In or out? However you source your IT, beware

A recent report, published by PA Consulting, suggested that more than 30 per cent of companies plan to outsource more of their IT capabilities over the next year.

This has been denounced as corporate cost-cutting. Many feel that such a move ‘out of house’ represents a loss of creativity and control, and will lead to a decline in internal knowledge bases.

However, this misses the point entirely, particularly as it applies to small and creative businesses, where it is often erroneously thought that the in-house option is the cheap option, not outsourcing. In such cases, the onus for managing IT processes often falls to the ‘most technical’ members of staff.

I’ve seen countless Web developers, designers and account managers lose sight of their real jobs while caught in the mel ee of IT.
However, while keeping your support in-house might seem cheaper, it could lead to disaster. And a cheap disaster isn’t good business, no matter how low the cost.

Real control isn’t about the urge to keep every activity within the managing director’s line of sight. It’s about delivering on the company’s vision and objectives in a measured and profitable way.

Real creativity is about freeing your staff to deliver on their agreements with clients.

And your internal knowledge base should primarily focus on the service you deliver, not the mechanics needed to deliver that service.

In summary, irrespective of whether outsourcing is cheaper or more expensive, it should always be better – more creative, more control and better applied knowledge.
Kam Amin, Director, AA Mac, Wallington, Surrey SM6 9AY