The Role of GCCs in Modern ITSM Outsourcing

Global capability centers (GCCs) transform ITSM delivery by taking full ownership, offering cost savings, tighter control, and smarter execution. They boost innovation, data security, performance, and long-term value in tech scalability and service reliability.
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Unlike traditional business process outsourcing (BPO), global capability centers (GCCs) take complete ownership of how enterprises manage IT service management (ITSM) delivery. In addition to cost savings, shifting from vendor-led contracts to internal models provides tighter control and supports more thoughtful execution.

This article shows how ITSM outsourcing through GCCs supports innovation, data security, performance, and long-term value in tech scalability and service reliability. Keep reading!

Strategic benefits of ITSM outsourcing through GCCs

Strategic benefits of ITSM outsourcing through GCCs

An April 2025 Boston Consulting Group (BCG) survey found that over 70% of companies use GCCs, with many pursuing ITSM outsourcing through GCC for sharper focus and flexibility.

Most IT leaders are familiar with BPO, a delivery model in which external vendors handle support services, such as help desks. GCCs shift those functions in-house, giving you more control over operations and improving alignment with business needs.

You can set up GCCs to support internal delivery with better strategic decisions and stronger regulatory compliance. This differs from traditional outsourcing, where oversight is limited. GCCs also offer access to talent pools, cost efficiency, and tighter cultural alignment, enhancing operational efficiency and long-term results.

By centralizing operations and aligning teams with your business goals, GCC-led outsourcing helps you unlock long-term value. Below are the key advantages that make this model a powerful alternative to traditional vendor setups:

1. Drive strategic control and business alignment

Shifting ITSM into your GCCs brings operations closer to your business. This setup gives you direct oversight and quicker responses. Unlike vendor-led models, internal teams follow your pace and support execution.

You also align delivery with your strategic goals. GCCs understand your systems and priorities, helping you build processes around actual needs. This alignment supports consistency and relevance.

Tighter control improves risk management. You guide governance, review cycles, and policy enforcement.

Here’s what stronger control through GCCs can improve:

  • Faster issue resolution
  • Better alignment with business roadmaps
  • Fewer delays from third-party handoffs
  • Clearer visibility into delivery operations

This clarity helps your teams work toward a longterm vision without disruption.

2. Power innovation and transformation

When your ITSM runs through GCCs, innovation moves faster. You can quickly access automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and agile delivery. Internal teams stay close to your needs and promptly shift when priorities change.

This setup helps you test new tools and improve workflows tied to your core business. Tighter feedback loops accelerate change and sharpen service quality. GCCs also strengthen your competitive advantage by driving innovation through:

  • AI-driven workflows
  • Real-time experimentation
  • Tangible improvements in cost optimization

As of 2024, at least 90% of major GCCs have expanded AI-focused centers, cementing their role in advancing digital transformation across global enterprises.

3. Build specialized ITSM talent

With ITSM outsourcing through GCC, you shift from vendor-led staffing to growing in-house technical expertise. These global business service centers give you access to talent and control to build teams around your systems and goals.

Instead of rotating vendors, you develop people who know your platforms and processes. This long-term setup leads to better, consistent performance. Access to local skilled professionals helps you scale efficiently and fill capability gaps.

Building talent through GCCs also provides the following benefits:

  • Expertise focused on your environment
  • Lower attrition through direct engagement
  • Targeted upskilling over time
  • Significant cost savings without losing value

This strengthens your ITSM delivery model from within, shifting from transactional outsourcing to building a resilient, future-ready IT organization.

4. Manage costs for long-term returns

When you rely on ITSM outsourcing through GCCs, you avoid vendor markups and build a structure that supports long-term value. Although upfront costs can increase, you cut hidden expenses tied to misaligned delivery, rework, and contract delays.

Over time, GCCs improve planning and operational efficiency. You control budgets more accurately and avoid the unpredictability of rate hikes.

Check how GCCs shift the cost equation:

  • Reduced overhead over time
  • Fewer service delays and escalations
  • Better revenue through consistency and knowledge retention
  • Alignment with strategic outsourcing goals

Traditional vendors can offer short-term wins. However, internal models provide deeper insights and balance control, value, and long-term savings.

5. Tighten data security and reduce risks

ITSM outsourcing through GCC can tighten your control over security and compliance. Internal teams operate under your rules. This reduces third-party dependencies, regulatory gaps, and poor data handling.

