The Chief Operating Officer (COO) has tasked you to provide recommendations on the technologies within your environment that should be outsourced. You recommended the two technologies below:

• Full support of all network devices including switches, firewalls, and routers
• An accounting application with several third-party plugins

The COO gave you the green light to continue your research and has asked for additional information to support a final decision. As you formulate your response to the COO, think beyond just networking and consider how your specialization interacts with other functions and the overall business purpose:

• What role should virtualization, software-defined networking (SDN), and automation play in your recommendation?
• What is the relationship between core and edge systems?
• What other factors would influence your recommendation? 
• How would your decision be different if you are overseeing a team of four technicians versus a larger team of fourteen?

Your response should be no more than two well-written paragraphs. Ensure you provide citations in either IEEE or APA 7th Edition style for any external sources.