From a historical perspective, one could argue that there has been an evolution from inhouse provision of services, to outsourcing, then to offshoring, with crowdsourcing being the next stage. IT outsourcing expert Rob Aalders writes:

The debate on outsourcing raises serious questions. Should we outsource a core function? Why should someone else be able to manage part of our business better? Does outsourcing save money? What risks does outsourcing raise? What benefits does it bring?¹