IT outsourcing
IT outsourcing is a critical consideration for IT managers, but is always a sensitive subject with significant implications for IT department staff. Offshore outsourcing continues to grow in popularity, and the sourcing options for IT managers are increasingly varied. We examine what approach UK organisations are taking to IT outsourcing.
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Opinion
01 Oct 2025
System integrators to capture $43bn in enterprise services
While telcos focus on providing connectivity, system integrators are capturing a projected $43bn in enterprise services by embedding AI and cloud capabilities directly into industry-specific workflows Continue Reading
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News
15 Aug 2025
Zendesk CTO on the new era of customer experience
Zendesk once pushed its AI vision, but now customers are leading the charge. Its CTO, Jason Maynard, explains how this reversal is creating roles like the ‘bot manager’ and shaping the future of customer experience Continue Reading
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News
27 May 2014
Atos buys Bull for £503m
French services supplier Atos buys Bull for £502.6m in a deal that could create one of the largest cloud services firms in Europe Continue Reading
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News
23 May 2014
HP job cuts head towards the 50,000 mark as company tackles cost
A further 16000 jobs are set to go as HP continues to slash its workforce through a restructuring initiative which began in 2012 Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2014
Cisco continues its push towards SaaS-based security services
Chief information security officers (CISOs) should move away from product-based security solutions to a security-as-a-service (SaaS) model, according to Cisco Continue Reading
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News
19 May 2014
Public sector dominates UK outsourcing so far this year
Public-sector outsourcing accounted for three-quarters of spending in the first three months of this year, according to analyst NelsonHall Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2014
Why did GPs turn their back on Choose and Book?
NHS England has scrapped its £356m outpatient booking system, Choose and Book, which was largely ignored by doctors Continue Reading
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News
12 May 2014
Government should use influence to cut outsourcer executive pay, says think tank
The government should use its outsourcing budget to influence service providers to reduce executive pay, says a think tank report Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2014
Virgin boss Richard Branson backs Ukraine's IT industry
Richard Branson backs IT entrepreneurs' plan to grow Ukraine’s economy during and after the nation's showdown with pro-Russian forces Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2014
SDL turns to cloud HR to join up businesses in 40 countries
The technology is central to the company’s strategy to integrate formerly autonomous businesses in 38 countries into a single operation Continue Reading
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News
29 Apr 2014
Golder Associates plans global WAN
Engineering company Golder Associates is rolling out a wide area network (WAN) across its 180 global sites to optimise connectivity for its diverse and often remote locations Continue Reading
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News
28 Apr 2014
Fiat and Chrysler to integrate separate IT systems
Car manufacturing group Fiat and Chrysler have contracted IBM to integrate their separate IT infrastructures into a single global operation, following the companies coming together after Chrysler applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2014
Six Degrees datacentre suffers outage for more than 12 hours
Customers using Six Degrees’s datacentre and hosting services faced downtime as the hosting and managed services provider suffered an outage for over 12 hours Continue Reading
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News
17 Apr 2014
Centerprise ICT 2015 Treasury contract guarantee of SME commitment
HM Treasury has handed a four year media and wireless contract understood to be worth around £2.5m to Hampshire-based services provider Centerprise, under the auspices of its ICT 2015 contracts Continue Reading
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News
04 Apr 2014
Cabinet Office vetoed Home Office plans for 'critical' e-Borders replacement
Home Office plans for IT systems to replace ageing border security systems that contain “critical vulnerabilities” were vetoed by the Cabinet Office Continue Reading
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News
03 Apr 2014
Competition from FinTech startups keeps big suppliers on their toes
Big suppliers in the financial technology space are becoming more agile because of the competition from startup technology companies Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2014
TechUK criticises OFT's reporting of IT cartel accusations
TechUK criticises a report from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) alleging anti-competitive behaviour and collusion between public sector IT suppliers Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Mar 2014
The digital CIO: How digital technology will change the way organisations work
If you are an IT leader, digital technology is likely to be a pivotal factor in your career over the next five years Continue Reading
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News
20 Mar 2014
Application support and maintenance costs increase 29%
The cost of supporting and maintaining applications is increasing every year for Global 2000 companies in the US and UK, according to a study of 300 CIOs Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Mar 2014
Case study: How John Lewis conquered the web
An in-depth look at the inside story of John Lewis' £40m e-commerce strategy. Continue Reading
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News
12 Mar 2014
Government finally ends e-Borders programme
The government has formally ended the troubled e-Borders programme, with its intended functions merged into a new project Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Mar 2014
Cloud storage options in Scandinavia
