Outsourcers invent work for extra money, say IT staff

An overwhelming majority (77 per cent) of IT professionals who work in organisations that use outsourcing believe that their outsourcers have "made up" work in order to earn extra money.

New research from Lieberman Software also shows that 62 per cent of respondents said that, compared with their original plans, their outsourcing agreements had cost them more than anticipated.

Only 11 per cent said they paid less than they originally expected and 27 per cent of participants said that their outsourcing agreements had cost "significantly more than planned".

"What I see today, and what this survey confirms, is that many organisations are growing frustrated with IT departments that consist largely of outsourced employees who come and go at the whim of outsiders," said Philip Lieberman, president and CEO of Lieberman Software.

"If organisations are going to outsource IT they must measure their outsourcers' performance across the appropriate set of criteria – not only cost, but resiliency, transparency and data security."

The survey also revealed that just under half (43 per cent) of IT professionals work in organisations that have outsourced a significant portion of their IT.