INFORMATIONWEEK REPORTS
Research: 2011 Outsourcing Survey
Outsourcing 2011: The Incredible Shrinking IT Team
Our second annual InformationWeek Analytics State of IT Outsourcing Survey shows a steady increase in the number of respondents using service providers now, and the vast majority plan to increase their outsourcing activities across all categories—hardware, telco, data center, software development and public cloud/SaaS—despite ongoing concerns over value and just how much time and money we’re really saving. Respondents say they’re three times more likely to be able to engage a contractor than to bring on staff.
Let that settle in for a minute. We’re 32 months into a slowdown that began in August 2008. That’s over two and a half years of turmoil and transformation in your business, let alone the computing changes that have occurred during that time period. Not only have IT operations had to morph based on economic realities, you’ve had to adapt to expanded virtualization options, data center convergence, exploding storage volumes, and the rise of mobile devices and consumerization as well as evolving compliance standards for everything from PCI to Web security.
Given a whole new set of strategic variables plus fewer resources, it’s no wonder IT’s looking outward. But we’re not figuring out how to be smart about applying outside talent as a means to deliver quality IT services. We’re just chasing fast and cheap, and that’s no way to excel. (R2100411)
Survey Name: InformationWeek Analytics State of IT Outsourcing Survey
Survey Date: March 2011
Region: North America
Number of Respondents: 513