GCCs support robust governance by directly overseeing systems’ management and access. This visibility sharpens policy enforcement and breach response. Stronger protection also extends to your intellectual property. You reduce risks tied to shared environments or external dependencies.

Here’s how GCCs improve risk and data control:

  • Enforced compliance frameworks
  • Isolated infrastructure for sensitive workloads
  • Fewer vendor handoffs
  • Greater control over audit trails

This model supports cleaner operations and lowers exposure across markets. It gives you the structural control to scale securely and confidently in industries where trust and resilience are non-negotiable.

6. Optimize tools and platform integration

The global ITSM market could reach $36.78 billion by 2032. This growth points to rising demand for scalable, centralized solutions.

GCCs allow you to implement platforms, automate workflows, and connect ITSM systems across regions. Internal teams follow a unified strategy, reducing tool sprawl and setup inconsistencies. Centralizing functions also streamlines updates, expedites onboarding, and prevents fragmented operations.

GCCs lead enterprise-wide platform rollouts and help standardize delivery across markets in the following ways:

  • Standardized configurations
  • Fewer siloed processes
  • Central control over automation pipelines

This setup sharpens performance across your ITSM landscape. It lays the groundwork for scalable, aligned, and efficient IT operations.

7. Measure performance visibility and impact

Unlike third-party models, internal teams report on outcomes tied to business needs. This visibility drives action and shapes planning, staffing, and investment beyond what dashboards offer. GCCs drive performance insights through:

  • Precise SLA tracking and issue trends
  • Service availability linked to business hours
  • Resolution speed by category and region
  • Measurable link between ITSM and business key performance indicators (KPIs)

Within your GCCs, you track performance using the metrics that matter. Monitoring SLA compliance, resolution times, and service uptime reveals the impact of ITSM outsourcing and informs future decisions.

Common challenges when setting up GCCs

Common challenges when setting up GCCs

When shifting to ITSM outsourcing via GCCs, you face real operational hurdles. Upfront investment is higher than vendor contracts, and setup takes time. You also need talent with the right mix of technical and regional knowledge.

Cross-border coordination adds complexity. Hiring across jurisdictions, aligning teams, and managing shared objectives can stall momentum if not addressed early. Internal resistance is another challenge due to change fatigue, job security concerns, and a perception of losing control.

Other possible barriers include:

  • Gaps in regional hiring 
  • Misaligned internal expectations
  • Delayed knowledge transfer from vendors

Solving these early puts your GCC model on the right track. Transparent governance, phased transitions, and country-specific playbooks reduce friction. Standardizing onboarding and documentation, assigning regional champions, and aligning incentives across teams also help build trust and accelerate adoption.

What’s next for GCCs in ITSM outsourcing?

GCCs are moving beyond delivery hubs into roles that shape long-term strategy. Your teams are no longer just support functions. They now lead innovation, analytics, and service redesign across business units.

AI will play a bigger role in this shift. GCCs run predictive incident models, self-healing systems, and dynamic resource routing across time zones to minimize downtime, optimize support coverage, and ensure uninterrupted service delivery.

Distributed GCC setups are also gaining traction. These help you tap local talent while building global resilience. Other future trends include:

  • Strategic roles replacing tactical delivery
  • Multi-location GCC networks
  • Real-time cross-functional collaboration
  • Embedded governance and strategic foresight

As technology and expectations evolve, GCCs will not just support ITSM. They will become the backbone of how modern businesses stay responsive and secure.

The bottom line

Do you want to improve service quality, lower risk, and gain strategic visibility across technology operations? ITSM outsourcing through GCCs gives you direct control and scalable delivery that fits your long-term goals.

From AI-driven operations to secure systems management, GCCs support growth without vendor complexity. Let’s connect and explore how this model can sharpen your ITSM performance and give your organization a clear edge in global IT delivery.

Picture of Rene Mallari
Rene Mallari considers himself a multipurpose writer who easily switches from one writing style to another. He specializes in content writing, news writing, and copywriting. Before joining Unity Communications, he contributed articles to online and print publications covering business, technology, personalities, pop culture, and general interests. He has a business degree in applied economics and had a brief stint in customer service. As a call center representative (CSR), he enjoyed chatting with callers about sports, music, and movies while helping them with their billing concerns. Rene follows Jesus Christ and strives daily to live for God.
Picture of Rene Mallari

Rene Mallari

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