Industry news

Accenture has signed multi-year agreements with insurance and wealth management services provider The Hartford to assist in the transformation of The Hartford's finance department.

Under the agreement, Accenture will provide The Hartford with management and technology consulting as well as finance and accounting (F&A) business process outsourcing (BPO) services.

Accenture North America Finance and Risk Services Financial Services managing director Gary Fink said: "We are pleased to have been selected by The Hartford for their enterprise finance transformation project. We look forward to working with The Hartford and helping them to create the foundation for high-performance finance."

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr. Christopher Tufton, has announced a new investment in Jamaica’s business process outsourcing (BPO) sector by the Convergys Corporation, one of the largest agent-assisted customer service companies in the world. Convergys is projected to employ nearly 1,000 persons when its first call centre slated for Montego Bay becomes fully staffed in 2012.

Speaking at a specially organised press briefing held at JAMPRO’s New Kingston head office, Minister Tufton noted that the Convergys call centre represents the company’s initial foray into the Caribbean. "Convergys is a quality investment for Jamaica...we are confident that it will offer Jamaicans new employment and career opportunities in an industry with a bright future in Jamaica," stated Minister Tufton.

“This new investment is here today because of the professional facilitation efforts of JAMPRO, a key agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, working in partnership with a number of other agencies of the Ministry, as well as with the HEART Trust/NTA, to make this investment a reality,” he added.

CA Technologies has announced that Logicalis UK, part of the international IT and Communications (ICT) solutions integrator, is bolstering its private cloud offerings with CA Automation Suite for Clouds.

The private cloud services platform will enable Logicalis UK customers to benefit from the rapid delivery of private clouds, whilst also achieving improved cost efficiencies.

“Logicalis UK is at the forefront in offering cloud services to the FTSE 250 and public sector customers. The new offering, based on CA Technologies, will provide its customers with access to a market leading solution that manages private clouds across a broad combination of hardware and virtualisation technologies that customers already own, combined with innovative strategic advisory services, planning and rapid service delivery. By adding CA Automation Suite for Clouds to its existing cloud offerings, Logicalis UK will offer a new set of capabilities that enable IT to provide cloud-based services to its customers rapidly and more cost effectively,” said Roger Pilc, general manager, Virtualisation and Automation, CA Technologies.

Infosys has announced that it has signed a multi-year Transformation and Business IT services contract with Syngenta AG, one of the world leading agribusiness companies based in Switzerland. In a landmark contract that will provide consistency and predictability of service delivery, Infosys will consolidate Syngenta’s Global Business IT services landscape under a single shared services engagement.

Martin Walker, Global Head of Business Services for Syngenta: "Syngenta works across the globe and these services are critical to our success and competitiveness. Infosys was an obvious choice for Syngenta for its willingness to partner, ability to deliver superior solutions, leverage global presence and robust Business Transformation framework and capabilities. Infosys has aligned its priorities with Syngenta strategy, which is clearly evident in all interactions and is a key element in the success of this partnership."

Everything Everywhere has announced a £1.5 billion network evolution plan, which will see the further integration of the T-Mobile and Orange mobile networks and deployment of “4G-ready” (LTE) technology.

The investment will be made over a three-year period, with the company planning “double digit” growth in its 2012 network investment compared to 2011.

In the first half of 2012, Everything Everywhere intends to “further improve” its cross-network roaming for T-Mobile and Orange subscribers, to enable devices to automatically select the stronger signal from either network. It will also begin a “phased programme” to streamline network sites, as part of a plan to deliver synergy savings of £3.5 billion by 2014.

The Commission has launched an Open Data Strategy for Europe, which is expected to deliver a €40 billion boost to the EU's economy each year. Europe’s public administrations are sitting on a goldmine of unrealised economic potential: the large volumes of information collected by numerous public authorities and services.

Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes said: "We are sending a strong signal to administrations today. Your data is worth more if you give it away. So start releasing it now: use this framework to join the other smart leaders who are already gaining from embracing open data. Taxpayers have already paid for this information, the least we can do is give it back to those who want to use it in new ways that help people and create jobs and growth.” See Mrs Kroes video quote here.

CSC has said that it anticipates its contract with the Department of Health (DH) to deliver electronic patient records will be extended by one year until June 2017, and that it will receive between £1.5bn and £2bn more as a result.

It also comes after Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, announced his intentions to scrap the £12bn NPfIT in September. The firm has revealed that it is confident that under the yet to be signed terms in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the DH, its deal with the department will remain profitable, despite major delays in delivering software.

Cognizant, a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, has announced it has been selected as a strategic partner by Telefónica UK, a leading communications company for consumers and businesses in the UK, to develop and manage the Company’s online applications that are critical to improving sales and enhancing customer service.

Under the multiyear, managed services agreement, Cognizant will provide comprehensive business and operational support to Telefónica UK’s online applications and enhance their agility, flexibility, and responsiveness to consumer demands and market changes. These applications perform a wide array of business-critical functions, ranging from promoting and providing access to Telefónica UK’s products and services, to delivering end-user self-service functionalities.

“Cognizant is pleased to work with Telefónica UK in helping the company create operational efficiencies and increase market share,” said Sanjiv Gossain, Senior Vice President and Global Practice Leader for Communications, Information, Media and Entertainment at Cognizant.

“In a constantly changing communications marketplace characterized by a complex mix of consumer products and services, we are committed to driving excellence in Telefónica UK’s operations through proactive and reactive applications outsourcing services, and improved accountability, efficiency, flexibility, and speed. This will help Telefónica UK achieve its business goals and set new standards in customer satisfaction.”

IBM and DemandTec has announced that the two companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement for IBM to acquire DemandTec in an all cash transaction at a price of $13.20/share, or at a net price of approximately $440 million, after adjusting for cash.

The acquisition of DemandTec will extend IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative by adding cloud-based price, promotion and other merchandising and marketing analytics to help companies better define the best price points and product mix based on customer buying trends.

Organizations are struggling to meet the demands of rapidly shifting customer buying patterns in the era of mobile and social networks. This new digital marketplace requires companies to be highly responsive to consumer demands on the fly. Whether it’s setting and executing the right pricing strategy or the ability to automatically adjust pricing based on online and offline data, being able to rapidly shift to market changes has become a key competitive advantage for global businesses.

Accenture has been awarded a 33-month contract by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) to provide project management and application outsourcing services, in support of the Ministry’s Productive and Reliable Telecommunications Network for Radio (PARTNER) system. The contract was awarded following a competitive selection process.

The engagement targets improved operational efficiency and maintenance of the PARTNER system, which supports radio network administrative functions such as processing license applications and radio frequency management. Since June 2011, Accenture has been developing systems to reduce costs and improve compliance with regulatory reforms, expand online capabilities, and increase the percentage of applications submitted online.

“We are honored that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has selected Accenture as a partner to improve its cost structure and provide technical support for the PARTNER system, said Yasuhiro Nishimori, Accenture’s Health & Public Service executive who leads the firm’s work for the Ministry. “Accenture’s world-class application outsourcing services will help the Ministry combine efficient budget management with higher operational quality in the PARTNER system.”