2009 Top Travel Industry Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) & Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) Vendors, Black Book 2009 Survey Results

In 2009, the Black Book BPO Travel Industry user survey investigates over 240 contracts held by 1320 of the top airlines, travel agencies, airports, hotel chains, cargo companies and other travel corporations globally. 18 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or criteria are employed, scored on each respective vendor by client type and ranked on a 0-10 scale per KPI. Key Findings Key Finding: Most Important Customer Satisfactions KPIs Innovation, Customization and Reliability are the most important attributes influencing Travel BPO and ITO client satisfaction with their 2009 outsourcing providers. Key Finding: Vendor Dissatisfaction is uncommon in the Travel Industry IT Outsourcing and Business Process Outsourcing Industry among Top Ranked Suppliers Strong dissatisfaction is uncommon in this Vertical Niche BPO sector, occurring in only 5.5% of Passenger Sector Industry client types, 4.8% in the Infrastructure Sector, 7.2% in the Hospitality Sector and 8.9% in the Freight and Logistics clients globally. Within the Travel Industry IT Outsourcing, strong approval for the top four vendors was reported among 92.7% of their current client base. US and Asian clients are among the most satisfied with travel industry outsourcing services delivery. Strong dissatisfaction with offshore outsourcing vendors was less than 6% of all surveyed clients with 2009 projects. Key Finding: Comprehensive Services Vendor Arrangements from a comprehensive/end-to-end Travel Industry ITO and BPO Vendor produces the highest satisfaction rates

In 2009, the Black Book BPO Travel Industry user survey investigates over 240 contracts held by 1320 of the top airlines, travel agencies, airports, hotel chains, cargo companies and other travel corporations globally.
18 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or criteria are employed, scored on each respective vendor by client type and ranked on a 0-10 scale per KPI.
Key Findings

Key Finding: Most Important Customer Satisfactions KPIs
Innovation, Customization and Reliability are the most important attributes influencing Travel BPO and ITO client satisfaction with their 2009 outsourcing providers.
Key Finding: Vendor Dissatisfaction is uncommon in the Travel Industry IT Outsourcing and Business Process Outsourcing Industry among Top Ranked Suppliers

Strong dissatisfaction is uncommon in this Vertical Niche BPO sector, occurring in only 5.5% of Passenger Sector Industry client types, 4.8% in the Infrastructure Sector, 7.2% in the Hospitality Sector and 8.9% in the Freight and Logistics clients globally.
Within the Travel Industry IT Outsourcing, strong approval for the top four vendors was reported among 92.7% of their current client base.
US and Asian clients are among the most satisfied with travel industry outsourcing services delivery. Strong dissatisfaction with offshore outsourcing vendors was less than 6% of all surveyed clients with 2009 projects.
Key Finding: Comprehensive Services Vendor Arrangements from a comprehensive/end-to-end Travel Industry ITO and BPO Vendor produces the highest satisfaction rates
Single-vendors offering bundled, comprehensive research services to corporate clients ranked highest in the overall survey. NIIT Technologies excelled in both sections, as well as together as a bundled travel industry ITO/BPO supplier.

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/2009-Top-Travel-Industry-Business-Process-Outsourcing-BPO-Information-Technology-Outsourcing-ITO-Vendors-Black-Book-2009-Survey-Results-31086.html

2009 Infrastructure-as-a-Service & Cloud Computing, Black Book Survey 2009 Results

In 2009, the Black Book IT Infrastructure Management Outsourcing client/user survey investigates over 400 contracts held by 1120 of the top ITO spending corporations and organizations globally.
KEY CLIENT EXPERIENCE FINDINGS

KEY FINDING: THE MOST IMPORTANT CUSTOMER SATISFACTION KPIs TO OUTSOURCED INFRASTRUCTURE IN 2009

Innovation, Trust, Reliability and Deployment are the most important attributes influencing Client Companies’ satisfaction with their cloud infrastructure outsourcing & IAAS providers.

