Many companies outside of the information technology industry struggle to meet their in-house IT needs due to a variety of factors. In some cases, they don’t have quite enough work to justify hiring a full-time team of IT professionals. In other cases, companies simply can’t afford to pay their salaries. Fortunately, thanks to the advanced communication methods and IT technologies in place in the modern business world, hiring in-house employees isn’t the only option for companies anymore.
The globalization of technological developments has made it possible for companies to work with third-party outsourced teams no matter where they are located with minimal risk. More and more companies are choosing to work with IT staff augmentation companies as a cost-effective solution for their information technology needs.
What is IT Staff Augmentation?
IT staff augmentation differs a bit from more traditional outsourcing as it implies extending an in-house team with third-party experts on a short or long-term basis, or project by project. This means that organizations have the ability to cover a team’s skill gap through dedicated specialists on an as-needed contracted basis. This helps ensure that the skills of the hired professionals match the specific needs of the project while eliminating the complications that come along with hiring in-house employees.
IT staff augmentation companies typically keep databases of professional profiles so that organizations can choose the right candidate based on vetted skillsets in a secure manner. By choosing to work with a staff augmentation company, business owners save themselves the headache of recruiting and retaining staff members while still allowing for a controlled hire. This extension of an in-house team with dedicated specialists helps build teams up without the liability of fully hiring an employee.
The Advantages of Working with an IT Staff Augmentation Company
To fit time and budget constraints, more and more companies turn to IT staff augmentation companies as the solution to their needs. This type of outsourcing offers unique benefits for hiring companies, including:
- Lower Overall Costs – Costs are significantly lower via staff augmentation since companies don’t need to pay another full-time staff member a regular salary. On-demand augmentation also helps save the costs associated with the hiring requirements. This includes things like health insurance, benefits, sick leave, workspace, hardware, software, training, office supplies, and many other costly factors. All of these items are the responsibility of the staff augmentation company.
- No Recruitment Time – Recruitment for any kind of job is a tedious, challenging, and time-consuming task. The outcome is often unpredictable and may take much longer than anyone anticipated as well. Choosing to work with freelancers as another alternative is also quite a gamble as it’s difficult to vet their skills.
IT staff augmentation allows busy managers to save themselves the time, stress, and costs associated with the recruiting and hiring process by eliminating the need for it. With staff augmentation companies providing professionals on-call and at-hand, there’s no time wasted in recruiting and training. They are able to jump on projects quickly to help make expedited timelines achievable. - Secured Flexibility – As IT staff augmentation allows for companies to scale the number of contracted professionals that they have at any given time, unexpected workloads or tight timelines are no longer a problem. This team expansion model allows companies to add or remove people from projects at any given time so that companies have the ability to take on projects of nearly any size or level of complexity. When vacant positions require filling, it happens in only a matter of days rather than the time required for traditional hiring.
- Better Staff Management – When compared to traditional outsourcing, staff augmentation provides the hiring company with more control over the overall project workflow as well as their team members. As in-house team members handle the management operations, the hiring company has more authority and general control of the project to monitor the development process. This helps to nip problems in the bud immediately rather than a few months down the line when the outsourcing provider handles the management.
When Should Companies Consider Staff Augmentation?
IT staff augmentation is an incredibly beneficial practice for all kinds of companies. When an organization doesn’t have the time required to hire the exact candidate they’re looking for, it’s time to consider staff augmentation. If they don’t have the cash flow to hire someone as a salaried in-house employee, it’s also a great option.
Companies should choose to work with a staff augmentation company over traditional outsourcing when they would like to have more control and be more involved in everyday workings. When time or budgetary constraints get in the way of success, IT staff augmentation companies help businesses achieve their goals in a fast, productive manner thanks to their vetted professionals.
IT staff augmentation is also an ideal choice for companies of all sizes that are looking to complete one specific project or expand their team long-term with additional information technology talent.
Laila Azzahra is a professional writer and blogger that loves to write about technology, business, entertainment, science, and health.