| There are a lot of terms in the title of this post. IT | | | | any money you save is that much more you have in |
| Outsourcing. Sustained. Competitive. Advantage. It | | | | capital for needs such as growth, marketing, projects, |
| almost feels "heavy" doesn't it? It isn't that bad. | | | | etc. |
| Actually - it's more beneficial than heavy. Outsourcing | | | | * Human Capital. The resources of an outside firm are |
| is probably the most "negative" word in the title. We | | | | an incredible investment from a knowledge point of |
| have tied that word to many negative connotations for | | | | view. Call it "wisdom of the crowds". These companies |
| quite a long time now and the reason for that is simple: | | | | have many clients that have their own set of issues. |
| it meant loss of jobs. Well, a lot has changed since the | | | | They are solving issues all day long and in contact with |
| very first days of outsourcing and the great news | | | | multiple resources. Chances are, you can benefit |
| here is that outsourcing does not mean what it used to | | | | heavily from the use of all these resources at your |
| mean. Today, it can actually be a source of smart | | | | fingertips. Sometimes internal resources can only see |
| growth, competitive advantage, and the creation of | | | | internal issues and having that "outside" perspective is |
| jobs rather than the loss of them. | | | | actually a huge advantage when it comes to needing |
| IT Outsourcing | | | | information and direction. |
| First, let's talk about outsourcing. What does it mean to | | | | * Creating less "mass". Staying lean and mean is a |
| you? Does it mean that you give over a portion of | | | | huge advantage these days. By this, I mean having |
| your business to another country? Does it mean that | | | | less mass to carry around and thus staying more |
| you employ a "call center" in another country to handle | | | | nimble. When a business gets bogged down by having |
| customer support questions? Does it mean you let | | | | so many departments, the massive amounts of |
| your current IT staff go and hire cheaper labor in | | | | decisions increases and the amount of costs |
| another country? Well, it can mean any of these things | | | | increases. Leaving them vulnerable to shifts in their |
| but it can also mean some other very significant things. | | | | market that require them to change quickly. |
| Outsourcing, and more specifically IT outsourcing can | | | | There are probably a dozen more reasons why |
| mean using the resources of experts that are not | | | | outsourcing can make sense but for the sake of |
| located within your business but are not necessarily | | | | brevity, I'll stick to the above three. The point here is |
| out of the country either. There are terms for this: | | | | that outsourcing can help with many things that quite |
| nearshoring, onshoring, out tasking, etc. These days, | | | | often get in the way of a business truly flourishing. It is |
| outsourcing has taken on an entirely different persona. | | | | these things that lead to loss of focus and loss of |
| Managed IT Service Providers (MSP's) are a great | | | | customer loyalty/trust, and finally contribute to less |
| example of a "local" resource that can be used for | | | | competitive advantage. |
| your IT needs without employing overseas workers. | | | | So you wonder now, how to find an IT provider? How |
| There are also situations where you might want to use | | | | to find that perfect company and trust your entire |
| outside resources for a portion of your IT tasks as | | | | infrastructure in their hands? Well, you can Google |
| well. | | | | search or talk to others or you can use new types of |
| So why would you want to pursue this in the first | | | | services such as (gorilla-force.com) to search by |
| place? Several reasons actually. | | | | location/business vertical and view each company's |
| * Cost Savings. When you utilize the resources of | | | | information. I'll do another post shortly to discuss what |
| external service providers you can save overhead | | | | to look for when selecting a quality IT service provider |
| costs and use that money for re-investment back into | | | | for your business. Until then, start thinking of ways your |
| the company. The cost savings can be significant or | | | | company can use the expertise and cost savings |
| minor depending on your needs. The key here is that | | | | advantages of an outsourced IT provider. |