Industry news

Last month I hopped on a plane to the HRO Summit in Amsterdam, one of the largest annual gatherings of senior HR professionals in Europe and a handy opportunity to find out what they are expecting from the coming year. What I had confirmed for me was that the executive of leading organisations have put talent at the centre of their business strategies, which has meant HR functions have been thrust, somewhat unexpectedly, into the spotlight.

The problem is, however, that they have arrived at this position in the wake of a major economic downturn and in many cases find themselves under-resourced to accomplish their given objective – the alignment of talent management with general business strategy.

In the light of this, the presentation given by Dr Anthony Hesketh of Lancaster University Management School at the Summit attracted more than a little attention. Why? Because he is a passionate believer that HR now has the tools at its disposal to demonstrate a direct and quantifiable link between the effective management of talent and business performance.

For those organisations contemplating outsourcing elements of the talent management spectrum as a way of tackling a shortage of internal resources this may be vital. After all, providing corporate boards with figures that show a compelling business case for a major ‘people initiative’ like this may be the quickest and most effective way to gain their attention. And, as Hesketh points out, “There have been no major HR cuts since 2007 in those organisations that have already outsourced.”

The measurement tool that Hesketh has developed is called ‘Return on Invested Talent’ or ROIT for short and one of its most attractive features in an age of increasing complexity is its relatively simple and straightforward methodology. ROIT establishes how much money an organisation makes, how much it has to spend on people to achieve that and the ratio between the two. But Hesketh believes that expenditure on talent needs to go much further than the salary bill and direct recruitment costs. “What you pay your employees only forms part of the equation,” he says.

“You also have to provide people with the tools and equipment that enable them to carry out their work and that needs to be factored in.” Elements such as depreciation and amortization are therefore also added to the employee side of the scales. He argues that it’s important to use the tool on a continuous basis to show how talent management influences financial performance and to employ it to gain buy-in for major HR projects such as partnering with an outsourcer.

Used properly it can , he says “Reveal an accountable, evidence-based metric to initiate the conversation about how organisations can leverage their greatest intangible asset – talent.” However he also points out that numbers are not the end point of HR’s case, but its beginning. “ROIT shouldn’t dominate every conversation,” he says, “so don’t just blindly follow the numbers, use them to strategically enable what they tell you.”

Damien Stork is a director at recruitment outsourcing and talent management specialist, Ochre House – www.ochrehouse.com

Luxoft has announced its top tips for businesses looking to make cloud computing work in 2011.

Luxoft has predicted that cloud computing, whether used in a storage capacity or to greatly decrease carbon footprints, will experience significant growth, in both the public and private sectors over the next 12 months, specifically in the area of internet services. The following tips have been developed by Vice President of Technology Strategy at Luxoft, Vasily Suvorov, to help businesses looking to use cloud computing effectively over the next 12 months.

Know where you stand right from the beginning

Cloud computing is emerging as one of the hottest technologies for IT, with an increasing number of organisations looking to the cloud to simplify and streamline their technology infrastructures while holding the line on costs. However, diving in with both feet isn’t always the best approach. Having a plan right from the start is crucial to getting the most out of the transition--and minimising the risk. Consider the following tips before making your first move.

Define what it means to you

There is no single all-encompassing definition of cloud computing. Before doing anything, decide which one of the various categories of cloud computing – Including SaaS (software as a service), cloud-based storage, infrastructure in the cloud, or platform as a service – most closely matches your specific needs.

“When you say cloud, it’s an umbrella term,” says Vasiliy Suvorov. “You need to decide which cloud offering you want before you go any further.”

Compare features & prices

Researching the alternatives is largely dependent on how complex the implementation will be. Simple cloud storage-based offerings, for example, are priced on a per-megabyte/gigabyte, per-month basis, along with additional charges for submitting or migrating your data onto the vendor’s platform. More involved application- and platform-based solutions will necessitate more complex pricing and feature comparisons.

Decide where you are on the cloud computing continuum before you begin applying selection criteria to features and prices.

Plan for the future

You may just be getting started, but vendor lock-in is a very real risk if you’re not careful. A key lesson for IT in this fast-moving market is to build a longer-term roadmap than you think you might otherwise need.

“As vendors and the market in general become more mature and their offerings become more commoditized, there will be more opportunities,” says Suvorov, who adds that the price/feature curve will continue to sweeten. “You may want to move elsewhere as prices come down. The scenario needs to be analysed for exit, as well, as you want to be able to move data out just as easily as you move it in.”

Check your tools

Tools that support conventional infrastructure don’t always translate into the cloud. Make sure you have the right tools in place to take advantage of cloud-based solutions.

