Digital sovereignty: Plan B for infrastructure outsourcing
What should an organisation do if its current outsourcing provider suddenly becomes unable to deliver its services? In this article, we outline how to develop a contingency plan (Plan B) for outsourced IT infrastructure services. We also examine five specific scenarios, each with a different emphasis on risk management, business continuity, and financial implications.
Get access
For many organizations, outsourcing IT infrastructure operations is essential for ensuring operational efficiency, scalability, and access to specialized expertise. However, evolving regulatory requirements, geopolitical uncertainty, and vendor consolidation have made contingency planning and risk mitigation more critical than ever. Organizations must consider: what happens if a current vendor suddenly loses the ability—or the legal permission—to provide the necessary infrastructure?
A well-defined Plan B for infrastructure outsourcing is a key tool for risk management and business continuity. It provides a clear overview of options, costs, and implications if the outsourcing agreement has to end at short notice, or if there is a need to reestablish control over the IT infrastructure.
A Plan B is not about mistrust, but about timely preparation, compliance, and management accountability.
In this article, we review how organizations can build a robust Plan B for outsourced IT infrastructure operations. We present five specific Plan B scenarios and highlight, for each scenario, the degree of control, complexity, and financial implications – both during the preparation phase, on activation, and in subsequent operations.
