How Outsourcing Helped John Wiley's IT Department Keep The Business Going During An Acquisition

Three years ago book publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc., was about to purchase Blackwell Publishers for approximately $1.2 billion. Warren Fristensky, senior vice president and chief information officer, says figuratively the acquisition was "Like a python swallowing a pig," given Wiley was twice the size of Blackwell. Outsourcing was the best choice. The New Jersey publisher didn't view outsourcing as "Handing off our projects to a supplier. This wasn't about maintenance. It was about strategic work.