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Engineering and IT Insight: You cannot improve what you don't measure, so at the very least it is important that every outsourced support organization includes a measurable feedback policy for each issue. Also consider these three steps.
Most large and many medium-sized companies are outsourcing standard IT tasks to centralized support groups. The tasks include infrastructure elements such as server builds, desktop builds, database configuration and support, firewall configuration and support, user account management, router installation and configuration, anti-virus support, and password security services. Outsourced support groups are also used for application-specific support such as email, messaging, office tools, R&D tools, engineering tools, and ERP support. Even medium-sized companies may end up with six or more independent outsourced support organizations.
The upside of outsourced support is the 24x7 availability of expert support. With outsourced support there are experts who have the knowledge and the access rights to quickly diagnose and solve your problems. Other advantages of centralized outsourcing are the consistency of server and desktop builds and the consistency of application tool installation. With a well-run centralized support organization the majority of tasks, such as adding application access through a firewall, creating a standard desktop system, or adding a database account, can be handled in minutes.
Unfortunately, there are also downsides to centralized support, especially when there are multiple independent outsourcing organizations. When problems occur that are not typical or not previously...