You have probably heard of Staff Augmentation and Managed Services. What are the similarities and differences among those two concepts? How do I know which one fits my case best?
Look no further! Here you'll find everything you need to know about these two concepts and how to figure out which one will work best for your business.
We are all aware that digital technologies evolve way too fast, and it's hard to keep up. Sometimes it gets as hard as being left behind in just a few months! Here is where our main topic kicks in. Here you'll learn the key concept of Managed Services & Staff Augmentation, and also which one will fit best depending on the needs of your business.
With the continuous development of the economy, we notice that companies are increasingly opting for outsourcing of business activities. The main reason is a lack of expertise or it is simply less cost effective to have all business activities in-house. For example, by finding a trusted IT partner, they are able to focus their resources on core business, while outsourcing their IT to companies specializing in IT.
What is slowly becoming the standard in the world of modern business is the so-called Managed Services, which actually are services that involve the care and maintenance of an IT infrastructure or system.
Managed Services
The definition of Managed Services may vary depending on the perspective of observation. To put it simply, it is a clearly defined set of activities and IT resources that a Managed Services Provider (MSP) provides to a client.
MSP charge for this type of service on predefined terms, usually on a monthly basis. This way, the client can plan their cash outflows in advance. Also, both parties usually sign Service Level Agreement (SLA) that guarantees the minimum level of quality of service that an MSP needs to deliver to a client. By clearly defining an SLA, a company can confidently expect an MSP to deliver a high quality service.
Managed services are aimed at supporting companies to make the most of their IT potential and resources to achieve their expected business goals. In order to do this, the client can also count on the expert advice and support that is always available.
When you opt for a Managed Services Provider (MSP), you choose expert professional help in the area of expertise you're looking for. For a certain fee, depending on your needs, you can delegate tasks to a Managed Services outsourcing company.
Staff Augmentation
While Managed Services work trough delegating specific IT tasks to a reliable Managed Services Provider, Staff Augmentation is an outsourcing model for staffing a project or company according to the current needs. In IT world, this usually means staffing projects and firms with the needed developers (usually remote ones).
Staff Augmentation companies dedicate their time to hire, train, co-locate and educate developers to keep up with the latest trends and skills needed in the rapidly changing IT industry. Staff Augmentation Companies have actually simplified hiring a high skilled, competitive staff according to your present needs. In other words, you don't worry about human resources and training your newbies anymore.
It often happens that a company fails to find the needed human resources for the project. In such case, it’s always a good idea to turn to Staff Augmentation Companies which will provide you with the expert help you need. You will be able to hire developers whenever you have the need to, while saving time and money.
Even the largest global companies recognize the advantages of this cooperation model. So, undoubtedly, this trend will continue to grow.
What Is the Difference Between Managed IT Services and IT Staff Outsourcing?
In Managed Services model outsourcing company (Managed Services Provider) manages the staff. On the other hand, in staff augmentation model the end client is managing the team. In a nutshell, which side a project manager is on draws the line between managed services and staff augmentation.
If the client company already has qualified tech management staff (CTO, PM, etc.) then there is not need to use managed services. Otherwise, if the client’s side is not capable of managing remote developers, then managed services are the right choice.
How do I know which one works best for my project/company?
Since the answer depends on your specific case and needs, the answer cannot be told that fast. Want to be more involved in the project? Go for Staff Augmentation. Want someone else to do the all the hard work? Managed Services is for you.
One thing is for sure. You don't necessarily need to hire a full time employee or an entire team to fit unpredictable IT needs. Why would you do so, when you can outsource your projects to a highly skilled, experienced and reliable remote development team?
How to Get Started with IT Staff Augmentation Services by Addria?
The first step to get started with Addria’s IT staff augmentation services is to get in touch and tell us about your project or company. It’s great if you already have a specific list of requirements for your dedicated employee/team, but it’s not mandatory.
If you are confused, we will help you understand whom exactly you need to hire and why, in order to meet your business goals. We will work together with you to identify the exact skills, team size, experience & qualifications your project or company requires.
Having agreed on these specifics, we will present to you only those candidates which correspond 100% to your requirements. After necessary interviews, meetings and testing, you will finally be able to select the best ones to hire.
Once we sign an NDA and you’ve hired new team members the integration process begins. We help you integrate the new employees into your team – they meet your team, learn the necessary procedures and processes and dive into the workflow. You have direct access to them and constant communication with us and your new developers.
The developers you hire can visit your office or you can also visit ours to meet them in person. Once the integration process is complete, your new team members become a full part of your team and deliver great work while you enjoy cooperation with Addria!
