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New Research From Forrester States 60 Percent Of Fortune 1,000 Companies Are Not Outsourcing Offshore

Cambridge, Mass., December 8, 2003 . . . Sixty percent of the Fortune 1,000 firms in the US have not jumped on the offshore outsourcing bandwagon, and another 25 percent are in the experimentation phase, according to new research from Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR). Despite the hype surrounding the mass exodus of IT jobs to cheaper workers overseas, only five percent of the Fortune 1,000 has taken full advantage of offshore outsourcing.

Forrester finds that the move to offshore is not a simple short-term project for firms but a four-stage journey taking place over a 24- to 60-month period. Fortune 1,000 firms have varying levels of insight and experience with offshore suppliers, internal project management skills, and perceptions of the offshore work force. Based on these differences, Forrester classifies firms into the following four stages:

  • Bystanders -- 60 percent are either doing nothing or just starting to investigate the potential of offshore. They are not spending any of their IT services budget offshore.
  • Experimenters -- 25 percent to 30 percent have relationships with offshore vendors for small projects but have yet to make it a key element of their IT strategy. IT services spending on offshore falls within the one percent to five percent range.
  • Committeds -- 5 percent to 10 percent are using offshore suppliers for more complex applications and mission-critical development services. They typically spend 10 percent to 30 percent of their IT services budget offshore.
  • Full exploiters -- less than five percent have developed global sourcing as a core skill and documented best practices for large-scale development. Their IT services spending offshore ranges from 40 percent to 50 percent.

Additionally, the report follows the evolution of governance as it parallels the offshore commitment. Forrester notes that the offshore governance/sourcing roles and responsibilities also progress from administration to program management and development discipline as firms move through the stages.

Other Findings:

  • Companies with no overseas experience perceive the issues holding back offshore investment differently than do those with offshore IT or business process outsourcing (BPO) expertise.
  • Firms in each stage of the journey have different challenges that require xsuppliers to address unique security concerns, program management needs, and best practices.

Read "Users' Offshore Evolution And Its Governance Impact."

Forrester is an independent technology research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice about technology's impact on business. Business, marketing, and IT professionals worldwide collaborate with Forrester to align their technology investments with their business goals. Forrester offers products and services in four major areas: Research, Data, Consulting, and Community. In February 2003, Forrester acquired Giga Information Group. Established in 1983, Forrester is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For additional information, visit www.forrester.com.

Contact:

Kristen Wilson
PR Manager
Forrester Research, Inc.
617/613-6205
kwilson@forrester.com