Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
for ODF document creation and management. What had seemed a sim-
ple, easy decision intended to inspire the integration of open-source solu-
tions into governmental networks instead brought the state firmly into
the crosshairs of some very concerned groups.
Outsource Carefully
Outsourcing is an obvious movement within the IT arena that regularly
draws fire, particularly after the economic downturn that left millions
out of work. The outsourcing of jobs is a hotbed of concern during dif-
ficult economic times, while the outsourcing of data processing can pres-
ent very difficult challenges as more and more legislation is enacted to
impose liability and rules governing information exposure and data pro-
tection. The European Union has already enacted specific legislation that
addresses the types of information that may be transmitted outside its
borders and has defined a specific listing of partner countries that may
share this data. Some countries, such as China and France, have enacted
legislation that restricts what information may be provided to network
users accessing data from within the respective countries. Partner agree-
ments and outsourcing efforts can become enmeshed in the politics of an
organization's host country, as well as all other countries where the data
is stored or processed—or even countries through which the information
is transmitted.
Outsourcing should be undertaken only when necessary, with careful
consideration of the laws and rules governing information and its release
in all applicable countries. It is far easier to control data and address legal
issues by selecting outsourcing agencies with operations within the same
geopolitical region as the host organization, compared to requirements for
filing suit or recovering exposed data under a separate set of laws and rules
governing information protection, privacy, and other similar hot topics.
Developing legislative actions may even prevent some types of outsourc-
ing arrangements, as in the case of the U.S. State Department's decision
to eliminate ThinkPad laptops from their approved purchasing list after
IBM sold the popular platform to the Chinese Lenovo Corporation. It is
far easier to streamline operations locally than to outsource (particularly
when considering offshore outsourcing services) and later be forced to
return operations in-house, and enterprise architects should use this tool
