Valueshore Spain, the Government-backed group of IT outsourcing consultancies, has today announced the launch of its outsourcing partner selection service which will help businesses identify the right partner to enable them to take advantage of the innovation and cost-savings available as a result of outsourcing IT projects to Spain. The service, which has been developed by a combination of both global and local IT consultancies, includes organising site visits, providing legal support and offering independent quality control during the course of the outsourcing project. 

Spain is fast becoming a leading IT outsourcing hub. Wage costs are approximately half those of the UK, and it has a number of key advantages over other nearshore and farshore destinations. The region’s geographical affinity to the UK means companies do not experience the problems of cross-timezone business, which can make communication and management impossible and travel expensive and slow. Furthermore, as EU protectionism increases outsourcing within the EU is sometimes the only option if companies do not want to contravene certain legislation in areas such as data protection.  In addition, there are no delays waiting for visas if staff need to work in both the UK and in Spain. Staff can also travel back and forth in the same day at a moments notice because of the excellent travel connections. Furthermore, the region has a long history of business and IT excellence. The top three business schools in Spain are listed as top ten worldwide by many sources. There is also no skills shortage with almost 20% of Spanish graduates aged 25-64 holding IT degrees, compared to 10% or less in any other European outsourcing destination. Furthermore, with all of these graduates having studied for their degrees using English language textbooks the standards of English are high. 

Euan Davis, principal analyst at Forrester Research, who compiled a recent report on nearshoring to Spain, said: “Our interviews when compiling the report revealed the attractiveness of Spain as a destination for IT service delivery. Firms rate Spain highly for the skill of its people, the strength of its technology infrastructure, its nearshore location, and its ability to scale. Although firms hire companies rather than countries, our interviews show that Spain offers the ingredients to make a nearshore strategy a success with competitive differentiators around its large skilled IT labour pool, industrialized software factories and domain expertise – particular in financial services, retail and utilities.”

Daniel Naoum, co-founder of Valueshore Spain, added: “If a business is outsourcing IT, it’s vital that the chosen region can offer something others cannot. There is little point outsourcing to a country with no proven track record in IT innovation.  Spain’s IT is ahead of other regions in many ways – for example government services have been online for over two years whereas most countries are only in the early stages of projects like these. On top of this, Spain isn’t saddled with legacy systems which enabled the country to leapfrog many others in Europe.  Particularly in areas such as banking – Spain is home four of the top five European banks in terms of cost income efficiency ratios and this is  largely down to our approach to IT. Spanish IT staff have a proven record in delivering innovative, successful IT projects on time and on budget. The likes of IBM, Accenture and Barclays are already taking advantage with IT hubs in the region. Our goal is to make this kind of success available to everyone.”

Wipro Technologies, the global IT services business of Wipro Limited, announced that it has been awarded the Most Outstanding Alliance Partner of the Year Award from the Software and Solutions group at HP during HP’s annual Asia-Pacific & Japan Partners @World Cup, held recently in Guangzhou City, China.

The HP Software and Solutions Most Outstanding Alliance Partner of the Year award for Asia-Pacific and Japan recognizes one partner for its success in helping HP’s customers optimize the business outcomes of IT. Wipro has delivered strong performance in the Asia-Pacific and Japan region. Wipro’s delivery capability and close collaboration with HP has helped them bag the largest Quality Control software deal in Japan and the largest Software as a Service (SaaS) deal in the Asia-Pacific and Japan region.

This is the third time in the last five years that Wipro Technologies has been recognized by HP Software and Solutions.

Speaking on this occasion, Sr. Vice President and Global head for Wipro Testing services Gangadharaiah C.P said, “We are excited to receive this award from HP Software and Solutions for 2009. This award validates the fact that alliance with HP is successfully delivering collaborative innovation through best-of-breed solutions and addressing the evolving customer’s needs by positioning new SaaS Models in the Industry today.”

“Customers benefit from faster time to market as a result of the HP and Wipro combination,” said Brad Kern, vice president, Worldwide Alliances, Software and Solutions, HP. “Wipro’s vast number of trained testing services professionals combined with HP applications testing products helps deliver this advantage.”

Wipro and HP Software & Solutions are global partners for more than 5 years now. Wipro Testing Services has been working strategically with HP around its entire portfolio of Test Lifecycle Management Tools, which also includes developing new Solutions for Joint Go-To-Market and delivering enhanced customer value through newer business models like SaaS. HP’s testing tools have further strengthened Wipro’s Testing-As-A-Service (TaaS) offering.

