Enterprise Features

5 Reasons Why IT Must Lead the Outsourcing Wave, or Die

by richardturkel on 31/10/12 at 3:01 pm

Outsourcing is the new IT. Don’t believe me? Just check the numbers. The Information Services Group reported that just cloud-related contracts within the outsourcing industry grew by 120 percent during the third quarter of 2012 (compared to third quarter 2011). And there’s no sign that it’s stopping. IT leaders (that’s probably you if you’re reading this) must lead the way if they want to keep their jobs during the next five years.

Don’t agree? Here are five reasons why you must lead the outsourcing wave, or die.

If You Don’t, Someone Else Will

In the same article linked above, CIO points out that a department no longer has to go through the IT department to deploy an outsourced service. The HR department, for example, is the leading outsourcing department and they historically have no qualms vetting, hiring and deploying a provider themselves.

If you don’t assist in this process it will happen anyway and you’ll be left on the sidelines, all by your lonesome.

It Provides a Chance to Narrow Your Focus

Most IT departments are overworked. Outsourcing gives you the chance to take some tasks off your plate. If you don’t lead the process, though, you might lose the goodies and get left with all the tasks you hate.

For example, you might get stuck developing software for the financial department when what you really want to focus on is building a knowledge management system. If you don’t take initiative nobody will ever know which tasks you’re best at and can provide the most expertise on.

It Potentially Saves You Money

Admittedly, outsourcing sometimes costs more upfront, but in the long run it has the potential to save the company money. Additionally, it gives you some extra ammunition to defend your budget. For example, why should new software for the HR department come entirely out of your budget? If HR requested or initiated the move you can make a very compelling argument that IT and HR should split the cost, thereby leaving you more funds in your operating budget.

It Opens Your Company’s Mind

If HR gets to buy new software and/or outsource their processes, why shouldn’t you? Convincing the company that you need some new help desk software is that much easier when you can show that other departments have been through the same process. It’s a little like being the middle child in the family: You’re more likely to get to do something because an older sibling already did it. It wouldn’t be fair to not let you do it, right?

It’ll Save Your Job

This goes back to point number one: If you don’t lead the way someone else will. And when someone else leads the way you look useless and left behind. But if you lead the way and show that you and your team are valuable in vetting, negotiating with and deploying third-party programs, you send a very clear message: You need us. And that’s the most important message you can send.

Departments can outsource services, but they can’t outsource the value that you provide. So lead the way. Help departments choose a service but make it undeniably clear that it doesn’t eliminate your role; it just changes it. Otherwise, you’ll be swallowed by the wave instead of riding it into the future.

About The Author: Richard Turkel is an expert technical writer, specializing in the areas such as mainframes, knowledge management, help desk automation, workload automation and more. http://www.bmc.com/

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