Development or implementation of e-banking systems and other technical tasks
such as upgrading and integrating existing legacy systems are very complex. They
require very high levels of technical and project management competence to carry
out without outside help. Even the best companies need to recognise the limitations of
their expertise and when to outsource certain e-Commerce functions (Hirsh, 2002).
Many banks outsource all or part of e-banking related operations owing to a lack of
in-house expertise or simply to cut costs. Some aspects of outsourcing, for example
the type and number of partners, can present particular management challenges.
Outsourcing works in some cases but can create a risk of the bank losing control
of its critical functions. For this reason, if a bank needs to outsource its e-banking
operations, it should do so with due consideration to outsourcing risks. General good
practice in planning, negotiating and actual outsourcing is applicable here.
Many banks such as Credit Suisse outsource their entire or part of e-banking for
the reasons outlined above with mixed results. McDougall (2007) reported the case
of Credit Suissie which is summarised here to demonstrate how things generally
work when e-banking operations are outsourced: