Industry news

The current big IT issue BYOD – bring your own device, blurs the line between the use of technology at work and at home. This blurring of the work/life boundary has ensured IT departments now have to accept that many individuals within an organisation will want to use the technology they are most familiar with. And for younger employees in particular, that is likely to be the latest Wi-Fi enabled smart phones and tablets.

The obvious benefit of BYOD is a cost saving for the organisation. The not so obvious benefit is that many organisations report an increase in productivity from engaged employees who enjoy the new working environment.

Happily for employers, a policy that allows a certain amount of personal usage, blurs the line between work and home, with employees more likely to undertake out of hours work on their own device, which is often close at hand, day and night.

In transcription outsourcing, we have seen this trend manifest itself in the request from many hundreds of law firms we work with, to provide a BlackBerry app., so fee-earners could use devices for dictation at any time of the day, in any location. The trend towards BYOD is perhaps most easily seen in our development of similar apps., for iPhone, iPad and Android users; not necessarily the device of choice for the firms' IT department, but definitely the personal choice for many lawyers.

We tailor all our software to the specific working requirements of each law firm. Our system allows a lawyer using their mobile phone/device to send a dictation either to their own secretary or to one of our 300 plus typists.

We provide every individual client with a dedicated email account which they can access from anywhere in the world. As long as they have a mobile device with email functionality and an email account with an internet connection, they can dictate a document and have it transcribed by one of our typists.

However, there are drawbacks to the current BYOD culture. Data leakage is perhaps the major concern, but this can be mitigated with encryption of the devices and software to keep personal and corporate data separate. Collaboration between colleagues can be stifled if everyone is utilising different devices, different operating systems and incompatible software, but again the problem can be overcome with a flexible but robust usage policy.

Whilst organisations and their IT departments struggle to cope effectively with this growing trend, we expect to see a decline in traditional dictation hardware as users look to exploit smart technology to record their words and email the sound file to us for transcription – whatever the time of day or night.

Although there are many different definitions for cloud computing, it essentially means that your applications, systems and data are stored at a remote location and accessed via a network connection, typically over the internet, rather than in your own office. This model has already delivered some compelling benefits to a large number of companies, including greater flexibility, easier collaboration across different sites, and more effective cost control.

Most recently, however, businesses have been trying to obtain these same benefits by using their own ‘private’ cloud, which basically follows the same model, but is operated solely for a single organisation. There are many advantages to using a private cloud in this way. For a start, it gives most IT teams exactly what they've always wanted – control – since a private cloud can give the IT department a lot more power and freedom than it would have with a more traditional ‘public’ cloud model.

For end-users, a private cloud will also be appealing because of its familiarity, since the technologies being accessed via the private cloud will often be the same as the company’s internal systems, especially in areas like virtualisation, storage presentation, operating systems and so on.

Private cloud solutions are also extremely flexible and configurable in terms of operating systems, storage, applications, access, security, continuity, and so on, and can be integrated with other applications and systems more easily. Public clouds, on the other hand, are typically more rigid in their integration, as they often depend upon complex APIs and other software development tools to work properly.

A private cloud can also be vendor neutral, and generally considered to be more secure, since businesses can typically implement any security systems they like into this kind of environment. In terms of price, public clouds are typically operated on an hourly charge basis, whereas private clouds are typically charged on a flat per-resource per month basis, and so that is worth keeping in mind too. In many cases, having easy access to a flat resource is often better and more cost-efficient for corporate IT, as the workloads tend to be more static and easier to control. In a large percentage of cases, a public cloud solution will quickly become expensive once a business starts building in additional resources and functionality.

So are there any disadvantages of a private cloud solution? Well, possibly. At the moment, it's generally quicker and easier to ramp up resources on demand on a public cloud platform, but this is changing as more private platforms allow companies to flex on the fly, and to ‘burst' in peak times.