Wipro Technologies, the global IT services business of Wipro Limited, has joined the Open Handset Alliance, extending its device development and service Integration expertise around Android – an open mobile phone software stack.
 
The Open Handset Alliance (OHA) is a partnership of more than 60 global mobile industry leaders working together to accelerate innovation and offer consumers an enhanced mobile experience. Wipro will now enable its customers in conceptualizing and creating devices on the Android platform along with providing differentiating solutions and applications translating to faster time-to-market for the clients.

Wipro is currently engaged with a number of Handset Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Telecom Carriers, Semiconductor companies, Consumer Electronics and Automotive companies on multiple Android based product developments. “Joining the Open Handset Alliance will help us turn around Android based products and solutions faster with rich feature-sets,” said Nagamani Murthy, Vice President of the Mobile, Automotive and Consumer Electronics Group, Wipro Technologies. “With most device vendors now releasing Android based phones, we foresee an impressive growth on this platform. The Open Handset Alliance membership will enable us to satisfy the strong customer demand,” she added.

Wipro has been focusing on developing differentiated applications on the Android platform along with testing frameworks. The IT major has had a strong Linux background augmented by robust in-house training and proof-of-concepts. These investments have enabled Wipro to help its customers in releasing Android based products in the market.

Wipro offers wide spectrum of mobile platform expertise ranging from development on industry standards and customer proprietary platforms, device engineering to Application/UI development expertise. Wipro works closely with leading mobile semiconductor players and has also supported many leading Tier 1 OEMs across the world in building complete phone software.

Wipro is the world’s largest third party product engineering services provider and was recently rated as the #1 R&D Service Provider globally by leading analyst firm, Zinnov based on an overall rating spanning across factors like financial strength, business models, innovation & expertise, people strength and operations.

As companies prepare for the economic recovery, many are poised to enter 2010 with renewed interest in improving their HR technology systems, processes and organizational structures, according to experts at Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm.

“In the current economy, organizations will keep a watchful eye on their spending as they analyze their investments in HR technology,” said Steve Hitzeman, national leader for technology and administration solutions consulting at Watson Wyatt. “Employers are likely to continue or even increase their cost-savings initiatives by taking steps to globalize and streamline the HR function, scrutinize their vendor relationships and strengthen their service levels.” 

Watson Wyatt HR technology experts identify these emerging themes for 2010:

Scrutinizing vendor relationships and sourcing options. Employers with vendor contracts that are up for renewal will evaluate whether they have received optimal value from those relationships. For example, employers that aren’t satisfied with their HR business process outsourcing might decide whether to stay in their contracts next year, or revert to outsourcing to multiple vendors with specialized services.

“Rather than place all of their eggs in one basket, many companies will migrate to a blended, co-sourced service delivery model,” said Dan Vander Hey, senior technology consultant at Watson Wyatt.

As disenchantment with the time requirement and expense of platform hosting and technology upgrades grows, Watson Wyatt experts also expect many employers will continue to embrace software-as-a-service (SaaS) options. These options help reduce costs by providing access to software via an external provider.

Globalizing the HR function. A growing number of multinational organizations are expected to focus on standardizing their HR processes, organizational structure and systems, such as payroll, across borders. 

“In an increasingly global workplace, employers will be challenged to strike a balance between having consistent standards for their HR technology and processes across the different countries they operate in, while not losing sight of region-specific issues,” Hitzeman said.

Investing in a consumer-grade experience for workers. Companies will grow more comfortable with Web-based, consumer-oriented applications that convey HR information through interactive and self-service tools. Many will look to technology to boost employee collaboration and lower costs by expanding the use of social media or leveraging their portals.

“The recession spurred many employers to assess their technology capabilities and priorities,” said Hitzeman. “In the coming year, tight budgets and cautious spending will compel many companies to look for a strong business case that justifies taking action.”

Atos Origin, an international IT services company, has been certified by SAP AG as a provider of solution implementation based on the Run SAP methodology, the company said. Atos Origin is among the first Global SAP partners to be certified in the Run SAP methodology and will incorporate the methodology into its implementation standards.

“By adopting the Run SAP methodology into our own implementation standards, we are going beyond the vision of implementing the solutions required by our customers,” said Paul Bray, senior vice president and global head of SAP solutions at Atos Origin. “We are now providing our customers the proven methodology for managing their SAP applications through end-to-end solution operations standards. This will empower our customers to manage their SAP applications more efficiently and at a lower cost.”

