Find and price IT services outsourcing

The business press covered the big deals of late in IT services outsourcing with gusto, but remember that the multi-million dollar deals are, in part, a reflection of a contract covering sometimes thousands of users across several countries -- even globally -- doing security, onsite help, remote help, database administration, training and other key IT duties.

I recommend: Don't assume that even a big-name consultant is uninterested in your business. If it has developed capacity and expertise in your sector for another client, adding your needs isn't reinventing the wheel. Major vendors of IT services including IBM, HP, Accenture, and Computer Associates. Find more on IT outsourcing at the Business.com entry on IT outsourcing.

IT consulting as an alternative to IT services outsourcing

If you what you need is one-off project attention -- like buying and installing a server, establishing a new network or customizing software -- then an IT consultant might do the trick. IT consulting services can also help with training, security, data backup and data transfer issues.

I recommend: Which IT consultant to hire will vary dramatically according to your need and budget. Some examples of IT consulting firms include Bearing Point, Booz Allen Hamilton, Keane, Deloitte and Unisys. See additional resources at the Business.com directory of IT consulting firms.

Consider an international option for IT services outsourcing

If budgets are tight or major vendors can't seem to find a fit for your portfolio of needs, consider a foreign supplier of IT services outsourcing looking to grow. Thanks to the Web, "nearshore" providers of IT services outsourcing can also handle database administration, security, web development and a host of other projects. Some have even expanded to U.S. locations to do onsite help and IT consulting services.

I recommend: A lot depends on your own willingness to deal with time lags and cultural differences, but no one questions the competitive abilities in IT services outsourcing and IT consulting services of India's Infosys, Tata and Wipro. In Latin America, the nearshore options for IT consulting services include Neoris, Softtek and Sonda. See Business.com for more on "nearshore" or "nearshoring" in IT services outsourcing and IT consulting services.

Small businesses can farm out small jobs in IT services outsourcing

For small to medium sized businesses, there is a middle road, a kind of IT services outsourcing known as managed services. Instead of maintaining a server for e-mail, for example, your company would rent space at a data center and simply connect to it, like Web mail.

I recommend: This is a fast-growing segment in IT services outsourcing, and managed services is a favorite of tech giants, since it allows them an entry into IT services outsourcing for small business with little continuing effort. HP and IBM figure highly into this new model of IT services outsourcing, as does Rackspace. See also the Business.com entry on managed service providers.