IT Outsourcing Topic Center

IT outsourcing news, in-depth articles and more

Tech may sink immigration bill if unhappy, Sen. Hatch warns

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday began debate on more than 300 amendments to the comprehensive immigration bill, including a number of changes to sections on H-1B visas.
Read more...

China still safe for IT outsourcing, despite US security concerns, says vendor

China's reputation for security may have been marred by recent U.S. accusations of state-sponsored hacking but the nation is still a safe place as a tech subcontractor for foreign businesses, according to one of China's largest IT outsourcing vendors.

Icahn, Southeastern make alternative bid for Dell

Investor Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management have made a counter-offer for Dell that would keep the computer company still publicly traded, according to reports.

Intel acquires two software companies

Intel has acquired two software companies as it continues to build its burgeoning portfolio to include more tools to write and manage programs and interfaces.

U.S. IT services providers heartened by Senate immigration bill

Domestic IT services providers say the U.S. Senate's immigration bill could benefit them by raising the costs of their competitors that are based overseas.

Blackstone abandons offer for Dell

Blackstone Group has given up its bid for Dell, less than a month after the private-equity fund manager said it was planning to top an offer from founder Michael Dell and private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners, according to news reports.

U.S. firms say H-1B restrictions may help them

An IT support services company in Iowa said the U.S. Senate's comprehensive immigration bill, which seeks restrictions on the use of H-1B and L-1 workers, may help U.S. companies because it would raise costs on offshore IT service providers.

Senate's big immigration bill seeks to crack down on offshore outsourcing

The U.S. Senate's comprehensive immigration bill would make major changes to the H-1B visa that are certain to upset some and possibly please others.

Senate immigration bill may push back on globalization

The long-awaited U.S. Senate comprehensive immigration bill, which could arrive in Congress on Tuesday, will likely contain provisions onerous to offshore outsourcing firms that are dependent on H-1B visas.

Oracle wants to be easier to work with, Mark Hurd says

Oracle's sales force isn't usually seen as the easiest to work with, with customers bombarded by multiple account representatives from different product areas.

How to Close Your Next IT Outsourcing Deal: Handshake vs. Contract

Should you trade your clear-cut written outsourcing contract for a simpler agreement and a handshake with your IT services provider? Thomas Young from Information Services Group (ISG) says you should consider what he calls 'evolutionary contracting.'

Oracle's Mark Hurd talks Fusion Applications, customer satisfaction and SAP's HANA

As co-president of Oracle, Mark Hurd is tasked with selling an ever-increasing array of new software and hardware products, such as the Exadata database machine and Fusion Applications, while figuring out how to keep the company's vast installed base happy and fending off competition from the likes of SAP.

Three reasons why Facebook's Zuckerberg will succeed in D.C.

For some reason, Silicon Valley's titans are encouraging Mark Zuckerberg to lead the charge on immigration visas. It's an odd choice.

Oracle strategies to get real-world verdict at Collaborate user event

Oracle's sprawling annual OpenWorld conference doesn't kick off until September, but next week the Oracle user group-backed Collaborate event will be held in Denver.

Wello aims to bring the gym home through live training service

Maggie Perkins was mulling whether to give up her gym membership when she tried out Wello, whose fitness trainers offer workouts through live two-way video feeds. Four months later, she has no regrets about her decision to forego the gym.

Career advice: Networking as a career

Premier 100 IT Leader Zack Hicks answers three questions on networking as a career choice.

How a Private Cloud Saves Money and the Environment

When Ricoh Europe realized its IT environment was both spiraling out of control and environmentally unfriendly, it turned to a IT services provider for help. Working with Infosys, Ricoh developed a private cloud that helped it consolidate nine data centers into two, cutting infrastructure costs and reducing carbon dioxide emissions significantly.

IT Outsourcing Year in Review: Grading Our Predictions

At this time last year, we predicted that 2012 would be the year cloud computing hype ended. We said application development would migrate from offshore to cities stateside. And we forecasted that IT service providers would become more relationship-oriented. Now it's time to see how those predictions panned out.

Career advice: Communicating with a global team

Premier 100 IT Leader Chris Miller also answers questions on long-term unemployment and coping with a woefully understaffed IT department.

The Grill: Energy Plus CIO Hugh Scott

CIO Hugh Scott decided to move to the cloud within months of joining Energy Plus Holdings. Here, he discusses the challenges of moving into a leadership position at a new company, the importance of forging relationships with vendor partners and his approach to building a motivated IT team.