But as large companies increasingly turn to multisourcing, internal IT management capabilities will become vital, said Peter Allen, managing director of Technology Partners International Inc. in The Woodlands, Texas. Businesses with multiple outsourcing vendors need to ensure that they have 'sufficient architectural leadership to mend the seams between the various providers,' Allen said.

William Martorelli, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc., said that by retaining or reviving strategic IT management capabilities, companies are able to approach outsourcing 'from a position of strength.'

But re-creating a more complete IT department within Nissan, and doing it quickly, won't be easy, Greenberg acknowledged. 'The challenge here is [building] a solid management team and all the appropriate skill sets underneath,' he said. 'That's the hardest problem.'