The psychology of outsourcing and how to use it effectively.

As IT professionals, we're always being asked to do more with less. We are responsible for the results of nearly everything that uses electricity in the organization and we embrace the old adage "If you want it done right, do it yourself." What this means is that we feel that everything in IT is on our shoulders from planning to implementation to maintenance.

Often in IT, there are many ways to accomplish any particular task. We each find the ways that work well for us and stick to them.

Human beings like control. We control our environment, our food sources, our travel and so on. IT professionals are even more so this way. It is one of the reasons that we get into computers. We know we cannot control other people, but we can control a computer. Even when we don't know why something is happening, we know there is a reason and can figure out at least how to make it happen or stop happening, whichever we desire.

At some point, it is no longer advantageous, and becomes counter productive, to try to control everything. We may spend inordinate amounts of time on repetitive or mundane tasks. Our environment grows to a point where we begin dropping the ball. We feel overwhelmed with all that needs done and are unable to help add value to the organization. What do we do?

The idea of outsourcing conjures up ideas of layoffs, poor English and loss of control. None of these needs to be true. Rather than struggle to keep control, let go of some of the tasks that make sense.

Often people have spam gateways that they have on a server that they own. This requires constant updates to the OS, Software or both. It also requires a server, location, and other maintenance. By using an outsourced spam service, all the maintenance is handled by the spam service. You can make it more secure by only allowing that service to have access to send mail to your email server. Also, you can purchase a caching option. If your Internet connection is lost, it will cache your email for you, then pass it to your email server when it comes back on line. You have control over the service via an admin login.

Patching is another item that can be outsourced. This usually requires an onsite device, but you don't need to mess with it. This can be coupled with other services such as monitoring to make sure that your systems are running effectively and are up to date. A report will give you information on the health of your systems and give you what you need to prioritize your spending and tasks. This actually gives you more control over your environment.

These are very easy ways to dip your toe into outsourcing without giving up control. You are just giving up some of the work. Often, the time and cost savings will postpone needing to hire another employee and may even free up funds for other projects that you want to do. These can give you the time for more value added tasks for your organization and you come off looking like a hero.