As pressure from staff shortages and DX mounts, more companies are considering “IT department outsourcing.” This article thoroughly explains the pros and cons of outsourcing in-house IT work, along with how to proceed without failing.
What can be entrusted, and how far
IT department outsourcing means entrusting part or all of the work handled by the in-house information systems team to an external specialist company. The range you can entrust is broad — from help-desk support and infrastructure operations to system development and maintenance.
Rather than handing everything off, it’s common to choose a fit-for-purpose scope: “keep core work in-house, send routine work and one-off development outside.”
“The aim is “role-sharing,” not a “hand-off.””
The in-house team focuses on high-value work like planning and DX, and everything else goes outside — that’s the essence of outsourcing.
Sorting out what to entrust
IT department outsourcing falls broadly into four areas. Choose the scope to entrust based on your challenges.
🖥️ Help desk & operations Request handling, account management, PC setup — everyday operational work. | ☁️ Infrastructure ops & monitoring Building, monitoring, and maintaining servers, networks, and cloud. 24/7 support possible. |
🛠️ System development New development of business systems and web apps; enhancement and migration of existing systems. | 🔧 Maintenance & security Post-release maintenance, vulnerability response, security monitoring — ongoing work. |
Four values gained from external delegation
What to know beforehand
Alongside many benefits, there are drawbacks too. However, all of them are avoidable with preparation in advance.
Choosing the form that fits you
An IT department structure has three main options. Understand the traits of each and choose the form that fits your situation.
If you value expertise and cost optimization, outsourcing is a strong option. Accumulating in-house know-how can be offset by carefully designing the reporting structure.
Four steps
As a “partner,” not a “vendor”
The most important thing is to see the outsourcing provider as a “partner,” not merely a “vendor.” By sharing purpose and information and collaborating as a member of your in-house team, IT outsourcing becomes a powerful weapon for DX that goes far beyond resolving staff shortages.
BAP Solution Japan Co., Ltd. — a software development and offshore company serving the Japanese market, with a legal entity and offices in Tokyo and Osaka. BAP supports outsourcing of IT work from both development and operations.
Talk to BAP — free consultation →
Start from sorting out the scope. BAP proposes the structure best suited to your IT department.
