Oct 10,2022
Many of the world’s big and small companies are entering into software development. It is a field that has immense potential for business growth and profitability. It is estimated that every industrial company will approach becoming a software company sooner or later. Though it’s a hyper statement it is close to today’s reality.
With many projects at hand software development companies worldwide are facing an IT talent shortage. They want their work done quickly and efficiently without compromising on quality. This is where IT staff augmentation comes into the picture.
It is a tried and tested way to meet your business demands effectively and it saves a lot of your precious time and money. IT staff augmentation is a successful model when it comes to hiring great talents and optimizing development costs.
IT staff augmentation works best when you have to expand your in-house staff for executing projects. With IT staff augmentation, you get talented professionals who have a strong grasp of programming languages, have strong technical and soft skills needed to work in a team and are best at what they do.
IT staff augmentation lets you hire one or several IT specialists and lets you expand your in-house staff that dedicatedly works towards a common goal.
Let’s shed some light on what IT staff augmentation is, its types, when should you utilize it, and what skills you should look out for when augmenting IT staff.
When you need IT professionals who have high-level skills and you want them to join your in-house team on a temporary basis to accomplish business objectives, IT staff augmentation is widely preferred.
To catch up with the ever-growing demand for skilled IT specialists many leading companies worldwide opt for IT staff augmentation services. It helps you to cut costs without compromising on quality.
With precision and quality, IT staff augmentation gets you covered when you are in search of programmers and skilled software developers. These services help you in finishing your projects on time without much hassle.
IT staff augmentation is widely preferred as there are many disadvantages of hiring a full-time employee some of them being higher costs, a lengthy hiring process, and time spent on training.
When you are thinking about augmenting IT staff there are certain key things you need to give a thought to. Skilled software developers are hired based on the technological skillsets they have and their ability to effectively implement their knowledge and give desired results.
Here we will be looking at the key parameters or the skills you must consider when augmenting IT staff.
Programming is the backbone of software development and developers who have a strong grasp of most in-demand programming languages are the ones who deliver the desired results. So the key skill you must consider while augmenting IT staff is the hold over popular programming languages.
Some of the most preferred programming languages that are widely popular and used by developers worldwide are mentioned herewith.
Java is the most popular and widely used programming language and computing platform on which many services and applications are built. It is the most widely preferred language to build android applications. Some of the most popular android applications built using Java are Spotify and Twitter.
Not only that, Java has varied scope, and web applications, desktop applications, games, and enterprise, and network applications can be built using Java. The important feature of Java is that it is well-documented.
Developers who are best at core Java and advanced Java are preferred when working on application-based programming.
JavaScript is used to build highly interactive websites and applications. Javascript is widely preferred as it can be used for both front-end and back-end development. It is an object-oriented scripting language that focuses more on client-side scripts.
Apart from websites and applications, Javascript has its implementation in virtual reality as well. It works well for the WebVR platform which is involved in the creation of web-based VR applications.
Not only this, search engines, content management systems, responsive design, eCommerce, etc. would not be possible without Javascript. For developers, Javascript is the most powerful tool they can have on their toolbelt.
Python is commonly used for developing websites, data visualization, and data analysis. The beginner-friendliness of Python has made it the most used programming language. The number of libraries that Python has enables coders to write programs for machine learning and data analysis.
Python also offers several frameworks for web development like Django and Flask. It was primarily designed to improve code readability and that was achieved by allowing developers to complete code in fewer steps.
The role of Python in web development includes sending data to and from servers, communicating with databases, URL routing, data processing, and security. Python is an essential tool for full-stack engineers, back-end developers, and DevOps engineers.
C language is considered the foundation language of programming and is employed in developing software applications, operating systems, cloud computing, and much more. The multiple data types and strong inbuilt functions in C language make programming much more efficient.
The best thing is that features and functions can be added to the library and can be utilized in the application whenever needed. C language is often used in system programming and application development with resource restrictions.
As it is directly related to machine hardware, C programming is primarily considered for scripting programs and drivers for embedded systems. The language has gained popularity in the game industry as well. Most of the basic games are written using C programming.
Apart from programming and technical skills, software professionals need to have soft skills as well. These skills are nothing but interpersonal skills that help in efficiently working in a team and properly conveying ideas and effectively collaborating with others.
Softskills, along with with other technical and programming skills, play an important role in the success of a project.
Depending upon the roles and functions, IT staff augmentation is divided into several types. These are:
Project staffing is a kind of IT staffing where individuals are hired for specific projects. Like, if you want to develop a website or specific application. This kind of staffing is used when companies don’t have internal resources to complete a project.
In such scenarios, projects can also be outsourced to save time and money. Project staffing involves hiring IT specialists at the right time and for the right duration for executing the project at hand.
Technical staffing is used when you need individuals with specific technical skills for working on a project. Usually, when your in-house team doesn’t have the required skills to work on a specific software then technical staffing comes into consideration.
Technical staffing gives you the ability to hire quickly and fill short-term positions. It effectively reduces overhead costs and gives access to a talent pool equipped with required skill sets.
Functional staffing is considered when you want to bring in additional resources for completing specific tasks or functions. A developer can be hired if you want someone to help with coding and an administrator can be hired if you want someone to manage your servers.
This type of staffing is preferred when you want to hire someone for short-term projects and if you don’t want to hire a full-time employee.
Infrastructure staffing is about bringing in additional resources to help with your company’s infrastructure. This type of staffing is considered when you don’t want to invest in the necessary tools and training.
It is used when you want support in maintaining your network, establishing new hardware, and implementing new technology. Infrastructure staffing is utilized when there is a need for a contract or permanent infrastructure support professional whose expertise matches your needs.
When should you utilize IT staff augmentation?
Due to certain situations, the need to augment IT staff arises. These are the most common scenarios when you need to utilize IT staff augmentation.
There are situations where your in-house team doesn’t have the required expertise and you are looking for someone who has the required skills and who can assist you on an immediate basis. In such a situation you can utilize the option of IT staff augmentation.
This not only gives you the required support at the right time but also eliminates the option of getting into hiring full-time employees. This definitely helps in saving a lot of your time and money.
Time to market is crucial in any project development cycle. Finishing projects on time gives you a competitive advantage over others. If your team is unable to meet deadlines then it is a loss for your company as your competitors may launch the product before you and get a positive first impression.
So to meet project deadlines the option of IT staff augmentation can be considered. It’s all about adding resources so that project gets completed on time and your company gets a competitive advantage.
When IT is not your core competency and you have newly entered into this territory then building a team of experts will definitely take time. Instead, you can augment IT staff and gain valuable support in your business expansion.
This also lets your in-house staff focus on your core area of business and you can explore new opportunities that will take your business to next level.
When you want to bridge skill gaps
There are certain projects that require specific skill sets and need different areas of expertise. This need always appears as different projects demand different skill sets. So to bridge these skill gaps, IT staff augmentation comes to your rescue.
You may hire developers with specific and required skill sets for an ongoing project and you might not need them when the task is over. This saves a lot of your resources, time, and money.
IT staff augmentation is essential in your business growth as any software company needs skilled resources and that too at the right time for the right duration. In such situations, IT staff augmentation plays an important part.
Many leading software companies worldwide are opting for IT staff augmentation to effectively execute their projects. IT staff augmentation has seen a rise during this decade and will see substantial growth in times to come.
Hope this article was helpful in knowing everything about IT staff augmentation.
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