If your start-up is doing well, you will soon need to expand. You can follow different approaches to enhance your project’s reach and increase profit.
What is Staff Augmentation?
Staff augmentation is a strategy to tackle specific issues, bringing outside professionals to complement your in-house team. This approach is a temporary solution that allows you to leverage your team’s resources.
When do you use staff augmentation?
Short-term and low-budget projects benefit significantly from staff augmentation. This option is also beneficial if you want to supervise the processes.
What are Managed Services?
Managed IT services are long-term solutions for all functions, including security, development, maintenance, and more. You delegate the entire process to an outside team when you choose this option.
When do you use managed services?
This strategy benefits developing your long-term project. People who don’t have time for management, training, recruiting, etc., also find managed services valuable.
Key Differences Between a Staff Augmentation Approach and Managed Services
To choose the best alternative, understanding the primary differences is vital. You may even need both at different stages of your project.
Time frames
While staff augmentation is ideal for start-ups that need to quickly grow and achieve their goals, managed IT services offer long-term solutions. The second option handles tasks that require permanent attention, such as maintenance, development, security, etc.
Flexibility
Staff augmentation is more flexible because you can add or remove personnel according to your
needs.
Cost
Staff augmentation is more cost-effective if you need to reach specific objectives within a particular time. However, management services are cheaper for long-term projects.
Management
The staff augmentation approach means you are adding people to your existing team. Hence, you will be responsible for recruiting, training, and supervising. You can delegate all this to your external team manager if you hire management services.
Security
Staff augmentation is safer since you have more control of the processes, passwords, admins, logins, etc.
Processes
While staff augmentation handles specific tasks and functions, IT services are better for developing solutions and management.
Why Choose Management Services Over Staff Augmentation?
Unless you have a start-up that needs to grow fast, management services are the best option. This method allows you to delegate time-consuming tasks, such as management, recruiting, and supervising. Although more expensive at first, management services will save you money in the long run.
Nonetheless, hiring an outsourcing team is a critical decision. A longstanding relationship with a group of professionals can be beneficial or harmful. For instance, changing developers on an advanced project can result in a massive waste of money and a decline in efficiency. Before signing the contract, make sure you do your homework and find out how reliable the management service
is.
