When deploying new communications technologies, IT managers are frequently faced with constraints in terms of skills, staffing, and capital budgets. This decision is sometimes framed as one of build-versus-buy, where managers consider the purchase, staffing, and maintenance of a new communications platform entirely in-house, compared with engaging a service provider to deliver the function for them. This note examines the outsourcing question and frames the discussion in the context of recent market research completed on this topic.

In a 2007 Info-Tech survey, 267 IT managers were polled about their perceptions and interests in the outsourcing of communications services to service providers. The survey asked whether they preferred to build the capability themselves, outsource it to a service provider, or outsource it to another third party provider. It also asked them why they chose the response they did. The results enable a comparison of interest levels in outsourcing across five different types of communication services and to understand why IT managers view outsourcing the way they do.