There are subtle signs when an industry stops being at the periphery of business and starts moving into its core. This is the time when an industry becomes noticed and talked about frequently in the media and general business circles. For the past couple of years, the outsourcing industry has been sending out such feelers, which indicates its increasing maturity, thus fueling its rate of adoption and increasing its importance among corporate managers.
One such feeler came in the form of an article yesterday published by Global Services Media, titled "Boutique Outsourcing Advisory Firms Come of Age". Quoting the article here would be easier than rephrasing it to convey its gist:
Given the pressures to make their outsourcing strategies work, organizations have increasingly turned to this band of advisory firms that specialize in outsourcing for information about service providers and their global delivery capability.
More than a third of the outsourcing contracts have been handled under the guidance of these firms. Forty-seven percent of such deals are being executed under the guidance of sourcing advisers…
Will keep you posted as and when further such signals emerge from the market.