Since the Cloud has been officially introduced to the global IT market, the debate on the actual impact of cloud computing on the IT outsourcing industry is controversial. Is cloud computing revolutionizing the global IT service sector? How fast will service provider adopt cloud services as part of their wider service range? Will clients trustfully join the Cloud or will security concerns remain? This blog entry discusses the current status quo of cloud computing services in the IT outsourcing industry.

Concerning outsourcing service buyers, cloud delivery will pose one or the other challenge to decide on the best transition time, costs and delivery models. As the service segment is not yet mature, it remains tough to draw comparisons between cloud computing services and providers. It will further be difficult for CIOs to determine the outcome of outsourcing cloud computing services due to the fact that cloud computing is not yet mainstream.

On the service provision side, cloud computing service developers are mainly challenged to guarantee flawless transition periods for the clients who decide to migrate to the Cloud. Mixed delivery models might become the way to go to guarantee smooth, tailored transition periods.

All in all, service providers have to optimize their application service skills to meet eventually complex cloud integration standards and a potentially strong demand growth for this specific service type.

Generally, IT experts and analysts divide into two opposing camps when it comes to the questions if cloud services should be outsourced to an external service provider. Nevertheless, both parties agree that Cloud services will pose significant disruption to classic outsourcing deals. However, the lucrative opportunities of the Cloud towards greater agility and flexibility are expected to alter usual ways to outsource in the long run.