Run SAP methodology is a phased methodology based on world-class knowledge. It provides best-practice procedures, content, services, training and tools for end-to-end solution operations, along with a standardized and proven implementation method. The Run SAP methodology focuses on application management, business process operations, and administration of SAP solutions. The methodology describes how support should be implemented across the lifecycle design, set-up, operations and optimization. In addition, with its best-practice documents for solution operations, it describes how to implement end-to-end solution operations for different SAP software-based business processes.

“We applaud Atos Origin’s achievement as a global SAP services partner certified in the Run SAP methodology,” said Dr. Uwe Hommel, executive vice president of Active Global Support at SAP AG. “By adopting the end-to-end solution operations standards provided by the Run SAP methodology, Atos Origin will deliver to its customers a higher level of effectiveness and efficiency.”

Run SAP is an integral part of SAP Enterprise Support services, a holistic support model designed to enable continuous improvement and successful solution operations at lower risk and cost.

SAP customers will realize the benefits of operating with the end-to-end standards. SAP standards for solution operations are a prerequisite for the continuous improvement of SAP solution operations. Not only do they enable automation, reducing the cost of operations, but also improved traceability and an audit trail, helping companies to achieve cost efficiency, quality assurance and compliance enablement.

IT Europa announced today that it will stage the European IT Excellence Awards 2010 in London on 25 February 2010. The IT Excellence Awards have been designed to recognise and reward excellence in solutions provided by European IT and Telecoms Channels. The awards will bring together leading ISVs, Solution Providers and Systems Integrators from across Europe to demonstrate their ability to provide IT solutions for their customers.

The awards are split into three sections. The first set of awards are exclusively for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) highlighting the crucial role that applications play in the development of customer solutions. The second set of awards recognise the vital role played by Value Added Resellers (VARs), Solution Providers and Systems Integrators in providing solutions for both the SME and Large Enterprise sectors. The third set of awards is for vendors and suppliers who best support channel partners in delivering excellence.

“With more than 80% of sales now going through some form of channel and the complexity of technology continuing to increase, recognition of the crucial role that channels play in the delivery of real solutions to end customers is probably overdue,” said Alan Norman, Managing Director of IT Europa. “The European IT Excellence Awards are the first pan-European awards to recognise excellence in the delivery of real solutions and are intended to encourage the development of partnerships between vendors and solution providers across the IT and Telecoms industries.”

IT Excellence Awards winners will be presented with their awards at the European IT Excellence Awards Dinner on 25 February 2010 at The Tower, a Guoman Hotel, London. The Awards Dinner has been timed to coincide with the European ISV Convention 2010 which is being staged at the same venue on the same day.

Organisations wishing to enter the European IT Excellence Awards or interested in sponsorship opportunities can find further information at www.iteawards.com . The closing date for entries is 16 January 2010. Further information about the European ISV Convention can be found at www.isvconvention.com

Leading aid and development agency CARE International is looking for teams of intrepid colleagues from across the IT industry to take part in the third CARE 3 Peaks Challenge, on 12-13 June 2010.

The challenge will see teams from the sector tackling the three highest peaks in Scotland (Ben Nevis, 1,334m), England (Scafell Pike, 978m) and Wales (Snowdon, 1,085m) all in the target time of 24 hours.

In 2009, QA completed the challenge in the fastest time of 23 hours and 18 minutes, and the gauntlet is down for any team who thinks they can beat them! Better still, last year’s event raised £50,000 to support CARE’s poverty-fighting work.

Head of CARE Challenge Neil Munro said, “The funds raised by teams on previous challenges are already achieving fantastic things around the world. The IT sector is one of the most fun and enthusiastic sectors we work with. It would be wonderful to top last year’s fundraising total and we’re confident the IT sector is up to it!”

The CARE 3 Peaks Challenge offers corporate teams a fantastic teambuilding and networking opportunity, with a well deserved dinner and awards following the challenge. Experienced CARE Challenge staff will be available from the day teams sign up, to offer advice and support with fundraising and training.

Metro de Madrid, the third largest metro system in the world, has successfully introduced a program to transform its maintenance operations and provide higher standards of transportation services.  Metro de Madrid has teamed with Accenture and GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, to launch the program, known as ‘COMMIT’,  to increase operational performance and raise the level of its customer service.

