Oct
2
Outsourcing : IT assists
October 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The Wall Street storm is not only affecting the American financial climate on housing, credit and banks but also on its information technology (IT) firms, products and services industry too.
The storm’s effect is also impacting far shores, however to some degrees as governments and economies do what they can to shelter and surpass this.
Is your business ready to face the IT challenges brought about by this recent economic turmoil, alone?
Other than the most obvious benefit of hiring the external support services of an IT outsourcing firm which is reduced cost in equipment and facilities for IT infrastructure, another benefit is that for an average salary of an in-house IT professional, you could get a team of IT professionals through outsourcing.
Many businesses, even the small-to-medium enterprises, now rely on IT systems: for logistics, for communication, for accounting and finances and for marketing. Computer downtime can be a serious stumbling block that would also cost plenty for the company.
One hired in-house IT professional could only have the time and energy to handle problems in queue; this is cause for more delay. Add to that, holiday, vacation leave and the possible sick days your hired in-house IT professional could take.
On the other hand, contracting an external IT support provider can give you access to a staff of professionals; experts in IT and IT-business relate areas who can be made available to you 24/7 and can handle more problems efficiently and effectively, leading to less downtime and better preventive measures ensuring that your business would not experience the similar IT issues again.
You do not even have to concern yourself with mundane human resources matters and put more focus on making your business more productive and navigating it to more markets.
A word to the wise though, when you decide to acquire the assistance of an IT support team through outsourcing, make sure that you seek and screen the one best fit for your company and your specific business requirements, such as compliance to standards and compatibility to your present IT infrastructure.
During these turbulent times, please do not be testy. There are many IT firms preying on panic, concerns and needs of small-to-medium enterprises during this current crisis, promising a lot however failing to deliver.
An audit of your external IT support provider is acceptable. Despite your business is actually making savings in hiring external IT support services, an investment is still an investment however the worth. It must be protected and prepared well against certain risks and shifts. You have to confirm that you are actually getting the services you are paying for, according to your service contract.
What you would want to avoid are service firms that appear to have a lot of potential but are actually predators that “eat and run”, what you need is a partner with a proven, professional track record in providing quality IT support and services.
References:
- Dillon, Andy. “Outsourcing keeps your IT costs down.” 29 September 2008. The Birmingham Post. Accessed 2 October 2008. Link here.
- Wailgum, Thomas. “Financial Industry Mergers, Acquisitions and Meltdowns: What’s in Store for IT Execs and Staffers?” 18 September 2008. CIO Website. Accessed 2 October 2008. Link here.
Sep
22
Outsourcing: To SaaS or Not to SaaS?
September 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
As governments and business sectors breathe a sigh of relief from surviving the stock storm at Wall Street, it is projected that many companies, from start-up small and medium enterprises to major multinationals, would be working on measures to protect their profitability and business interests from any possible changes in the financial climate.
One possible avenue for easy start-up and cost cutting is acquiring Software as a Service (SaaS), a progeny of IT outsourcing.
Sep
19
Outsourcing : On Storm Watch
September 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The financial storm in Wall Street earlier in the week changed the global business climate and gave pressure on countries, regional economies and their leaders to shelter themselves from the stock market stress.
Let us check on how two major offshore outsourcing destinations, India and the Philippines, stand up to the coming of the storm.
Sep
12
Outsourcing without Managers?
September 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Outsourcing’s potential has been proven and now it is growing, expanding into various domains such as core office functions like human resources and accounting, life science developments like biochemical research and drug testing, and technological innovations, especially in software development.
Yet whatever sights we have on the future of outsourcing are still blurred by external factors (politics, society) and also internal problems (infrastructure, talent acquisition). One such internal factor can be deemed as the worm eating at the core and if not dealt swiftly could spell major trouble for outsourcers and their business partners.
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