Outsourcing

This major study profiles outsourcing activity for 11 IT functions: application development, application management, data center operations, database administration, desktop support, disaster recovery services, help desk services, IT security, network operations, system implementation/integration and web/e-commerce systems. For each IT function, we measure the frequency and level of outsourcing. We also look at the current plans of IT organizations to increase or decrease the amount of work they outsource. We examine the customer experience to assess whether organizations are successfully lowering costs or improving service through outsourcing. Finally, we show the outsourcing frequency by sector for each function. (115 pp., 97 fig.) Full Report Description [Research Byte]

August, 2019

Customer satisfaction with desktop support outsourcing appears to be rising, although the use of these services has not. This report examines adoption trends and customer experience with desktop support outsourcing. We report on the percentage of organizations that outsource (frequency), the average amount of work outsourced (level), and the change in the amount of work being outsourced (trend). We also present success rates for the customer’s cost and service experience, and show how use of these services differs by organization size and sector. We conclude with factors to consider when evaluating options for outsourcing this function. (17 pp., 8 fig.) [Research Byte]

October, 2018

As the application portfolio of an enterprise grows, the need to maintain those systems increases and can become a burden on the IT organization. In response, many organizations see outsourcing as an attractive option, although the number of organizations using these services has declined. In this report, we analyze the percentage of organizations outsourcing application maintenance (frequency), the average amount of work outsourced (level), and the change in the amount of work being outsourced (trend). We also assess the customer experience by showing how many IT organizations successfully lower costs by outsourcing this function. (18 pp, 8 fig.) [Research Byte]

February, 2018

IT security is a critical area for IT managers, who face increasingly varied threats. The response to these threats has been to bring in some help: 45% of IT organizations are increasing the amount of IT security work that they outsource. In light of the new realities, this report is designed to help IT executives compare their outsourcing activity and experience with other IT organizations. We use three metrics to measure IT security outsourcing activity: how many organizations outsource IT security (frequency), how much of the workload is typically outsourced (level), and the change in the amount of work outsourced (trend). We also measure the cost and service experience of organizations that outsource this function, and determine how outsourcing activity and experience vary by organization size and sector. (17pp., 8 fig.) [Research Byte]

September, 2017