KEY FINDING: ITO INFRASTRUCUTRE VENDOR SATISFACTION IS HIGHEST AMONG SMALL & MIDMARKET VENDORS CURRENTLY

Clients with annual revenues from $500M to $1B are significantly more satisfied with their Infrastructure Outsourcer than are Large Market Cap clients.

KEY FINDING: US VENDORS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY PREFERRED BY US CLIENTS

Latin American alternatives are challenging Indian infrastructure vendors as they evolve.
PREFERRED LOCATION FOR CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT OUTSOURCING VENDOR BY
WESTERN EUROPEAN CLIENTS
(SELECT TWO)
UK 96.1%
France 80.8%
Germany 5.5%
Norway/Sweden/Denmark 4.7%
Russia/Eastern Europe 3.2%
 HIGHEST ANTICIPATED
 GROWTH INDUSTRIES
 FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AS A SERVICE
 
 INDUSTRY CY2009 BUDGETED/ ANTICIPATED BUDGETING INFRASTRUCTURE OUTSOURCING
 INITIATIVES
 ADD ONS NEW
 COMMUNICATIONS 70.8% 30.7%
 NONPROFITS 64.2% 20.4%
 EDUCATION 61.5% 25.7%
 MANUFACTURING 55.2% 14.9%
 ENERGY 50.7% 20.8%
 TECHNOLOGY 43.2% 31.4%
 INSURANCE/FINANCE 28.5% 18.2%
 
 PREFERRED LOCATION FOR CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT OUTSOURCING VENDOR BY
 US CLIENTS
 (SELECT TWO)
 United States 94.0%
 Mexico 32.1%
 India 26.6%
 Brazil 24.1%
 Chile 10.0%
 
 WOULD CONSIDER OFFSHORE
 CLOUD FIRMS IN FUTURE AS INDUSTRY MATURES
 India 90.8%
 Latin America 91.3%
 Eastern/Central Europe 80.5%
 China 11.4%
 
 
Table of Contents : 
ntroduction 6
Cloud Computing and ISAAS 13
Summary of Results 16

Methodology & Overview 18

Overall Ranking Summary of ITO Infrastructure: Enterprise Management Vendors 22

Industry: Sourcing: IT Outsourcing

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/2009-Infrastructure-as-a-Service-Cloud-Computing-Black-Book-Survey-2009-Results-31094.html

Enterprise Web 2.0:Building the Next-generation Workplace

In some circles, the terms ‘Enterprise Web 2.0’ and ‘Enterprise 2.0’ are used interchangeably to describe the application of Web 2.0 ideas and technologies in the enterprise; however, Butler Group believes that a clear distinction exists between the use of these two terms, and that this differentiation is important to maintain, as it enables a more meaningful discussion to be had when examining the future role of IT within the business.

KEY FINDINGS
The principal tenets of Web 2.0 are that the Web is the platform, software and content are delivered as services, and that people participate.
The IT skills crisis will have an impact on all organisations seeking to exploit Enterprise Web 2.0 technologies.
Government portals and information search services provide plenty of opportunities for Web 2.0 technologies.
The mashup is as important to Web 2.0 as Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) was to Microsoft Windows 2.0.
Enterprise Web 2.0 technologies are enabling organisations to overcome barriers of time and location in order to better suit their business needs and their customer requirements.
Business professionals are moving their teams and offices on to the Web.
Agile software development methodologies sit well with the ethos of Enterprise Web 2.0.
Businesses will emerge whose primary source of income will be providing data services for mashups.
Organisations are having to adapt their security policies to meet new operational and business requirements brought about by Web 2.0.
A great deal of sensitive data is residing at the edge of the enterprise in a world devoid of corporate policy or control.
Organisations must find ways to utilise the new-found Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills and competencies being developed through the use of consumer IT.
The new generation of power user will create applications that have a broader appeal and impact than the spreadsheets of their predecessors.
The failure to consider the impact of social enhancement technology on the performance of the enterprise is a big mistake.
The social forces driving change in the consumer computing world are also impacting the way that business gets done.

