Outsourcing receives a great amount of attention, spawned in part by the highly publicized announcements of organizations that decide to transfer substantial parts of their IT to external parties. Invariably, the deals are described as successes and the litany of advantages are espoused before the supplier even begins operationalizing the contract. However, as we all know, what is expected and what is delivered over a five- or 10-year contract can be two very different things.