Long Journey 'Home'
April 2013

Today, as outsourcing and off-shoring users increasingly are contemplating the question of how easy or challenging it may be to bring work "back" into an organisation, much has changed. The prerequisite question however remains: "Why would work come back?" This in turn should inform: "Where is Back?" And the possibilities are broader and more interesting than ever.

Global Sourcing Sprawl: Monitoring and Managing Global Sourcing & Services Risks
April 2013

The globalization of services has become a mainstay of corporations. This dynamic has a huge impact on the competitiveness of global corporations. Yet, global sourcing is not what it was even a few years ago. Its complexity has risen manifold. It embraces multiple locations and multiple processes as companies seek, presumably, to optimize the gains from outsourcing and offshoring.

A Tale of Two Cities: Leveraging Market Data to Manage Global Sourcing Risk
March 2013

In this article Alan Hanson, Senior Vice President at the Neo Group, uses Bangalore and Mexico City as examples to support his argument that there is not best or worse sourcing destination. He then highlights the importance of market data in better managing a globally-sourced portfolio of services.

As the economy continues to slowly improve, many are looking at opportunities outside their domestic markets and often with companies that are global players. We particularly heard from jobseekers looking at the global players such as Softtek, Genpact, Neusoft, Luxoft, TCS, Infosys, Cognizant and others. We also heard from employers and talked to them about how they attract employees.

It is the best of times. It is the worst of times. For sourcing from fill in the blank. Chances are that whatever global sourcing destination you may nominate to fill in the blank that follows the paraphrased opening lines of Charles Dickens’ classic novel it is neither the best, nor the worst of times, but somewhere in between.

Latin America: Trends, Traps and Emerging Opportunities
September 2012

For many out there, outsourcing seems to be defined largely by the above – people working for low compensation in locations such as India helping the client save significant monies. That is outsourcing to them.

However, the recent downturn and current client experience has upset many notions and models that have been in place for over a decade. What was considered to be the norm where outsourcing is concerned, is now in flux and so requires different responses. As global sourcing continues to grow, so does the interest in new locations. Companies are interested in new locations to not only diversify risk, but also to better serve their own diverse operations or distinct needs.

The globalization of services has become a mainstay of corporations. This dynamic has a huge impact on the competitiveness of global corporations. Yet, global sourcing is not what it was even a few years ago. Its complexity has risen manifold. It embraces multiple locations and multiple processes as companies seek, presumably, to optimize the gains from outsourcing and offshoring.

Globalization Psychology 1: Outsourcing & The Lottery, by guest blogger Alan Hanson
PULSE: IAOP'S Blog - August 2012

Any of us are sometimes reluctant to make what look like simple switching choices. Returning from a brief stop at London’s Olympic Games this week (no I didn’t run, jump, tumble, or throw; I wasn’t asked), I ignored a faster moving security line at Heathrow in favor of staying put behind an elderly couple who weren’t exactly moving at world class speed.

Here’s Five Things to Consider. Ask the right questions is the company culture primarily top-down or a bit more collaborative and entrepreneurials.

As Americans struggle to figure out how to stimulate the economy, we are seeing a rising sentiment against outsourcing. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to share my thoughts, though many of these points have been made by others in the last 10 to 15 years. Globalisation of services is making significant positive contributions to global economies and to the buying power of the USA, India, China, Mexico, Brazil and other countries.

Out with the old and in with the new — well, almost! We do see “retro” back in fashion in some areas of the outsourcing market when looking ahead to 2012. What follows are nine key trends that CIOs can expect in the coming year in terms of outsourcing and global services.

Today, outsourcing has become a mainstay of corporations. It is mainstream, it is global and it is rapidly changing. This dynamic has a huge impact on the competitiveness of global corporations. Yet, global sourcing is not what it was even a few years ago. Its complexity has risen manifold.

This rise in use of outsourcing has been dramatic, exponentially raising the potential for outsourcing corporations and for nations seeking to provide the services. But it also has raised risks and brought on newer, and varied, risks, many of which are not fully assessed by risk managers.

It’s been more than a decade since corporations started leveraging outsourcing to better manage capacity, costs, quality, risk and speed to market. What started as giving mundane tasks to an external supplier locally has evolved to partners in far flung locations such as India and China running key processes.

Diversify your stock portfolio. This is a mantra we have been hearing for ages. Well, it is now ringing true in sourcing too! As global sourcing continues to grow, so does the interest in new locations. Companies are interested in new locations to diversify risk but also to better serve their own diverse operations or diverse needs

Diversify your stock portfolio – this is a mantra we have been hearing for ages. Well, it is now ringing true in sourcing too! As global sourcing continues to grow, so does the interest in new locations. Companies are interested in new locations to diversify risk but also to better serve their own diverse operations or diverse needs

Think of this as a quick but data-packed introduction to Brazil. In this special two-part analysis, Atul Vashistha, founder & chairman of Neo Group and a world-recognized outsourcing expert, explores the situation in Latin America’s fastest-growing provider of IT services. Atul starts by examining the current landscape, then points out the potential pitfalls that all sourcing clients should know about. In part two, he will discuss the opportunities that Brazil offers to sourcing partners.

"Colombia is Passion” is the brand slogan the Colombian government agency at the helm of pro-export chose to promote the nation. What one soon discovers in this charming country of beautiful people is a passion for business, music and family togetherness. One also soon realises that a passion for outsourcing already exists here too!

Once perceived to be unsafe, Colombia has over the last decade, transformed itself as one of the best locations to do business in Latin America.”