* Posts by binky_256

6 publicly visible posts • joined 20 May 2011

Gov IT contractors hire staff in India to work on benefits system

binky_256
Stop

so you may be trolling here

Microsoft has development centres in India, in Israel, China (from memory), in Australia (security research), and obviously in Redmond. Some development is also done here in Reading.

They're not silly enough to place their bets on any one country.

binky_256
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Re: False Economy

I currently work for a bank which is doing the same thing (but with IT architecture roles).

a few observations about this whole "blended rate" malarkey.

- the quality of the offshore workers is for the large part dismal. Sure, there are a few diamonds there but for the most part the the quality of worker just isn't there. Invariably, there's additional oversight that's needed from a local resource in order to get the desired quality

- from my experience, the work may be around the clock but that either means that you're always out of synch with a particular person OR you speak to someone new every time. Not exactly an ideal way to deliver a critical project, is it?

- the amount of additional governance and controls to ensure that the work being done is as per spec, as well as all of the additional controls around sensitive data going out of the organisation and country just adds more money to the bottom line

this doesn't make sense, and the middle/senior manage who authorised this should be taken out and flogged have having the wrong sort of backbone. They should back UK IT girls and guys, not ship it off to save a few quid.

Barclays axes 422 UK IT staff

binky_256
Meh

And who does Radbrooke hall support

from memory it's NOT BarCap... it's the retail and card businesses. therefore, not the BIG money-making side of the business.

Given that wealth and BarCap IT merged recently I reckon there's going to be more blood on the floor over the coming months.

Is it all outsourced to India? Probably not. There's always overlap so that one project can decimate a particular support team. It might also grow another team. There's also the possibility that they're just axing permies to bring in contingent staff instead. Looks better on the books right?

Just my £0.02

Kindle users can 'borrow' an extra book - forever

binky_256
Meh

does this include the UK?

is this story only relevant to US kindle users or will Kindle owners in the UK have access to this as well?

Ballmer: Time up for 'stuck in the past' Microsoft CEO?

binky_256
Meh

Elop's a waste of space and SteveB would eat him for breakfast.

That said, SteveB has to go. A lot ofMS employees used to grumble about him still being at the helm.

No idea who should replace him - maybe Sinofsky?

Apple to support reps: Don't confirm Mac infections

binky_256
FAIL

mwahahahaha

are mac users "thinking differently" now?