Tuesday, April 26, 2011

What is cloud computing?

We're hearing the term everywhere, but what does it really mean? And how is it going to revolutionise business?

Everybody is sure that cloud computing is key to the future of IT, but people often seem unsure quite what it is. In fact, it's an umbrella term for a number of different trends, all involving the internet and its potential to simplify the way we use computers and extend their capabilities.

The "cloud" is the internet, and the term is fitting – it's large, out there somewhere, and fuzzy at the edges. Cloud computing is about putting more of your material out there and less on PCs or servers that a business runs for itself.

You can do this in many ways, but with every vendor claiming to do cloud computing in some form it has become confusing. It is worth understanding terms such as SaaS (software-as-a- service) and PaaS (platform-as a-service) so as to evaluate vendor claims. There are radical differences between the various forms of cloud computing, and they do not all offer the same benefits.

Below and in the accompanying glossary we attempt to answer common questions and explain baffling terms about this new area of computing.

Q: What's the point of cloud computing?
Reasons vary, but often include the desire to outsource the maintenance burden of servers and applications; the need to scale systems up or down on demand; the benefit of being able to access your data from anywhere with an internet connection; and the ability to replace occasional heavy expenditure on IT with regular and predictable operational expenditure.


Q: What is utility computing?
The idea that businesses should not be spending effort and money on installing and maintaining complex hardware and applications, when a specialist can supply those same services on a pay-as- you-go basis. Businesses do not generally generate their own power – utilities are bought when needed. In the same way, the argument runs, essential IT services can be managed better externally.


Q: What is software-as-a-service (SaaS)?
Pre-baked services that you access simply by navigating there in a web browser. Google Mail and Google Docs are examples of this kind of cloud computing.


Read More At:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/cloud-computing/what-is-cloud-computing


















e-Zest Solutions Ltd. is an ISO 9001:2008 certified & SEI CMMi Level 3 software outsourcing company with expertise and focus on outsourced product development/ product engineering solutions and enterprise custom application development.

Monday, April 18, 2011

What is Outsourcing?

Outsourcing refers to a company that contracts with another company to provide services that might otherwise be performed by in-house employees. Many large companies now outsource jobs such as call center services, e-mail services, and payroll. These jobs are handled by separate companies that specialize in each service, and are often located overseas.

There are many reasons that companies outsource various jobs, but the most prominent advantage seems to be the fact that it often saves money. Many of the companies that provide outsourcing services are able to do the work for considerably less money, as they don't have to provide benefits to their workers and have fewer overhead expenses to worry about.

Outsourcing also allows companies to focus on other business issues while having the details taken care of by outside experts. This means that a large amount of resources and attention, which might fall on the shoulders of management professionals, can be used for more important, broader issues within the company. The specialized company that handles the outsourced work is often streamlined, and often has world-class capabilities and access to new technology that a company couldn't afford to buy on their own. Plus, if a company is looking to expand, outsourcing is a cost-effective way to start building foundations in other countries.

Read More At:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-outsourcing.htm



















e-Zest Solutions Ltd. is an ISO 9001:2008 certified & SEI CMMi Level 3 software outsourcing company with expertise and focus on outsourced product development/ product engineering solutions and enterprise custom application development.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Future Of Outsourcing

How it's transforming whole industries and changing the way we work

Globalization has been brutal to midwestern manufacturers like the Paper Converting Machine Co. For decades, PCMC's Green Bay (Wis.) factory, its oiled wooden factory floors worn smooth by work boots, thrived by making ever-more-complex equipment to weave, fold, and print packaging for everything from potato chips to baby wipes.

But PCMC has fallen on hard times. First came the 2001 recession. Then, two years ago, one of the company's biggest customers told it to slash its machinery prices by 40% and urged it to move production to China. Last year, a St. Louis holding company, Barry-Wehmiller Cos., acquired the manufacturer and promptly cut workers and nonunion pay. In five years sales have plunged by 40%, to $170 million, and the workforce has shrunk from 2,000 to 1,100. Employees have been traumatized, says operations manager Craig Compton, a muscular former hockey player. "All you hear about is China and all these companies closing or taking their operations overseas."
 
But now, Compton says, he is "probably the most optimistic I've been in five years." Hope is coming from an unusual source. As part of its turnaround strategy, Barry-Wehmiller plans to shift some design work to its 160-engineer center in Chennai, India. By having U.S. and Indian designers collaborate 24/7, explains Vasant Bennett, president of Barry-Wehmiller's engineering services unit, PCMC hopes to slash development costs and time, win orders it often missed due to engineering constraints -- and keep production in Green Bay. Barry-Wehmiller says the strategy already has boosted profits at some of the 32 other midsize U.S. machinery makers it has bought. "We can compete and create great American jobs," vows CEO Robert Chapman. "But not without offshoring."

Read More At:


















e-Zest Solutions Ltd. is an ISO 9001:2008 certified & SEI CMMi Level 3 software outsourcing company with expertise and focus on outsourced product development/ product engineering solutions and enterprise custom application development.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Payroll Outsourcing Gains Momentum in Russia

Payroll outsourcing is a global solution, one of the first measures to be proposed when internal processes undergo review and optimization. The business model sprang to life about 80 years ago in the United States and is now widely applied around the world. Recent research indicates that 70 percent of U.S. and European companies have outsourced their payrolls, although in Russia the outsourced payroll market is relatively young, dating back to the mid-1990s.


This means that the outsourced payroll market in Russia has been around for 15 years, which could be considered to be reasonably advanced. However, according to the first survey of this sector, by the Russian rating agency Expert in December 2010, outsourcing as a payroll solution remains relatively small (worth some $20 million a year) though growing by some 15 percent per year. While payroll services are provided by major finance and accounting groups outside the scope of their core businesses, there are very few specialized outsourcing companies operating on a larger scale. It was foreign-led providers like Intercomp Global Services who pioneered payroll outsourcing, along with other types of business process outsourcing in Russia. 

Read More At:



















e-Zest Solutions Ltd. is an ISO 9001:2008 certified & SEI CMMi Level 3 software outsourcing company with expertise and focus on outsourced product development/ product engineering solutions and enterprise custom application development.