• Hi Steve

    Thought provoking words from the editor as usual.

    In the UK, many large organizations have adopted an outsourcing strategy. This can range from the simple release of the support & maintenance of legacy applications through to the extreme wholesale release of the entire IT infrastructure and it's staff.

    Unfortunately, the extreme case is quite commonplace. I have worked for 3 companies who have chosen to outsource their IT function and have also worked for 2 large outsourcing companies. In all cases, the same points apply:

    Outsourcing is primarily driven by bottom-line costs. It is not often that a company will outsource with the belief that the outsourcing company is`better at IT` or will provide an improved service. Outsourcing occurs because the organization believes they can reduce costs and still supply a satisfactory service. There is little consideration for the `practicalities` of development, maintenance and support.

    Once outsourced, the outsourcing company must achieve the cost savings declared to the customer. They are allowed to realign resources, reduce headcount and off-shore the work. The transition of work to off-shore resources can take years and all occurs whilst normal `Business As Usual` service is maintained.

    An abundance of challenges and difficulties arise here, but my point is this:

    Whilst the transition is in progress, do you think software upgrades and patches are high on the list of business priorities?