For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Address The Governance Requirements Of Managed Outcome Engagements

by Bill Martorelli, October 26, 2009

The intensity of the recent economic crisis focused attention on immediate savings exemplified by renegotiation on billing rates for application development and maintenance (ADM) services, among other service types. However, with signs of stabilization . . .

For CIOs

Reducing The Costs Of IT — Views From Consultancies

by Marc Cecere, October 22, 2009

How do you reduce the costs of IT? To answer this question, Forrester interviewed 21 consultancies that provide cost-reduction services. What did we find? Nearly all consultancies suggested upgrading governance and establishing foundational pieces before . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Report From The Vendor Management Frontlines

Four Innovative Practices From A Seasoned Supplier Manager

by John C. McCarthy, October 21, 2009

As firms look to bolster their supplier oversight capabilities, they are looking for creative ways to get the most out of their primary vendor relationships given the immaturity of the space. Forrester recently spoke with an innovative practitioner about . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Checklist: SOW And MSA Considerations For Managed Outcome Engagements  (37 KB XLS)

by Bill Martorelli, October 13, 2009

One of the keys to success in establishing managed outcome relationships is to contract for them successfully using elements of the relevant toolset such as the statement of work (SOW) and the master services agreement (MSA). In practice, the two document . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Operational-Level Agreements Aid In Multisourcing Efforts

by Bill Martorelli, October 1, 2009

As customers have moved to embrace a more selective outsourcing approach, multisourcing techniques are becoming more tangible and less reliant on best efforts and good will. As a result, clients seek mechanisms with which they can manage multiple suppliers . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Best Practices For Selecting And Managing Your Oracle Implementation Provider

Lessons Learned From Oracle Implementation Providers' Clients

by Liz Herbert, September 18, 2009

Forrester surveyed 139 Oracle implementation client references and found that Oracle implementation services buyers were most satisfied with technical expertise and pricing transparency, but rated their providers lower on the effectiveness of their methodology . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Consolidating Vendors? Make Sure EA's Voice Is Heard On Strategic Products And Services

Enterprise Architects Need To Become More Involved In Corporate Initiatives To Rationalize The IT Vendor Portfolio

by Gene Leganza, September 4, 2009

When CIOs and CFOs launch vendor consolidation initiatives to cut costs and simplify their environments, they turn to their sourcing and vendor management teams to lead the charge. But enterprise architects must play an active role, identifying the enterprise's . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Service Integration Needs A New Approach

Structured Multisourcing Programs Offer A Way Forward

by Euan Davis, September 4, 2009

The trend to selectively source continues as firms carve up the IT estate into smaller chunks for outsourcing to multiple providers. But sourcing groups face problems when outsourcing selectively when each provider seeks to dominate your firm and maximize . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Judging The Maturity Of Your Vendor Management Efforts

Forrester's 20-Question Test Helps Firms Refine Their Vendor Management Approach

by John C. McCarthy, July 23, 2009

Two key vectors define the development sophistication of an organization's vendor management efforts. The first is the overall corporate support and governance acumen, and the second is the sophistication of the underlying processes and the level of automation. . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Best Practices For Selecting And Managing Your SAP Implementation Provider

Lessons Learned From Interviewing SAP Client References

by Liz Herbert, May 18, 2009

Forrester surveyed 154 SAP implementation client references and found that they were most satisfied with providers' technical expertise and pricing transparency, but rated them lower on change management, training, and skills transfer. References also . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Multisourcing By Alliance: Getronics Uses Partners To Deliver Services Globally To Clients

by Andrew Parker, May 7, 2009

On March 25, 2009, Getronics and six partner firms formally announced the Getronics Workspace Alliance. The group will collaborate to deliver managed desktop services and a range of associated capabilities for enterprise clients. Forrester got the lowdown . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Banks Should Change Their Service Provider Requirements Based On A Value Road Map

by Euan Davis, April 24, 2009

As sourcing models buckle under market pressure, sourcing leaders are responding by aligning strategies along a continuum of sourcing behaviors. These behaviors follow a road map for value creation that banking clients can use to align and test vendors' . . .

