You can weather the economic downturn lamenting the halcyon days of boundless IT spending and grand tech projects, or you can treat it as a challenge, as a time for reflection and behavior modification. At least that was the sentiment at the mid-May MIT Sloan CIO Symposium, where CIOs and their ilk met to discuss – what else? – the recession and its effect on the role of the CIO.

Ripples from the conference traveled to industry publications, blogs and Twitter, with writers offering their take on the future of outsourcing. Here’s a rundown:

Lesson No. 1: Flexibility is the new black.
SearchCIO editor Rachel Lebeaux reported that the watchword of the symposium was "flexibility." It’s a great trait to have, no matter what industry or economic climate. Here's what a focus on flexibility could mean for outsourcing:

• Subscription-based models over flat-rate deals: Pay for what you use. This model makes sense given the fluctuating nature of the business cycle.
• Trial periods instead of lengthy contracts: Satyam and terrorist attacks left CIOs with a bad taste in their mouths regarding outsourcing. Trial periods afford both you and the outsourcer some wiggle room.
• Per-project deals (like migrations) in place of blanket IT support: Perhaps you've committed to a software migration, but are not sure how to approach it. Rather than signing a contract for comprehensive IT support services, which could prove messy and inadequate during a stressful switchover, try a migration plan, which addresses the issue at hand. Your migration will be covered, and so will your investment. If it works out, you can ink another deal for broader, post-migration support.

Lesson No. 2: Costs aren't the only consideration.
A handful of publications are writing about IT outsourcing costs of late, including CIO and The Wall Street Journal. Some say prices are falling; others say the opposite. What most agree on, however, is that quality is an essential part of the contract package. Outsourcing has become a dirty word, partly because service level agreements are ignored. You cannot take the cheaper deal and expect the same quality.

Lesson No. 3: Don't try to boil an ocean.
This metaphor was mentioned in a CIO piece about how IT leaders can learn from their failures. Though the piece was not a reaction to the symposium (it was published before the event occurred), one of its main arguments is a timeless truism*, so it rightly deserves a place here. After years of trying to squeeze ROI out of all-in-one, long-term deals, companies may be opting for smaller, a la carte outsourcing contracts. It's the difference between trying to boil the ocean and heating up the kettle. It makes sense, too. Smaller contracts are easier to control, and offer opportunities for setting performance-based goals.

*According to FastCompany and other sources, when a reporter asked Will Rogers what should be done about U-boats during World War I, he responded, “Boil the ocean.”

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