IT Outsourcing The prospect of outsourcing various administrative and business functions may seem worthwhile when comparing the vendor's costs with the direct costs the company is currently spending. However, there are many other factors that many companies do not measure that need to be taken into consideration when making this choice. The IT department in particular is the one that greatly influences the success or failure of a company. It touches all areas of the business, and if it works properly, it can help push a business to success or could cause it to fail. IT, as a critical business function, will always need some presence within the business to ensure timely response to issues, internal IT staff will be more knowledgeable about business culture and operations, and to prevent dependency on external organizations to achieve corporate objectives. Timely response When problems arise with systems or when changes are required, timing is critical to minimize operational downtime or maximize the benefits of changes. However, when IT functions are external...