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• Market update: working to protect your interests
• Tech View: what exactly is WebSphere?
• 10 reasons why single supplier contracts are not the answer
• Real Skills. Real People - a profile of B & M's Amanda Spencer
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Working to protect your interests
Jerry Smart, MD of B & M, explains how the company works to protects its customers interests when they take on contract staff
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It is not entirely clear in law what contractual terms and practices constitute 'employment' in the EU, so it is natural that organisations should be concerned that they are not creating an employer/employee relationship when they engage contract staff - even when they engage them via a third party. Recent cases heard in UK employment tribunals and in the courts have dealt with particular circumstances, but so far, no firm legal precedents have been set.
B & M takes very seriously its responsibility of protecting customers from the possibility of liabilities arising from contracting the services of IT staff by putting in place a number of measures:
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We ensure that contracts for services clearly put the onus for payment of taxes and social security contributions on the contractor, both in the contract between the customer and
B & M and between B & M and the supplier company (representing the contractor)
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We address any issues of confidentiality, warranty, intellectual property, copyright, liability and insurance
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We ensure that there is a clearly defined project, with specific tasks and a definitive end date.
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Increasing European employment legislation places additional responsibilities on both customers and employment businesses. In the UK, for example, the advent of the Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 has put further demands upon B & M. However, irrespective of whether contracted specialists elect to opt out of this legislation or not, B & M ensures that issues such as working rights and references are thoroughly validated. In addition, B & M always makes sure that the specialist is fully informed as to the nature of the assignment, the work content and any working environment issues.
If you would like to discuss how B & M can help to protect your interests then please contact Jerry Smart or e-mail info@bmeurope.com.
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Tech View: What exactly is WebSphere?
Paul Smith, Technical Manager at B & M, looks at how WebSphere has grown from a tiny acorn into something much, much bigger
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WebSphere is many things, a marketing term, a trademark, a brand and - if you believe IBM's marketing - the best thing since sliced bread. It started life as a single Java plug-in 'product', but since acquiring its own brand name, has expanded to encompass the wide array of products it does today.
IBM WebSphere is a 'middle-tier' enabler, although its influence extends to the client tier (for products such as voice and WAP mobiles, PDAs and web browsers), as well as the data tier (for message queuing and databases, for example). It runs on most of the common commercial platforms (z/OS, Unix and Windows) and interfaces to most data sources (DB2, Oracle and SAP to name but a few). WebSphere functions much like Sysplex under z/OS, having the ability to distribute work units to WebSphere Application Servers, wherever they exist in a network.
The great benefit of WebSphere from an administration and training point of view is that it uses an identical interface, regardless of platform. For applications development, WebSphere supports J2EE (JSP, Servlet, EJB), JVM and CORBA services which combine to deliver very flexible 'anything to anything' transparency. As a result the penetration into all levels of industry does appear to be quite significant and growing fast. Its main competition is BEA Weblogic, Oracle Application Server and .NET from Microsoft.
It could be said that if there is a middleware need, WebSphere has a middleware solution that will address it. But it is up to individual organisations to decide how they will reap the benefits of WebSphere, by using specialist help to create the infrastructure and develop or customise applications.
To discuss how to get your WebSphere project off the ground, call Graham Bates
on +44 (0) 118 981 1880.
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10 reasons why single supplier contracts are not the answer
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Every organisation is looking for ways of driving down the costs of the products and services that it buys and these often include trying to leverage buying power by using a single supplier for services such as the provision of IT contract specialists. However, many of B & M's customers have found that using a single supplier for business-critical specialist services does not always deliver the best value for money because:
1. Comparability of skills
A single supplier means that you have no means of comparing the quality of the skills and knowledge in the specialist offered.
2. Quality of service
Working with multiple suppliers makes it easier to compare and assess quality of service delivery.
3. Availability of specialists
The nature of specialists is that their skills are invariably in high demand. Using a single supplier means that you have no guarantee that the skills you need will be available at the time you need them.
4. Quality of support
With a single supplier, you have no means of comparing the quality of ongoing support you get from the supplier.
5. Productivity
It becomes very difficult to measure the success of a supplier in producing specialists if you have no comparables to judge them against.
6. Flexibility
If you are locked in to a pricing structure and service level agreement for a long period, you cannot take advantage of any changes in the market.
7. Added value
Using more than one supplier will add value to the business through improved competition, flexibility and availability of specialists.
8. Keeping suppliers keen
It's a hard truth that sole suppliers can become complacent and, once you are locked in to a contract, they could begin to take your business for granted while they pursue the next big win.
9. Protection
If your supplier were to go out of business, or to exit from the provision of IT contract services, you could be left high and dry at worst, or having to make hurried arrangements to keep projects going at best.
10. Peace of mind
Competition and comparability between suppliers serves to reassure you that you are getting the best service at best value.
To contact Amanda or any of her colleagues, email sales@bmeurope.com
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Real Skills. Real People
Get to know more about our people and find out that their expertise ensures that our customers get exactly the right skills, when they need them.
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Account Manager Amanda Spencer began working in IT some 15 years ago, having originally trained as a weaver. She realised that to succeed in any business she needed a better grounding in the commercial world and, after testing the water in a variety of industries, found her true forte in the IT sector.
Her career took off when she began working for a niche value added reseller, providing system utilities and support for DEC PDP-11s, soon moving from an administrative role to providing system support and undertaking installations. The company also grew to encompass provision of Unix systems and Amanda revealed new talents in a more customer-facing role, and began selling the technology, later being appointed a Director of the company.
With the dot com boom, in 2000 she joined an Application Service Provider (ASP) as Strategic Account Manager to develop relationships with the prime vendors. Working closely with Microsoft, Compaq, Cisco and Citrix to build the platform, and with major application software vendors such as CA, Navision and BMC for the product. Amanda later transferred to the distribution arm of the company as a Business Development Manager and subsequently took a position with one of its System Integrator customers selling networked solutions.
Amanda joined B & M as an Account Manager in spring 2004 and now applies her technical knowledge and interpersonal skills looking after customers and specialists alike.
Out of the office, Amanda will jump at any opportunity involving fast cars and racetracks - although it will be hard to beat her current zenith of the quarter mile in 8.5 seconds at the wheel of a dragster. She is also working toward her ultimate goal to spend her life underwater by becoming a SCUBA Diving Instructor and helping with marine research and conservation projects in far flung - preferably warm and exotic - locations. She is even considering getting back to a spot of weaving in the evenings.
To contact Amanda or any of her colleagues, email sales@bmeurope.com
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