CATALYST
The term ‘Enterprise 2.0’ has become the catch-all phrase that describes the wholesale change in enterprise IT thinking. Driven by changing business needs and social factors, organisations are starting to do things differently. Speed, agility, mobility, reuse, and innovation are the transformative drivers that are forcing organisations to push aside old technologies, models, and architectures to make way for the new Web 2.0 world of service-oriented, highly-virtualised, truly-commoditised, and eventually ‘utilitised’ systems and solutions. Social software, collaboration, and real-time communications are pivotal parts of the ‘Enterprise Web 2.0’ story, and these are acting as the conduits for new cultural ideas and practices.

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/Enterprise-Web-2-0-Building-the-Next-generation-Workplace-13947.html

IT Strategy and Architecture: Creating an Enterprise Model to Support IT Strategic Planning

The IT strategy of many organisations has evolved over a period of time rather than been purposely defined, and in many cases is not actually documented. However, businesses and customers expect IT systems and services to meet the requirements of the organisation with the consequent need for translating the organisation’s objectives into IT strategy and capabilities, in order that together they can respond to the rapidly-changing environment. The adoption of an end-to-end architectural approach can help with IT strategy planning and execution.

KEY FINDINGS
There needs to be a clear understanding of the enterprise goals and the role that the business expects IT to play.
To remain competitive, organisations must urgently address the growing dislocation between strategy and IT deliverables.
Defining an IT strategy is of little value if organisations are unable to measure the effectiveness of that strategy in delivering value.
Enterprise Architecture must take a leadership role in IT strategy and service delivery.
Special attention should be paid to the people and process aspects of Enterprise Architecture.
An enterprise model needs to be communicated in each stakeholder’s ‘language’, as well as being relevant to senior management and solution architects.
Architecture can benefit from a metrics-based and performance analytics-driven approach.
For architecture to become a respected discipline there needs to be additional encouragement.
Organisations should take a portfolio-based approach to selecting IT investments.

CATALYST
IT organisations are under pressure to develop an effective strategy and to deliver services that can support changing requirements. An architectural approach can offer a useful framework within which organisations can plan and execute IT strategy.

ANALYSIS

Introduction

The IT strategy of many organisations has evolved over a period of time rather than been purposely defined, and in many cases is not actually documented. However, businesses and customers expect IT systems and services to meet the requirements of the organisation with the consequent need for translating the organisation’s objectives into IT strategy and capabilities, in order that together they can respond to the rapidly-changing environment. The adoption of an end-to-end architectural approach can help with IT strategy planning and execution.

In order to improve competitiveness, organisations must urgently address the growing dislocation between the business requirements and IT deliverables. This issue is directly impacting the enterprise’s ability to make quick, accurate decisions and is causing slow implementation of the IT strategy. The gap between IT capability and business needs cannot be allowed to continue. Additionally, many organisations are struggling to highlight the value that IT is delivering to the businesses. Enterprise Architecture provides a useful framework within which organisations can address governance requirements by better planning and the ability to prove compliance, as well as providing an improved understanding of the value of technology investments.

Business Issues

Many IT strategies are assessed and updated yearly as part of the budgeting process and Enterprise Architecture initiatives are developed as isolated, ‘ivory-tower’ endeavours. A better method is to adopt an iterative process, and to use the opportunity to begin to translate IT strategy into reusable deliverables through architecture. This involves the adoption of an architectural approach, rather than the use of tactical undertakings where there is a possibility of reverting back to a siloed mentality, as there is no mechanism in place to interpret strategy and control delivery through the use of architecture, policies, patterns, and common standards.

The IT strategy must address the capabilities required to design and deploy IT solutions, and the way in which the organisation will exploit these capabilities to create business value, both of which must be measured to gauge their success. The IT capabilities include technology infrastructure, business applications, IT processes and services, and skills, which enable a portfolio of IT-enabled business projects and programmes. A balanced scorecard approach provides a unified view of IT strategy performance across all of these dimensions.