“All cloud offerings except storage require extensive toolsets provided by third parties to integrate the data, integrate the physical to the virtual, support scalability, and provide monitoring capabilities,” Suvorov says. “Make sure you have administrative toolsets that cover the entire cloud-based ecosystem.”

Change your security roadmap

Cloud-based solutions force new approaches to managing IT security. While this is crucial for any organisation, it is especially so for those in sectors such as financial services, health care, and government, which are subject to greater regulatory oversight.

“Right now, no standardisation for security exists between different cloud providers,” Suvorov explains. “It depends on what cloud you use and who you work with.”

Suvorov adds that some providers, especially SaaS vendors, are more advanced than others.

“Whoever you go with, the important thing is to make sure you’re in control of who has access to your applications and all the data that’s going in and out of them,” he says. “Remember, that’s your accountability, not theirs.”

Prepare your people

This is perhaps the most important tip of them all. Although most IT shops can easily handle simpler cloud deployments such as storage with minimal retraining, more complex scenarios such as application migration may require different skills.

“If you’re deploying your apps into the cloud, in an environment where you need scalability, where you need to involve those IT resources who are responsible for maintaining and even developing your apps, then it gets a little more complicated,” says Suvorov, adding that IT staff may need to learn new APIs as they begin tuning apps for the cloud and integrating data on both sides of the firewall.

Hewlett-Packard GmbH and E.ON IT GmbH, the IT and telecommunications provider for Europe’s utilities company E.ON AG, today announced they have signed a five-year, $1.4 billion infrastructure technology outsourcing services contract.

One of the first major European utilities to outsource its technology infrastructure, E.ON has chosen HP to provide data center operations and workplace services in support of its global growth. The agreement is expected to strengthen E.ON’s competitiveness and create a more flexible technology environment.

“E.ON demands consistent, innovative and agile IT services to operate in a competitive global industry,” said Edgar Aschenbrenner, chief information officer, E.ON. “HP has proven experience in large-scale IT outsourcing and a global presence. We have asked them to apply their broad experience and innovation capabilities and to act as operational integrator toward our other key partners.”

HP is helping E.ON become an Instant-On Enterprise by embedding technology in every layer of its business to better serve customers, employees and partners with whatever they need, instantly. HP is working with E.ON IT to create a consistent, optimized and cost-effective technology infrastructure that will help lower the company’s technology investment.

“Utility companies need to remain stable to deliver excellent client satisfaction while adapting quickly to changing regulations and energy sources in the coming years,” said Jan Zadak, senior vice president, Enterprise Business – EMEA, HP. “HP’s experience in managing complex outsourcing engagements and leading the management of multisupplier environments will enable E.ON to focus on delivering better business results and drive growth.”

Under the terms of the agreement, HP will directly manage the data center services and workplace services for more than 80,000 employees. To reduce management complexity for E.ON, HP also will act as operational integrator, collaborating closely with E.ON’s other key IT suppliers. As a result, more than 1,100 employees will transfer to HP in April 2011.

HP currently supplies technology equipment, support services and managed print services for E.ON.

Siemens is set to take an initial 15 per cent stake and a board seat in Atos Origin.

The deal, announced on Tuesday, will create one of Europe’s largest IT outsourcing companies in a rare Franco-German deal.

The move comes at a sensitive time for Franco-German Industrial relations, after the French Government tried to ban a Siemens contract awarded by Eurostar. The subject has caused strong protests in Berlin and is still very much a contentious issue.

The decision to allow Siemens to take a stake and a board seat in a group that provides strategic IT services to France’s 58 nuclear reactors may help to assuage these tensions.

The Atos Origin deal is valued at €850m ($1.1bn) It will see Siemens hand over its ailing SIS unit in exchange for a 15 per cent stake, plus a €250m convertible bond that can be transferred into another 5 per cent of Atos’s shares, and a €186m cash payment. Siemens has made a binding commitment not to sell its shares in the next five years.

Dell acquires Compellent for £820 million

The computer maker has bought the virtualised storage company after losing out in bidding war for 3PAR.

The deal is valued at $820 million and should help Dell reduce storage costs and simplify the management of IT infrastructure.

Minnesota-based Compellent's flagship product is Storage Centre, a storage area network (SAN) system that includes automated data management features such as storage tiering and thin provisioning.

"Compellent’s design focus on intelligently managing data to increase efficiency, agility and resiliency is consistent with Dell’s approach of building solutions that can quickly scale to meet the most demanding enterprise environment," commented Brad Anderson, senior vice president of Dell's enterprise product group.

