DIY IT Is So Yesterday

It’s not so much that IT is broken than that the pace and volume of change are accelerating so rapidly that trying to do it yourself is too difficult in terms of complexity, timeliness, and cost. IT management must deal with more devices, more applications, more data, and a wider variety of workflows than ever before. Whether to achieve specific objectives that fall outside internal capabilities or resources, or for outsourcing 100% of IT to focus on an organization’s core strengths, a partnership is increasingly the preferred way to go.

The problems of DIY IT start with the reality that the typical IT organization spends approximately 80% of its staff time and budget on maintaining existing IT services. Rather than innovating, most organizations spend the majority of their time and resources on provisioning, patching, monitoring, troubleshooting and vendor meetings.

The next big problem is the emergence of new technologies and applications: by 2017, over 50% of organizations’ IT spending will be for third-platform technologies (cloud, mobile, social business, and Big Data analytics), solutions, and services, rising to over 60% by 2020; and, by 2018, at least half of IT spending will be cloud-based, reaching 60% of all IT infrastructure and 60-70% of all software, services, and technology spending by 2020.

The third big challenge is the pace—and significance—of change. According to IDC, the biggest issues in IT leadership this year will center on business needs, capabilities and availability related to digital transformation, which will include implementing cross-functional partnerships, investing in new technology and fostering a culture of innovation within IT.

The solution to these challenges—and more—is to turn to outside help: by 2018, 65% of companies’ IT assets will be off-site, while 33% of IT “staff” will be employees of third-party service providers. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Systems Integration services are already $100-plus billion dollar markets respectively.

The right partner can provide a portfolio of services covering the complete IT lifecycle, from consulting, engineering, and process improvement resources up to service desk offerings, IT staffing, remote infrastructure management, and customer advocacy. These can span from technology deployments and refresh/upgrades to move/add/change, maintenance, management, and disposal services.

Whether on a project basis or as an ongoing managed service, a partner can provide reliable, measurable, and flexible services throughout the engagement process, in a customizable and agile framework. To stay on top of the digital transformation, it’s not a question of if you will augment or outsource your IT, but when, and with which partner. DIY IT is so yesterday.