HfS Research Unveils Unprecedented Research Agenda to Help Industries Understand Global Outsourcing and Shared Services Dynamics

Committed to Helping Enterprises Make Complex Global Outsourcing and Shared Services Decisions, Leading Analyst Organization HfS Research Unveils Its 2011 Research Agenda


NEW YORK, NY and LONDON--(Marketwire - February 10, 2011) - HfS Research (http://www.HfSResearch.com), the leading research analyst firm covering global outsourcing and shared services strategies, has unveiled its 2011 research agenda covering global dynamics, providing an unprecedented level of depth, insight and data for business leaders.

HfS has cemented a reputation for unbiased, profoundly honest, and sometimes brutal analysis of outsourcing and shared services dynamics to support business leaders in today's global environment. As the company marks its first anniversary, HfS has rapidly grown to house a global team of analysts that can support clients with in-depth regional, industry-specific and business process-specific expertise and insight. To provide clients with the level of support, insight and coaching they need, the HfS 2011 Research Agenda covers these five themes:

1. Industry-specific sourcing strategies, targeting banking, insurance, utilities, energy, healthcare payor, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, retail and legal industries

2. Horizontal business process and IT sourcing strategies, targeting IT, analytics, finance and accounting, procurement and supply chain and human resources outsourcing

3. Sourcing change and change management, to support business leaders grappling with the complexities of moving into an outsourced business operational model

4. Cloud business services, targeting business and IT executives seeking to cut through the marketing hype to understand the realistic productivity improvements, growth opportunities and challenges posed by cloud computing and the business processes services that it can support

5. Outsourcing market forecasting analytics and price benchmarking, to provide research clients with outsourcing market data across industries, regions, and business processes; HfS analysts are also working with multiple industry stakeholders to develop the industry's first realistic transaction-based BPO pricing model

A copy of HfS Research's 2011 Research Agenda can be downloaded here.

Commenting on the new 2011 Research Agenda, HfS Founder and CEO, Phil Fersht, stated, "We're digging into the weeds of real industry issues to support our clients' outsourcing and shared services challenges." Fersht, who was named 2010 Analyst of the Year by the Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR), added, "We're studying major industries such as financial services, utilities, energy, healthcare and manufacturing to help clients learn more about their peer organizations, about industry-specific business processes, and the expertise and depth of global service providers within each industry domain." 

Esteban Herrera, Chief Operating Officer for HfS, who leads the firm's buy-side research expertise advisory services, added, "In addition to research expertise and coaching, our clients are demanding support with outsourcing price benchmarking and more intimate peer networking opportunities. The HfS 25 Sourcing Executive Council and new HfS PriceIndicatorprovide our buyer clients with the data, insight, coaching and peer advice they need to make better informed global sourcing decisions."

With a growing base of 44,000 subscribers to the HfS research website and the "HfS 25" leading research network for buyers, HfS' access and influence to senior buy-side decision makers of outsourcing and shared services is today unrivalled in the industry.

About HfS Research

HfS Research is the foremost advisory analyst firm and research networking community, focused on helping enterprises make complex decisions with their outsourcing and shared services strategies.

With 44,000 opt-in subscribers, HfS Research provides the most impactful and frequently-visited global collaborative community platform in the global services industry, providing rapid and insightful commentary, analysis and debate of enterprise outsourcing dynamics. The organization is unique in the fact that it integrates personable social networking with market research and research expertise services.

The HfS Research mission is to provide a unique environment for collective research, opinion, experience and knowledge across the global outsourcing and shared services industry to help business leaders explore new performance thresholds. Led by industry expert Phil Fersht, the HfS Research team is a multi-disciplinary group of analysts across North America, Europe and Asia/Pacific regions, with deep domain knowledge in Business Process Outsourcing, Information Technology Services and Cloud Business Services.

Launched in 2007, HfS Research's acclaimed blog "Horses for Sources" today has more than 120,000 monthly visitors across the global outsourcing industry, and is widely recognized as the leading destination for collective insight, research and open debate of industry issues and developments. The HfS LinkedIn community is thriving with over 12,000 industry professionals sharing views and information daily. More information about Horses for Sources can be accessed at HfSResearch.com. The company can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/horses4sources and LinkedIn by joining The BPO and Offshoring Best Practices Forum.