Category: Sourcing Best Practises

  • Are you ready to turn on… to HfS research dot com?

    January 23, 2011 |

    A few memories from the HfS team, as we ready for something just a little bit special, coming very soon to a laptop near you. And ask yourself - are you ready? Read More

  • Scott Golas, MadMan of digital media outsourcing

    January 15, 2011 |

    Centro is taking the function of advertising-process sourcing to an entirely new level with a new managed services offering, called MediaOps, that will enable advertisers to outsource their entire digital media operations, which are typically onerous to run, and complex to get right. This will allow the ad agencies to focus their talents on creative and targeted ad campaign management.Read More

  • Expecting more from Procurement BPO? SpendMatters and HfS investigate

    January 13, 2011 |

    The struggle with procurement BPO has typically been the belief that either moving labor from higher to lower cost regions, or re-badging employees from corporate to a BPO provider, would alone be enough to achieve results. To tackle the issue we teamed up with HfS Expert Contributor, Jason Busch of SpendMatters fame. Jason also assumes the role of senior advisor for the coveted HfS Single malt Foundation, where he has excelled in his duties.Read More

  • 2011: The Year your provider vies to be your service integrator. Will you play ball?

    January 12, 2011 |

    Europe’s Logica begins its New Year by inking an intriguing partnership with Microsoft. What, at first glance, looks like a rather mundane partnership really signals something else: That its going to be the business driving Cloud—Logica gets this and so does Microsoft. And each needs the other.Read More

  • Build it, then market it… and then they may come

    January 12, 2011 |

    “Build it and they will come” is not a viable approach to achieve shared services scale in most organizations. Business line stakeholders may not perceive a burning platform for change, fear loss of control, believe that their back offices are too integral to the creation of their profit margin, have other options such as outsourcing on their own, or remember a similar initiative way back when that, in their minds, was a dismal failure. Think of selling shared services as getting friends to eat sushi...Read More

  • TPI + Compass: a new direction for outsourcing advisors, or more of the same?

    January 08, 2011 |

    With the increased focus on outsourcing advisory services from management consultants such as Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, the souped-up TPI/Compass creates a super-boutique that can compete effectively in the market for the complex enterprise engagements that require a lot of hourly-billable heavy-lifting. There’s little doubt this merger helps bolster TPI’s credentials as a serious player, now the big boys fancy their piece of the action. However, when we look at the current enterprise needs for outsourcing support, we see a dire need for enterprises to receive a mixture of consulting advice and data, served up in a less expensive, easier-to-digest format, than the $500-per-hour model.Read More

  • Happy Sourcing Change year: first fix what is inexcusable and downright awful

    January 02, 2011 |

    HfS are forecasting a meteorologist’s dream for the sourcing industry— high pressure combinations of Cowboys and Indians, a blizzard of new deals, and very Cloud-y days. In the face of these anticipated patterns, how should buyers prepare for the stormy weather that ultimately impacts results for their organizations? Perhaps it’s time to prepare for the change sourcing represents a bit differently. Here are our top five recommendations for staying warm and dry in 2011Read More

  • Real-estate Ron runs the rule on REFMO

    December 23, 2010 |

    Sourcing professionals should be very interested in REFMO because it is the second or third largest spend category of any company. Only recently has there been an opportunity to integrate the function. EquaTerra's Ron Walker talks to HfS Research to explain more...Read More

  • Cloud is changing the future of outsourcing: 1000 organizations have spoken

    December 19, 2010 |

    Gone are the days when CIOs demanded their shareholders underpin massive technology investments in ERP and infrastructure. Those investments have been made, and most CEOs intend never again to make capital outlays of that ilk on technology. Enter the Cloud. This is driving a new inflection point in the provisioning of business services, that goes far beyond straightforward outsourcing.Read More

  • Announcing the “HfS 25″… where the industry’s premier sourcing leaders are gathering

    December 08, 2010 |

    Today, we're delighted to announce the official unveiling of the "HfS 25" - a collecti0n of 25 sourcing leaders that will work behind closed doors with us to help define our industry, the like of which hasn't been done before. HfS Research is pulling together experiences from the leading minds who live and breathe sourcing everyday. And what surprised us, when we reached out to sourcing leaders in the HfS network, was the sheer enthusiasm with which they wanted to be part of this group - they want to get out and network, share ideas, meet peers in other organization, and add their tuppence to the future direction our industry is taking.Read More