As reported in yesterday’s blog, UK companies are increasingly turning to outsourcing in order to cut costs in the current economic climate. But if you’re looking to lower your overheads by outsourcing your IT projects to an external provider, what should you look for in a potential supplier?

The security of your data will be paramount, so choose a company that is ISO 27001-certified, which is the highest international standard for evaluating a company's security procedures and is only awarded to organisations who can prove they have taken rigorous, preventative measures to protect customers’ personal information.

You also will need to ensure that your projects are outsourced to highly-skilled and qualified professionals, so only partner with a company that employs Microsoft-Certified professionals.

You don’t want language and communication to be an issue, so make sure the outsourcer has outstanding facilities and only employs fluent English-language speakers. And to ensure you don’t lose operational control of business-critical projects, only choose a provider whose specialists will work directly under your supervision and as part of your team.

For additional peace of mind, choose a UK-based company with an offshore centre, so you know your contracts will be subject to UK law.