business on demand & the Localization Industry

1. business on demand & the Localization Industry Dr Brian O’Donovan, IBM Dublin Software Lab LISA Conference, London, July 2003

2. Agenda • What is the On Demand era • How will it affect the Localization Industry • What are the future • Technology trends • Important Standards • Business trends

3. Phases of e-business adoption Access On Demand Enterprise Integration “Optimize operations… dynamically respond to the needs of customers, employees, partners.” “Buying, not browsing… Working, not surfing” “Get on the Net”

4. Companies on the Cusp of the On Demand Phase Enterprise Integration Access On Demand Source: e-business Adoption Tracking Study, 1Q02

5. business on demand An enterprise whose business processes -- integrated end-to-end across the company and with key partners, suppliers and customers -- can respond with speed to any customer demand, market opportunity or external threat.

6. On Demand Business • Responsive in real-time • Variable cost structures • Focused on what’s core and differentiating • Resilient around the world, around the clock

7. On Demand Operating Environment Open standards-based, heterogeneous world, integrated and freely enabled with autonomic capabilities

8. On Demand Operating EnvironmentRequirement:Integration

9. On Demand Operating EnvironmentRequirement: Open Standards Linux XML WSDL OGSA SOAP

10. On Demand Operating EnvironmentRequirement: Virtualized

11. On Demand Operating EnvironmentRequirement:Autonomic Self-protecting Self-optimizing Self-healing Self-configuring

12. The World of “On Demand” On Demand Business • Responsive in real-time • Variable cost structures • Focused on what’s core and differentiating • Resilient around the world, around the clock On Demand Operating Environment • Integrated • Built on open standards • Virtualized • Autonomic

13. Getting Started • Is your business responsive in real time to a constantly changing environment? • Which business processes constitute your core competencies and differentiate you from your competitors? • Do you have real insight into best practices and industry-leading process design? • Is there an opportunity to dramatically improve utilization of your resources? (both IT and non-IT)

14. On Demand Localization Vendor • Responsive in real-time • Variable cost structures • Focused on what’s core and differentiating • Resilient around the world, around the clock

15. Responsive in real-time • Be able to take on new jobs at a moments notice • Interfaces based upon open Standards • Well defined procedures to enable • Outsourcing • New Hires • Be able to weather drop in demand • Flexible staffing models

16. Variable cost structures • Minimal Overheads • Your suppliers must be on Demand Suppliers • Rent not buy whenever possible • IT Infrastructure • Offices • Tools

17. Focused on what’s core and differentiating • On Demand era means that people will go to the best provider for each service • Understand what is your niche and aim to be best at it • You cannot be best at everything (If you try you may be good at nothing) • Get all non-core services from best supplier • This will lead to service differentiation

18. Resilient around the world, around the clock • Contingency Planning • On Demand Suppliers • Open Standards allows alternatives

19. Service Differentiation • Different Definition of Translation Service • Gist in Time (e.g. MT) • Low quality & low cost from cheapest vendor • High Quality assured by expert review • Localization Services = Translation + • Build of localized product • Review of translated text in Context • Full QE of translated product • Specialists in Certain Domains

20. Key Emerging Standards for L11N • We will standardize on interfaces not Tools • Allow vendors and even individuals to choose tools so long as they support interfaces • Allows innovation in development of tools • Interface definition must be tight to ensure heterogeneous tools can interoperate • Key interface standards • Translation Web Services • A specification for how web services should be implemented for accessing a translation service • XLIFF • An XML based language which can be used to store translation jobs • TMX • An interchange format for Translation Memories so that they can be shared between different TM tools

21. Helper Services • Sometimes you want a service that is not available • Several services exist which are close but none is quite right • What you need is a “Helper service” • A “helper service” mediates between consumer and provider • Transforms/augments calls and/or results • May aggregate services from several service providers

22. Translation Vendor A Client Trans WS XLIFF TMX PhysicalCall Translation Destination ML Vendor Translation Mediation Qe & Build Translation Vendor B Applied to Localization might be …

23. business on demand