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Reggie Ryan's Library tagged outsourcing   View Popular

26 Mar 08

LHRIC > Inside Information > Outsourcing

Is Outsourcing a Good Idea for Instructional Technology?

www2.lhric.org/...outsource.html - Preview

management outsourcing

  • If a computer teacher spends 75% of his time resolving
    technical issues for his building, it shows up as a "shadow cost"
    because his salary is budgeted from the teaching staff line. Computer
    aids may be spending 50% of their time on technical support issues
    but they are budgeted from the instructional support line and become
    "shadow costs". In some buildings it is not unusual to have teachers
    who have become technology gurus in their colleagues eyes spend
    20% of their time resolving technical issues for teachers in nearby
    classrooms.


    Before a district can fairly consider performing
    a cost analysis of outsourcing technology support, it must come
    to terms with the true cost of in-house support.

  • Before making outsourcing decisions, schools and
    businesses must ask the same question, "What are our core competencies?"
    For most schools these core competencies are not cable engineering,
    networking architecture, telecommunications engineering, systems
    integration, hardware repair, network engineering, and software
    development.
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Outsourcing: A Cost-Effective Alternative to the School Help Desk : September 2002 : THE Journal

  • Outsourcing presents many benefits to schools that have
    historically not been able to pay the going rate for qualified
    technical support. It can also bring a wealth of technological
    expertise at a fixed expense, which can easily be justified to
    administrators and school boards.



    The addition of a help desk staff is not always easily understood and
    accepted, especially by taxpayers who are more amenable to
    brick-and-mortar expenses or dollars spent to improve student-teacher
    ratios. Outsourcing can make a slice of the technology budget a
    fixed-cost item. This benefits those who submit and approve school
    budgets, as well as those who are attracted to line items that don't
    change.



    Outsourcing is also efficient. Help desk technicians are experienced
    in handling a variety of technical inquiries. A representative who
    deals with the same hardware inquiry several times a week will be
    more effective in resolving that issue than a school employee who
    deals with the problem once during a school term. Not having to
    troubleshoot day-to-day problems also frees school staff to
    concentrate on tasks of critical local importance.

When Outsourcing Didn’t Work, This School Canceled the Contract

When Outsourcing Didn’t Work, This School Canceled the Contract

www.sourcingmag.com/...c051110a.asp - Preview

management outsourcing

  • TIP #1. Make sure your service provider really does understand the nuances of your environment -- especially those that affect service delivery.
  • TIP #2. If your organization is undergoing a major transformation, consider whether the service providers you’re working with will help or hinder the goals.
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Outsourcing Tech: Pros and Cons

  • Ultimately, the support services path you choose must reflect local considerations. K-12 settings with uncomplicated infrastructures or schools in areas where it's difficult to attract qualified tech experts might find it more cost-effective to shed some technology service functions and contract with a local provider. On the other hand, districts with significant technology investments might opt for in-house technology support to make service more efficient and responsive.
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