Companies That OffshoreOffshore outsourcing is a potent option for companies that require access to niche talent. It can also help reduce costs for labor, boost revenues, and improve company competitiveness.Outsourcing companies must be aware of the risks. Moving design offshore along with manufacturing can deprive a business of its design and engineering capabilities.TelstraTelstra has come far since its humble beginnings in the early 1990s as a government-owned small business. Today, it is a massive private telecommunications firm that operates across the globe. It is also Australia's biggest fixed-line telephony service provider.The company's success can be attributed to its solid investment strategy and its innovative solutions. In the early days, when resources were limited, the company invested heavily in new technology and realized that the telecommunications sector had tremendous potential for growth. This was a fantastic decision as it allowed the company to connect Australian cities both domestically and internationally. The company also pioneered the mobile phone, which allowed people to stay in touch with their loved ones regardless of where they were.In the 90s, the company had to face significant challenges, including regulation and competition from competitors. However, it refused to sit in a rut and devised ambitious plans to address these changes. It spent $200 billion on infrastructure and heavily invested in it. It also innovated by the introduction of BigPond which is a high-speed internet service for consumers.It also reduced its workforce and outsourced certain functions, resulting in savings. It also adopted an organizational structure that divided roles into functional groups rather than the traditional hierarchical structure. This allowed senior managers to gain more control over their areas of expertise.Recently, Telstra announced that it will bring its call centres back to Australia and that, by 2021, all its small and consumer calls will be answered in the country. This is a significant leap forward for Telstra and will likely benefit its customers. Telstra will continue to operate offshore call centers for its more international clients.GEThomas Edison founded General Electric in 1892. It quickly became one of America's most successful companies. In the 1980s, GE acquired several major companies including Employer's Reinsurance and Kidder Peabody. In this period, GE's revenue rose from $5 billion to $70 billion. However, despite these achievements, many analysts have questioned whether the company's growth was sustainable.Presently, GE is focusing on industrial technology and services such as renewable energy, medical and power. It has also invested into additive machines, 3-D printers that can be used to make products and components. In addition the financial arm of GE provides commercial credit and leasing.The GE washer-dryer is the most popular product sold by the company. It has been used in American homes for more than 80 years. It was the first machine that could be used to wash and dry clothes, which is a revolutionary invention for households. In addition to its appliances, GE also manufactures aircraft engines, medical equipment and power turbines. GE plans to expand its digital business in the near future. This includes commercial software from Wurldtech and cybersecurity technologies.GE also offshoring its major business processes in India, where wages are cheaper than in the US. In 2004 GE Capital International Services, its offshoring company that is owned by GE employed 12,000 people. In 2005, GE sold its stake in GECIS and made it a separate BPO known as Genpact. Genpact has 20,000 employees, and GE remains a major client. The company recently diversified by purchasing the maker of the Osprey Drone. GE is also investing heavily in the wind industry, through a deal to supply an 87-unit Haliade-X 14 MW wind turbines to Dogger Bank C.IBMInternational Business Machines (IBM) is one of the world's biggest technology companies, headquartered in Armonk, New York. The company provides hardware software, as well as services to the IT industry. Additionally, it provides financing to facilitate its clients purchase of IT systems and software. It also has research labs throughout the world. The company's pioneering research dates back to the 1880s, when Julius E. Pitrat invented the computing scale, and Alexander Dey created the dial recorder. Herman Hollerith also created a tabulating device.The corporate vision statement of the company is a reflection of its commitment to leading in the field of information technology and market. It declares that the company will provide top-quality services by using business model innovation in conjunction with technology expertise and industry knowledge. It also places a high priority on customer satisfaction as well as value creation because it is essential to its success in the long term.In recent years, IBM expanded its services business. It has also changed its name to a cloud computing platform and a cognitive solutions company. The software portfolio of IBM includes analytics products, such as Cognos and SPSS. It also provides IT infrastructure software, such as IBM WebSphere application servers and MQ messaging Middleware. It also provides mobile software and security products, including the IBM Verse business-email offering and the IBM QRadar platform for security intelligence.In recent years, IBM's hardware sales have declined due to an increase in IT expenditures from on-premises systems to centralized providers like Amazon Web Services. IBM has been focusing on its business consulting and service businesses and has made several acquisitions to boost their reach in these areas. In addition, the company has invested heavily in cloud computing and has a large global presence.AccentureAccenture is a leading provider of management consulting, technology and outsourcing services in the world. The company has many strengths that give them a competitive advantage, including a deep knowledge and expertise in their industry, innovative technology solutions, and strong relationships with the top vendors.Marketing procurement, supply chains, learning, human resource management, and finance are all a part of the company's procedures. Accenture is also present in more than 120 countries. Accenture also offers a range of specific services in addition to its standard offerings. Accenture, for instance provides SAP S/4HANA and fast-tracking of customer journeys in digital businesses. It also provides security and IT consulting services.In the past, businesses have outsourced certain production functions in order to reduce costs and improve competitiveness. In the clothing industry for instance, many production functions have been outsourced Asian countries. However, in recent years the majority of companies are focusing on services instead of product production. This shift has resulted in the need for more experts with experience in IT and digital services. The most appealing aspect is that these skills can be used across industries.Accenture has a broad range of clients and is growing its presence in key markets. The client base includes 91 of the Fortune Global 100 and more than three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500. Accenture partners with companies like Apple, Google, Oracle and others to create innovative technology. Accenture, for example has partnered with SAP to create an intelligent platform solution which helps oil companies from upstream reduce complexity through market standards. The solution is currently being tested by a group of major oil and gas firms, including BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Equinor. This collaboration shows how companies are moving past traditional outsourcing to concentrate on innovation and services.MicrosoftMicrosoft is one of the most successful producers of operating systems and application software for personal computers. Microsoft's most popular products include its Windows software line, Office suite and Internet Explorer browser. The company has been accused of anti-competitive practices, monopoly and monopolistic behavior. In the 1990s, it set up the foundation of a network of offshore entities in order to transfer intellectual properties and to reduce tax payments.If a client purchases Office in Seattle however, the profits don't go to Microsoft's headquarters in nearby Redmond. Instead, the money starts an extended journey, first through an affiliate company located in Nevada which isn't taxed on corporate income. It then crosses the Atlantic to an Bermudan company, where it's finally taxed at Bermuda's zero-percent rate.Then, the money goes to an Puerto Rican company that accounts for research expenses and then passes a small slice to an Irish firm. offshore consulting companies has utilized similar structures to avoid tax in other countries, such as Britain and Germany. The software giant has saved billions in taxes by using this arrangement.The software giant is facing a challenge from Congress to change its offshore strategy. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has said that the company, along with other tech companies employ offshore units and loopholes to avoid paying taxes. The panel is investigating allegations of tax evasion by tech firms which include Google owner Alphabet and Apple who have shifted billions of dollars in profits into low-tax jurisdictions.The partnership between SSE Renewables, Avanade and the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure is a part of a larger project to reduce the impact of wind farms on the environment. The partnership will create digital instruments to better assess the impact of wind farms on the local eco-system. The tools will be tested in an aquarium and are expected to improve wildlife identification, abundance monitoring and distribution analysis.