Outsourcing seen as an integral part of IT management

IT outsourcing is becoming a routine part of IT management, a survey examining IT outsourcing in the USA and UK has revealed.

IT outsourcing has outlived the five-year period typical of a management fad and, on average, 35% of most corporations' IT budgets will be outsourced by 2003, according to research by Oxford University.

The reports shows that only a third of organisations have contracts which include all important contractual clauses and this may be a matter for some concern.

One of the authors, Leslie Willcocks, fellow in information management said, "Organisations should involve more stakeholders in outsourcing evaluations, improve communications with in-house staff during evaluation, insist on more clearly defined, comprehensive contracts and improve their post-contract management infrastructure. Finally, they should beware of outsourcing too many people."