Virido creates jobs

Business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions provider Virido has recently signed an agreement with a national communications company that could bring thousands of jobs to rural areas, including the Adirondack region of upstate NY, according to eMedia Wire.

Virido provides key business support services focused on promoting brand awareness, local event sponsorship and helping both business and residential customers maximise their clients' service offerings, while taking advantage of the best possible cost savings.

They will work with communications and call centre companies throughout rural America, offering local and long-distance services, calling features, high-speed Internet access and satellite TV.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi opened the new campus of the ethnic Indian-run Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AMIST), says Hindustan Times.

Badawi said while opening the new campus, AIMST could build a strong reputation for producing software engineers and BPO professionals, which the nation needed urgently.

He also called for greater interaction between universities and ICT companies to develop a BPO base.

Companies will increase their use of offshore resources by 50% in the next three years, while cutting costs by up to half through the use of cheaper overseas labour, according to a new study by the Hackett Group, says Fierce CIO.

"We were surprised with the speed and increase of companies moving forward with this," said Michel Janssen, chief research officer at Hackett.

Technology Partners International, another consultant, predicted that 2008 could be a record year for offshoring contracts. It said contracts awarded in the first six months were worth more than at any time in the last three-and-a-half years, and the volume is projected to grow by 10% to $87.4 billion.