For CIOs

Case Study: Financial Services Firm Uses Vendor Management To Reduce Costs

by Marc Cecere, March 23, 2009

Reducing vendor costs requires a strong vendor management function. The problem in many firms is that vendor management is fragmented, resulting in little consistency in the selection and management of vendors. One global financial services company changed . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

A Stepwise Approach To Overcome Independent Testing Services Relationship Challenges

by Bill Martorelli, October 23, 2008

Much of the recent growth in outsourced application services has been fueled by customers engaging independent testing services where the development provider is separate from the provider performing the testing. This approach addresses the inherent conflict . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Offshore Outsourcing: Things To Consider When Firing Your Provider

by Stephanie Moore, October 15, 2008

As offshore outsourcing clients continue to feel the pain of providers' resource constraints and escalating costs in India, they are more inclined than in the past to switch providers. Although this is never an easy option, there are ways to protect your . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Successfully Managing ERP Implementation Providers

by Liz Herbert, July 23, 2008

Firms are spending significant services dollars on consulting and systems integration (SI) work, but many firms do not maximize the value that they obtain from implementation providers. Most firms expect that their provider will proactively suggest best . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Identifying Opportunities For Managed Applications Outsourcing Engagements

by Bill Martorelli, July 11, 2008

Many enterprises that are seeking greater value from their applications outsourcing relationships are contemplating transitioning their outsourcing relationships built on staff augmentation to the managed outcome model, often under some pressure. Managed . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Understanding How Financial Services Firms Manage Tech Buying In A Downturn

by Ellen Carney, July 3, 2008

The North American financial services industry — which includes banking, insurance, and capital markets — spends a lot on technology. But with the big downturn in financial services fortunes, many technology providers face longer decision cycles, some . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Building A "Starter Set" Of SLAs For Managed Application Outsourcing Relationships

by Bill Martorelli, June 23, 2008

Many application outsourcing services customers are anxious to achieve greater value beyond labor arbitrage. One approach that an increasing number of firms are exploring involves restructuring application outsourcing relationships to deliver defined . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Consolidating Vendors Brings Operational Benefits As Well As Dollar Savings

Demand Management With The Business Is Key To Avoiding New Proliferation

by Christine Ferrusi Ross, Caroline Hoekendijk, June 13, 2008

The theoretical basis for vendor consolidation and its potential profits has been out there for quite some time. Yet, many companies are struggling with their supplier base in terms of the number of suppliers. This has to do with the fact that most sourcing . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

People Management Is Fundamental To The Success Of Large Systems Integration Projects

by Tim Sheedy, June 12, 2008

For large IT projects, firms usually hire IT services partners to assist with the design, implementation, support, and management of the solution. The partners provide simple staff augmentation, technical skills, top-level business consulting, and anything . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Sourcing IT Solutions In Asia Pacific

Key Considerations For Global Sourcing Professionals

by Tim Sheedy, June 11, 2008

Global sourcing professionals often struggle to deliver an appropriate solution for their Asia Pacific employees or customers because of the many challenges that exist when rolling out IT solutions in the region. There are many pitfalls that the sourcing . . .

For CIOs

CIOs: A Capable Vendor Management Office Is A Requirement

Vendor Management Can't Remain A Hobby In Today's Complex IT Vendor Ecosystems

by Alex Cullen, May 13, 2008

Firms are ramping up their vendor management capabilities as part of an overall drive to improve IT performance and service quality while managing cost. A vendor management office (VMO) provides the organization focus to institutionalize mature processes . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Consolidate Storage Vendors To Reduce Complexity

More Companies Prefer To Buy Storage From A Single Vendor

by Andrew Reichman, April 23, 2008

According to a Forrester survey, storage equipment and management software represents 10% of the IT hardware budget, and spending is expected to increase by 4% in 2008. Given the significance of this spending and the tenor of the economy these days, it's . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Set A Balanced Strategy For Successful Telecom Sourcing

How To Match Sourcing Strategy With Your Organizational Archetype

by Phil Sayer, March 18, 2008

The European telecom services market is heading in two opposite directions. At one end, a growing number of enterprises are bringing control over key telecom and network functions back in-house and opting for greater use of multisourcing service provisioning. . . .