The majority of councils (96%) are moving to shared service agreements in a bid to cut costs, according to a survey from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

Of the 73,000 local council job losses calculated for this year, 70% will be in managerial and back-office roles, the survey of 166 councils found.

45% of local government authorities have said they would outsource services with a commercial partner.

Grant Shapps, minister for communities and local government, said: "Local authorities need to get on with sharing services."

The operation will be funded using the Group’s net cash position. The contract was signed yesterday under conditional approval by the relevant anti-trust authorities. Thanks to this strategic move in Germany, Capgemini more than doubles its market share in IT services for local banking clients and accordingly strengthens its presence in a promising market.

CS Consulting was founded in 1984 and is a leading, innovative IT consultancy focusing on German banking and insurance industry. The company has a strong history of profitable growth above market average. It generated revenues of EUR 47.4m in 2009 with an adjusted EBIT margin of 12.6%. It benefits from a highly experienced team of over 400 consultants. CS Consulting specializes in the migration of core banking systems as well as the implementation of business intelligence systems. The company’s client base consists of large companies, mainly within the state banks (Landesbanken) and saving banks (Sparkassen), being served for multiple years. CS Consulting belongs to the top-25 companies of leading IT-consulting and system integration providers in Germany1.

By integrating CS Consulting to its German operations, Capgemini reinforces its footprint in a still growing and highly attractive market, as the upcoming transformation of banks will notably trigger high IT demands. Capgemini also strengthens its position as a powerful partner for banks benefiting from CS Consulting’s recognized capabilities for big and complex application development and maintenance engagements.

Berndt Blumenthal, CEO of CS Consulting: “Joining Capgemini will enable us to benefit from the experience of a truly international Group with a solid delivery network, and to offer promising perspectives to our employees. We will combine our strengths to serve German banks expansion and transformation.”

“The service portfolio and company culture of CS Consulting, which focuses on reliability of services, independence in terms of consulting and strong collaborative client approach, fit perfectly with Capgemini. With this step, we are giving a clear signal for the further growth of our business in Germany”, explains Olivier Sevillia, Member of Capgemini Group Executive Committee.

East Lindsey District Council and South Holland District Council say a shared services joint venture could save them as much as £30 million by 2020.

The operation, Compass Point Business Services East Coast Ltd, will be based on a new platform using Microsoft technology.

Source: http://www.publictechnology.net/sector/local-gov/shared-services-may-save-lincs-councils-much-30m

Barking and Dagenham Council has outsourced IT, customer services, revenue benefits and procurement.

The deal was struck with outsourcing provider Agilisys, and has seen the creation of a new company, Elevate East London, tasked with providing the services.

The council said the deal will deliver better value for money and will therefore reduce council tax in the area.

About 350 staff from Agilisys and the council have transferred into Elevate. The company's board includes equal representation from the council and Agilisys and has ambitious growth objectives, with plans to develop local opportunities and create hundreds of new jobs over the next seven to 10 years.

As well as focusing on IT, customer services, revenue, benefits and procurement, Elevate will play a key role in supporting Barking and Dagenham in terms of a broader council transformation, looking at processes and planning to ensure that citizens' needs are met using more modern and efficient services.

Additional savings will be achieved through further projects over the life of the partnership, all of which will help the council protect frontline services.

"This is an innovative step for the council which will be at the leading edge of transforming services," said councillor John White, who will become a director on the Elevate board.

Source: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/1932098/joint-venture-aims-bring-services-local-council

HfS Research is pulling together experiences from the leading minds who live and breathe sourcing everyday to form the HfS 25 – Sourcing Executive Council in 2011.

The goal of HfS is to produce a vehicle for the collective voices of today's sourcing leaders to make a difference.

Esteban Herrera, Outsourcing Executive, Analyst and Advisor at HfS, said: “I started quietly working on putting together the most influential network of sourcing buyers that the industry has known. We are delighted to share with you that we have accomplished that goal and will be launching the HfS Research Executive Council in 2011.

“This is an elite group of 25 buy-side (only) sourcing thought leaders has been created to be the preeminent influencer of the direction of the sourcing industry. The Council is a by-invitation-only program designed to foster networking, debate, and best-practice sharing amongst the most senior sourcing executives of large global enterprises.

"This powerful forum will shape the industry, influencing other buyers, service providers and intermediaries across both BPO and ITO areas. HfS will host periodic meetings and contribute by sharing candid, unbiased opinions based on current, highly relevant research data and deep outsourcing expertise. Basically, my job is to get the people together, play host, and provoke!”

The Council will be formed from Fortune 500 executives from the Insurance, Banking, Retail, Manufacturing, CPG, Utilities, and Oil & Gas industries who are committed to participate in the program and are looking forward to bringing everyone together early next year.