Information Systems Outsourcing (Fourth Edition): Towards Sustainable Business Value

Abstract

Information Systems (IS) outsourcing -- the contracting of various IS functions, such as data center management, operations, telecommunications, and software maintenance by user firms to outside vendors -- has existed in one form or another for years. The goal of this special section is to provide outsourcing endeavors and support for the IS community. The article cover a wide spectrum of ideas, ranging from a two level analysis of outsourcing decisions, to an investigation of outsourcing dimensions in software acquisition, to the determinants of employment outsourcing. The methodology used is also professionally enlightening in that it ranges from a survey of senior IS managers, to a study of all the software projects in five companies, to content analysis of IS job announcements. Some areas of potential interest where the IS community can make an impact include: outsourcing strategies and vendor selection experience; building the outsourcing partnership; interorganizational problems incurred in outsourcing; global outsourcing.