One benefit of running executive education courses is that I get to talk with a large number of IT executives in a forum that encourages us to think about issues. A few months ago, I helped run one at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that included more than 50 IT executives. During meals and coffee breaks, we spent a good deal of time talking about outsourcing and Web services. An interesting concept emerged. Outsourcing did more than cut costs. It also provided training and discipline that many companies had been sorely missing.