Vendor Developments

Patni Sets Up Texas-based BPO Center

March 17, 2010

Thanks to a multiyear, multi-million dollar deal with a large, unnamed health care technology and services provider, Patni Computer Systems, a global IT and BPO services provider, will create a new North American hub for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) operations in El Paso, Texas.

Establishing the new service hub expands Patni’s (BPO) and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) delivery capabilities to service North American customers from domestic locations in a cost-effective manner, deliver cost take-outs locally and employ highly skilled local talent. When fully staffed, it will employ more than 300 professionals, providing a wide range of insurance, financial services, finance and accounting, technical support and multi-lingual helpdesk services to Patni’s North American clients. In addition, the BPO services deal strengthens Patni’s health care delivery capability across the payers and providers segment.

The company, which currently has three principal service delivery centers in the United States in Bloomington, Ill.; Milpitas, Calif.; and Cambridge, Mass., has set a goal to increase the size and scope of its North American operations to adapt to market conditions that encourage the establishment of more on-shore delivery capabilities.

“We have embarked on a plan to expand our domestic operations to address evolving customer requirements for cost-effective services from onshore locations,” said Naresh Lakhanpal, EVP and President, Patni Americas. “El Paso is a preferred domestic location possessing state-of-the-art infrastructure, cost advantages, a positive business climate, support from the local government and a highly skilled workforce.”

The establishment of the El Paso site follows Patni’s recent move to open a “nearshore” center in Queretaro, Mexico, to serve North American and Latin American markets, and augment the company’s global delivery capabilities. The Texas location offers Patni access to U.S. customers that either prefer to, or are required by regulators, to keep sensitive data processing operations on shore.

Patni plans to expand the offerings on site to deliver BPO services to a wide range of industries central to the company’s mission, including life sciences, telecommunications, financial services, insurance and manufacturing.

LexisNexis and Mitchell Join Forces

March 12, 2010

LexisNexis Claims Solutions and Mitchell International, a solutions provider to property/casualty and auto collision repair industries, announced the forging of a partnership at the 2010 Mitchell Property and Casualty Conference.

The conference, which took place March 8-10 in San Diego, the companies said through the partnership, both will work to address issues with handling auto injury and other costly, “special needs” claims to provide insurers with efficient, cost-effective and innovative solutions.

"In today’s challenging market, property/casualty carriers are looking for every opportunity to improve loss ratios and operational profitability,” said Karlyn Carnahan, a principal at Novarica, an analyst firm, and a keynote speaker at the conference. “Combining predictive analytics with powerful and flexible business process systems has the potential to create tremendous value in this area."

The companies said the goal of combining Mitchell’s medical bill review and decision claims support with LexisNexis’ public records and predictive analytics data is to efficiently anticipate and detect claims severity and potential fraud.

“By blending the strengths of Mitchell and LexisNexis Claims Solutions, we will enhance the claims process with a fundamentally new approach to exposure management,” said Ernie Feirer, VP and GM, LexisNexis Claims Solutions. “Insurers will benefit from increased clarity and insight, enabling them to mitigate costs and improve operational profitability.”

ASCnet Moves to Chicago, Seeks CEO

March 4, 2010

Applied Systems Client Network Inc. (ASCnet), an Applied Systems software user group, announced plans to relocate its current headquarters in Orlando, Fla., to the Chicago area by the end of 2010. The company also announced intentions to complete a search by June 1 for a CEO to succeed interim CEO Rick Morgan.

ASCnet chairwoman Lisa Parry Becker said the move is part of a plan to centralize services to the United States. Proximity to chapters around the United States, Canada and Chicago-based stakeholder Applied Systems, will allow ASCnet leaders to convene at leadership and training conferences in a more centralized location.

“The very nature of how volunteers and members interact in associations is changing,” said Parry Becker. “New generations of members have new expectations for how communications, education and services are delivered. Every association, including ASCnet, must evolve to meet those demands.”

Parry Becker also said proximity to Applied Systems “won’t hinder our ability or willingness to advocate for our members with system enhancements and pricing issues. We will maintain our professional independence.”

HP Launches Cloud Design Service

February 19, 2010

Hewlett-Packard ratcheted up the battle for a share of increasing cloud computing revenues this week by launching a new design service aimed at helping organizations accelerate the adoption of cloud-based infrastructures.

The practice, called HP Cloud Design Service, will see HP work with clients to understand their requirements and existing IT investments. HP consultants will then create customized cloud blueprints and an implementation plan, including cost estimates, guidelines for deployment, testing, management, governance and support.

“Organizations of all types are struggling to understand how to build a cloud-specific infrastructure that is safe and effective while meeting their business objectives,” Alan Wilson, vice president of HP’s Solutions Infrastructures Practice, said in a statement announcing the service.

Key services offered by the practice include:

•  The HP reference architecture for cloud computing, which acts as a common framework and accommodates different business technologies, software stacks and cloud service requirements.
•  Use of tested, repeatable planning and analysis tools from HP Labs, which incorporates Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) best practices.
•  Faster time to delivery and mitigated implementation risk through the use of a design blueprint.

HP said the offering builds on expertise it has developed working with such clients as the Federal Defense Information Systems Agency, where it designed the Rapid Access Computing Environment (RACE), a cloud infrastructure to accelerate the provisioning of computing services for applications used by the U.S. military. The cloud design service is available worldwide with pricing based on specific customer requirements.

HP is far from alone in chasing cloud services revenue as such tech heavyweights as IBM, Google, Amazon and Microsoft are building out their infrastructure. Research firm Gartner estimates that cloud services revenue could top $150.1 billion by 2013, compared to an estimate of $56.3 billion in 2009.

This story was reprinted with permission from Information Management.

Thunderhead Reaches Oracle Platinum

February 16, 2010

Thunderhead, a global provider of customer communications management solutions, announced that it has achieved Platinum Partner status in the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN). By attaining Platinum Level membership, Oracle has recognized Thunderhead for its in-depth expertise and excellence in delivering document automation and multi-channel customer communications solutions, and to transform the way your organization creates and delivers its communications across the entire lifecycle of your customers’ needs.

Thunderhead’s innovative software platform (NOW) is designed to transform the way organizations create and deliver communications across the entire lifecycle of the customers’ needs, moving away from document production to multi-channel digital customer communications and dialogues. By becoming an Oracle Platinum level partner, joint customers of Thunderhead and Oracle will benefit from combining the expertise of two both global solution providers in this market segment, says Thunderhead.

As a Platinum Partner in OPN, Thunderhead has established its depth and breadth of expertise across five key Oracle solution areas: Financial Services, Public Sector, Database and Siebel.

With its Platinum status, Thunderhead receives dedicated virtual account management support to build joint development plans and help broaden specialization areas and revenue opportunities. Additional benefits include priority placement in the OPN Solutions Catalog, one free application integration validated by Oracle, joint marketing and sales opportunities, discounted training and more.

For more information about the benefits of becoming an Oracle Platinum level partner, visit: http://www.oracle.com/us/partnerships/index.htm

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