The last time I checked, Amazon.com had 4873 books on IT outsourcing. That is a lot of ink wasted on something that ought to be obvious and intuitive! Outsourcing your IT work is a no-brainer. But choosing the right outsourcing vendor who will partner with you to grow your business is not. Here are 4 questions that you should ask your IT sourced services vendor before you decide to bring him on board
1. Do you know what business I am in?
You are choosing a vendor who may be great at developing software, but in today’s global economy that simply is not enough anymore. You need a vendor who understands your business, your niche, your unique culture, and complement it. So before you ask your vendor about the technology he is good at, or the number of programmers in his team, ask him how much he knows about your business.
2. Do you have round the clock security?
Physical security goes hand in hand with network, data, and Intellectual property security. The safety of your IP is a critical aspect when you outsource your business. Start with physical security. How difficult is it to get into your premises? Are you part of a technology park, or are you a 300 sq. Ft. apartment in a suburb where 3 programmers hammer out code all day? What kind of IP and physical security do you have?.
3. Can I connect with your team on Facebook?
Well, Facebook may be a tad far-fetched, but knowing and working with individual members of your outsourced team is critical for the success of the project. It is not enough that you connect with the vendor’s business development team or the marketing team, or even their project manager. For a truly long-term outsourcing relationship, every person on the vendor’s team must be able to communicate with your team on a regular basis.
4. Do you play ping-pong?
Work life balance is healthy, and don’t let any workaholic tell you otherwise. If your vendor boasts of 24-hour customer service and productivity with an 8-hour team, then you will get what you pay for! Understand the vendor’s work culture. Know how flexible and fun-loving their team is.
At Suyati, our Dedicated Global Team is not part of our business – they are part of yours. We believe in looking for ways to improve your business. Increasing your IT development productivity is just a by-product. Want to know more?
We’re listening.
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