Overheard in the tech blogosphere » outsourcing

Overheard – Security as a service

Margaret Rouse — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:05:29 +0000

IT security typically has been deemed one of those services best provided in-house. But the stigma attached to outsourcing security and Security as a Service — namely that an outsider does not know your company well enough to protect it — may be falling away, as businesses look for more ways to cut costs.

Linda Tucci, Options for outsourcing security grow, offer IT budget savings

Today’s WhatIs.com Word of the Day is Security as a Service.

A word about definitions: Like most IT monikers, Security as a Service takes various shapes.

It can refer to a traditional managed services model, in which a company hires an outside provider to configure, manage and even maintain its security infrastructure. These services can be dispatched remotely using a connection over the Internet.

Another model, “in-the-cloud” services, allows a company to use security technologies that are not located on its premises. One such cloud service that has gained traction is email security: Companies point their email to a cloud-based provider for cleansing before it’s delivered to the on-premise mail server.

Web security is also catching on, as cloud-based providers have resolved latency issues.

A third model, Security as a Utility, usually refers to an arrangement in which companies pay a monthly fee to lease security hardware for their premises and pay for the services to manage and maintain it.

Overheard – knowledge process outsourcing (KPO)

Margaret Rouse — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:04:30 +0000

While BPO places an emphasis on low level processes, KPO places an emphasis on high level processes such as patent filing, investment research and legal issues.

Steve, The basic elements that differentiate BPO from KPO

Today’s WhatIs.com Word of the Day is knowledge process outsourcing (KPO). By 2010, the KPO industry is projected to generate $17 billion globally. About 70% of the business will go to knowledge workers in India.

Overheard – Is IT insourcing just a temporary solution?

Margaret Rouse — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:57:40 +0000

Only 9% of CIOs said they planned to increase IT outsourcing this year, according to the latest update to Gartner Inc.’s 2009 CIO Agenda survey, and many are considering insourcing previously outsourced functions.

IT insourcing can bring jobs, cost savings back in-house, experts say

The survey, which ranked CIOs’ top priorities, found that “improving business processes” topped the list once again this year, with 57% naming it as a top concern. Following that was “reducing enterprise costs” with 51% and “improving enterprise workforce effectiveness,” which was up three spots from last year and garnered 37%.

Cloud economics – budgeting for the cloud

Margaret Rouse — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:17:24 +0000

There are two key areas in which companies should consider the economics of cloud computing: (1) how much an organization can save if it consumes cloud computing as an outsourced utility computing service and (2) how much it might save if cloud computing principles successfully reformulate data center strategies.

Tom Nolle, Gaining cost savings from the cloud

Today’s WhatIs.com Word of the Day is cloud computing. In a memo released last week, the Feds propose cloud computing and telecommuting as ways to make the federal government leaner.

Cloud-computing and “work-at-a-distance” represent major new Government-wide initiatives, supported by the CIO Council under the auspices of the Federal CIO (OMB’s E-Government Administrator), and funded through the General Services Administration (GSA) as the service-provider.

It’s in this section called “IMPROVING INNOVATION, EFFICIENCy AND EFFECTIVENESS IN FEDERAL IT.”