Many companies use IT staff augmentation to address workforce issues and team projects. This service allows them to fill talent gaps quickly and has many other benefits. Additionally, by hiring an IT augmentation firm, you can gain access to experienced tech experts who can help your business grow and thrive. This article will explore hiring additional resources through staff augmentation and also its advantages to organizations.
What is Staff Augmentation?
IT Staff augmentation is a software development outsourcing model where companies can hire temporary, highly-skilled tech professionals to fill short-term job positions and work with their in-house team. In this outsourcing model, vendors perform the recruiting process - the sourcing and screening of qualified professionals - and endorse pre-vetted candidates for you to interview. Also, you can hire a single contractor or build a dedicated team per project.
You might ask, "What is the difference between staff augmentation and managed services? Understanding the difference between the two services is essential, as these terms are often used interchangeably.
Staff augmentation involves outsourcing talent to complete pre-agreed tasks and functions. Furthermore, it gives you full control over your outsourced resources, and they will work seamlessly with your in-house IT staff. And with managed services, you pay for specific milestones and deliverables. It is a broader solution that outsources managing and also maintaining a company's entire IT infrastructure to a third-party provider.
Understanding these two options will help businesses determine which solution best meets their needs.
Benefits of Staff Augmentation
A quick search on “benefits of staff aug” can explain why companies prefer IT staff augmentation over hiring full-time team members in specific scenarios. Let’s take a look at each of them.
Quickly Fill Your Talent Gap
Staff augmentation allows companies to hire competent and experienced contingent tech experts who can quickly add value to the project. These experts can provide specialized skills and experience that may be lacking within the company's current IT department.
Augment Workforce Capacity on Demand
Through staff augmentation, as retail companies do with seasonal workers, you can adjust your IT workforce to handle temporary spikes in workload and customer demand and fill in for full-time employees on leave.
Bridge to Hire
Hiring IT staff on a project-by-project basis can allow you to increase or decrease your IT workforce as needed. Markedly, this flexibility enables companies better align their IT resources with their business needs and can help to improve cost efficiency.
Hire Tech Experts with the Right Skill Set
Projects needing out-of-house specialties might benefit from having additional members for a particular amount of time via staff augmentation. Most companies that provide these services only take applications from junior developers. Nonetheless, they can connect the most talented individuals from all around the world with businesses.
Control Recruitment and IT Costs
IT staff augmentation vendors undeniably have a pool of experienced developers ready to work with clients. They endorse talents who fit the profile that their clients are looking for. This means that companies can save on recruiting costs as they only need to pay for the required skills and the duration they need them.
Is This the Best Option for Your Company?
Many IT businesses have succeeded with the IT staff augmentation approach. Simultaneously allowing them to quickly and efficiently bring specialized skills and expertise to their projects. But this approach may only be best for some companies or situations. Here are vital factors to consider:
- Short-term vs. Long-term Projects
The length of a project is undoubtedly a crucial thing to think about. Outsourcing is ideal for short-term projects as it allows companies to use specialized skills and resources. For long-term projects, utilizing the knowledge and also experience of in-house staff is often more effective.
- Intellectual Property
Staff augmentation involves exchanging confidential information. As a matter of fact, intellectual property should be addressed. Its loss may cause financial and also reputational harm. A strong NDA, access limits, encryption, and frequent security audits may reduce risks for firms.
- In-house Staff and Management
Another key point to ensure successful project delivery is having a project manager oversee and support your augmented staff. Your contingent talent will assimilate with your in-house staff and work with their team manager to perform their tasks. Basically, if your company needs to improve in this aspect, utilizing managed service over staff augmentation might be more beneficial.
How It Works
After a more in-depth examination of what your company needs, let's imagine you've decided to use IT staff augmentation. We'll now explain how particularly the process works and what you should expect from the services.
Here’s how:
- You determine your needs and priorities based on your project requirements, current staffing levels, and also budget. Firstly, work with your vendor to identify the specific roles you need to fulfill your project objectives and identify the individuals that are best suited for those roles.
- Choose the IT staff augmentation company that can meet your organization's workforce requirements. You can work with many staff augment vendors, partner with many teams of augments vendors, or partner with just one supplier correspondingly.
- You interview their pre-vetted IT experts. IT staff augmentation companies will offer pre-screened people. Ask your vendor how the individuals you're considering are qualified to do the job. This will eventually help ensure a smooth and successful engagement.
- After choosing the right people and arranging their tasks with the staff augmentation business, you manage and also define them.
- Supporting these high-level IT specialists is crucial. To maximize your hired talent's performance, manage projects well.
Conclusion
Many IT companies are constantly in flux, and IT staff augmentation helps organizations remain agile and right-staffed. For more information on how this service can help your organization thrive in these changing times, click here to contact LANEX today!
