Maria Korolov » Archive
Surving Outsourcing
This article originally appeared in InfoWorld. It’s the new reality of IT: working as part of a global team, with coworker and outsourcers all over the world, coordinated by a project manager at headquarters. But that reality can be ugly, as managers are stretched across time zones, with no such thing as being off the clock. Work quality, commitment, and communications vary considerably, putting the burden on the manager caught in the middle to make it all work — from thousands of miles away. // getRelatedBoxOne("/article/08/10/14/42FE-tech-manager-global-squeeze_1.html","spBoxOne") // ]]> For many companies, the results are bad: Thousands, sometimes millions of dollars in wasted efforts. Software and other tech … Read more »
Build-Operate-Transfer Plan Brings Outsourced Jobs In
Article originally published in Insurance Networking News. Patrick Snowball, executive director of Aviva UK, flew down to Mumbai, India in February to accept an award from the Indian software industry. But India’s National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) wasn’t lauding the insurance giant for the jobs it was moving to outsourcing firms on the subcontinent. Instead, Aviva was recognized for taking jobs back. The previous month, Aviva transferred 1,600 employees in Bangalore from an outsourcing vendor, 24/7 Customer, to Aviva Global Services. It was the first move of its kind and size in the Indian business processing outsourcing industry, NASSCOM said. When a vendor creates a … Read more »
Outsourcing in China
Originally published in Computerworld. About two years ago, Kevin Miller needed a little help supporting legacy applications and developing new software for large automotive manufacturers. He decided to conduct a Cobol pilot project with Information Technology United Corp., a Beijing-based outsourcer with U.S. offices in Redwood City, Calif. Read full article. … Read more »
‘Homesourcing’ A Domestic Alternative
Article originally published in Insurance Networking News. There are three main reasons why it’s cheaper to outsource work to WillowCSN Inc. than to do it in-house-even though Willow doesn’t ship the work off to India, but keeps it in the Unites States. First: Willow’s agents work from home as independent contractors, so there are no office costs or benefits expenses. Read full article (free registration required). … Read more »
India Tightens Security
Article originally published in Insurance Networking News. Late spring 2005, the world learned that a crime ring that included call center employees of an Indian outsourcing company stole more than $300,000 from Citibank customers by tricking callers into giving up their PIN numbers. The news sent shockwaves through the industry, as India was the premier destination for business process outsourcing in the world. Many predicted that the Indian outsourcing sector would suffer as a result. Read full article (free registration required). … Read more »
Outsourcing: Russia and Eastern Europe
Compared with some of the big-league outsourcing players, Russia is a rookie. The country’s current revenue from IT outsourcing is $150 million to $200 million annually, a drop in the bucket compared with India’s yearly draw of $6 billion. But, though little more than a decade old, Russia’s outsourcing industry is learning to play to its strengths and is growing by 50% annually, analysts say. Those strengths include low-cost and highly trained workers. The annual salary for a programmer runs about $5,000 to $9,000, which is comparable to salaries in India. The World Bank estimates that Russia has the … Read more »