Outsourcing can involve signing a contract to have another company perform the function of an entire department or just a single task. In either case, it means handing over the reins of management and control of that function over to another company. Managerial control will nonetheless belong to another individual or business entity.
The advantages of outsourcing is that profit is a great motivator, and you can usually trust that the outsourcing company has considerable experience in the service it’s offering you. It wants to do the job well because it wants to stay in business. The job might be performed to higher standards than if you kept it in-house, and outsourcing can eliminate the sometimes rocky transition that can take place when training members of your own in-house team.