Also, because there is quite a low-barrier to entry to create a private cloud platform, a massive number of IT and communications companies are already jumping in to offer this service. This sudden influx of resellers can often be risky for customers and many companies could get burnt, especially if there are no experienced consulting, engineering or service teams on-hand to make sure that the solution fits the needs of the business.

Even so, the option of a private cloud is likely to dominate the market in the months and years ahead, and is likely to be especially popular with corporate IT teams. Microsoft will still be the main player in terms of applications and operating systems for the foreseeable future, especially as it has freed itself from the hardware and has a worldwide customer base, skilled up to deliver solutions and services on their platforms.

To get true value out of a private cloud, businesses will need to have access to a reasonable amount of technical skill. In fact, the more capable the business is in terms of its IT skills, the more it will get out of a private cloud solution, since a private cloud is really ‘what you make of it’, whereas the public cloud is generally a case of ‘you get what you’re given.’

There are actually clear benefits to be had with both options. The first step – as always – will be to determine the specific needs of your business, and then choose accordingly.

Recent times have seen a sharp rise in business intelligence and analytics and the power of data has come to the fore. However, merely factoring intelligence and analytics into your strategy is not enough. How do you extract the data and learn from it, and more importantly how do you use that information to drive better business decisions?

Marco Rapetti, Director of Commercial Sales for Europe at Tableau Software, said: “In today’s world, the ability to collect, interpret and use data is becoming increasingly important to people in all industries and roles of the business. In fact, it's becoming so important that it can’t be left, in the same way it was 20 years ago, to a single data analyst or IT team crunching numbers and delving into databases.

“Today, data analytics has grown up and become infinitely more accessible. With the emergence of new tools, visualising data in a real time dashboard setting gives vastly improved data digestibility for the mind. Anyone with the right analytical skills can be a data scientist. However, that's not to say that those at the top shouldn't have a vested interest in interpreting data.

“It's important that business decision makers, be it the MD, CIO or CEO are able to control the data, manipulate it and make decisions using it. By taking the responsibility for managing the data flow, decision makers can empower the new wave of ‘data enthusiasts’ – those who recognise the importance of data but might not have the education or experience of a traditional analyst.”

For many SMEs and organisations dealing with information management for the first time – quick wins and having the right framework are imperative to the process. David Parcell, Verint Corporate Officer and Managing Director, Verint, comments: "Quick-wins can certainly jumpstart your enterprise information management strategy. Having the right framework in place to capitalise on the pool of information available to the business is a must, but the question for management is often simply where to start – ie. where are the quick wins to be found? With technology now available to consolidate and analyse large and disparate datasets, as an example the contact centre can become the organisation’s front line in the fight to turn data into actionable insight."

“Between call recordings, customer emails, chat, agents’ notes and customers’ social media input - the information available in the contact centre is potentially invaluable. When captured and analysed collectively, this data can tell companies exactly what their customers think and how they really behave.

“This analysis can also inform processes of continuous improvement and incremental change that can have a real impact on a company’s bottom line. For example, O2 Ireland executives looking to drive opt-ins to a particular mobile top up plan used analysis of unstructured customer contact information (focussing on references to the plan) to show that customers were actually very keen to take up the deal on offer, but were simply forgetting to top up their balance by the required deadline.

“A regular SMS reminder was sent out to all customers, and this resulted in a significant growth in revenues. This is a very simple illustration of how the analysis of unstructured customer contact information can provide a clear boost to the business - and an unintimidating introduction to big data opportunities.”

One of the main stumbling blocks people experience with information management is defining precisely what information they want to extract from the data and having the right tools to do so. It is all too easy to be data rich and information poor especially when dealing with multichannel. A tiered approach needs to be embedded with the use of analytics and an emphasis on getting the basics right.

Richard Eynon, senior manager, Kurt Salmon, agrees: “Information is hitting consumer companies at a faster rate than ever and in a variety of forms, from transactional data to user-generated content. This information then needs to be integrated so that businesses have a complete and well-rounded picture about the behaviours and preferences of their target customers, and how they should respond from both a marketing and operational standpoint.

“Given that information is becoming more voluminous, more varied, and more complex, companies that want to be best in class at exploiting it will need to invest in people and tools, such as advanced data analytics, web analytics, and social analytics, to make sense of it all. Inevitably, different companies will have different circumstances in terms of how much they are willing and able to invest. However, it is imperative that if a company is to use information well in the multichannel paradigm it must distinguish between what information is valuable and relevant and what isn’t. This means knowing what aspects of the business it is going to measure, how it will measure them, and how that information will be used to steer business activity.”

In the future, the structure of information management will evolve in an organisation along with its outsourcing practices. Subhash Gaitonde, Programme Director from MindTree’s Data & Analytics Solutions (DAS) practice, believes that “going forward business units will control major portion of the Intelligence and analytics budgets and hence decision/business value offerings approaches will become necessary and decision making will be more business-centric rather than tool-centric.”

Cloud computing as a concept has been a hot topic for at least the last five years. For much of this time it has managed to be, simultaneously, the next big thing, the new big thing, or yesterday’s marketing buzzword that has run its course. Confusion reigns, not helped by the fact that the term ‘cloud’ covers a range of different platforms and services, including public and private clouds, and approaches such as virtualisation, managed hosting and simple internet-based applications.

None of this helps businesses trying to get to grips with the cloud, understand what the options are and choose the solution that is right for their business.

Cloud computing offers many proven benefits: it provides a cost-effective, flexible and scalable route for managing IT infrastructure, software platforms and applications. It can store vast amounts of data. In today’s increasingly mobile and international business environment it offers seamless and universal access to a central repository of information and applications. But there are many providers out there, offering many different services, and concerns around security and data privacy remain a significant obstacle for firms looking to implement a cloud-based IT system.

The first question an organisation should ask itself is, ‘do I go for public or private cloud and what is the difference between them?’

A public cloud is one where an organisation’s information and applications are hosted via the Internet and accessed and charged for on a pay-as-you-use basis. Their flexibility and scalability, largely unlimited data storage and universal access makes them an ideal option for many businesses, such as those with offices at more than one location, a mobile workforce, limited IT resources or rapidly evolving IT requirements. Firms can increase or decrease capacity as they need, and only pay for what they use.

Private clouds tend to be an optimised and virtualised version of a business’ existing network. The company acquires and controls its own hardware and software, but this is integrated into a single, centralised hub of computing power that can be distributed across the business as required. It offers benefits in terms of IT efficiency and economies of scale, but lacks the responsiveness of a public cloud; and any extension or adaptation will invariably require additional IT spend. For companies with recent investments in IT hardware and software a private cloud can help to extend the lifespan of this investment.

The concept of a private cloud can reassure firms concerned about the security of data and applications hosted in a public cloud, however these fears are unfounded when choosing a reputable public cloud supplier, with a proven track record (through audits or accreditations) in security and a solid commercial and financial footing.

Every business is different, with different IT needs, priorities and resources. What is right for one firm will not be right for another, and it is vital that companies do their research and look for advice before investing in a solution. The fact remains that cloud computing is here to stay, and will become increasingly embedded in business IT. The decision is no longer ‘should we move to the cloud’, but ‘how should we move to the cloud?

The practice of recovery audit is about combing through large volumes of spend data to identify overpayments that can be regained from suppliers. Handing over this task to an outside agency may seem akin to washing your dirty laundry in public. But there’s growing acceptance that overpayments occur naturally in almost every organisation, regardless of size or standing, and that recovery audit is a healthy routine to have in place. In this white paper, Adam Simon of PRGX explains why casting aside misconceptions and outsourcing a recovery audit programme could be one of the most astute decisions you make, not just for short-term gains but for long-term financial fitness.

Over 40 years ago, recovery audit industry was born, and it continues to flourish despite frequent predictions of its demise. Companies call in a recovery audit firm when they want to outsource the review of their transaction accuracy. Recovery Auditors often identify error rates valued at $100 to $3,000 per $1,000,000 of spend – which is why this practice is referred to as profit recovery.

