BP and IBM team up in an outsourcing partnership
When it comes to firms that are big in size and stature, IBM and BP are amongst the biggest. The fact that they are known by these initials as opposed to a whole word being spelled out would indicate the fact that they are so well known. It may seem strange to think that two companies of this size and stature are going to be working together on an outsourcing project but when you consider it, it’s a fantastic move. Working alongside a firm of a similar size or stature should offer the type of confidence that a big firm really needs and this should make it a simpler and easier affair to organize. There are obviously going to be some difficulties with two major firms working together, ego and power may come into play but at least there will be a belief and acceptance that both have the expertise to work together on such a major project.
The main factor behind BP’s remit for work from firms is to simplify their business processes and of course, lower their cost of labor. Even major firms need to re-evaluate their wage levels and number of employed staff at the moment and outsourcing is a fantastic way of doing so. As IBM has a great level of experience in this area, they should be able to offer many benefits of progressing these areas which should see BP becoming even stronger. Even the firms who are experiencing success at the moment should not rest on their laurels and the current economic slowdown is the perfect opportunity for all firms to re-examine their business areas.
It may be a bit unfortunate for the employees who lose their jobs but with the current climate, every firm appears to be cutting back or laying people off. Therefore, it would be the perfect opportunity for any firm to do the same without drawing particular attention to themselves. This may sound rather callous but in the business world, this is the sort of hard edge that firms need to succeed and BP and IBM know what it takes to stay at the forefront of hard industries.
Another important element of the BP and IBM tie-up will come in the fact that IBM will be responsible for many of the SAP applications and services at BP customer and client sites. The fact that IBM will be required to work closely with the end user places a greater deal of importance on the partnership and again maybe explains why a major firm has been employed to get involved in this project. Whilst there is no reason to believe that a smaller firm would be unable to work successfully in this type of field, it is easy to see why the confidence level of BP would be much higher working with a reputable firm like IBM. This may be concerning for small firms because how can they possibly become a major sized firm if they do not get the opportunities but again, no one said the business world was fair.