Enterprise Architecture is an important company asset that has to be managed and updated on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance is maintained. To successfully adopt Enterprise Architecture there has to be complete buy-in across the entire organisation, with an understanding of the allocation of the roles and responsibilities. Technology and business areas within the enterprise must work together to ensure that the architecture keeps in line with the strategic objectives of the company and adequately reflects the IT services available now and planned for the future.

Attempts to align IT strategy with an abstract business vision or strategy are doomed to failure, and within the Enterprise Architecture domain, an enterprise model is a way to deconstruct business strategy and objectives into something that is more tangible, and into which the other elements of the business environment can be integrated. Butler Group recommends an incremental approach based on continuous improvement when developing an enterprise model, focused at meeting the business objectives and where value can be delivered quickly. This can be achieved by the model only depicting just enough architecture to enable decisions to be made and by growing the model iteratively over time.

The belief is that Enterprise Architecture and engaging with senior management to define a top-level business architecture and enterprise model has become a necessity for any organisation wishing to effectively interpret IT strategy, and successfully utilise technology as an enabler for business agility and change.

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/IT-Strategy-and-Architecture-Creating-an-Enterprise-Model-to-Support-IT-Strategic-Planning-13948.html

Enterprise Web 2.0:Building the Next-generation Workplace

In some circles, the terms ‘Enterprise Web 2.0’ and ‘Enterprise 2.0’ are used interchangeably to describe the application of Web 2.0 ideas and technologies in the enterprise; however, Butler Group believes that a clear distinction exists between the use of these two terms, and that this differentiation is important to maintain, as it enables a more meaningful discussion to be had when examining the future role of IT within the business.

KEY FINDINGS
The principal tenets of Web 2.0 are that the Web is the platform, software and content are delivered as services, and that people participate.
The IT skills crisis will have an impact on all organisations seeking to exploit Enterprise Web 2.0 technologies.
Government portals and information search services provide plenty of opportunities for Web 2.0 technologies.
The mashup is as important to Web 2.0 as Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) was to Microsoft Windows 2.0.
Enterprise Web 2.0 technologies are enabling organisations to overcome barriers of time and location in order to better suit their business needs and their customer requirements.
Business professionals are moving their teams and offices on to the Web.
Agile software development methodologies sit well with the ethos of Enterprise Web 2.0.
Businesses will emerge whose primary source of income will be providing data services for mashups.
Organisations are having to adapt their security policies to meet new operational and business requirements brought about by Web 2.0.
A great deal of sensitive data is residing at the edge of the enterprise in a world devoid of corporate policy or control.
Organisations must find ways to utilise the new-found Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills and competencies being developed through the use of consumer IT.
The new generation of power user will create applications that have a broader appeal and impact than the spreadsheets of their predecessors.
The failure to consider the impact of social enhancement technology on the performance of the enterprise is a big mistake.
The social forces driving change in the consumer computing world are also impacting the way that business gets done.

CATALYST
The term ‘Enterprise 2.0’ has become the catch-all phrase that describes the wholesale change in enterprise IT thinking. Driven by changing business needs and social factors, organisations are starting to do things differently. Speed, agility, mobility, reuse, and innovation are the transformative drivers that are forcing organisations to push aside old technologies, models, and architectures to make way for the new Web 2.0 world of service-oriented, highly-virtualised, truly-commoditised, and eventually ‘utilitised’ systems and solutions. Social software, collaboration, and real-time communications are pivotal parts of the ‘Enterprise Web 2.0’ story, and these are acting as the conduits for new cultural ideas and practices.

ANALYSIS

Introduction

The term ‘Enterprise 2.0’ has become something of a catch-all phrase that describes the wholesale shift in enterprise IT thinking. Driven by changing business needs and social factors, organisations are starting to do things differently. Speed, agility, mobility, reuse, and innovation are the transformative drivers that are forcing organisations to push aside old technologies, models, and architectures to make way for the new Web 2.0 world of service-oriented, highly-virtualised, truly-commoditised, and eventually ‘utilitised’ systems and solutions.

