Companies are increasingly turning their attention towards offshore outsourced IT, recent research revealed.

Some 50 per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) will be boosting their spend on offshore IT support services this year, compared to just 20 per cent last year, according to the latest Harvey Nash and PA Consulting survey, published by ComputerWeekly.

The majority of CIOs will choose to outsource their IT to India, which has seen its popularity as a managed services destination rise over the past year.

However, Brazil, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia and Vietnam are also making their mark on the outsourced IT market now as well, the research showed.

Companies are increasingly under pressure to reduce their costs and they need access to a wider skillbase, which is why outsourced IT is experiencing such a boom, the survey found.

Recent documents obtained by the BBC revealed that the UK government will not be moving as much of its IT services from the public to private sector as was originally planned.

The government reportedly plans to scale back on its outsourcing plans.