It has never been faster or cheaper to store data in the cloud and Scandinavian businesses have taken up cloud storage with gusto Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Mar 2014
No more email? Why companies are turning to collaboration technology
Collaboration technologies are helping companies improve their employees' work-life balance Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2014
IT sector sees sharper rise in insolvencies than overall economy
Information and communications companies in the UK are suffering a rising number of insolvencies Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2014
Liverpool council to end BT IT joint venture
Liverpool City Council is to cancel a £70m-a-year IT joint venture deal with BT and bring services back in-house Continue Reading
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News
24 Feb 2014
Atos to distance itself from controversial DWP contract
Atos is trying to exit its disability testing contract with the Department for Work and Pensions early as the controversial contract enters its final 18 months Continue Reading
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E-Zine
24 Feb 2014
Banking with dinosaurs – the legacy IT crisis in financial services
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the recent IT problems at high-street banks, and find out how outsourcing led to the loss of vital legacy IT skills. We ask what role wearable technology could have in enterprise IT. We take an in-depth look at the tools for using Microsoft Azure for building hybrid clouds. And we analyse the storage infrastructure challenges from introducing desktop virtualisation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2014
Diageo selects TCS for global services
Drinks maker Diageo has chosen Indian IT services firm TCS to support its IT infrastructure transformation Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2014
Gloucestershire County Council replaces Capita with Steria to transform IT delivery
Gloucestershire County Council has signed a five-year ICT managed service deal with Steria to support a major change to IT delivery Continue Reading
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News
18 Feb 2014
Indian suppliers face recruitment challenges as visa rejections increase
US clampdowns on Indian IT firms bringing staff to its shores is forcing Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to increase local hires Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2014
BBC starts search for suppliers to replace £2bn Atos outsourcing deal
The BBC is moving away from its single-supplier outsourcing deal to a multi-sourced 'tower' approach for its technology services Continue Reading
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News
11 Feb 2014
Why IT outsourcing is increasingly blamed for IT failures at banks
Are the IT problems at UK banks caused by outsourcing or the use of decades-old mainframe technology – or is it a combination of the two? Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2014
The BBC DMI project - what went wrong?
The BBC and its former CTO have engaged in tit-for-tat allegations over its failed £100m digital media project. But who was right? Continue Reading
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News
29 Jan 2014
BBC CTO John Linwood defends role in failed £100m digital project
Former BBC CTO John Linwood defends his role in the failed £100m DMI project, citing changing business requirements as a key factor Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2014
BBC failed to get "sufficient grip” over failed DMI project, says NAO
The National Audit Office has slammed the BBC over its failed Digital Media Initiative (DMI), project saying the broadcaster was “too optimistic” and the BBC executive “did not have sufficient grip of the programme" Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2014
DWP refuses to release value for money reports on Universal Credit IT suppliers
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) refuses to publish details about Universal Credit IT suppliers' performance Continue Reading
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News
16 Jan 2014
HCL and CSC partner to modernise applications
Indian IT services firm HCL and US competitor CSC are working together to win business in the application modernisation and cloud migration segments of the application outsourcing sector Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2014
The IT risks facing Universal Credit
Despite Iain Duncan Smith's robust defence of his flagship welfare reform policy, Universal Credit, evidence to the contrary continues to mount Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2014
Post Office seeks contractors for network and back-office work
The Post Office is looking for IT services firms to provide back-office IT applications and networking technologies in contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2014
DWP already struggling to recruit digital skills for Universal Credit IT development
DWP is already struggling to recruit IT staff with the digital skills it needs – not just for Universal Credit but also other IT projects Continue Reading
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E-Zine
08 Jan 2014
CW Europe – Jan 2014 edition
Analysts have predicted that 2014 will see the creation of “executives with no idea about IT sourcing” due to the many changes that digitisation will bring to IT outsourcing. In this issue CW Europe’s outsourcing editor looks at how digitisation and consumerisation are changing the IT department. Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2014
Universal Credit faces IT skills shortage risk after GDS withdrawal
The withdrawal of the Government Digital Service (GDS) from work on Universal Credit is one of the major risks for the troubled project over the next 12 months Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2014
DWP to spend further £90m on Universal Credit IT system
Department for Work and Pensions to spend £90m enhancing heavily criticised Universal Credit IT system – much of which will be thrown away Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2014
Universal Credit IT suppliers to be left out of new digital system development
HP, Accenture, IBM and BT will have 'significantly less' involvement in the digital system developed for full roll-out of the benefits scheme Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2014
Is cloud computing almost too good to be true for banks?
