The focus of this report is on the role of software tools in infrastructure management outsourcing.

Historically, initiatives to deploy new tools have not reconciled existing tools and resulted in a diverse and complex tool set. As Remote Infrastructure Management Outsourcing (RIMO), a new model of IT infrastructure outsourcing emerged, the tools became an important success factor for RIMO suppliers.

IT infrastructure outsourcing requires both the supplier and buyer to address challenges like fragmented tool environments across organizations, remotely delivered management of infrastructure and the governance of the outsourcing relationship. This report discusses types of tools available today and the tool-driven strategies adopted by RIMO suppliers.

Introduction

• This report is targeted at the outsourcing professionals with the responsibility to delivering or overseeing infrastructure outsourcing engagements
• Buyers and suppliers will equally benefit from understanding the roles of various tools in the infrastructure outsourcing (IO) service delivery along with analysis of the current approaches to solving technical challenges in enabling IO projects
  

Scope

• The world of IT is witnessing the development of various tools that automate multiple functions and tasks in typical IT infrastructure operations
• Within the scope of outsourcing, such tools are seen as playing important roles in managing the infrastructure of IT operations and enabling governance of the outsourcing relationship
• This report will help reader in understanding the dynamics within the various tools categories and the role of the tools in IT infrastructure outsourcing
• It will also define business as well as technical categorization of the capabilities of tools used in managing IO
  

Contents

• The research starts with the overview of Infrastructure tools and the factors driving investment in the tools
• The overview is followed with the detailed discussion of the roles of governance and infrastructure management tools in the infrastructure outsourcing
• These discussions are finalized with the analysis of the outsourcing suppliers’ investment in proprietary tools with multiple investment case studies and analysis of the challenges and incentives for buyers in adoption proprietary tools suites