Abstract: An outsourcing system provides a cooperative work environment beneficial for an outsourcing agent to carry out monitoring and surrogate operation of customer systems in cooperation with the customers. A site unit is provided for each of the customers and a center monitoring unit is provided for the outsourcing agent, so that not only the center monitoring unit but also the customers and system engineers are notified of obstacle occurrence. There is provided an environment in which such participants can refer, at any time via the Internet, to operating information files, design and construction information files, discussion history files, stored up to the point of time when the reference is made. The participants can share operation states and design information stored up to the point of time of the obstacle occurrence, and cooperate with one another to advance work for problem solution. Accordingly, a new service architecture can be developed.