IT outsourcing – managing the key asset

It is sometimes forgotten, in the day‐to‐day management of business, that the only real asset in most outsourcing arrangements is the collection of individuals who execute the terms of the agreement day to day. For vendors of outsourcing services, this is absolutely crucial, far more important in most instances than the supporting technologies or processes, which are rendered useless without that staff. For the buyers of outsourced services, there is an implicit admittance that they are either unwilling or unable to acquire and manage the personnel required to do the jobs outlined in the outsourcing agreement. So, the starting premise here is that keeping a cadre of qualified people is important to the company, though an outsourcer may more efficiently provide those people.