Outsource Magazine Issue 24 - (Page 18)

Seeing Through The Cloud “Cloud” is the word on everyone’s lips – but what does the advent of the cloud model actually mean for the global outsourcing space? What are the different implications for buy-side organisations and for providers respectively? And is “cloud” actually anything new at all? We turned to the Outsource community to throw some light on this most nebulous of issues… N obody with any familiarity with the global outsourcing space could have spent the last few quarters unaware of the advent of “the cloud revolution”. However, the precise nature of this revolution remains up for debate: what some consider to be a true change in the game, others perceive as being a great deal of style and very little substance. While the pros and cons of cloud are becoming increasingly understood both within and – with Apple’s recent announcement of the launch of its iCloud offering bringing the technology into the consumer limelight – outside outsourcing, the long-term ramifications for global business are as yet unclear. Will the potential to leverage the cloud effectively lead to the kind of savings and functionality that its proponents promise? Or will concerns on the buy-side about security and the immaturity of the model, and amongst vendors about how to glean from the cloud anywhere near the kind of levels of revenue which older delivery models have provided, prove to be insurmountable obstacles the assault on which could be the undoing of many a hitherto-flourishing organisation? Furthermore, the debate is ongoing as to whether or not cloud computing for the outsourcing space is actually revolutionary at all. Many providers have rushed onto the cloud bandwagon without actually creating truly innovative products – the clothes may have changed, but the body underneath remains the same. For enterprise-level buyers already conscious of the long-understood risks associated with traditional outsourcing “What many CEO’s need to realise is that this method is financially, and strategically the best structure.” – Adam Spurr 18 www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk ● ● http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outsource Magazine Issue 24

Editor's letter
News & comments
Seeing through the cloud
Steve Forbes
Embracing a lean culture in recruitment
The roar of the crowd
Andrew De Cleyn
Greening the chain
Private properties
NOA round-up
PR Chandrasekar
Ten ways to shake your world
Matt Barrie
Roundtable: an excellent process
Talentspotting
The talent question
Transition and change
Never the twain
Setting the standard
Touching base
Head-to-Head
Top ten
The legal view
HfS research
Online round-up
Sourcebites
Inside source
The last word

Outsource Magazine Issue 24

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