Help Desk Outsourcing and IT Outsourcing

A growing trend in recent years has been to outsource either the help desk function individually, or the whole IT operation inclusive of the help desk. This is certainly not appropriate for all organizations, but does bring measurable benefits to some. Obviously the major areas of benefit relate to economies of scale and the advantages of utilizing a specialist and focused provider. However, it is important that there is no illusion with respect to help desk management: ultimate responsibility for the help desk is retained. Poor help desk provision will adversely effect the help desk provider, not only the outsourcing firm. OUTSOURCED HELP DESK SERVICE MANAGEMENT Because the running of the help desk is still of substantial importance even when it is outsourced, appropiate management structures and agreements must be firmly in place. This process is critical and must not be overlooked... there is no scope for short cuts. The outsourcing arrangement must be properly documented and controlled. The service should be strictly defined, and a formal service level agreement should be in place, with of course a legal contract. Equally, the operation must be planned carefully, with a formal transition plan. Full audit capibilities must also be available.

Benefit 

• Overall staff costs reduced
• Benefit from a pool of engineers
• No dependencies on single person or persons
• Holiday cover
• Sickness cover
• Escalation path to vendors (i.e. Microsoft, etc.)
• No training costs
• Improved service as policies are already in place
• Directors / Managers need not worry about IT and can concentrate on other areas of their business