Vendors and commentators have been appending the ‘2.0’ suffix to all manner of enterprise products and domains over the last year or so in an attempt to signify something new, innovative, and user-focused. The terms ‘BI 2.0’, ‘ERP 2.0’, and ‘CRM 2.0’ have all been used in some way or another to imply ‘next generation’ or ‘leading-edge’, but the term ‘Web 2.0’ remains the touchstone of the IT industry, and use of the term by the IT cognoscenti when discussing a product or service usually infers particular value or importance.

In some circles, the terms ‘Enterprise Web 2.0’ and ‘Enterprise 2.0’ are used interchangeably to describe the application of Web 2.0 ideas and technologies in the enterprise; however, Butler Group believes that a clear distinction exists between the use of these two terms, and that this differentiation is important to maintain, as it enables a more meaningful discussion to be had when examining the future role of IT within the business. We’ve been here once before of course, with the words ‘Web’ and ‘Internet’ being used interchangeably, and this still causes confusion today when IT professionals have conversations with their business counterparts.

Building on the somewhat vague and yet particular usage of the term ‘Web 2.0’, ‘Enterprise Web 2.0’ describes a fresh, and some would say new, approach to the design and provision of business applications that incorporates aspects such as social networking, collaboration, and real-time communication. In addition, Enterprise Web 2.0 focuses a great deal of attention on the user’s ‘experience’ or ‘joy of use’ – something of a novelty in enterprise IT these days. By comparison, when Butler Group talks about ‘Enterprise 2.0’, we are focusing on the composition and architecture of the IT ecosystem, and the associated business models that will support Enterprise Web 2.0 applications.

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/Enterprise-Web-2-0-Building-the-Next-generation-Workplace-13947.html

Managing Costs in IT 2009: Maximising the Value of IT Assets and Budgets

The increasing financial and economic pressures that many organisations have found themselves facing recently have led to an intense pressure for IT cost savings. Organisations are no longer willing to make speculative investments in information systems without a clear understanding of the costs and measurement of the benefits. Today, a new air of realism demands that cost efficiencies must be derived from existing systems, that costs must be firmly controlled, and that new projects must add value.

The corporate focus on IT costs is often driven by the enterprise-wide mandate to ‘do more with less’ and growing demands for compliance and governance-led transparency. Consequently, IT management needs to understand, and closely control, the activities that drive IT costs and factors of demand and supply. It is only through the implementation of formal cost management activities that the IT function can deliver cost-effective IT service provision and maximise visibility into related cost structures. IT cost reduction should be gained through a systematic and holistic approach, as well as being integral to existing IT processes and management, in order to ensure that the best value is being achieved from the organisation’s IT investments.

KEY FINDINGS

The current situation can be viewed as an opportunity to become smarter in the way technology is utilised, especially by sweating existing assets.
All cost savings must be identified and undertaken as part of a systematic and holistic approach, aswell as also taking into consideration the impact on risk and quality.
Key IT cost metrics for both ongoing performance management and the assessment of service improvement opportunities should include both unit and total costs.
It is not a question of how much is invested in computer systems but the effectiveness of the spending.
IT governance allied with an architectural approach can provide useful frameworks for controlling cost, providing value, and improving IT capabilities.
Providing an IT capability is one thing: operating, maintaining, and managing it cost-effectively through its whole lifecycle is another.
The adoption of consolidation and virtualisation will produce a more efficient and flexible IT operation.
Organisations must undertake a review of service provision as part of a considered sourcing strategy.
The days are gone when CIOs could afford to ‘wave through’ renewal of their existing outsourcing arrangements.
Energy consumption is now a very important cost consideration for the IT manager.

