The biggest Next Big Thing- IT outsourcing goes mainstream

Business has been screaming for it, IT professionals need it- IT outsourcing is about to break through the longstanding mess of IT management. This is going to be bigger than Disneyland, when it hits the mainstream. As most business and IT people know, the current situation is quite a lot less than ideal. IT isn’t the area of expertise of businesspeople, and business isn’t the area of expertise of IT people. Absolute essentials, like offsite backup service, are understood, but in terms of IT management in real time, forget it.

Business IT issues

The fact is that most businesses would be a lot better off not trying to operate their own IT. Costs can blow out, and the best IT people in the world can’t make a budget bigger than it is. Obsolescence soon sets in, with the associated risks and lack of system integration which also cost money. Software can be a real problem, and security can be a train wreck waiting to happen.

Old servers, antiquated hardware, and a virtual museum of databases add to the situation every second. In house IT can rarely deal with much more than budget-sized issues. Cost factors usually shut down major innovations and upgrades. Businesses straggle along behind their competitors with obsolete equipment and systems. An ongoing cost factor is built in to this environment, and it’s an expensive situation.

IT business issues

As everyone in IT is far too well aware, the professional vista is more like a walk through a blender than a career path, and it’s mainly because of the business environment. The “helpdesk” image doesn’t help the IT people doing the work much, either. It’s a misrepresentation of what IT people actually do. IT services, in fact, involve getting things to run properly and efficiently, not just un-glitch work. The result is that IT people have their careers effectively dictated by a pretty iffy employment market which wants people with current IT system experience.

IT outsourcing- The working solution

The fact is that most businesses would do far better outsourcing their IT. This approach is much more in tune with modern business models, which basically outsource everything but core business. IT outsourcers work with fixed price contracts, so the cost factor is locked down, and all services are contract based. The best IT outsourcers also do the security and upgrades. There, in two sentences, you see the end of the business IT problems. IT outsourcing is cost-efficient in the most literal sense of the concept.

IT outsourcing also creates a much healthier career and business stream for IT professionals. Working with IT outsourcers means working with the latest equipment and software. It’s classic CV material, meaningful levels of expertise. IT outsourcers use the absolute top of the range through necessity. They must be able to handle everything that happens. Everything from cloud computing to offsite data storage is part of IT outsourcing.

When IT outsourcing hits the mainstream market, the IT people can get out of the career black holes, and business can get out of the technology cost cycles. Expect to see a revolution, and look for the opportunities IT outsourcing will bring.