CIO Plus’s general assertion on mainstream IT outsourcing, long seen as a tactic of choice for CIOs, is that wholesale outsourcing ought to be one of last resort for an organisation of sufficient critical mass,. If an organisation’s IT function and its leadership is good enough, then it should be delivering these services to the organisation itself; and if it’s not then time and resources should be put into making it so. Opting not to outsource can then lead to significant cost savings as the outsourcer’s profit is eliminated whilst retaining greater flexibility and control.

There are several exceptions to this general principle where outsourcing is definitely the right solution:

• Partaking of centralised systems and only incurring marginal costs
• Utilising lower cost off shore resources
• Sharing between companies

CIO Plus has built up a sound reputation of delivering a Right-Sourcing strategy. We can advise you of the best way to structure the delivery of IT within your company. Typically, outsourcing contracts last between 5 and 10 years; don’t make the mistake of outsourcing in haste and repenting at leisure.

CIO Plus can make sure that the right strategy is applied in every case. For existing outsourcing deals that are not going according to plan we offer a Relationship Review service where we examine both sides of the contractual divide. In any effective outsourcing relationship you need a good supplier but you also need to be a good client. Our impartial review and advice covers both sides of the equation and has resulted in significant improvements for our clients.