IT Staffing Augmentation for SMEs, Startups, and Enterprise

Executive Summary: IT staff augmentation is a viable, affordable, and time-effective model that allow SMEs, startups, and enterprise to complete any ongoing tech project without delays or technical stopovers. Read on as we decode the science of IT staff augmentation and how you can choose the best partner for your business needs…

Startups are always faced with the dread of the tech talent required to ensure smooth operations of their companies. That’s one reason why we see startups actively looking for offshore vendors and remote developers to help them with various technical tasks. For startups and SMEs, this represents one of the most viable approaches to enhance the capabilities of the in-house team and achieve smooth operations.

Outsourcing also enables SMEs and enterprises to have better control over management processes, project milestones, project resources, and deliverables.

Well, the good news is that outsourcing isn’t the only model for SMEs, startups, or enterprises to complement their in-house resources and ensure the successful completion of projects. Instead, they can also opt for a more optimized IT staff augmentation model, which enables them to achieve business objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner.

If you aren’t sure about the working and suitability of IT staffing augmentation for your business needs, continue to read on as we will be decoding the science of IT staff augmentation and what makes it the best option for SMEs, startups, and enterprises.

A Brief Introduction to Staffing Augmentation

Staff augmentation refers to a unique outsourcing model. While in the traditional outsourcing model, businesses tend to outsource the complete project or specific scope to a third party. IT staff augmentation allows SMEs or startups to temporarily hire expert and aptly skilled staff on a contractual basis. To put it simply, the approach involves SMEs, startups, or enterprises taking onboard an expert and strategically skilled employee from an IT staff Augmentation Company for a specific period or a certain project. These expert resources are fully resourced to immediately start working on the project requirement and ensure smooth completion of the project.

In recent years, staff augmentation has become the buzzword in the tech industry that offers great flexibility for startups to establish and grow their team, without bearing any extra cost. While the system is most popular in the tech industry, it’s equally beneficial for all sectors, including technical and non-technical resources.

For the most part, the hired staff works remotely on the project. However, they may also join the in-house team, as and when required to ensure smooth working and delivery of the project. Also, by taking on board an expert for a specific task, SMEs and startups get to evaluate the productivity of the in-house team and take any necessary measures to improve the efficiency and productivity of their team.

How IT Staff Augmentation Service is Beneficial for SMEs, Startups, and Enterprises?

There are various reasons that make IT staff augmentation one of the most preferred and widely employed approaches among SMEs, startups, and enterprises. Here’s a quick look at some of the major benefits of IT staff augmentation:

Improved Productivity

IT staff augmentation is considered the most viable approach for the business of all sizes and at all stages to improve their productivity. That’s primarily because the hired resource is a dedicated expert with extensive qualifications and precise expertise in your desired field. This means that, once onboarding is completed, the resource will start executing the project dedicatedly.

This is in sharp contrast to the traditional outsourcing model, where the outsourced agency works on multiple projects at the same time, resulting in loss of productivity and compromised results.

IP Rights & Security

Intellectual Property (IP) rights remain a controversial concern in the tech field. Traditionally, outsourcing companies don’t offer IP rights to clients for any software development or IT project. However, IT staff augmentation ensures that you retain complete IP rights of the projects. This not only addresses the privacy concerns of the project but also minimizes any chances of a security breach.

Greater Flexibility

Flexibility is a crucial component of any tech project; especially when we consider software development projects. IT staff augmentation brings in the flexibility required to achieve improved results by;

  • Giving startups, SMEs, and enterprises easy access to large and aptly skilled talent tools for each project component (UI/UX designers, data analysts, product owners, front-end developers, etc.)
  • Give businesses greater freedom to replace the existing non-productive resources with expert and duly experienced resources without any extra cost for the changeover

Lower cost

Startups and SMEs are always cash-starved and looking for ways to save on capital. Thankfully, one of the biggest benefits of going with the IT staffing augmentation approach is the cost-effectiveness of the model.

The model enables startups and SMEs to access the top industry talent and hire them without having to bear any extra cost. That’s because an expert hired through a staffing augmentation agency won’t be on the payroll of the client. This means that you won’t have to bear any extra payroll expenses or worry about medical, insurance, and other costs associated with traditional hiring. On your end, you will only be paying the decided fee to the staff augmentation company and they will be responsible for compensating the expert on your behalf.

Thus, the model not only assists SMEs and startups in beefing up their talent pool and achieving better growth prospects but also helps them to stay afloat with a cost-effective operating approach.

How to Choose the Best Staff Augmentation Partner?

Honestly, there is no scarcity of IT staff augmentation agencies, ready to give you access to the dedicated resources. However, the difference lies with the quality and expertise of the talent offered by different IT staff augmentation agencies. Especially, when we are talking about specialized and disruptive technologies like Machine Learning, Big Data, or other AI-associated technologies, it’s important to have the most qualified and experienced developer on your team. Thereby, while choosing an IT staffing augmentation partner, make sure that the agency has access to the most experienced and expert talents.

Here are a few considerations that will help you to choose the right IT staffing augmentation partner for your business needs:

  • Compare and Collect Data

The best way to start searching for a staff augmentation partner is to lookout online for various agencies working in your domain/region. Start reading the fine print of the services offered by different agencies and compare rates vs services of different agencies. The best practice is to read reviews and ratings of agencies on third-party platforms to have a realistic understanding of the capabilities and professionalism offered by the agency.

–         Check out the Portfolio

Once you have shortlisted a few IT staffing augmentation companies, start checking out the portfolio services of each of the agencies. Start by reviewing the website, areas of excellence, niche services, client reviews, and others. Check mark the most suited agencies and connect with them.

–         Look out for Response & Communication

Since most of the time, your expert resource will be working remotely, it’s important to ensure that the company has the swiftest and a multi-channel communication procedure available. This will ensure that the agency is always reachable at times when you need them most.

–         Interview before Hiring

The most attractive aspect of the IT staffing augmentation model is its ability to offer access to expert and aptly skilled professionals ready to start immediately with the project needs. However, to be sure of getting the right resource, you need to interview secondment staff to ensure they are the right fit for the project.

Wrapping Up

IT staffing augmentation of staff secondment is widely cherished as the most suitable project delivery model that enables SMEs, startups, and enterprises to meet their tech expert requirements and ensure the timely delivery of projects. The model brings in great flexibility, expertise, and a dedicated approach to project delivery, all while keeping the cost affordable.

So, next time around, if you are looking for some professional help with your in-house project, get yourself an expert secondment staff and start your journey towards successful project delivery.

What is the staff augmentation model?

Staff augmentation is a specialized outsourcing strategy that enables companies to take onboard expert and aptly skilled staff against a specific task or project.

What is staff augmentation vs. consulting?

SMEs, startups use staff augmentation, and enterprises to ensure the timely and successful completion of an ongoing project. Alternatively, consulting is more concerned about enabling companies to adopt the right strategy to complete a potential project from start to finish.

What is another word for staff augmentation?

While “consulting” and “outsourcing” is widely used as synonymous with staff augmentation, the best alternative to “staff augmentation” is “staff secondment”. 
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