Risk Analysis for Outsourcing Decisions

Because many businesses in the US have more often began outsourcing different business products instead of doing them in-house, it is important to understand why outsourcing may be the best option. Although many tie outsourcing to foreign markets, outsourcing can include both foreign and domestic markets. By entering into a contractual agreement, outsourcing allows organizations to pay for services they need. This gives the option for a business to get professionals to perform services for them that the business may not have the staff for. Outsourcing provides a cost saving-strategy that is usually more affordable. Ultimately,

The case identifies struggle and problem faced by organizations outsourcing IT projects and allows us to ponder on how to manage outsourcing well.

It is a concept that has evolved from a manufacturing perspective to a strategic perspective, which views the concept as a way for organizations to focus and be more competitive. The basic premise of outsourcing is that a specialist organization can perform a particular service more efficiently than can internal operations because a specialist organization has an inherent advantage in producing and delivering a service. Superior technology, management skills, or economies of scale may contribute to this perception. The type of sourcing relationship depends on whether a long-term or short-term need exists. To save funds used for benefits for regular employees, temporary workers are hired. In this case, the organization (outsourcer) provides all necessary resources except the workers, who are provided by the vendor. For long-term services, the vendor has full responsibility for delivering the service; the outsourcer provides only a liaison.

“Outsourcing refers to the practice of contracting workers outside of a company or business for work duties or services previously performed by company employees or “in-house”. This practice is also often referred to as offshoring due to the increasingly prevalent use of “non-U.S.” service providers for these outsourced duties. However, strictly speaking, outsourcing can and does refer to the use of contracted labor provided by individuals outside of an organization, but still within the U.S.; whereas when these same services are provided outside the U.S., it is both outsourcing and offshoring.”

Outsourcing is when a company purchases products or services from an outside supplier rather than performing the same work within its own facilities, in order to cut costs. In other words, outsourcing is an organization's contractual relationship with a specialized outside service provider for work traditionally done internally by that organization. The decision to outsource is a major strategic one for most companies because it involves weighing the potential cost saving against the consequences of a loss in control over the product or service. Some common examples of outsourcing include manufacturing of components, computer programming services, tax compliance and other accounting functions, as well as payroll and other

The vendors are investing in their employees by various training programs on different technologies. This gives a chance for the vendor to provide the outsourcing services to a company with the help of the well trained employees who are ready to work on the projects. Before outsourcing some of its products and services to a third part vendor, the company has to analyze all the factors that might result from the outsourcing decision, the advantages and disadvantages of the company both in short term and long term due to outsourcing. According to Aubuchon, outsourcing some of its products can be a good thing for a company and the judgment to outsource the services must not only based on the cost factor, but the company has to take all other significant factors into consideration (Aubuchon, 2014).

Entrepreneurs who run successful home business startups wear many hats. When your startup doesn't generate enough revenue for hiring help, you have little choice but to handle multiple business functions because your survival depends on it. Eventually, your business revenue will reach a point where you will have to decide if you will invest it back into the business in the form of outsourced help.

Office Supply Incorporated (OSI) is a company in crisis, with challenges in its cost structure and poor IT performance. Outsourcing to Technology Infrastructure Solutions (TIS) is an opportunity to both reduce costs and complexity for the firm, but first must consider whether outsourcing is a good strategic fit for OSI. Outsourcing is known as the practice of turning over responsibility of some or all of organizations information systems to a foreign firm in order to stay competitive. Outsourcing is not new to the business world, as it dominated the manufacturing sector the past couple of decades. There are various advantages and disadvantages. Advantages include lower costs, better quality, and downsizing to focus on the

Risk Analysis of IT Outsourcing Case Study on Public Companies risks can be described by using Agency theory and Transaction Cost theory [3], [4]. They identified various types of risks which are additional costs, service debasement, disputes and litigation. Without a thorough comprehension of how to manage these risks, any benefits achieved could be offset by significant losses. Therefore, risks must be measured, understood and then mitigated to ascertain that organizations will meet their IT outsourcing goals. Organizations that perform risk analysis and correctly manage risks associated with IT outsourcing will be able to anticipate and alleviate issues associated with IT outsourcing [3].

The word outsourcing can be defined in a numbers of ways depending on the type of service and the form of relationship with the supplier. Also referred to as contracting out or buying in. May be the delegation or handing over to a third party. Company to provide services that might other wise be performed by in- house employees. The term is increasingly used to refer to subcontracting of a set of functions or processes by one firm to another, or to a group of individuals.

“Outsourcing refers to the contracting or subcontracting of noncore activities to free up cash, personnel, time, and facilities for activities in which a company holds competitive advantage”(Barlow, 2012). Outsourcing contributes speed to the operations within a business, gives a business the freedom of choosing the best possible supplier applicable to their business and also requires less of an effort from the management sector. The majority of businesses outsource in order to get jobs done quicker and more efficiently [comma] which is solved by hiring a specialist instead of giving your particular business the training and skills necessary to tackle the job at hand. For example, Apple outsources thousands of manufacturing jobs to countries like China, Korea in order to save time and money.

While it lessens the burden on organizations, reducing and shifting the cost and risk of its IT operation, security and management issues to an external service provider or vendor, outsourcing any portions of an organization's Information System has significant risks that can sometimes become detrimental to the outsourced organization. According to the Commission on Government Outsourcing, "when outsourcing an organization exposes itself to significant risks in terms of security, accuracy, and completeness of information (Holroyd City Council, 2008)". Comprised in the rest of this document is an

A common definition of outsourcing is the takes part of their business and give it to another company to complete. The main industries that take

Outsourcing refers to hiring an outside, independent firm to perform a business function that internal employees might otherwise perform. Many organizations outsource jobs to specialized service companies, which frequently operate abroad. The outsourcing trend stands to continue; the latest wave of outsourcing impacts the information technology field. IT outsourcing includes data center operations, desktop and help desk support, software development, e-commerce outsourcing, software applications services, network operations and disaster recovery.2

“Outsourcing is the transfer of control of a process or product to an outside supplier”(Hasan).