While IT outsourcing may not be the ideal solution for every company, the marketplace continues to expand, giving potential clients and providers alike more to think about. Finding your company’s unique path through this veritable wilderness of alternatives can be head-spinning. Making use of a sourcing advisory can clear the way.
Getting professional help at a time like this makes sense. You regularly bring on other types of experts to augment your internal staff, and this is no time to skimp. The stakes are too high. You need a trusted advisor that has your back, in this case a sourcing advisory team.
What will you get?
Insight.
Sourcing advisory professionals can readily understand the intricacies of your entire operation, not just your IT functions, because they’ve been there. That combination of business management experience and in-depth tech knowledge is crucial. With the right team, you can skip the learning curve and delve directly into identifying potential solutions most likely to achieve your goals.
Research.
Realistically, you simply don’t have access to all the latest data. Nor does your IT team have time to do the research. A sourcing advisory does this work daily, following and studying the latest technology developments, trends and best practices. They know what companies similar to yours are doing that works, and also what they’re shying away from as problematic or disappointing.
Unbiased recommendations.
The last thing you need is “guidance” based on someone else’s best interests instead of yours. You need straight talk -- facts, tempered with understanding of your needs and resources. Your sourcing advisory team’s reputation is built entirely on how well they help their clients. They take a systematic, strategic approach to sourcing, tailored in every detail to match your goals and the way your enterprise works.
Hands-on advocacy.
Selecting the right solution is complex enough. But when it’s time to select a provider, things can really get tricky. Your sourcing advisory has you covered in every detail. They know the pros and cons of various solution configurations, but they know you need more than a compendium of services. So they’ll steer you toward providers who will also work compatibly with your corporate culture and personnel.
As your advocate, a sourcing advisory helps ensure a smooth, congenial selection and negotiation process so you can enter into a positive working relationship with your new provider.
A baseline and benchmarks.
Success begins at the beginning, so your sourcing advisory will help you analyze exactly where you now stand. Before you make any other decisions, you have to determine whether your company is ready for outsourcing and that a strong business case exists to pursue it.
You’ll want to pinpoint both weak points and opportunities outsourcing could address – types and levels of service, quality issues, developing internal or marketplace considerations such as increasing data and mobility, business expansion, compliance, disaster recovery, etc. What are your performance and staffing priorities? You’ll need a full financial and functional understanding to compare choices and build your business case based on accurately-assessed total cost of ownership.
Investigating outsourcing alternatives is complicated. Make the wrong choices, and you could create a whole new set of problems for your enterprise, rather than strengthening your competitiveness and smoothing the way for growth.
Hiring sourcing advisory professionals gives you better control over the entire process while requiring less time and effort from your own top executives and IT staff. It can reduce your risk, expedite things to provide a faster resolution and produce the most appropriately-customized results.
It all comes down to trust.
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