To meet Metro de Madrid’s operational goals, Accenture implemented a new operational maintenance model and designed a technology infrastructure to manage in real-time the installation of metro’s equipment such as elevators, escalators, energy distribution and management, telecommunications, hydraulic pumps, ticketing and turnstiles. The model comprises monitoring and automation tools with capabilities including advanced diagnostics of failures and incidents to minimize service disruptions, the analysis of incidents and equipment faults to reduce maintenance costs and maximize manpower resources, and remote maintenance and remote monitoring of installations of equipment to increase efficiency. GE Fanuc Intelligent Platform’s supervisory control and data acquisition software suite, Proficy iFIX , was implemented as a part of the solution. iFIX provides real-time information management to help Metro de Madrid drive better analytics and leverage more reliability, visibility into day-to-day operations, flexibility and scalability across their enterprise.

“We are delighted with the early successes the COMMIT program has delivered,” Manuel Vázquez , Metro de Madrid’s Infrastructure Director. “The work Accenture and GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms carried out is central to the expansion of our network and delivery of superior service as we now have real-time diagnostic and monitoring tools that enable us to be proactive rather than reactive at all levels and aspects of the network’s operation.”

Since the launch of the COMMIT program in June 2006, Metro de Madrid has realized a range of benefits including:

*  Putting into service about one third more equipment and facilities without deteriorating the quality of service. The costs of implementation were also controlled;

*  Manpower efficiencies with a reduction in second on-site visits to resolve equipment failures or malfunctions;

*  Increase in positive customer experience due to real-time availability of the state of services offered;

*  Improved technical and service management internally and with its suppliers.

Carlos Gallego, Accenture senior executive for public transportation, said, “COMMIT has a strong focus on innovation and is a pioneering model in maintenance infrastructures for the railway industry. It has already been able to deliver superior quality of service at a reduced operating cost.”

Marco Ribas, senior executive with Accenture automation and industrial solutions services, said, “Accenture is committed to leveraging our skills in industrial automation and experience in business process and systems to help Metro de Madrid achieve its goals of operational excellence and positive customer experience.  We were able to provide Metro de Madrid with critical, real-time transit system operations data and other essential information, using GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms software, which allowed it to align operations with the business strategy.  We look forward to collaborating with GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms on future client opportunities.”

Erik Udstuen, Vice President of Software and Services for GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, said, “Our industry-leading HMI/SCADA software is designed to provide organizations like Metro de Madrid visibility into their operations so they can make decisions to achieve a sustainable advantage for their business. We are pleased to be working jointly with Accenture on this operation and service quality program, and plan to collaborate on similar client opportunities.”

Accenture and GE have begun a working relationship to provide enterprise solutions globally.

Chief information officers are more satisfied with their jobs in 2009 than they have been in recent years despite salary freezes and their companies cutting costs at every opportunity, according to a recent job satisfaction survey from ExecuNet.

ExecuNet polled 306 IT executives for the survey. 64 percent of them said they were satisfied with their jobs. This is an 11 percent increase over the previous year. For reference, in 2007, only 41 percent of the CIOs who responded to the survey said they were happy with their jobs.

Among the 64 percent executives who responded positively, primary reasons for job satisfaction were work they enjoy (13 percent), a good relationship with their bosses (12.5 percent), and a comfortable fit with their employers (10.2 percent).

The remaining 36 percent of CIOs who said that they were unhappy with their jobs cited limited advancement opportunities (14 percent), compensation (11.3 percent) and lack of challenge (10 percent) as their top reasons.

"People become happier with their jobs when the grass on the other side of the fence looks more like a mud flat," says Mark Anderson, ExecuNet's president and chief economist. "In 2008, as the economy started to turn [down], satisfaction started to rise."

Find the latest executive jobs at ExecutiveRoleFinder.com.

UK consulting firm Axon has bought the Enterprise Solutions unit of South Africa-based software company UCS for an initial R57m (GBP 4.35) in cash. If the Enterprise Solutions division is successful in meeting profit targets, the number could grow to R125m (GBP 9.5m). Both companies have strong ties with German business software developer SAP: HCL Axon specializes in SAP software, while Enterprise Solutions specializes in SAP implementation.

In spite of UCS' division's strong position in the South African market, the company believed that Enterprise Solutions could only achieve sustainable growth through a global partnership that would give it access to international clients and more skills. Axon fits the bill: the UK consultancy employs 4,500 SAP consultants around the globe.

Under the current deal, HCL Axon will get a bigger platform in South Africa, while UCS will be allowed to grow its international profits by providing maintenance services and support for a limited period of time. Some of the money from the deal could be used for future acquisitions, to fund UCS'organic growth.

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