Why Outsource?
Author: John Uchaker
September 2007
Do you currently:
- Process your payroll internally
- Maintain internal legal resources
- Write your own proprietary software for all of your operations
- Maintain your own delivery fleet
- Supply your telephone dial tone
- Own, operate and maintain all facets of your facility
- Manufacture your own electrical power
For most companies, outsourcing has been a key business strategy for some time. Whether you realize it or not, some or all of the above functions are likely outsourced by your company. So, the issue is not whether to outsource or not; rather, it is to determine which functions you wish to keep in-house for strategic reasons and which are potential candidates for outsourcing. This guide provides a brief overview of IT outsourcing options, strategy, best practices and other considerations. It offers advice for the selection, negotiation, and management phases of the outsourcing relationship. This guide is not intended to be an exhaustive guide to all outsourcing issues. Rather, the intent is to provide guidance, especially for the small and medium businesses, for which IT outsourcing can be a very valuable tool. IT Outsourcing Options IT outsourcing is not an all or nothing proposition. You have options when it comes to IT outsourcing. These options include:
- Outsource nothing. This is a viable choice for few if any IT organizations.
- Outsource “commodity” services. These are types of services that, although important, provide little strategic value to the organization.
- Outsource to improve time to market. When moving into new technology, it is often faster to hire external firms to launch the project, with a planned transfer of skills to internal staff.
- Outsource high-demand skills. Examples include security management, database management, and email administration.
- Outsource IT trouble areas. These are areas where you have been unable to develop best practices.
Your choice as to what and how much to outsource should be based on the particulars of your situation.
For more information on Outsourcing please contact Berbee Information Networks, John Uchaker at (513) 677-4119 or visit www.berbee.com.
Berbee, drawing on strategic partnerships with Cisco, IBM, and Microsoft and the far-reaching experience of its hudreds of engineers, has assisted clients with a full range of technology solutions.
