August 13, 2010

Freeborders' CEO Visited Wuxi

Wuxi's deputy mayor Wei Fang received Jean Cholka, CEO at Freeborders, a global provider of outsourcing solutions and software development to financial services, hi tech, transportation and logistics companies. Freeborders' developing center in Wuxi is one of the largest developing centers in East China. It is part of Freeborders network of offices and delivery centers in San Francisco, New York, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen.

July 2, 2010

E-Commerce Times - Pam Baker
Mobile Tech: From Channel to Rainmaker

"From a development perspective, it is more important to have mobile graphical user interface experts within the organization than setting up a separate department dedicated to mobile, as everything behind the presentation layer needs to be consistent," said Freeborders' Liu.

May 14, 2010

CIO.com - Grant Gross
VoIP: Why CIO's are Choosing It Now

Because VoIP runs over data lines, IT staff doesn't have to run separate phone wires to employees' desks, observes Paul Liu, CIO of Freeborders, an outsourcing vendor considering VoIP. "That goes directly to the bottom line." Meanwhile, employees can plug in their phones anywhere they have a broadband connection and their numbers will follow them.

April 19, 2010

IT Expert Voice - Pam Baker
The Disappearing Sense of Place

"We believe that virtual work environments, like using remote offices and virtual work spaces, are critical to our business success," says Jean Cholka, CEO of Freeborders.

"As a global IT consultancy about 80% of our U.S.-based work force works remotely, at a client's office, or at home," explains Cholka. "Not only does a flexible work environment reduce the costs of a physical office space, it also helps employees achieve a better work-lifestyle balance."

"For example, our work requires a close collaboration with colleagues in other time zones and frequent client visits," she explains. "Working remotely provides the flexibility to better connect with colleagues in Europe or Asia."

April 16, 2010

Global Services Magazine - Paul Liu
Top 3 Reasons to Use Remote Infrastructure Management

The majority of the midmarket companies have yet to discover remote infrastructure management as a strategic business growth tool. Paul Liu of Freeborders gives insight about why midsize companies should consider remote infrastructure management.

April 9, 2010

Smarter Technology - Dennis McCafferty
Google's dispute with China over censorship reveals lessons about the state of IT in the world's largest nation.

The China of today is much different from that of, say, President Nixon's visit in 1972. And while the impact of IT and Western influence can be transformational, all nations progress within their own timetable. "Both the U.S. and China have a lot to learn when it comes to interacting," says John Wagster, executive vice president and general counsel of Freeborders, a San Fransisco-based tech solutions/business consultancy that helps Internet-based companies and other enterprises expand globally. "Censorship is nothing new in China. Understanding censorship there along with its other cultural distinctions is key to doing business there. The Chinese government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on physical and technology infrastructure for the express purpose of attracting Western business. We should be mindful that it's much easier to instigate further change from inside the tent."

March 22, 2010

Shenzhen Post - Rebecca
Shenzhen Becomes China's Largest IT Service Outsourcing Bases

In recent years, IT services outsourcing industry has developed very quickly in Shenzhen, which has been listed as one of demonstration cities of the first batch of service outsourcing industry in China. Under the background of world financial crisis, undertaking and implementing the service outsourcing business from overseas has quietly become the fastest industry in development and expanding. Authorities revealed to the reporter yesterday: at present, the offshore service outsourcing business that Shenzhen enterprises undertake has exceeded 5 billion U.S. dollars for the first time.

September 11, 2009

Shenzhen Economic Daily - Hong Bin
"Industrial Ecology" Drives the Development of Service Outsourcing Industry

The representatives from Shenzhen IT-BPO Promotion Council and China Construction Bank Shenzhen branch held the 'Finance Strategy Collaboration Signing Ceremony' today.

August 18, 2009

Information Management Special Reports - Jim Reesing
Survival of the Fittest: 5 Steps to Thrive in a Recession

This year has been a time of change for the IT industry as a whole. In an economic downturn, it is absolutely vital that IT and business departments work closely together. Companies look to their CIOs to drive efficiency and create leaner, meaner operations that are set up to survive and thrive during downturn. To so do, they rely on business-led projects that bring a fast return on investment.

