Without budgets to source specialist skills, and faced with IT staff churn, smaller companies confront IT staffing problems.

"[Many] companies find that functions are too small to be looked at in a meaningful way [by outsourcers] -- they must have a helpdesk, but can they afford to have a dedicated person or people for it? Most think there is not enough work to outsource," he said.

"The key to effectively providing outsourcing to SMBs is to keep close to them and understand that all customers are unique.

"These organizations are generally owned by individuals - they pay real money to real people and want to feel important."

When SMBs do outsource, Kershaw said it is often to former employees or familiar faces that don't have the bandwidth to invest in quality processes.