Why Technology Companies Should Use IT Staff Augmentation
The rapid pace of digital transformation, compounded by the rise of remote working, has increased the demand for IT talents. IT teams are stretched thin, and many resign due to burnout. Yet, the labour shortage means replacing these employees is more challenging than ever.
Meanwhile, technology companies have fast-growing needs. It has become cost-prohibitive for many to hire an in-house IT team to cover everything from DevOps and cybersecurity to general IT activities (e.g. support, maintenance, and updates.)
Besides HR tasks and monthly salaries, you also need to provide your team with ongoing training to keep up with fast-changing technologies, best practices, compliance requirements, and more. Simply put, hiring an in-house team is often not the most cost-effective way to meet expanding IT needs.
That’s why many savvy tech companies turn to staff augmentation as a long-term strategy to meet their IT requirements. Here’s why you should consider this approach and what you should know when working with an IT staff augmentation provider.
What Is IT Staff Augmentation?
IT staff augmentation is an outsourcing strategy. It involves hiring external resources to cover your technology needs temporarily or permanently. A staff augmentation agency gives you access to candidates that meet your requirements so you can scale your team based on current needs.
What are the Benefits of Using IT Staff Augmentation
Here are the advantages of using IT staff augmentation for your technology company:
Reduce Costs and Overheads
You can reduce recruiting, onboarding, and training costs without compromising the quality of the talents you get. Many IT staff augmentation agencies also handle payroll so you can reduce the overhead expenses associated with various HR tasks. Additionally, this strategy eliminates the need for expensive office space since many outsourced development teams work remotely.
Increase Scalability and Flexibility
You can scale your team up or down and add new capabilities within short notice to meet immediate demands. You only need to pay for the capacities you need instead of hiring a large team that may sit on the bench. Such flexibility can help you respond to market changes nimbly while shortening the time to hire significantly.
Improve Employee Happiness and Retention
Many IT workers leave their jobs because of stress and burnout. You can ensure that your in-house team isn’t overwhelmed by bringing in the help they need when they need it. This can help you improve morale, staff satisfaction, productivity, and retention rates.
Access to Niche Talents and Best Practices
IT staffing companies have access to a large talent pool and experts with highly-specific skills that may not be easy to find. These highly-skilled workers are also up-to-date with the latest industry best practices. Besides delivering high-quality work, they can help your in-house team acquire new skills as they work together.
Improve Operational Cost-Efficiency
Reputable staffing companies provide outside specialists with extensive industry expertise and knowledge. Besides completing the tasks at hand, they can offer valuable input to help you automate development tasks, redesign workflows, upgrade hardware and software, modernize your IT infrastructure, and implement the latest industry best practices.
Key Considerations When Using an IT Staff Augmentation Company
Here’s how to get the most of your investment when working with an IT staffing provider:
- Avoid vendor lock-in by ensuring that the staffing company doesn’t impose its technology stack and development practice on you.
- Demand transparency by having the vendor explain its staffing model and processes and how its employees will collaborate with your team.
- Learn about the staffing company’s hiring criteria, philosophy, and onboarding procedure to ensure that you get talents that are a good fit for your company.
- Ensure that your staffing service provider is compliant with all relevant data security regulations. Also, it should implement rigorous access control to protect your data.
- Clarify HR roles to know who’s responsible for payroll, time management, resource allocation, and more.
- Facilitate skill sharing and document all the processes so a change in the staffing plan will not lead to a loss of knowledge continuity.
- Make sure that the staffing company takes the time to learn about your organization’s goals and culture, so it can find the right talents that meet your needs.
- Ask about your provider’s background check procedures and do your due diligence to ensure compliance and security.
Working with a reputable staffing company can help you recruit the best talents, improve staff retention, and achieve optimal business outcomes cost-effectively.
Learn more about our innovative staffing solution that alleviates various recruitment challenges to help you build a specialist team with the right skills when you need them