IT outsourcing- big money, big career opportunities

One of the biggest developments in the IT industry is the rise of IT outsourcing by businesses. The fact is that IT isn’t something most business people are trained to manage, and it’s extremely expensive. In some cases it’s even dangerous for businesses to try to manage their IT for themselves. Using old or inappropriate software and hardware without the necessary levels of expertise is a recipe for disaster. It’s also expensive and often inefficient to expect in-house computer support to be able to do all the work required.

IT outsourcing advantages

IT outsourcing is meeting many business needs, not least of which is freeing business people from the unwanted problem of trying to tackle IT issues in house. It could hardly be described as cost efficient to have a general manager and chief financial officer trying to manage IT resources, particularly since neither of them is likely to have the necessary levels of technical expertise to do the job properly.

Any mistakes in these situations can be disasters, involving irrecoverable costs, which has been one of the reasons for the rise of IT outsourcing throughout the world. IT outsourcing is based on contracts under which businesses receive full IT services, including training, security upgrades and constant monitoring. This is the exact same service as provided by an in-house IT support section.

The great advantage of the new IT paradigm is that all costs are covered under the IT outsourcing contract. Costs are fixed, including server operation, maintenance, software upgrades, and even business expansion planning can be factored into an IT outsourcing contract.

If this sounds like IT outsourcing is saving businesses a fortune, it is. This is exactly what businesses have needed since the new technology came in and started dictating how business is done. IT outsourcing can actually be viewed as a form of “risk management” in terms of capital expenditure, and a reliable way of avoiding potentially major impacts on the business bottom line.

IT careers and IT outsourcing

The IT job market is extremely unreliable, fickle and untrustworthy. Even the most talented IT person can find themselves on the wrong end of this job market. IT outsourcing provides something the IT industry has never had before – true career continuity and clearly defined career and professional status.

As IT professionals are well aware, working on a help desk can be a very ambiguous role. You may achieve miracles on a daily basis, but how do you prove it? Your CV just says “help desk”. That’s not exactly the most competitive thing to bring to a job interview, and even if your certifications and other qualifications are a help, you still have to explain yourself.

IT outsourcing, by nature, provides very clear career paradigms. That means that position descriptions, job design and other fundamentals of normal professional careers are very well laid out. Your CV as an IT professional won’t need an interpreter.

IT outsourcing also creates major business opportunities for IT professionals. Both within IT outsourcing companies and as independent operators, IT professionals can now start looking at viable business options including franchising, and providing specialist support services in their fields of expertise. If your area of expertise is computer repairs, servers or computer security, IT outsourcing is your best chance at creating a brilliant career for yourself.

Guest post by: Philip Black is an Australian freelance writer and journalist. He writes extensively in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the US. He’s published more than 500 articles about various topics, including Computer Repairs and Computer Support.