The cloud’s most obvious benefits will enable banks to keep up with technology changes while reducing costs Continue Reading
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News
31 Dec 2013
CW500 Club in 2013
Computer Weekly's CW500 Club attracts the top IT leaders in the UK to talk to their peers about the topical challenges they face Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2013
DWP writes off £40m on Universal Credit but insists the IT is working
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is scrapping £40.1m of IT work on Universal Credit, and a further £91m will be written off over five years Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2013
Chancellor George Osborne announces datacentre carbon tax break in Autumn Statement
George Osborne exempts datacentre operators from blanket carbon taxes in exchange for climate change agreements Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2013
Government Digital Service no longer involved with Universal Credit IT development
The Government Digital Service ends direct involvement in the development of the “enhanced IT” for the Universal Credit sheme Continue Reading
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News
03 Dec 2013
Scabal moves to the cloud for storage flexibility
Clothing manufacturer Scabal is moving its entire IT infrastructure to Interoute’s cloud for flexibie storage Continue Reading
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News
03 Dec 2013
Where is Satyam now? Well, it’s not Satyam for a start
Satyam, which was rescued from collapse in 2009, has plans for restoring its position as a top-tier Indian IT services provider Continue Reading
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News
29 Nov 2013
IT budgets to rise by 3% in 2014 as companies step up spending on mobile
IT spending will increase by 3% in 2014, up from 1.8% last year. But shadow IT spending will add another 40% to technology budgets Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2013
IT suppliers relaxed about contract visibility
IT and BPO suppliers Atos and Capita say they are relaxed about being more open about the often obscured details of large government contracts, as outsourcing giants are put under pressure by MPs to open up to public scrutiny Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2013
The state of agile software development in the UK
Lately it is more surprising to hear that businesses are developing using a methodology other than agile, such is its widespread use Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Nov 2013
Future Gazing: The Future of IT in 2020
The next six years will see the influence of technology accelerate, and that will mean radical changes for the role of the IT department and the CIO Continue Reading
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News
14 Nov 2013
Shell delivers global SAP upgrade
Shell has simplified and standardised business processes in its business focused on refining and marketing activities for oil products and chemicals, through a global SAP upgrade Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2013
Fear of cloud servers fading fast among UK firms
Research shows traditionally risk-averse UK firms are being persuaded by the benefits of co-location, with more than 20% of servers now outsourced Continue Reading
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News
07 Nov 2013
'Extraordinarily poor' Universal Credit project needs clear IT stategy, say MPs
MPs say the Department for Work and Pensions must set out a clear IT strategy for Universal Credit and state how much money will be written off Continue Reading
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News
04 Nov 2013
DWP ministers to decide whether to scrap all of the £300m Universal Credit IT
Ministers at the DWP are to decide this month whether to scrap all of the £300m Universal Credit IT systems and start again from scratch Continue Reading
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News
01 Nov 2013
DWP refused to release Universal Credit IT review to MPs
DWP has refused to provide MPs with a copy of a review of the IT for the troubled Universal Credit project by programme chief Howard Shiplee Continue Reading
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News
30 Oct 2013
Former Lord Justice of Appeal Hooper joins Post Office Horizon investigation
The Post Office's Horizon accounting IT inquiry appoints former Lord Justice of Appeal Anthony Hooper to chair mediation stage Continue Reading
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News
28 Oct 2013
Six tips to help you negotiate the best deal with your datacentre provider
Your willingness to negotiate can make a big difference to the deal you get, says Anthony Day, associate at law firm DLA Piper Continue Reading
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News
25 Oct 2013
Fulham football club address skills shortfall with cloud database
Fulham football club’s IT team moves its database infrastructure to the cloud with a database as a service implementation Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2013
The UK is an attractive location for IT service providers
