Outsource Magazine Issue 27 - (Page 102)

This issue: Business Platforms Business Platforms: the emerging alternative to the “mess for less” outsourcing Deal Two issues ago the HfS Research team looked at the emergence of business platforms; now VP Research Robert McNeill returns to the topic following an evaluation of 21 service providers and 112 business platforms, with some findings which demonstrate genuine value over and above traditional models. B usiness platforms, enabled by the fusion of cloud computing, SaaS and BPO innovations in an integrated singular managed service, are emerging rapidly as the desired “one-tomany” utility service for providers and a new source of value for outsourcing buyers. Business platform outsourcing offerings combine business process outsourcing with enabling technologies and services, and the world’s largest providers are beginning to dust off existing offerings and invest aggressively to lead in niche markets. To better understand the evolution of these services and the state of the market, HfS polled 21 service providers and evaluated 112 business platforms as part of its Business Platform Map™ market survey during Q4 2011. Over three months we briefed providers on their strategy and offerings. This report outlines some highlights of our results. What are business platforms? HfS Research first documented the emergence of this set of offerings in our research document titled ‘What Are Business Platforms and Why Do They Represent the Future of Outsourcing?’, where we identified business platforms as having four key characteristics: business platforms deliver standardised business processes; business platform owners (service providers, not buyers) manage the business processes associated with the business platform and furnish the complete solution, including the people that operate them, the underlying software platform and the infrastructure; business platforms focus on business outputs or outcomes such as improved working capital and higher customer loyalty, not inputs such as labour and physical assets; business platforms service more than one client. Well-executed business platforms provide customers with compelling technology-enabled business process services that help drive innovation via process re-engineering, greater business agility, and productivity improvements. They are flexible and scalable in the face of global demand fluctuations and provide high-quality process workflows. Robert McNeill is VP Research at HfS Research. He can be contacted at robert.mcneill@hfsresearch.com 102 www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk ●● ●● http://www.hfsresearch.com http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outsource Magazine Issue 27

NEWS
PLANET ITO
NORM JUDAH MICROSOFT’S
IN THE KNOW
CALL BRITANNIA
DAVID EVELEIGH
CHAIN GAIN
CAN EVERYTHING BE OUTSOURCED?
NOA ROUND-UP
QUICK CHANGE?
TRANSFORMING FINANCE
CAROLINE STOCKMANN
GOOD REVIEWS
OUTSOURCING IS NOT MAKE VERSUS BUY: IT IS A CONTINUUM
PAYING ATTENTION
POWERING UP YOUR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ENGINE
BEHAVIOURAL ECONOMICS
HEAD-TO-HEAD
TOP TEN
THE LEGAL VIEW
HFS RESEARCH
HEADLINES...
ONLINE ROUND-UP
INSIDE SOURCE
THE LAST WORD

Outsource Magazine Issue 27