IT outsourcing has been on the rise for the past several years. Businesses no longer see it feasible to keep all or some IT services in-house and prefer to engage with a third-party company to manage them on their behalf. IT outsourcing in Pakistan is also on the rise, as evident by the increase in registered IT outsourcing companies. Undoubtedly, outsourcing is associated with numerous benefits, including cost reductions and access to specialized talent. However, businesses need to consider a few things before opting for IT outsourcing. Here, we will first look at the benefits of IT outsourcing and then focus on the things to consider when outsourcing IT services.
Introduction to IT Outsourcing
IT outsourcing is a common practice among businesses worldwide, including in Pakistan. As said earlier, an organization may not have the resources or the budget to carry out IT-related tasks in-house. In such a situation, the best course of action is to engage an IT outsourcing company in Pakistan to manage your IT workload. The most outsourced functions are:
- Technical Support
- Web Hosting
- Application Development
- Network Security
- Web Design & Development
- Marketing
- IT-related Infrastructure
3 Things to Keep in Mind When Outsourcing IT Services
You must keep in mind the following things when outsourcing all or a part of your IT function:
Security
Suppose you work in a sector where you handle sensitive data. For example, most of your clients are from the defence sector, and you handle their sensitive data. In that case, will you be comfortable sharing such data with a third party, provided that you can do so? The answer is no. The reason is that the information is too sensitive to share with a third party. Any data breach can compromise your organization’s reputation, invite a barrage of legal challenges, and numerous other challenges.
Therefore, the first thing you must consider when opting for IT outsourcing is whether you are comfortable and can share the data with a third party. MITServices recommends that you ask in writing about the third party’s policies regarding data protection and include a clause that allows you to audit them to prevent any security breach. This approach will enable you to outsource your IT function while retaining significant control and preventing untoward issues.
Control
The second thing to consider is the extent of control over the outsourced services. Suppose you are a large corporate bank operating in Pakistan. You decide to outsource your customer relationship function to a third party. An effective relationship is the foundation of a long, successful partnership between a business and its client. But when you outsource this function, you will lose control over how a third-party deals with existing and potential clients. What is their tone, or how long do they take to respond?
Clients do not know they are interacting with a third party. All they know is that they are dealing with you, i.e. the bank. Hence, before outsourcing any IT function, you need to consider how much control you wish to retain over the outsourced function. You must discuss this before with the outsourcing IT company to avoid issues later. It is better to have everything in writing as it clarifies each party’s roles and responsibilities.
Communication
The benefit of outsourcing is that your business may be based in the USA, whereas the outsourcing company is in Pakistan. The internet has eroded distances allowing businesses to work together regardless of location. Nevertheless, distance can inhibit effective communication. For instance, there is a considerable time difference between the USA and Pakistan.
Suppose that a US-based outsources technical IT support to an IT outsourcing company in Pakistan. If the business requires urgent support, there may be no resources available in Pakistan as it is quite late at night or even a public holiday. In that case, the business will undoubtedly suffer.
However, communication barriers can be easily overcome. All it requires is open communication from all the concerned parties and a willingness to tackle any issues. For example, the time zone issues can be resolved by defining the work hours in the agreement or having round-the-clock dedicated resources.
Final Thoughts
IT outsourcing is a challenging experience for any business. MITServices acts as a partner throughout the outsourcing process, helping you make decisions that benefit your business. Contact us for further information about our services and why we are the best choice for IT outsourcing in Pakistan.
