outsource issue 31 - (Page 94)

Change: As Good As A Rest? What happens when your provider is acquired by or merges with another supplier – maybe one with whom you already have a few problems? This issue’s Legal View explains all… Rob Sumroy, Slaughter And May Rob Sumroy is a partner at leading international law firm Slaughter And May, advising on all aspects of IT and data protection. He is a member of the PLC, IPIT, and the Outsource Editorial Board. Natalie Donovan, Slaughter And May Natalie Donovan is a professional support lawyer working in Slaughter And May’s outsourcing practice. She specialises in computer and IT law and intellectual property law. T he technology sector is continually changing as new companies emerge and existing companies merge. In the last few years Cisco Systems acquired NDS Group, SAP acquired Ariba and Hewlett-Packard announced it was leaving the personal computer business and taking over Autonomy Corporation (the UK’s largest software company). While it is hard to predict future activity, 2013 looks like it could continue in the same vein as economic pressures and changing market requirements mean "consolidation" remains the flavour of the day. This can be a cause for concern for customers who spend a great deal of time, money and resource carrying out due diligence on prospective suppliers and running sophisticated procurement processes to choose the right service provider for their particular needs. An unlucky customer can find that barely a few months after contract signature, its carefully selected supplier merges with, or is bought out by, another company and it is left with a supplier it didn’t choose. And what if you are not happy with your new supplier, for example if that new supplier is a company which: you are in a dispute with, or with which you have had a bad previous experience; unsuccessfully bid for the contract they :“There is no law governing all things.” – Giordano Bruno 94 ● ●●●● legal view APP .indd 94 www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk 22/3/13 12:10:26 http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of outsource issue 31

Upwardly Mobile
Keys to Driving Supply Chain Outsourcing Success
Biography of a Carve-Out
Culture and Values
Redefining the Law Firm Delivery Model
Sharing the Glory
Norn Ironman
Breaking the Outsourcing Conundrum
NOA Round-Up
Back from the Summit
Losing the Race Before You Put On Your Trainers
Innovate to Accelerate
Comparing Clouds
People Power
Making an Impact
Home or Away?
Dead and Buried?
So What Now?
The Legal View
Top Ten
NelsonHall Round-Up
Sourcing Sage
Online Round-Up
The Deal Doctor
Inside Source
The Last Word

outsource issue 31