August 6, 2009

WuXi Daily

GE Mentions Working With Freeborders - "Industrial Ecology" Drives the Development of Service Outsourcing Industry

While the world is still fending the deep impact of the global financial crisis, the outsourcing industry in China these days grabs a great deal of attention.

July 31, 2009

San Francisco Business Times - Patrick Hoge
IT outsourcer Freeborders looks to snap up other firms

For Freeborders Inc. this year, flat is the new up. The San Francisco information technology outsourcing firm grew quickly last year before the economy slowed down and customers ­— in particular a large U.S. bank and a software company ­— put the brakes on spending plans. "We're doing okay. We're holding our own in a very tough economy. It's not an easy environment," said CEO Jean Cholka. Revenue in 2008 was up 50 percent to between $30 million and $40 million. As a result, the company hired 81 people, bringing total headcount to 500, including about 100 in the United States, 20 of them in San Francisco, the rest in China.

June 24, 2009

Southern Metropolis Daily - Gao Linyun
The Chinese Outsourcing Market

With the financial crisis triggered by the slowdown of foreign trade, the software outsourcing industry has unexpectedly grown against the market trend.

June 16, 2009

IT Weekly - Xu Jun
Engaging with the clients, learn and build up its own outsourcing model

In order to deliver high-quality software outsourcing services to multinational corporations, the service provider should have the proper service model aligned with the clients’ model.

Statistics show that the global software outsourcing market size has reached 100 billion U.S. Dollars. It is projected to have a 30% -40% annual growth rate in the future. India has already become the first sourcing country in the world for many years. In China, many companies are still at the bottom of the outsourcing market. They could only get the third level subcontract or even fourth level subcontract. How could they change the status aspect, improve the entire level & ability in China outsourcing company market. We interviewed Freeborders CEO, Ms Jean Cholka.

March 01, 2009

CFO Magazine - Sarah Johnson
The Satyam scandal has prompted companies to be more careful about outsourcing arrangements.

Outsourcing experts urge finance executives to get more involved in a decision-making process that is often left to their technology-minded counterparts. The information-technology department is concerned mainly with a vendor's particular skills, says Jean Cholka, CEO of China IT outsourcer Freeborders Inc. A CFO brings a more analytical, risk-management expertise to the assessment of third-party relationships. CFOs are in the best position to ask questions about a vendor's ability to attract and retain talent, manage its costs, meet its growth targets, and stay financially viable.

February 03, 2009

CFO Magazine
Offshoring Vendors Slice 15% off Some Deals

The Satyam scandal and the economic downturn have services providers more than open to deals, outsourcing experts say. Outsourcing service providers are shaving as much as 10 percent to 15 percent off existing contracts in order to keep their customers during these uncertain times, according to A.T. Kearney, a consultancy.

January 19, 2009

IT Jungle
Freeborders Expands its AS/400 Tech Center

You probably knew that the AS/400 and its progeny were popular in India because of the first several waves of outsourcing and offshoring that hit the shores of America in the late 1990s and the early 2000s as companies tried to cut cost. But apparently there is some play now for the AS/400 in Chinese offshoring operations.

January 14, 2009

BusinessWeek
China Aims to Gain from Satyam Mess

While India has long been the preferred IT outsourcer, the Satyam crisis could give China's services companies a chance to catch up

March 17, 2008

Lawson Software Acquires Freeborders Product Lifecycle Management Software Division

November 29, 2007

Datamonitor

Freeborders launches China-based global delivery model

October 25, 2007

Ministry of Commerce - Peoples Republic of China

Two American Companies Signed the Largest Software Outsourcing Project in China in Schenzhen

October 19, 2007

Travel Distribution News

Freeborders Inc. and Expedia have agreed to create a technology development center for Expedia in China

May 3, 2007

Just-Style.com

Freeborders Introduces Next Generation of PLM Solutions

Jan 29, 2007

IT Business Edge - Ann All

The China Question: When, Not If, Will It Rival India?

Some executives, like the CEO of software development firm Freeborders, insist Chinese developers are more creative thinkers than their Indian counterparts. And the country's infrastructure tends to be more reliable, at least partially due to government economy-building initiatives.

June 30, 2006

Business Week

Chasing the China Outsourcing Market

March 2006

Sourcing Magazine Interview
Inside a Service Provider: Freeborders Shares Its China Growth Plans