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/Managing-Costs-in-IT-2009-Maximising-the-Value-of-IT-Assets-and-Budgets-13952.html

Business Intelligence: Corporate Performance Management

In the current climate there is added pressure on business units in every organisation to show clearly how and where they are creating or adding value to the organisation. Good decision making and performance management are key to business value generation but neither are easy in today’s complex world. Furthermore, the corporate focus on IT costs is often driven by the enterprise-wide mandate to ‘do more with less’ and growing demands for compliance and governance-led transparency. Business Intelligence (BI) and Corporate Performance Management (CPM) solutions help organisations with all these aspects of business. They enable organisations to answer three key business questions: “How are we doing?”, “Why are we doing this?”, and “What should we be doing next?”. In terms of product offerings, these largely equate to: scorecarding, reporting and analysis, and forecasting. Most organisations do of course have systems in place to measure and monitor aspects of business performance, but all too often these systems stop at the Finance department. BI and CPM extend this practice to other areas of the business, and provide operational managers and employees with actionable business intelligence, i.e. information that is both relevant and timely.

KEY FINDINGS

BI deployments are driven by competitive pressures, rapidly changing market conditions, regulatory requirements, and the need for better risk management.
The notion of performance management has become increasingly connected to the BI market of late.
CPM is first and foremost a business initiative which requires an inclusive approach that encourages broad participation and adoption across the enterprise
BI and CPM solutions should offer flexibility to enable a best of breed approach towards deployment.
Ease of use and other end-user considerations are of paramount importance when considering
Performance Management solutions.
Data quality and integration is still a major issue for BI and CPM, as most enterprise applications still have their own, siloed view of corporate data.
The integration of Enterprise Search technology into BI platforms extends the reach and range of existing investments across the enterprise.
Mashups are a natural adjunct to the BI world, as are widgets and gadgets.
Effective collaborative Business Intelligence is the key to achieving and sustaining competitive advantage.
Software as a Service will offer hesitant organisations a relatively low-risk path to Performance Management.

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/Business-Intelligence-Corporate-Performance-Management-13953.html

Application Development and Lifecycle Management: The Impact of Agile Practices on People, Processes, and Tools

The options available for building software applications have never been so wide ranging as they are today. This is largely to do with the impact of the Web, with different solution models available depending on user needs, from infrastructure to end device considerations. The most recent trend of cloud computing is also opening new possibilities that are lowering the cost barrier, increasing access to high performance computing, and also lowering the skill barrier for non-programmer information workers, whether in SMEs or departments in large organisations, to build business applications.

KEY FINDINGS
- ALM systems have improved considerably from the first generation of products; the new generation is Web-based and strong on collaboration.
- Agile methodology adoption has entered mainstream development and is making developers and managers rethink how they carry out application development.
- Agile practices are having a major influence on the ALM solutions market; supporting Agile processes is a hot area.
- ALM system architecture identifies core lifecycle functions, including process support with workflow, integrated data repository, and reporting.
- Business Intelligence (BI) for application development has now become an ALM system fixture, offering advanced analytics applied to project statistics.
- Software estimation remains a niche activity but should, be a core lifecycle activity in ALM.
- Defect and Issue Management is another core activity that cross-cuts the application lifecycle and is supported well by leading ALM systems.
- ALM system users should have read-and-write features for process guides, allowing users to modify content, supporting collaboration and knowledge exchange.
- ALM systems that alter the functionality exposed depending on the process selected represent an advanced, state-of-the-art technology, not yet seen in the market.
- The rise in Software Systems Engineering reflects the increasing use of software

CATALYST
Application development continues to evolve with processes and methodologies receiving significant
attention through Agile practices, while on the tooling side a new generation of Application Lifecycle
Management (ALM) products are appearing with process and workflow support figuring largely.
June 2009

ANALYSIS
Introduction
Software application development is one of those subjects that never disappears but is always evolving. Since the last general survey Report on this subject – Application Lifecycle
Management (ALM), published in September 2005 – there has been a lot of activity in the ALM field. With our colleagues in Datamonitor we published an ALM Decision Matrix in 2007 that looked at the vendor ALM suite market, and we now repeat that exercise in this Report with all the leading vendors participating. (The Datamonitor Decision Matrix also replaces what used to be the Market Lifecycle Ratings in  Technology Evaluation and Comparison Reports).
The areas that are currently receiving the greatest activity in application development are:
- Agile development and Agile project management.
- ALM.
- Testing and test management.
- Enterprise Web 2.0.

