plans to lay off 5,000 workers have ruffled the feathers of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a long-time critic of the U.S. H-1B visa program. Microsoft, a top 10 employer of H-1B visa holders, has been among the most vocal tech companies over the last several years urging Congress to raise the cap on H-1B visas. Now Grassley is urging Microsoft to furlough those temporary foreign workers first before handing out pink slips to Americans and permanent U.S. residents.

India's Outsourcers Hit With Perfect Storm

Paul McDougall — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:04:14 -0500

First it was the Mumbai terror attacks. Now, India's outsourcing sector has been rocked with revelations of a massive, Enron-style accounting fraud. Can the industry, on which U.S. companies depend for everything from software development to call center operations, survive these twin shocks?

Finding New IT Work Is Getting A Lot Tougher

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:50:57 -0500

Is your IT organization hiring? If so, you'll likely be getting a flood of resumés soon. A new report says that there's been a pretty recent sharp decline in hiring plans by IT organizations for the next six months.

Tips For Managing Vendor Relationships In Tough Times

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:46:28 -0500

If you're thinking about consolidating your vendor and outsourcing relationships in an effort to save money, don't be hasty. Here are a few tips to consider first.

Cutting IT Costs: Dos, Don'ts And Best Practices

Fredric Paul — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:14:00 -0500

These days, many companies are looking to slash their technology budgets any way they can. A new report from Info-Tech Research shows you how to do it the right way, without adversely affecting morale or operations. And the folks at bMighty.com -- InformationWeek's sister site for small and midsize companies -- have arranged to let you download this $2,000 report, FREE!

The Economy And Jobs: More Than You Can Handle?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:07:38 -0500

Feel that? It's the economy quaking. With the House rejecting the $700 billion bailout bill, stocks seesawing, and loads of uncertainty looming, it's possible you'll have more candidates than you ever imagined applying for jobs at your company. Are you ready to handle that?

Is Innovation India's Next Big Thing?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:35:58 -0500

People tend to think of lower-cost IT services -- and not "innovation" -- when Indian outsourcer Wipro Technologies' name is mentioned. So, it may come as a surprise that $1 billion, or about a quarter of Wipro's revenue last year, was generated through R&D services -- including designing semiconductors, automobile parts, and a variety of electronic devices. Looking ahead, Wipro says those R&D services will become an even bigger chunk of the company's business.

What's Really Behind The Talent Gap

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:02:39 -0500

It's been a long-running complaint that there aren't enough young people entering the IT field. But judging by the laundry list of experience and skills some employers demand from IT job candidates, you have to wonder if young people just starting out their careers even have a shot at being hired.

When Is A Data Center Success Story Not A Success Story?

John Soat — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:53:21 -0500

When a state auditor's report blasts the project, and politicians start playing football. Oregon's data center consolidation project is a cautionary tale about either a lack of careful project management or carefully managing expectations -- probably both.