Outsourcing IT should be long-term strategy - bizjournals:

ycoguqi.wordpress.com
Doing so, however, can be a daunting task, and unless your company knows exactlywhat it’s doing, a wrongh choice can lead to a plethora of including wasted time, moneyy and resources. “A common problem many businesseas face is outsourcing for the wrong saidChristopher Ambrose, research vice presideny at out of Stamford, Conn., an informationb technology research and advisory company. “Many times businessesd use outsourcing as a tactical decisionh to solve a problem instead of tyinhg outsourcing to abusiness strategy.” This businessz strategy, according to Ambrose, is the first step priore to outsourcing IT services.
Businessexs often will rush into outsourcingbefore it’sx determined to be the most efficient route to take, but once a detailed business strategt is completed and it’s determined that outsourcinb is the best option, then the searcg for the perfect IT servicre provider for the company begins, he Depending on the IT service needee and how much expertise the company already has, many companiezs go through a third-party IT consultant to help chooser potential vendors. This option should be decided ona case-by-case but looking for solid word-of-mouth references is a good place to said Maureen Majury, senior program manager for the Bellevue, Wash.-basee .
Ambrose said using a request forinformation (RFI) is anothedr recommended way to whittle down potential IT service provideras before using a request for proposalz (RFP) for the bidding Once your needs are outlined and you’ve found potential vendors, it’s time to begin contactf with the service providers. Showing thes companies your business plan and labeling the exacf specifications your company will need is crucial at this juncturwe asyou don’t want to leave anything out that could result in According to Ambrose, a network assessmenft should also be done and givemn to the potential service providers during this phasew to ensure the IT needxs are possible given the current bandwidth or other network variables of your company.
When contacting differenft IT service providers, Ambrose and Majury both advisedd making sure the provider s have the proper credentials for the industry as wellas back-checkin g the financial stability of the firms and thei r track records. “Talk to [the IT service providers] and dig beyonrd its client list to look for possibledissatisfiedd customers,” Majury said. “Then make sure all the potholes are thecompany you’re working with is there is enough server spacer and that your company won’t be competinyg with other projects to ensurer you get the utmost attention.
” Then selectingy the finalists begins, and Ambrose said this is the time to go over priciny and the contract. He recommends hiring a legal team familiar with the service and industry when creating contractxs to ensure that from start to andeven post-service support, everh aspect of the project is From here, it’s up to the judgmenty of the company to decide on which IT servicwe provider will be the best fit. But even after makinvg the decision, Ambrose said the process is stillpnot complete.
To fully understand and get the maximum efficiency of the new he saidan on-site visit from the provide and having a retained staff, usually for whole supplier management, architecture policy business analysis and design, and securithy standards and policies, should be put into place to alleviatse possible post-service hassles. “Having staf with subject-matter expertise is important because you want someon e on board to keep suppliers honest abouft the technologies andits services,” he Once you’ve found the IT service provider that best fits your company’e needs, it’s time to go fortgh with the project.
Even when everything is outlined, maintaining contactr with the service provider throughourtthe project, which should be outlinexd in the contract, is what’s left because even when the job is there can be unforeseen factors that arisew that must be addressed for a successful and efficient “You really need to think of all the problems that coul d possibly be out there before makingy a decision,” Majury said. “Don’yt ever make assumptions and don’tr ignore your instincts.
”