IT Outsourcing in Ukraine: Prospects and expectations

Outsourcing has been and remains the most promising trend in the IT-industry. Ability to see this introduced in 2009, when the background of general decline in the cost of information technology segment of the IT-outsourcing not lost a race. Having survived the crisis, outsourcing, and to this day remains one of the key growth drivers of the Ukrainian market of information technologies.

Resistant outsourcing

Being in the ranking of 30 countries, the most suitable for IT-outsourcing, Ukraine has once again confirmed its status by winning the 2011 nomination in the “Destination for IT-outsourcing” within the European Outsourcing Excellent Awards. Not the last role was played by a high level of professional development, competitive prices, and rich reserves of manpower and the geographical situation of the country. For example, last year the growth of outsourcing industry reached about 20-25%.

Active development of IT-outsourcing to Ukraine can be attributed in part to companies with western capital, which prefer to focus on core business, shifting processes of automation on the shoulders of IT-outsourcers, with the necessary level of service specific systems. In turn, this reduces the cost of routine operations, improve business processes and get the new services as soon as possible. However, a certain percentage of companies with Ukrainian capital is still opposed to contractors, believing that outsourcing is unreasonably expensive, and assign to important infrastructure projects to staff members, out of habit considering IT department as a cost center, providing infrastructural functions, rather than a source of business advantage.

This position is with respect to system integration impact on the share of orders in the portfolios of system integrators. The main customers of outsourcing services today are foreign companies, big banks, industry, energy and insurance companies. However, despite the odds, Ukrainian companies are increasingly showing interest in IT-outsourcing, understanding the advantages and economic benefits of a dedicated professional. In connection with such distribution to estimate the actual amount of IT-outsourcing market today is quite problematic. This is primarily due to the fact that most customers of these services use the mixed scheme involving contracting companies and a large part of the functions performed by their IT-departments. In addition, a vast number of companies use the services as freelancers and smaller regional services outsourcers.

Organizational issues

Today the most popular among the IT-outsourcing services are the construction of IT-infrastructure, support for remote offices, providing information security and operating equipment. Also in high demand projects that ensure a relatively rapid return on investment, provide a clear and immediate impact on business processes.

In Ukraine, are in demand both types of outsourcing – partial and full. Under full outsourcing to a third party means a transfer of all service processes of IT-infrastructure company, while the partial outsourcing – is attracting a service company to service a particular part of the company information system.

Business structures are trying to adjust to international standards of best practice library organizations IT (ITIL), which describes the best practices used in the ways of organizing work units or companies engaged in the provision of services in information technology.

In ITIL standards is the division line of support in the processing of applications users. Thus, the first line of support can be performed by regular employees, because they do not require high technical skills and technical expertise for outsourcing. The main task of the first line of support – to give the user the opportunity as soon as possible to continue. At the same time, the second and third line tasked with the elimination of technical failures in the infrastructure, which may affect available to users of IT services. Therefore, these lines of support are made up of specialized teams of technical specialists, each of which has a high IT competence in the specific area of ​​infrastructure.

However, no matter what kind of IT outsourcing company or used, in any case, it has two major advantages: cost savings on maintenance information system and obtaining a stable and quality of service.

How to choose a company-outsourcer

When selecting an outsourcing company, you must consider several key factors. The company should have many years of experience in projects of high complexity for various clients and have a portfolio of successfully completed projects for diverse organizations. Equally important is the qualification of experts, what may indicate the presence of certifications and partnerships with leading equipment manufacturers and developers. When selecting a system integrator is also important to consider not only the use by the best international practices, but also its own know-how. Another important factor, and rapid response – the time, claimed the company to perform work at the facility, as well as control over the entire period of work at the facility.

There are certain responsibilities of the service provider, which usually includes:

audit, optimization and deployment of IT infrastructure;

design, implementation and installation work;

support companies, users of equipment and software;

administration of application systems;

technical support;

Technical support of telecommunications systems;

warranty, post-warranty and extended warranty support equipment;

support low-voltage systems (ACS, CCTV, access control, security and fire alarm systems);

service logistics.

Bright future IT outsourcing

Factors that enable Ukraine to take strong positions in the field of IT outsourcing, allow Ukrainian companies specializing in IT outsourcing, be confident in the prospects for business development. Thus, the projected service center manager of the company IT-Solutions Yakushko Alexander, in 2012, revenue from IT outsourcing will grow by about 30%.

And while today Ukraine did not rise to the level of service at the level of China and India, Ukrainian specialists due to the high level of technological expertise, quality of project implementation and the ability to solve more complex problems at a reasonable price, it is successfully competing with the Russians. And this fact makes it possible to say that the peak of the market development outsourcing services in Ukraine – in front.