Creating a Cohesive Team

Can you create a team of 4,000 highly trained professionals out of ever changing partners to run your mission critical projects?

Atos Origin can!

Have you ever wondered how many people it takes to be behind the scenes at an event as big as the Olympics? A LOT! By using personnel of other external enterprises, Atos Origin is able to train and manage 4,000 IT Professionals to ensure that the Olympic Games go off without a hitch.

It's not an easy task, but one that requires excellent human resource management skills to ensure that both the Atos Origin employees as well as the employees belonging to partners and suppliers feel involved in the process and comfortable enough in their job role and surroundings to work towards the common goal of success.

To read more please visit the Atos Origin website under the Olympics - Vancouver 2010

Turning around Challenged Programs

It is interesting to see from Google Trends® and Google Insights® that the interest in ‘project management office’, ‘program management’ and ‘project management maturity’ have been steadily decreasing and the interest in ‘failed program’ has been increasing in the last 5 years.

Based on research in Chaos Report® by the Standish Group, an average of 25% of all IT investments has failed since 1994 and another 47% of all projects have been challenged in the same period. These statistics are somewhat alarming and is a reflection of ways we have been. In this period of recovery from downturn, as Ryan Schebler – a thought leader from Atos Origin - quotes: "Companies that re-examine their organizations and look for ways of minimizing costs without making any concessions to their innovative capacity will be the clear winners." Leading the turnaround successfully in this manner needs a fresh perspective and thinking to achieve.



However, most organizations that try to self-heal typically ensure ‘Active-Inertia’. According to Donald Sull from Harvard Business School, Active-Inertia is a condition, where good companies, in order to improve, go back to their strengths and gift zones which actually end up hurting them in the turn around process. According to Sull, "Active inertia is the condition of doing what you’ve always done (and doing it well) but missing the curve in the road. It’s not what you do that gets you in trouble; it’s when you keep doing what you’ve always done…Hence, instead of digging themselves out, they are in fact digging deeper… only faster. "


Read Karthik Kumaraguru Point of View here

Download the printable PDF here

Who is Karthik Kumaraguru?

Karthik Kumaraguru works for Global Web Solutions Center, Atos Origin North America and is responsible for managing global implementations of B2C initiatives for large international consumer brands.

Moment of Fame

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to perform in front of millions? Or to see your name in lights? Or on a banner in the sky? Experience your Moment of Fame with Atos Origin.

Be sure to visit the Atos Origin website to find out how we deliver an IT system that captures every moment and every success at the Olympic games.

Only 8 days to go! Vancouver here we come!!

Study shows public sector underestimates own purchasing power

A professional procurement function in the public sector can substantially contribute to major spending and major savings. Many times, the agents working in the public sector forget to consider vendor performance and often focus on low-prices rather than long-term savings.

Atos Consulting recently release a Netherlands based study where 300 public professionals offer insight into the important trends in procurement policies.

Hilights from the study conclude that 70% of public organizations works with purchasing plans. Of that 70%, only 30% of supplier agreements included some kind of performance based indicators. Therefore, over half of the public sector contracts are left with no ground to stand-on where under-performance or negligence becomes an issue.

The study shows that the majority of public sector purchasing agents focus too much on price and only only 16% of these agents are actually considering the total cost of ownership.

“Over 60% of companies are too passive when it comes to safeguarding performance in the procurement process. This ultimately leads to higher costs for the government. A solution can lie in performance management where procurement targets are linked to performance, which is measured and, where possible, adjusted,” says André de Meulder, Atos Consulting partner. “The government focuses too much on the purchasing price. Only in 16% of cases the total cost of ownership (all costs involved in the purchase of a product or service) is considered as a selection criterion. Purchasing sustainable products can produce substantial cost savings, also because of the lower energy consumption. Even though almost 9 out of 10 organizations have a sustainable procurement policy, the authorities are very often not convinced of its positive effects.”

Early supplier involvement can generate cost savings of 10 to 25%.

If you're up on your Dutch, you can read more on the study here. If you're like me, and need a professional translation. Click here!

Proud Olympic Sponsor

Don't miss the ad featuring Atos Origin and other proud Olympic sponsers, in todays edition of USA Today. Flip to the Sports section to check out the big thank you from the USOC!

The Atos Origin contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the world’s largest sports related IT contract. Atos Origin has been the IT sponsor since 2002 in Salt Lake City and the contract was recently extended to cover the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in 2014 in Russia and the Rio Olympic Summer Games in 2016 in Brazil.

Atos Origin Carries the Torch

Dorien Wamelink is our latest torch runner. See her photos from Jason Beattie here. Being a major partner of the Atos Origin was able to participate with several runners. Approximately 12,000 people will have the opportunity to carry the Olympic Torch as it travels from Ancient Olympia towards Vancouver, BC, site of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Gene Wells, VP of Atos Origin Great Lakes, and Paul Stewart, CEO of North America were also runners of the Torch.

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay began on October 30th in Victoria, British Columbia, and ends in Vancouver on Opening Day. Read about the history of the Torch Relay here.

 If you want to know exactly where the Torch is today... check the VANOC Interactive Map

http://www.vancouver2010.com/more-2010-information/olympic-torch-relay/olympic-torch-relay-interactive-map/

Houston Metro to join Atos Origin at SAP Breakfast Feb 4

David Penninger from Houston METRO will be speaking at the exclusive ERP Breakfast at SAP Newtown Square on February 4, 2010.

Atos Origin couldn't be more proud for David to speak on behalf of the recent upgrade by his team and Atos Origin North America. He will discuss how the right upgrade can help you to optimize your SAP system and realize your strategic business plans.

 

Register for the event here: SAP Registration

Contact Chuck Stahl, at Atos Origin for mroe information on the event. We'll even throw in free shuttle service from the hotel to the training center for you! Ah, just kidding, its already free. Click here for hotel information in the area.