Vendor transition and the impact on in-flight projects

This paper explores the vendor transition process after the termination or alteration of existing outsourcing contracts and the impact on in-flight projects. A single case study based on a large Australian telecommunications company, which operates a heavily outsourced IT environment is presented. Qualitative techniques were used for data collection and analysis. Data collection was undertaken using on-site semistructured open-ended interviews. The following key themes were uncovered in the interviews 1) Communication of the vendor transition, 2) The transition period, 3) Confusion during transition, 4) Extending agreements, and 5) Knowledge management. The paper concludes by presenting a number implications and underlying points of interest derived from the findings. © 2010 Amaya Booker and Alan Sixsmith

Vendor Transition and the Impact on In-flight Projects

This paper explores the vendor transition process after the termination or alteration of existing outsourcing contracts and the impact on in-flight projects. A single case study based on a large Australian telecommunications company, which operates a heavily outsourced IT environment is presented. Qualitative techniques were used for data collection and analysis. Data collection was undertaken using on-site semi- structured open-ended interviews. The following key themes were uncovered in the interviews 1) Communication of the vendor transition, 2) The transition period, 3) Confusion during transition, 4) Extending agreements, and 5) Knowledge management. The paper concludes by presenting a number implications and underlying points of interest derived from the findings

Drawbacks with It Outsourcing; Dealing with the End of the Contract

Many companies have looked to outsourcing Information Technology infrastructure and business processes as a means to save capital and streamline company business and assets. While companies initially approach outsourcing engagements concentrating on the migration of data and services to the vendor company, they rarely take into account potential issues that could possibly cause an outsourcing engagement to fail. Failure to address these potential issues within the contract can lead a business to be stuck in an outsourcing engagement that offers little to no benefit to the company. This project presents the details of a survey performed at a business that recently undertook an outsourcing engagement. The findings from the survey detail certain areas of an outsourcing engagement that should be taken into consideration when a business begins the initial stages of contract negotiations. The overall results of this project are intended to make companies aware of any potential problems that could arise and how to address them to make the outsourcing engagement successful

Information systems outsourcing in major Portuguese companies - contracting services

The information systems outsourcing presents itself as a strategic option for companies and continues to evolve in size and in type of contracts.In order to identify the most frequently outsourced services and aiming to get a better comprehension on the hiring process, a study was made based on a survey sent to information systems managers of large Portuguese companies.The study allowed to identify the information systems services usually outsourced, the main criteria used for selecting suppliers, the aspects considered in contracts, the difficulties that arise in relationships between customers and suppliers, and the mechanisms adopted for conflict resolution.- (undefined

Balancing Migration: Overcoming the challenge to SaaS provisioning for core business activities: A South African case study

Cloud computing provides shared information and communication technology (ICT) resources to individuals and organisations, including hardware and software resources that were previously too costly for an individual organisation to manage and own. Cloud computing makes vast amounts of ICT resources available to business organisations, resources that can improve business processes and allow business organisations to leverage ICT in ways that were previously impossible. The correct implementation, adoption and usage of ICT within a business organisation can lead to enhancements in productivity, innovation, and new products and services, as well as the reduction of production costs. Recent literature has attested to the fact that the adoption of cloud computing has been much lower than expected. Business organisations that have adopted cloud computing have done so mainly in products and services that can be categorised as support or non-core activities, such as HR, accounting, and marketing. In order to understand why the adoption pattern of cloud computing in business organisations has focused mainly on non-core activities, this study aims to identify the core challenge facing cloud service providers (CSPs) that provision cloud solutions to business organisations in the investment management industry. These would include cloud solutions that investment managers can use in their core business activities. Furthermore, the aim of this dissertation is to identify how CSPs overcome the core challenge faced. A case study was performed on a single CSP that provisions a SaaS solution to the investment management sector in South Africa. The case study identified migration as the core challenge experienced by CSPs. Classical grounded theory was used to generate the theory of “Balancing Migration” being the resolution to the core challenge identified. The results of the study point to the fact that investment management organisations have processes and systems that have become entrenched in their business over many years. Migrating an established system to the cloud is more than just substituting software. Migration to the cloud requires investment managers to migrate both business processes and operating strategy, and to migrate the actual software products and infrastructure. A CSP provisioning a SaaS solution for a core business activity needs to migrate the products that they offer as well as their business strategy. The theory of “Balancing Migration” proposes that these four categories of migration challenges need to be addressed simultaneously and holistically. In summary, “Migration” is the core concern to a CSP provisioning a SaaS solution for a core business activity, and “balancing migration” is how this core concern is resolved

APPLICATION OUTSOURCING IN THE BANKING INDUSTRY – ITO MODEL

Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) in terms of the replacement of the in-house production of IT activities by the use of third party suppliers had already started in the 1960s and has increased considerably. For 2013, the Gartner Group expected that the global ITO market would reach a volume of 288 bn US dollars. Until 2017, the market should grow on average about 5.4% yearly. Despite the rich set of experiences companies have already had with ITO, the chances of success are seen as at best 50:50. Currently, the dramatic growth of ITO is accompanied by backsourcing of formerly outsourced IT functions or reports about dissatisfaction and problems with ITO. Scientists put ITO failures or problems down to a lack of modelling of all the possible factors affecting ITO success and demand a specific ITO theory as a basis for better explaining and predicting successes and failures in an IT sourcing context. This thesis takes up this research gap. The aim of this thesis is to develop a novel ITO Model which aids organisations in planning and implementing ITO solutions by guiding them through the ITO process steps of preparation, selection, contract, transition, execution, and post-deal comprising a comprehensive picture of the weighted aspects relevant to ITO success and their interdependencies. In order to achieve this aim, the following objectives were established for this thesis: raising the topical level of scientific knowledge of the last decades about successinfluencing factors in the ITO field based on an extensive literature survey of 48 scientific articles deriving ITO success factors from empirical research work; structuring of this success factor knowledge by the development of two ITO taxonomies (taxonomy of success factors and taxonomy of success factor interdependencies); testing its practical applicability on the basis of 8 real long-running application outsourcing cases in the banking industry; further development of the success factor knowledge by identification of weightings and the temporal relevance of relevant success factors / success factor interdependencies within the ITO process. Design of the novel ITO Model based on the empirical knowledge gained by development of rules for relevant success factors and success factor interdependencies, by arrangement of these rules in temporal order within the ITO process and by assignment of these rules to four levels of environment