The demand and scope of IT is so extensive that majority of the industries now depend on it to take forward their business, or to make things easier. With many learning what IT is and how to implement it, it has become difficult for businesses to decide whether they need to hire staffs or outsource their works. Most often, businesses need to outsource only a particular project and for this, hiring employees on a temporary basis may not always be feasible. In such cases, outsourced solutions offer a huge help to businesses when it comes to information technology.
When it comes to the employees in a particular company, they may be mostly concerned with which all projects will be outsourced, rather than whether any projects will be outsourced! Even if a team is skilled and available, some projects might not be the best use of their time. Some very basic questions that will arise in a company before deciding to outsource the job are:
- Whether investing in hardware maintenance, software upgrades, user support and networking would give you any competitive advantage? If your business is not into the technology sector, it is best to consider outsourcing.
- Is it a project / service that will need maintenance or upgrades only once or twice a year? Will you need a full-time employee to maintain this task?
- Are the costs to outsource lower when compared to hiring full-time employees?
Here’s a checklist to help you decide when (and why) to outsource your next IT project:
- Focus: Whether you are in the IT sector or not, the core focus of your company should never be forgotten. Venturing into a new project and not having enough workforces for the same should not put you in a dilemma. Hiring more employees for the project may not be feasible, especially if the project doesn’t need much maintenance after deployment. With many outsourcing companies in the scene, it is always advisable to outsource your project.
- Cost: The cost factor should always be there upfront in your mind. Getting a project done in-house versus outsourcing requires serious consideration and planning. Outsourcing is a good option when you have functions that are complicated, but the size of your company is preventing you from performing them at a reasonable cost. Whether you are a start-up or a well-established business, outsourcing will work well for you. In terms of operations, skill and in a way to scale up and down in terms of workforce, outsourcing can help keep your costs low.
Core Competency: What is your core competency? Will you ever outsource it? No, and you should not. Instead, outsource projects and tasks that fall outside your core business, which will help your company focus on what’s more important to them. If your core team isn’t working on something that is of not much importance, they can focus on bringing more value to the company.- Minimal Disruption: For larger and established companies, it is better to move their technology solutions to the cloud to stay updated on the latest enhancements without having to bother about upgrades and infrastructure. For start-ups and smaller companies, it is best to hire IT contractors (or even in-house personnel, based on the requirement) for the intermittent support.
- Trust: Whatever be the situation, you should outsource only if your company has a trusted screening program to evaluate those who have contact with your technology. As everyone is aware, data is constantly under attack and safety is in the hands of your IT department. Don’t outsource your IT operations until and unless you are sure that the vetting process is complete.
- Scaling: Outsourcing to a well-researched firm that is skilled in the areas you need is a great way to scale your business. Instead of wasting time and money on new recruitment and experimenting with it, outsourcing helps you leverage an efficient service. Also, it makes sense to outsource only when you need a particular specialized skill for a short period of time.
Core Competency: What is your core competency? Will you ever outsource it? No, and you should not. Instead, outsource projects and tasks that fall outside your core business, which will help your company focus on what’s more important to them. If your core team isn’t working on something that is of not much importance, they can focus on bringing more value to the company.Most important of all, be sure of what you want. To stay competitive, businesses are becoming more open to finding new ways of doing things to yield higher productivity and greater efficiency. Whatever be the questions and doubts in your mind, always go with an outsourcing services company that will treat you like a partner, and make sure their team is fully equipped with skilled employees. The service package and the agreement you sign should be clear, properly read and agreed, so that it helps you save money and keep your infrastructure updated, and most importantly, they should be responsive to your needs.
