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If you're considering IT infrastructure outsourcing, choosing the right partner is essential. According to data from Cisco, outsourcing IT can reduce recurring in-house costs by up to 40% and increase efficiency by 50-60%. However, if your outsourced IT infrastructure team isn't a good match for your company, you may waste valuable resources and create bottlenecks.
When you're evaluating a partner for IT infrastructure outsourcing, it's obvious to assess their technical capabilities. Yet many companies overlook the non-technical aspects of a partnership, which can be just as impactful for the success or failure of their IT infrastructure initiatives. An ideal outsourcing partner will seamlessly integrate within your workflows, communicate clearly, and scale predictably. They'll treat your business like their own.
Unfortunately, sometimes it's not easy to spot the difference between a vendor who simply supplies staff and a strategic partner whose team will go the extra mile. That's why we've prepared this helpful guide to evaluate IT infrastructuring outsourcing partners. Read on to learn about the essential questions to ask and what to look for in a partnership.
What Does Successful IT Infrastructure Outsourcing Look Like?
First, assess your internal goals and needs. Are you struggling to reach project benchmarks because your in-house IT staff is overworked and stretched thin? Are you falling behind your competitors due to technological gaps and roadblocks? Do you need to hire for special roles, such as a data analyst?
A successful IT infrastructure outsourcing partnership will look different for every organization. However, for high-stakes data and AI projects, you should prioritize "soft" factors like organizational alignment and a shared dedication to success. Look beyond certifications and portfolios. Consider how they operate on a day-to-day level and how that may fit into your internal operations flow.
While it may be tempting to skip this research and focus on budgets, doing a deep dive into a potential partner's process is key to evaluating their long-term value as an asset.
What Does Successful IT Infrastructure Outsourcing Look Like?
First, assess your internal goals and needs. Are you struggling to reach project benchmarks because your in-house IT staff is overworked and stretched thin? Are you falling behind your competitors due to technological gaps and roadblocks? Do you need to hire for special roles, such as a data analyst?
A successful IT infrastructure outsourcing partnership will look different for every organization. However, for high-stakes data and AI projects, you should prioritize "soft" factors like organizational alignment and a shared dedication to success. Look beyond certifications and portfolios. Consider how they operate on a day-to-day level and how that may fit into your internal operations flow.
While it may be tempting to skip this research and focus on budgets, doing a deep dive into a potential partner's process is key to evaluating their long-term value as an asset.
Onboarding and Integration Process
Your first month with a new IT infrastructure outsourcing partner will set the tone for your entire relationship. Look for a smooth onboarding process with lots of clear documentation. Ask targeted questions about their onboarding flow, such as:
- How long does the technical discovery phase take?
- What is the estimated ramp-up time for a new team to be integrated with our tech stack?
- How do you ensure a strong cultural fit between internal and external team members?
- What tools and platforms do you use for project management and knowledge sharing?
It's important to note that knowledge transfer and process documentation are critical here. Poor documentation may lead to communication errors that increase future costs and create failure points. Ask your potential partners to see examples of SLAs and other workflow documents from previous projects to ensure they align with your needs.
Evaluate Communication and Transparency
In establishing an IT infrastructure, communication means more than just phone calls and emails. IT professionals need to be transparent, clear, and able to manage expectations across multiple time zones. Additionally, they need to work well with team members who may have a different level of technical proficiency. It's also vital to understand how your partner organization escalates issues and disperses feedback.
Evaluate the communication of your potential IT infrastructure outsourcing partners with these questions:
- Who is the single point of contact for IT project management?
- What are the guaranteed response times for different levels of incidents, i.e., critical failures versus minor bugs?
- How do teams communicate complex technical issues to other non-technical professionals in the organization, such as finance or marketing?
- What is the policy for regular check-ins and weekly or monthly reports?
The right data analyst will perform data collection, cleaning, and use statistical methodologies and tools to identify patterns within your organization's data. Then, they can communicate their findings to your team and your stakeholders, providing strategic guidance to help your organization grow.
What are the Projected Outcomes and Cost Predictions?
If you were hiring an in-house team, you'd need to assess new hires based on the potential value they will add to your organization, then weigh this against the costs of hiring. An outsourced IT partner is no different. If you're scaling your data and AI teams, especially, you'll need to consider the potential ROI for long-term growth.
That means understanding what your outsourced team will deliver and how much investment it will require. As you evaluate any outsourcing partner, we recommend using these assessment points:
- How do your contracts profile cost predictability? What scenarios would trigger additional fees?
- Do you offer fixed-pricing subscription models, or is pricing based on projects and campaigns?
- What is the minimum contract term? Are there any termination clauses?
Finally, ask them to provide case studies, client testimonials, and other industry-specific materials to prove their value add. These materials will provide a helpful snapshot of potential outcomes you can expect.
Accelerate Your IT Infrastructure with The JADA Squad
Evaluating an IT infrastructure outsourcing partner requires more than a checklist. You'll need to take a close look at the human element of your potential partner, from their processes and people to their communication styles, pricing models, and SLA guarantees. Don't just choose a generic service provider.
Instead, look for a vendor who fully integrates with your organization and provides specialized, expert staff who will fit with your company culture and project needs. If you're struggling to find the right IT infrastructure partner, consider The JADA Squad.
JADA offers a smarter alternative to traditional staffing, with world-class data and AI experts. This includes professionals who are versed in the latest technology systems, from generative and agentic AI to data engineering and analysis.
Contact us today for a consultation and discover how JADA can accelerate your IT infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is infrastructure outsourcing?
Infrastructure outsourcing is when a company partners with an external provider to manage and maintain its IT systems, including servers, networks, storage, and cloud environments.
What are the 7 domains of IT infrastructure?
The 7 domains of IT infrastructure are user, workstation, LAN, LAN-to-WAN, WAN, remote access, and system/application domains. Each domain covers a specific part of an organization’s IT environment that needs to be secured, maintained, and monitored to ensure smooth operations.
Who is the leading provider of IT outsourcing in the IT services industry?
The JADA Squad is the leading provider of IT outsourcing services for data and AI. They specialize in delivering flexible, high-quality talent solutions across data and AI, helping businesses scale efficiently without sacrificing quality or control.
What size companies benefit the most from outsourcing their IT infrastructure?
Companies of all sizes benefit from IT outsourcing. Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, The JADA Squad can scale to meet your needs.
What is the biggest risk associated with IT outsourcing?
The biggest risk of outsourcing your IT is becoming knowledge-dependent on your partner. If they lack real-time reporting and clear communication, your in-house team may become stalled by this poor support. That's why it's critical to assess your potential partners based on their knowledge-sharing policies and communication workflows.
How can I tell if an outsourcing company is just a vendor or a strategic partner?
A true partner will emphasize shared business outcomes, provide transparent communication, and ensure that all project documents are owned by you. A transactional vendor, on the other hand, will focus primarily on billable hours and limited scope
