Server and infrastructure outsourcing is a mature offering that is gaining wider appeal as small enterprises seek to reduce costs, minimize IT complexity, and improve disaster readiness. If the enterprise is capable and efficient at providing processes and services that are core to the business, then outsourcing is usually not being considered. However, commodity processes which are critical and/or non-essential can often be outsourced safely and in a cost-effective manner.

This research note provides selection advice for:

• Establishing performance expectations for server and infrastructure process outsourcing. 
• Determining which server and infrastructure processes can or should be outsourced. 
• Choosing an outsourcing vendor or service provider.

Small enterprises facing a decision to outsource server and infrastructure processes can turn a difficult task into an easy one by using a formal procedure for separating core processes from commoditized ones. Use the results from this procedure to make the appropriate vendor selection.