Businesses invest into technologies to become digital, more competitive, and keep up in the market. Staff augmentation gives them a smart tool for finding skilled IT experts for software development projects to fill skill gaps, speed up project work, and stay competitive. We offer our guide to explain IT staff augmentation and help US companies use this helpful staffing solution in the most beneficial way for their digital projects.
There are a few different models of cooperation generally combined under the topic of remote staffing.
| Staff Augmentation | Staff augmentation is a flexible hiring model in which a company hires external talent to fill in skill or capacity gaps within the in-house team. This approach allows businesses to scale their workforce quickly based on project requirements and workloads. The external team members participate directly in the workflow alongside in-house employees, reporting directly to the company’s management while integrating into the company’s culture and processes. |
| Outstaffing | Outstaffing is a hiring model in which a company hires dedicated external professionals to work exclusively on its projects. Although they are legally employees of an external provider, outstaffing team members devote all their time to a single client's projects. In this model, the client manages the outstaff directly and has complete control over their tasks and workflows. Outstaffing is ideal for long-term projects that require specialized skills and a high level of client involvement. |
| Outsourcing | Outsourcing is a business practice when a company delegates a particular part or entire project to an external service provider. Unlike staff augmentation or outstaffing, the external team is managed by the partner and takes full responsibility for delivering the whole outsourced project or service. The client focuses on core business activities while the outsourced team handles the outsourced tasks or projects independently. |
| Nearshoring | Nearshoring refers to a combination of the above outsourcing, outstaffing, or staff augmentation practices with a focus on nearby countries or regions. The advantage of nearshoring lies in geographical proximity, which often translates into similar time zones, cultural similarities, and ease of travel for meetings. |
| Offshoring | Offshoring involves outsourcing business workloads to companies located in distant countries, typically in regions with lower labor costs. It is a cost-effective model that allows businesses to leverage global talent and achieve substantial cost savings. |
IT staff augmentation helps boost your current teams by adding skilled IT talents from outside for special projects and/or specific periods. These professionals can fit right into your company's setup and work style. They work under your management.
This cooperation model differs from traditional outsourcing, where you entrust a service provider with overseeing the delivery of projects. With staff augmentation, you keep control over your projects and teams while using individual remote experts.
This method is incredibly convenient when companies need specific skills for a short period or specific workstream. This could include software development, data analytics, cloud computing, cybersecurity, or AI/ML projects. It is a smart strategy to fill skill gaps, save on project costs, increase capacity, and stay ahead in today's market.