Many would ask why should we outsource this activity? Surely a company can manage its own internal controls using in-house verification processes? Or after experiencing a recovery audit, why continue to outsource when the company can incorporate corrective actions into their processes and eliminate the sources of error?

The secret of its enduring value lies in three factors – innovation, independence, and motivation. And it is for these reasons that the value of a recovery audit is only truly realised by outsourcing.

Innovation is the lifeblood of profit recovery

The ability to mine complex data is the key to the success of profit recovery. Since the 1970s, data mining has evolved from examining paper documents in “box audits” to the acquisition and processing of many petabytes of data to the current big data solutions.

Financial nuggets are found scientifically through advanced data mining algorithms, which enable auditors to practice the art of capturing exceptions and anomalies — and translating them into hard profits for their clients. While such techniques are practised commonly, specialist auditors make it their job to find new linkages, claim concepts or sources of data. Innovation is the lifeblood of recovery audit — if this were not the case, the sources of anomaly would dry up.

In recent years, innovation has opened up an array of new ways to mine data, with the most outstanding success being the proprietary techniques to trawl through tens of millions of emails and their attachments in order to find the one email which allows a company to assert and justify a claim from a vendor. Current areas of focus for innovation include root cause analysis to identify the underlying reasons for anomalies; the use of shared service centres in order to streamline data processing and the management of the simpler claim concepts; and the use of technology to capture data more efficiently from legacy systems. Lastly, where recovery audit used to stop at recommendation, now it can move to implementation with the use of external resources experienced in the procure-to-pay area.

BT has won a contract to provide super-fast broadband throughout Wales.

The contract will see BT provide broadband speeds of up to 80Mbps with even faster speeds of 330Mbs in certain areas by 2015.

The tendering for super-fast broad comes as the government seeks to create the best broadband in Europe within three years.

The contract will be funded by £58 million from the Welsh government combined with £90 million from the European Regional Development Fund and£57 million of funding from the UK’s government Broadband Delivery Scheme.

Hampshire Country Council and Cambridgeshire Country Councils have viewed single suppliers as being preferable to offering multiple services contracts up for tender through the Public Services Network (PSN).

The single vendor choices made by the councils through the PSN appears to have taken the Cabinet Office by surprise.

A Cabinet Office Spokesman said: “We would encourage customers to use individual lots as far as possible, as these have a broader representation of specialist providers. However, procurement strategy is a matter for individual customers, taking into account their service requirements and the level of transformation involved.”

Research covering 630 contracts by KPMG has shown that cost is decreasing as a factor for the outsourcing of IT by businesses.

The research has shown that 70 percent of businesses are influenced by cost when looking at outsourcing IT services, compared with 83 percent from two years ago.

Other reasons for outsourcing services included the need for better quality services at 46 percent and 51 percent citied the lack of in-house skills for the cause for outsourcing.

Lee Ayling, partner in KPMG’s Shared Services and Outsourcing unit, commented: “Companies are now looking at how outsourcing helps improve the quality of service they can offer to customers".

Research from IT finance provider Syscap and research from investment and research body Nesta has shown that investment has fallen along with IT innovation and funding.

Syscap reported that IT investment fell by 10 percent while Nesta reported business innovation investment dropped £24 billion.

Geoff Mulgan, Nesta's CEO, said: "Everyone agrees that innovation is the only route to long term growth” and that “Other countries are making investment in innovation a top priority and the UK cannot afford not to do the same.”

Syscap’s CEO Philip White, commented: ““This trend in under investment in IT is not seen, for example, in Germany- quite the opposite”.

FirstGroup may receive an extension on its Great Western contract after the government has reportedly delayed issuing tender contracts.

FirstGroup has already served notice on its contract with the company set to terminate services on the 1st August, however the delays in issuing tender contracts by the Department of Transport may see the company carry on services into the summer.

FirstGroup used a clause in there contract to end services three years early. In continuing to provide services, FirstGroup will likely receive subsides for the extension.