IT Multisourcing in International Insurance Companies

Today's information technology (IT) sourcing endeavors have moved beyond outsourcing through the implementation of multisourcing. Multisourcing can be defined as the blending of services from multiple company-internal and companyexternal suppliers. The increasing importance of multisourcing is acknowledged by both practitioners and researchers. However, multisourcing has not been sufficiently covered by scholarly investigation. This paper aims to fill this research gap by presenting the findings from a multiple case study of four leading insurance companies. The authors provide insights into real-life examples of the implementation of IT multisourcing in the insurance sector. The findings reveal particularly why, and how, insurance companies implement IT multisourcing. Through the identification of major objectives, significant challenges, and key success factors, the authors give explicit answers to these questions. The findings of this case study contribute to the existing literature on IT outsourcing and provide helpful advice for practitioners using an IT multisourcing approach.