The application development subjects that are on the horizon, are:
- Development in the Cloud.
- Parallel programming (especially General Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units – or
GPGPU).
- Extension of ALM to overlap IT governance.
- RESTful Service Oriented Architecture. (REST is Representational State Transfer).

While what and how applications are being developed evolves, developers are still needed to programme the machines and create these applications. It had been considered that advanced modelling such as Model Driven Development (MDD) in the guise of software factories would at some point deliver on the next leap forward, a technological breakthrough such as a higher abstraction compiler that takes models rather than a high-level programming language to churn out the machine code. The Object Management Group’s Model Driven Architecture (MDA) appeared to be moving in that direction. This did not transpire, and is not likely to in the immediate future. These themes are expanded upon below.

Business Issues

Ultimately, software applications are built to satisfy the needs of the business, and the subject of the clash of two different cultures – the IT department and the rest of the business – has been discussed often, possibly to exhaustion. Some intractable problems become ‘solved’ through irrelevance because the ground has moved, and it can be said that whereas in the early days of computing the computer department in a business was a quite distinct function, a place where data was sent to be processed and returned with some useful statistics or reports, today there are businesses whose sole basis for existence relies on the IT function. Examples vary from obvious ones such as online banks and Web 2.0 companies, to less obvious virtual companies that operate solely due to the existence of the Internet and products with embedded software where the software component has grown exponentially. The net result of this shift towards greater reliance on IT is that the business has to take a greater interest in its IT function to succeed in the market, especially if the IT people are not delivering.

A real-world example illustrates how businesses are tackling this problem (names are omitted for confidentiality reasons): an IT company arose from being a small operation to having a billion dollar turnover in a short period. This company used to release its key platform application on an annual basis, but as a result of this rapid growth its current releases were taking 18 months and longer. The CEO gave the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) the highest priority directive to solve the problem. The CTO decided that all the company’s developers would switch to Scrum, the most popular Agile methodology, in big-bang fashion. The switchover was a success and delivery was back to a 12-month cycle. BT is another example where in this instance the CEO directed the company to adopt Agile, and an incremental adoption plan is in progress. Alternately, the concept of reducing waste is a message that many businesses understand and this is central to Lean Development, which takes many ideas from the lean movement and Total Quality Management, and combines them into an Agile methodology. Lean Development is found to be more comprehensible to businesses than some of the more developer-oriented Agile practices.

Businesses also want greater real-time insight into software project progress, and the new generation of BI solutions integrated into ALM suites provide this capability. Rather than reacting post-event, senior managers can act to avert problems escalating into software crisis dimensions. In particular, visibility
into quality control and test performance of the work in progress is necessary. When schedules become pressured, testing is the area that is traditionally cut by Project Managers. Therefore senior business managers must keep track of testing and quality – getting this wrong incurs long-term damage to the organisation in the marketplace. Agile methodologies are liked by business executives because they make
testing an integral part of the development lifecycle, not the last activity before
shipping.

Enterprise Web 2.0 represents a puzzle to many company executives: they see staggeringly successful businesses emerge, based on the Internet and the set of concepts and technologies behind Web 2.0, but do not see how this is relevant for them, or how they can emulate that success. This is likely to change as Web 2.0 culture permeates the workforce, that were raised in the Internet age, and use of the Web grows. Cloud Computing will accelerate that process, as various entrants trial new business models for earning revenue by offering utility-like computing services. Addressing security concerns is paramount though and will act as the brake whenever any mission-critical applications are considered. Expendable, low-risk business activity will find its way to the Cloud today. It will probably take the Internet mark 2 (there are various initiatives for upgrading the Internet, increasing bandwidth and improving security at nodes being prime motivations), for Cloud Computing to become truly ubiquitous.

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/Application-Development-and-Lifecycle-Management-The-Impact-of-Agile-Practices-on-People-Processes-and-Tools-13959.html

Evolving Enterprise Applications 2009 – Increasing the Business Value of Investments in ERP and CRM

Enterprise applications like ERP and CRM systems provide the DNA for successful organisations but their scope and impact is so extensive, and the cost and risk of change can be so high, that they are often viewed as static transactional engines that are altered only when absolutely necessary. Although understandable, this approach has negative repercussions for the business and prevents the full value of these expensive, strategic and under-utilised assets from being realised. At a time when budgets are frozen or shrinking it pays to have a range of strategies and programmes that can be put in place to maximise the business value of existing investments.

These should cover optimisation of the existing implementation, and evolving and improving it via intelligent additions. We should also bear in mind that the current tough times will come to an end, at which point systems will have to be fit and healthy in order to cope with the upswing, so paying attention to the basics now will pay extra dividends later.

KEY FINDINGS

• Enterprise applications are an easy target for cost-cutting initiatives but inappropriate cost cutting of the core applications that run the business undermines value and increases risk.

• Breaking down organisational silos, particularly between IT and business units, is fundamental to exploiting the innate value of enterprise systems but requires a collaborative culture and enterprise architecture approach.

• Applications are in a state of change – restructuring around a series of platforms and tasked with delivering process standardisation.

• Application extension is not just about adding new functionality but providing tools for insight, analysis, and collaboration.

• The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model brings its disruptive influence to bear on the integration, ERP, and application development areas.

• Under-utilisation of existing systems is a significant issue – 50% of standard functionality regularly goes unused.

• Standardisation is a major contributor to unlocking value and reducing costs.

• Strategic maintenance management can improve operational costs and release resources for value-generating initiatives.

• The next round of upgrades will be more challenging than normal technical or functional upgrades but is necessary in order to support the quest for business agility.

• Stability and flexibility appear to be mutually exclusive, but architectural change is starting to provide a solution, thereby providing a business case for additional investment.

• Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Business Process Management (BPM) are edging systems towards the much sought after alignment between applications and business objectives and application agility.

This Report reveals:

• How to make the most of existing financial and intellectual property investments in enterprise applications.

• What steps organisations can take to control the cost of maintenance and assess its real value to the business.

• The impact of Software-as-a-Service on delivery and payment models, and key technology and integration considerations.

• Where to direct investment in application extensions in order to secure the most effective returns.

• How technology change around SOA and BPM is impacting the way applications are constructed, accessed, and managed.

• The role of portfolio management and application consolidation in managing for business value and cost effectiveness.

• Why increased utilisation of standard components reduces cost and risk to the business.

• Why enterprise application upgrades are still so challenging and what can be done to ease the pain.

  http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/Evolving-Enterprise-Applications-2009-Increasing-the-Business-Value-of-Investments-in-ERP-and-CRM-21946.html

WiMAX:The Broadband Wireless MAN – Aarkstore Enterprise

WiMAX, the Broadband Wireless MAN reports on the WiMAX industry and global market. Its 18-page, succinct Executive Summary addresses key WiMAX applications, standards, major WiMAX investors and their vested interests, WiMAX impact on evolving Wi-Fi, the appeal of the 700 MHz band auctioned by the FCC, WiMAX evolution, the WiMAX Forum and its mission, and a five-year WiMAX market forecast. Abundant tables and illustrations facilitate an at-a-glance, clear understanding of the subject under discussion.

WiMAX, the Broadband Wireless MAN defines and describes WiMAX, the exciting new broadband wireless access (BWA) technology for metropolitan area networks (MANs), with service now being deployed in the US by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire — who plan to build a nationwide WiMAX network — and by other carriers and service providers on a global basis. The study cites the importance and appeal of WiMAX as a subscriber-based, broadband wireless technology for fixed, portable, nomadic, and mobile applications with convergence for data, voice, and video (triple-play) applications.

For more information, please visit :
http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/WiMAX-The-Broadband-Wireless-MAN-1940.html