The UK is an attractive location for IT services and BPO suppliers as these services mature beyond being used merely as a cost-cutting tool Continue Reading
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News
15 Oct 2013
OFT launches investigation into public sector IT supply
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has launched a formal study into the supply of IT products and services to the public sector Continue Reading
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News
09 Oct 2013
Home Office e-borders programme still using pilot IT system from 2004
Home Office yet to replace sacked Raytheon with new supplier for flagship programme to help protect UK borders Continue Reading
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News
03 Oct 2013
IT outsourcing no longer main recession-busting tool
Process optimisation and shared services have become a higher priority than IT outsourcing Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Sep 2013
How Capgemini keeps its Merlin datacentre green and energy-efficient
Capgemini's Swindon-based Merlin datacentre is one of the most energy-efficient in the world. But what makes it green? Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2013
MPs brand NHS National Programme for IT a 'fiasco' as posthumous costs rise
The now-axed NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT) is still incurring significant costs following the failure of the government IT project Continue Reading
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News
12 Sep 2013
TSB’s reliance on Lloyds IT could impair new bank's competitiveness
New high street bank TSB might struggle to compete as a result of its reliance on the IT systems of Lloyds Banking Group, says OFT Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2013
£200m of Universal Credit IT could be scrapped, MPs told
£200m of IT work on the troubled Universal Credit programme could be written off, says government project management chief Norma Wood Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2013
£480bn of government revenue depends on "risky" legacy IT
Almost £480bn of the UK government’s revenues are dependent on legacy IT systems that “could present a very significant risk” Continue Reading
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News
20 Aug 2013
How DWP and Universal Credit failed to work with SME suppliers
Less than 1% of DWP IT spending on the Universal Credit programme has gone to SMEs – how are big suppliers continuing their dominance? Continue Reading
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News
16 Aug 2013
Less than 1% of Universal Credit IT spend goes to SMEs
Despite a 25% target, less than 1% of IT spending for government’s flagship Universal Credit programme has gone to small businesses Continue Reading
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Opinion
14 Aug 2013
How to appoint a new outsourcing supplier
Outsourcing can come with its own security risks if not managed appropriately, making due diligence and clear contractual arrangements key Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2013
Government to put 50% of all new IT spend through SMEs
The government wants to put half of all new IT spending through small IT suppliers – doubling the previous target Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2013
Enterprises spend more on third-party datacentres than in-house ones: Uptime survey
Uptime Institute’s annual datacentre industry survey reveals shift in IT spend away from enterprise-owned datacentres to outsourced options Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2013
Capita and Barnet deal to be completed after campaigner’s court appeal fails
Outsourcing contracts worth over £470m will be signed off by Barnet Council after a Court of Appeal ruled that the deal was lawful Continue Reading
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News
19 Jul 2013
Michelin creates fuel efficiency service with Accenture
Tyre maker Michelin has begun a major project to create a business division focused on providing IT solutions for logistics Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2013
GDS tracks 'digital by default' progress of top 25 government services
Government Digital Service (GDS) launches website to track progress of the 25 services targeted as the first to go online under the digital strategy Continue Reading
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News
04 Jul 2013
Why agile development failed for Universal Credit
The DWP has ceased all agile development on the Universal Credit programme. Was agile not up to the job? Or was DWP not up to agile? Continue Reading
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E-Zine
03 Jul 2013
Renegotiating services contracts
As European businesses push to get more from existing IT services providers, renegotiations are common for improving contracts. But business and delivery models emerge and evolve quickly, meaning organisations that focus solely on cost could be missing out on other benefits which could prove of greater use – such as more transparent contracts to give the CIO a better view across the IT operation. CW Europe’s IT services editor explores whether businesses could be missing out by focusing on cost alone. Continue Reading
