Recent Research Supports Achievo Outsourcing Philosophies for Success

New Benchmark study finds that partnering with R&D providers drives
innovation, decreases cycle-time, and reduces time to market

SAN RAMON, Calif., July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Achievo(R) Corporation, a
software outsourcing and information technology services provider, today
announced that a recent study published by Aberdeen Group supports a number of
Achievo's contentions about the requirements for effectiveness in outsourcing
partnerships. Achievo offers its clients local account management and project
delivery capabilities through its regional offices in Japan, North America,
Europe and Greater China that are integrated with and supported by its
offshore delivery centers in China and its headquarters in the United States.
The newly released benchmark report, "Software Development and Innovation:
Speeding 'Time-to-Market,'" by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
(NYSE: HHS), found that "Best-in-Class" organizations realized an 18% decrease
in time-to-market as a result of their R&D / Engineering Outsourcing
engagement -- a rate that is more than 26 times greater than industry average
organizations. Additionally, "Best-in-Class" organizations are 123% more
likely than "Laggards" to ensure their outsourcing provider has "skin in the
game," validating Achievo's contention that outsourcing engagements must
function as a value partnership rather than an employee-contractor
relationship.
"According to our research, Achievo is one of the leading providers of
practices that are influencing best-of-breed developers," said Ralph
Rodriguez, Senior Vice-President of Research, Technology Markets group and
author of the study. "Achievo has a partnership model that offers a local
interface to the back end work. Achievo's model allows business to be
conducted in the language of the customer, effectively removing challenges
that can beleaguer outsourcing relationships."
"Aberdeen's research bears out our contention that the choice of
partnership is critical for effective R&D and engineering outsourcing," said
Robert P. Lee, chairman and chief executive officer of Achievo. "We believe
that delivery teams must be able to provide the appropriate industry focus and
knowledge, current training and education, and a shared outlook about the
work. Additionally, Achievo has always stressed the importance of appropriate
metrics to measure project status and assess the engagement's effect on our
customers' overall business goals. We feel validated that research from a
highly respected organization of Abeerden's caliber has corroborated Achievo's
key philosophies, particularly with regard to the importance of partner
selection."
An example of this kind of close working partnership is Achievo's
association with Accela, a leading provider of government automation software
solutions that connect citizens to services. "We found that by working with
Achievo we were able to quickly boost our production capabilities and
significantly reduce our time-to market with new products, updates and
upgrades," said Rich Morrey, Accela CIO. "The Achievo team is well-trained and
experienced, has strong team leadership, and excellent quality assurance. Most
importantly, we have realized a substantial savings in costs -- more than
one-third by our count -- amounting to millions of dollars over the past few
years."
To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, which was underwritten by
Achievo, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4898.
About Achievo Corporation
Achievo Corporation is a leading provider of software outsourcing and
information technology services to a global client base primarily through its
regional offices in Japan, North America, Europe and Greater China. Five of
Achievo's delivery centers in China are ISO-27001 certified, of which two are
also ISO-9001:2000 certified and another is CMMI level 5 certified. In
addition, Achievo's facilities in Germany are ISO 9001:2000 certified. With
expertise in diverse technologies including Java/J2EE, .NET and embedded
platforms, Achievo offers improved efficiencies, scale, diversification, and a
skilled talent pool to deliver cost-effective, client-centric, and scalable IT
outsourcing services to clients worldwide. Headquartered in the San Francisco
Bay Area, Achievo has offices in the United States, Canada, Germany, China and
Japan. For information on the company and its services, visit
http://www.achievo.com.
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than
30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to
educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling
sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted
advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen(TM)
for insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information -- Opportunity -- Insight -- Engagement --
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeenhttp://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about
Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.
(C) 2008 Achievo Corporation. All rights reserved. Achievo is a registered
trademark of Achievo Corporation in the United States and in other countries.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT:
Jayme Curtis, Public Relations
Achievo Corporation
+1 408.892.8661
jayme.curtis@achievo.com

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Robert P. Lee, PhD
http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=46000

SOURCE Achievo Corporation

Jayme Curtis, Public Relations of Achievo Corporation, +1-408-892-8661,
jayme.curtis@achievo.com