When a company’s needs might sometimes overwhelm its existing team’s bandwidth, HR specialists usually recur to IT staff augmentation initiatives to be able to meet up with the clients’ demands. Innovation and adaptability is held in high regard in this ever-evolving sector, and IT technology companies are some of the most agile workforces on the planet.
IT Staff Augmentation Defined
IT staff augmentation is a flexible staffing strategy that lets companies bolster their IT team. Whether it is by hiring temporary or permanent resources from an external provider, these resources range from developers and network engineers to project managers and cybersecurity specialists.
Companies that focus on providing these services generally act as a bridge between businesses and IT professionals, and follow a well-defined progress. The business of helping other companies enhance their staffing efforts is by no means small, with a SpendEdge report indicating that companies are projected to spend $81.8 billion on resource and staff augmentation by 2025.
How Do IT Staff Augmentation Services Work?
Imagine that a cybersecurity company is experiencing a surge in cyberattacks. The current workforce is being swamped, and the operations team needs an expanded incident response team ASAP.
Our cybersecurity firm contacts an IT staff augmentation services firm like Belatrix, indicating their need of a seasoned security analyst for a 3-month period, with real-world expertise in threat detection and containment.
Here is how they would operate in this situation.
Candidate Sourcing
Once the profile parameters have been given, Belatrix looks for and vets suitable candidates. We would search our database and professional networks extensively. Target candidates would be security analysts with experience in the specific tools and technologies used by the client company.
As the client has requested real-world experience, the technical staff augmentation team would search for someone with plenty of certifications and a solid track record of handling security incidents.
Candidate Selection
Belatrix then interviews the candidates and picks the ones that could be a good match based on the parameters established by the client. Since our current situation is cybersecurity, technical expertise would outweigh other parameters.
An exam would most likely be given to the candidates to guarantee their skill level. Not only would we look for prowess under pressure, but the team would also check if the candidate is a good cultural fit. This process is carried out regardless of the time this person will be employed.
Onboarding and Integration
Once the winning security analyst is picked, they’re onboarded and integrated into the company’s IT team seamlessly. Belatrix will then provide access to company systems, security protocols, and introduce the analyst to the incident response team members.
Management and Support:
Finally, Belatrix manages the payroll and administrative tasks for the security analyst. This saves up the security firm’s HR bandwidth, allowing them to concentrate on other possible initiatives related to mitigating the cyberattacks. The analyst’s employment might be on a fixed term, or could grow into full-time employment based on their performance during the crisis.
This, in essence, is how IT staff augmentation companies work across the board. The process would be similar in software development, customer experience teams, or other needs a tech company might have.
Benefits Of IT Staff Augmentation
Apart from streamlining and managing the entire hiring process in a short period of time, there is added value in more ways than one when an IT company works with a resource and staff augmentation company.
First, the cost-effectiveness of paying for the skills and resources they truly need eliminates the hassles of full-time recruitment and employee benefits.
Secondly, IT staff augmentation provides a flexible way to scale your IT team based on project demands. This is particularly beneficial for handling short-term spikes like the cybersecurity example mentioned earlier.
Finally, finding niche IT skills can be a challenge of its own. IT team augmentation companies offer access to a vast talent pool, matching you with the exact expertise you need for your project.
This in-depth Medium.com blog post by Jugar Agrawal uses real-world case studies to expand on the benefits of IT Staff augmentation.
Insights On IT Staff Augmentation
Here’s what some industry experts have to say about IT staff augmentation:
“IT staff augmentation allows companies to be more agile and responsive to changing market conditions,” says Alejandro Fortin, a leading partner in technology consulting. “By having access to a flexible talent pool, businesses can quickly adapt their IT resources to seize new opportunities.”
“Many companies struggle to find and retain top IT talent,” observes David Augusto Gelves Bustamante, a renowned IT staffing expert. “IT staff augmentation provides a solution by allowing them to tap into a pre-vetted pool of qualified professionals.”
IT Team Augmentation vs. Traditional IT Outsourcing
Yes, IT staff augmentation and the more traditional models of IT outsourcing do have some similarities, but there are several key differences as well.
Control
With IT staff augmentation, companies keep control when it comes to project management and resource spending. In traditional outsourcing, the vendor may be much more independent, handling a project with little or no oversight from the parent company.
Integration
In IT staff augmentation, augmented resources become part of the existing IT team. This generates common knowledge and a collaborative environment. Traditional outsourcing may involve a more separate team working remotely.
Cost
IT staff augmentation may be a more cost-effective solution for particular situations: short-term projects, emergencies, or sprints that require specific skill sets. Traditional outsourcing can be cost-effective for bigger, long-term, ongoing projects.
IT staff augmentation offers a truly viable solution for companies looking to enhance their IT capabilities. By hiring the expertise of a qualified IT staff augmentation company like Belatrix, businesses can gain access to the talent they need, when they need it, and achieve their IT goals.
