Environmental concerns to affect IT outsourcing decisions in 2008

During 2008, enterprise outsourcing decisions will be influenced by an increasingly mobile workforce, requirements for greater access to services and environmental concerns, an expert has claimed.

Joe Hogan, vice president of strategic outsourcing programmes at technology outsourcing company Unisys, explained that factors other than cost would come to play an important role in decision making at more IT infrastructure management is outsourced.

He said that it would be likely pressures for flexibility and environmental consciousness would also lead to the proliferation of green-technologies, particularly in the sphere of datacentres, across all industries.

"Cost savings, formerly the key factor in outsourcing decisions, will now be a given and not the sole driver, or in many cases even a primary one," said Mr Hogan.

"A profound transformation in how people work and do business is driving a new set of service requirements and imperatives. Accommodating these new user demands will be the main challenge for outsourcing providers in the coming year and beyond."

Progressive enterprises will add support for new mobile devices and consumer technologies into their IT outsourcing agreements, with many subsidising employee purchases of these devices, he added. ADNFCR-1231-ID-18415738-ADNFCR