• By quade
• 17 November 2023

Outsourcing Is Like Choosing a Life Partner Select Intelligently

Businesses would do well to look for partners who actually want to be business partners, not merely suppliers of IT services.

Within the IT services industry, managed services are becoming more and more common, and this trend is only going to get stronger.

This technique, or at least much of it, has been around for a long time and has grown much more sophisticated and mature. It goes by many names, including hosted solutions, as-a-service, managed services, outsourcing, and so on.

Having been in the outsourcing business for several decades, starting from the beginning of my career, I have the luxury of understanding what is most important to guarantee a successful and profitable outsourcing experience.

Over the past few decades, the data processing industry has undergone significant change. Technology has advanced at lightning speed. It would have been impossible to imagine the complexity of today in the 1980s or 1990s. It makes me wonder how much more unfathomable it would be in another forty or so years.

Opex-based outsourcing and managed services are likely more well-liked than they have ever been for the following reasons: In a skills-scarce environment, highly complex technological integrations demand specialized talents and proven, trustworthy methods.

“There are a few fundamentals without which outsource agreements are likely to be average at best, and toxic failures at worst.”

– Peter Berthold, Digital Transformation lead

Thus, a lot of organizations turn to managed service providers because they lack the knowledge, skills, or motivation to learn and hold onto these non-core competencies.

Most businesses have already started the process of digital transformation; those that don’t will fall behind more effective and forward-thinking rivals. Trusted connections with important ICT sourcing partners are essential given the unrelenting and competitive pace of business and the imperative necessity and benefit of digital transformation.

Businesses can use ICT to their advantage and concentrate on strategic goals by focusing on specialists who can manage intricate and sizable ICT environments using skills, tools, procedures, innovation, and transformation.

The secret to a long-term, successful outsourcing or managed services agreement could be a topic of debate.

Marriage and outsourcing have a lot in common, as the headline states. Sometimes the process of locating, courting, and getting to know a possible outsourcing partner is reduced to a technical and clinical analysis, which does not always take into account the alignment of culture, values, and partnership loyalty, which could make or break the partnership during difficult times.

As previously discussed, change happens quickly, so adaptability is essential. In order to be flexible, there needs to be a commitment on both ends of the connection. Acknowledging when the scope or service level agreement is not fulfilling the needs of the business or the partnership requires guts.

As previously discussed, change happens quickly, so adaptability is essential. In order to be flexible, there needs to be a commitment on both ends of the connection. Acknowledging when the scope or service level agreement is not fulfilling the needs of the business or partnership requires guts.

The depth and breadth of skills and knowledge provided are also important components. Look for organizations that offer a variety of services and technology know-how, as well as a broad workforce of subject matter experts who can offer the best advice.

How a company accepts responsibility and moves past a service-related setback is something that isn’t always taken into account. It is important to make reference to one’s capacity and readiness to be open and honest, to own mistakes, and to keep advancing.

Reconsider it. A lot of tier-one carriers are capable of handling the fundamentals. Their experience is accurate.

A partnership should be treated like a long-term relationship, based on the same values as a marriage: honesty, integrity, trust, vulnerability, transparency, and commitment. This is because, based on decades of experience, the real differences lie in culture, values, customer eccentricity, flexibility, and openness.

“From my perspective, a significant consideration should be given to how well an outsourcing partner’s culture, values, and aforementioned principles align while evaluating them.”

– Peter Berthold, Digital Transformation lead

Thus, we can see how finding a partner who aligns with your culture and values, is adaptable, and has a deep pool of talent is just as important—if not more so—for long-term success as looking at compliance, licensing, innovation, track record, cost, and a host of other hard metrics.