The Chief Information Officer (CIO) of a business is responsible for making decisions surrounding the use of technology within an organization. One such decision that CIOs may face is whether to outsource or offshore certain IT functions. There are various economic factors that can influence this decision, some of which may be specific to the particular business or industry while others may have a more general economic basis.
The first economic factor that could lead the CIO down the path of outsourcing or offshoring is cost savings. Outsourcing and offshoring allow companies to reduce costs by taking advantage of cheaper labor and resources abroad or hiring external firms with expertise in specialized areas, such as software development or data security. This means businesses can get their IT services done at lower costs while utilizing professionals who have superior skills than those they would find domestically—such as access to software developers from countries where there is a higher concentration of technical talent (like India). Cost savings also apply when it comes to certain legalities associated with international trade, such as tax benefits for exporting services overseas.
Analyze three economic factors that could lead the CIO down the path of outsourcing or offshoring.
Another economic factor driving decisions regarding IT outsourcing and offshoring relates to access to global markets and potential new customers. Companies can take advantage of their ability to provide services in multiple markets simultaneously through outsourcing and offshoring, allowing them to reach people around the world without needing physical offices in all locations; thus, expanding market share, brand visibility, customer base size and revenue opportunities. Additionally, outsourcing international workers allows organizations better access into foreign markets since local employees likely know more about cultural norms in those countries than do domestic ones who lack direct experience living there on a regular basis—which would be especially beneficial if looking into export-driven economies like China’s “One Belt One Road” strategy (OBOR).
Lastly, another major economic factor leading CIOs toward considering different forms of outsourced/offshore IT support involves time management advantages which come with having less demand on internal staff members due increased productivity levels provided by outsourced companies/individuals with existing skill sets needed for success in respective projects being undertaken. Outsourcing tasks such as software development gives organisations faster turnaround times greater scalability options allowing them focus more attention towards core activities instead wasting valuable resource towards non-core related objectives resulting potential improvements overall efficiency & effectiveness along lines performance metrics analysing return investments made any case scenarios.