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News
01 Jul 2013
Scottish police outsource system to Accenture
Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland have chosen Accenture to maintain its i6 administration system after two-year tendering process Continue Reading
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News
17 Jun 2013
IT departments to shrink dramatically within five years as cloud takes over
IT professionals will need to rethink their careers as corporate IT departments undergo a radical restructuring over the next five years Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2013
Senior judge hears Barnet Council outsourcing challenge
The second most senior judge in England and Wales will hear a legal challenge against Barnet Council’s outsourcing programme Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2013
Universal Credit will cost taxpayers £12.8bn
The government’s review of major projects revealed the flagship Universal Credit programme will cost nearly six times more than previously billed Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2013
O2 questions CWU redundancy claims as union threatens action
Mobile operator O2 questions Communication Workers Union (CWU) claim of 600 redundancies in outsourcing deal with Capita Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2013
O2 selects Capita for 10-year customer service outsource
Mobile operator O2 is outsourcing management of its customer services centres to Capita in a 10-year deal expected to be worth about £1.2bn Continue Reading
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Feature
13 May 2013
Workplace IT services in flux: wherever, whenever, whatever
Enterprise computing is in upheaval as the emphasis shifts towards automation and user-device provision. Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2013
Procter & Gamble could follow General Motors’ move in-house
US manufacturing giant Procter & Gamble is reportedly considering moving outsourced work in-house Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2013
95% of local councils share services
Hundreds of local councils are sharing services as government cuts force them to fund new ways of providing services Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2013
Report into Post Office Horizon system expected in July
The findings of an independent investigation into the Post Office's Horizon accounting system are expected to be published in July Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 May 2013
The Great Deverticalisation – part 5: Mind the GaaP
Politicians and government have the opportunity, through the power of open platforms, to take the lead in creating modern public services Continue Reading
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News
24 Apr 2013
ISG Outsourcing Index (EMEA)
The ISG Outsourcing Index provides a quarterly review of the latest sourcing industry data and trends. Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2013
Opinion split on whether to offshore IT to China
Relatively low costs and high levels of software skills give China immense potential when it comes to providing large businesses with IT services, but opinion is split on whether it is an option Continue Reading
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Opinion
05 Apr 2013
The Great Deverticalisation - part 4: The role of the private sector
Why do we persist in running vertically integrated organisations when standardising many of these processes would free us up to do things so much better, and more cheaply? Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2013
Southern Water contracts TCS for transformation
Southern Water is transforming customer service and revenue management through IT services from Tata Consultancy Services Continue Reading
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News
21 Mar 2013
Farewell to Logica brand as CGI completes UK integration
The Logica brand will disappear next week as buyer CGI migrates the services supplier's UK IT to CGI's own global system Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Mar 2013
The Great Deverticalisation - part 3: New skills and structures in the public sector
Why do we persist in running vertically integrated organisations when standardising many of these processes would free us up to do things so much better, and more cheaply? Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2013
AstraZeneca opts for co-operation after IBM falls out
AstraZeneca has changed its approach to outsourcing to encourage co-operation with suppliers after its deal with IBM failed to deliver Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2013
Enterprise Security Architecture – an outsourcer's view
Alan Jenkins, chief security officer of outsourcing specialist, T Systems, explains the company's approach to enterprise security architecture. Continue Reading
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News
26 Feb 2013
Fifth of all IT services firms could disappear by 2014, says Gartner
Up to 20 of the world’s top 100 IT service providers could disappear by 2014 because of the tough economic conditions, says Gartner Continue Reading