IT-Outsourcing
Helping you dedicate more time to your core business
IT projects are becoming ever more complex and wide ranging, the technological innovations keep coming and IT professionals are requiring an ever-growing skill set. That is why more and more companies are deciding to outsource all or some of their IT requirements.
Text: Martina Longo, Images: Swisscom and Unsplash, 11
In this interview, Ante Juric, Head of Project Management for Infrastructure Solutions, explains when outsourcing is especially recommended for a company, what the benefits are, and which questions a company should think about before outsourcing.
Outsourcing is often associated with cost reduction and efficiency gains. What other benefits does it bring?
That’s right – outsourcing is often a topic of conversation for companies who want to optimise costs. But outsourcing your IT services offers much more than cost savings or the well-publicised benefits of scalability, risk mitigation and quality improvements. Companies that outsource also benefit from up-to-date knowledge and access to all the latest IT trends and technological innovations. It also takes pressure off a company’s internal IT structures – freeing up more resources to drive the core business and focus on the essentials.
Which services can be outsourced and when is outsourcing particularly beneficial for a company?
Different IT services can be outsourced to external partner companies to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the needs of the individual company. For companies that lack important IT knowledge, outsourcing can often be the most efficient way of remaining competitive as a business. From out-tasking, the outsourcing of individual services or processes, to the complete outsourcing of a company’s entire IT requirements, everything is possible. It makes sense to start by outsourcing areas that have no direct impact on day-to-day business, such as data archiving. This allows a company to gain initial experience with new technologies, such as the cloud, for example, while at the same time putting outsourcing to the test.
Outsourcing Yes or No
Use these questions to help you decide
- Scope
Which services will we provide ourselves and which ones can be outsourced? Should all IT requirements be outsourced or only some? - Objectives and benefits
What does my company want from outsourcing in terms of objectives and benefits, and how should these be delivered? - Choice of IT partner
Which providers are out there? Which offer the services my business is looking for? Which IT partner is the best fit for my company? Do we need to invite tenders, and, if so, how do we go about this? How exactly should cooperation with the IT provider work? - Division of tasks
Which existing or new tasks will the IT staff undertake? Who has which decision-making powers? - Special features
Which regulations have to be observed? Are there industry-specific requirements (e.g. compliance, data protection)?
Complex IT projects require careful, gradual implementation, and outsourcing is no exception. What approach would you recommend for a company?
The first step is a detailed analysis of the situation. This can be done internally within the company or with external support. It is important to define precisely what you want to achieve with outsourcing and the needs it should meet. The next step is to choose the right IT partner. After choosing an IT provider, you then move to the negotiation stage and subsequent contract signing. The parties involved discuss the implementation of the services and together draw up a detailed project plan for the forthcoming IT transformation. Internal communication is key here: employees should be involved at an early stage of the outsourcing process, with full transparency at all times.
Is IT outsourcing the route to a Data-driven business?
Yes, absolutely. IT outsourcing opens up lots of new possibilities. As a company, you benefit from continuous innovation and guidance from IT professionals, enabling you to respond more swiftly to changing market conditions and customer needs. Take the example of Feldschlösschen Ltd: real-time analyses of marketing activities are helping the company better understand and respond to specific customer needs, with a new beer, for example.
Profile
Ante Juric has worked at Swisscom for many years in various different roles – system engineer, sales and consulting specialist and project portfolio manager. In his current role, as Head of Projects, Platforms & Systems Integration for Infrastructure Solutions, he oversees a wide range of comprehensive and complex ICT projects.
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