What is the most significant challenge tech startups face in the early days? Over 70% of startup owners believe finding qualified resources is their biggest headache.
Here’s why.
The global technology sector has become highly competitive. Entering this competitive landscape is challenging, particularly for startups with limited resources and budgets. They must adapt to technological advancements to meet customers’ demands. A team of qualified and experienced tech personnel with relevant skill sets is needed to achieve this goal.
When it comes to hiring dedicated resources at competitive rates, IT staff augmentation is the most feasible solution. It allows companies to meet their short-term or long-term IT staffing needs without stretching their budgets.
Let’s explore IT staff augmentation in detail and discuss the unique benefits of this model that can help tech startups thrive in today’s digital era.
An Overview of IT Staff Augmentation
IT staff augmentation is an outsourcing model in which businesses can hire resources from third-party agencies. There is no restriction on time, skills, or experience. Companies can employ IT professionals with their desired expertise for long-term or short-term periods.
For instance, if you are running an IT company in the US. One of your clients requires a mobile app with specific features. However, the deadline for this project is just one month. Moreover, none of your team members meets the desired criteria set by the client. In this situation, IT staff augmentation would be the best choice.
A reliable IT staff augmentation company can provide you with an experienced mobile app developer on short notice. You can employ that developer for a limited period only to deliver your project before the deadline.
Advantages of IT Staff Augmentation for Tech Startups
While IT staff augmentation is popular among all businesses regardless of size, tech startups benefit more from this model. Below are exclusive benefits of IT staff augmentation for small companies and unicorns.
1. Hire Professionals with advanced Skills and Expertise
Tech unicorns often struggle when hiring resources that fit their desired skill sets. They can’t afford a team that lacks the expertise requested by high-value clients to work on complicated IT projects.
With IT staff augmentation, this issue can be resolved instantly. Tech startups can recruit highly qualified IT professionals with extensive experience in their respective domains. Most importantly, they don’t need to shortlist or interview the candidates themselves. IT staff augmentation companies have talented resources readily available to work on short notice.
This way, tech unicorns can fill their skills gap and diversify their portfolio by accessing advanced IT skills.
2. Reduce HR and Operational Expenses
Hiring is a time-consuming and hectic process. You have to screen, shortlist, and interview candidates to select the right talent. Besides, managing onsite resources also involves operational expenses that can add to your budget.
On the other hand, IT staff augmentation is a cost-effective approach to hire and retain talented resources. Businesses need not be involved in the hectic recruitment cycle themselves. Everything, from advertising jobs and shortlisting to interviewing and selecting the most suitable candidates, is handled by the staffing agency.
Moreover, the selected resources work on the premises of an IT staff augmentation agency. Businesses just have to pay on an hourly or monthly basis. They can save the money required to establish expensive infrastructure and time to complete the recruitment.
3. Ensure 24/7 Business Continuity
Operational continuity is the need of today. Companies in the tech sector must operate 24/7 to excel and outperform their competitors. However, running uninterrupted operations is challenging, particularly for startups working in single time zones.
To address this challenge, IT staff augmentation offers a feasible solution. Employers can hire IT professionals from different countries and manage their shifts to ensure operational continuity.
For instance, a company operating in the US can integrate with an IT staffing firm in Pakistan, India, or the Philippines. The internal and remote teams can work in different time zones and fast-track project delivery to meet tight deadlines.
4. Collaborative Upskilling
The most significant advantage of hiring resources from an IT staff augmentation company is that it creates a massive learning opportunity for your internal team. By accessing skilled IT specialists across the globe, companies can upskill their internal teams. Close collaboration empowers staff members to bring innovation, explore new ideas, and deliver remarkable results.
Similarly, working with talented professionals in a shared workspace adds new skills to the in-house team. They can keep up with technological developments and remain up-to-date to stay competitive.
Hence, collaborative upskilling drives continuous improvement and helps businesses achieve their desired objectives.
5. Flexibility to Expand and Reshape
Startups aim to expand with time. Expansion strategies are built considering various factors like client base, business scope, and areas of expertise. The third factor is directly associated with your workforce proficiency.
IT staff augmentation should be your preferred choice if you want to accelerate your business expansion. You can scale up or down your team size per your client’s needs without bearing the liabilities of full-time resources. The model allows you to hire resources for specific periods or budgets.
As a result, this flexible hiring model minimizes the risks of failure associated with business expansion. You don’t need heavy investments to employ a full-scale workforce. A third-party agency can fulfil your short-term or long-term staffing needs within your budget.
Final Thoughts
Running a tech startup is a considerable risk. You have to compete with tech giants and well-established businesses with limited budgets and resources. Entering the competitive tech industry without acquiring advanced expertise can be suicidal.
Therefore, IT staff augmentation is the top choice of startups to hire talented resources. The model allows businesses to meet their short-term or long-term staffing needs without bearing the liabilities of full-time resources. Third-party recruitment agencies have a vast pool of talented IT professionals. Employers can find top talent with their desired skills and expertise and meet their client’s needs.
Consequently, tech companies can reduce their HR expenses, ensure 24/7 business continuity, and flexibly expand their workforce.