Global IT outsourcing continued to increase in the third quarter of 2008, according to a study.

Research carried out by technology consultancy EquaTerra found combined IT and business practice outsourcing grew in Europe at a rate of 64 per cent and in the US at rate of 25 per cent, while IT outsourcing expanded globally by 39 per cent.

Stan Lepeak, the firm’s managing director of global research, said buyers will increasingly adopt a global, cross-functional or portfolio-based governance approach.

He added: “Developing and adopting standardised outsourcing governance operational models, investing more in skilled personnel and leveraging software tools to automate and improve governance operations will be central to achieving business case objectives.”

Earlier this month, studies by IT industry analyst IDC indicated the top ten global IT outsourcing firms earned around $27 billion (GBP 15.5 billion) in 2007.

Rona Shuchat, director of application outsourcing services at the group, said the trend reflects growing adoption of enterprise use of third-party providers for stand-alone application services and broader bundled outsourcing solutions.