IT and other operational managers often dislike the idea of outsourcing activities in their areas of responsibility. The reason for this seems pretty clear: outsourcing invites the possibility of added complexity, loss of control, and operational risk. Of course, outsourcing can result in all these things. But it has been a long time since most businesses were completely vertically integrated -- that is, since all company activities were performed internally. The central message of this month's CBR is that a similar, though possibly more sudden, transition is underway in IT and many other related service areas. Outsourcing is gaining momentum. In some areas, the momentum may be unstoppable.