Outsourcing Ten Years On

Clive Davies, Senior Counsel, Fujitsu Services, UK

1997 to 2007 is the era when Tony Blair was prime minister of the United Kingdom, the Internet exploded into a personal and business medium beyond all recognition and outsourcing evolved from a useful if complex cost saving device into a commonplace and even required activity for all major organisations. In 1997 offshoring was reserved for the manufacturing industry and the concept of the globalised world as so clearly espoused in Thomas L. Friedman's book 'The World is Flat' had not yet taken shape. Lawyers in 1997 advised on outsourcing contracts but few firms saw it as such a major growth opportunity for legal services. This article explores some of the developments in outsourcing as seen from a legal perspective over this decade which spanned two millennia.

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United Kingdom Outsourcing IT September 2007 Vol. 1, No. 1, Autumn 2007

Clive Davies

Clive is Senior Counsel at Fujitsu Services Limited. He specialises in major IT and outsourcing project contracts. He has over a decade of experience advising customers and suppliers in the public and private sectors. He advises on all aspects of IT contracts including standard terms, software licences, development agreements, integration agreements and service contracts. He also advises on data protection and e-commerce. Clive is a trustee of SCL and one of the editors of Communications Law. He participates in the activities of Intellect as a member of various industry working groups. He regularly writes articles and speaks on his subject at events.

Fujitsu Services

Fujitsu is a leading provider of customer-focused IT and communications solutions for the global marketplace. Pace-setting device technologies, highly reliable computing and communications products, and a worldwide corps of systems and services experts uniquely position Fujitsu to deliver comprehensive solutions that open up infinite possibilities for its customers' success. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of about 4.8 trillion yen (US$40.6 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com

United Kingdom Outsourcing IT September 2007 Vol. 1, No. 1, Autumn 2007