Whether you’re sending an email or holding a video conference call, you and your employees rely on technology to perform your daily duties. It is thanks to your capable IT team that you can use your technology without a second thought. From updating software to implementing new hardware, your IT department works hard behind the scenes to make sure everything works flawlessly.
However, there are times when resources are stretched too thin, especially when a company is experiencing growth. In a scenario like this, it’s not uncommon for IT projects to start piling up as your IT staff struggles to catch up with existing work. An increasing workload like this can quickly become unmanageable and wind up hurting employee morale. But how can a company avoid running into this problem?
Hybrid Managed Services
If workflows become overwhelming for your existing workforce, it becomes necessary to scale to keep up with demands. When the time comes to grow the team, many companies tend to hesitate. Such hesitation is not surprising given that hiring new employees is not only expensive, but also time consuming.
In 2021, the average IT support specialist makes a little over $50,000 a year according to PayScale.com. With salary plus benefits, hiring additional staff can seem unrealistic for some businesses. There’s also the matter of onboarding new employees. Before new employees can start working, they have to learn the way your business runs. Someone is also going to have to make time in their schedule to teach them the ropes.
While hiring more staff can alleviate your workflow problem, it’s not always the ideal solution. Thankfully, there’s another option available that can give you all the help you need. Hybrid IT services allow you to provide extra support to your IT department when they need it the most.
What Are Hybrid Managed Services?
Also known as staff augmentation or supplementation, hybrid managed services are part of an outsourcing strategy that gives you access to talented IT specialists. Offered by an outsourced IT services provider, you can bring on an entire team of IT experts for the price of a single employee. By giving you the ability to scale at a moment’s notice, hybrid managed services grant your organization improved flexibility. Having this support means you won’t have to worry about overextending your IT department again.
How Hybrid Managed Services Work
Hybrid managed services are a fairly simple service with a straightforward approach to implementing. The first step is to identify the skills, qualifications, and number of technicians you need. Next is to work with your third-party provider to select the consultants that fit your needs. From there, all that’s left is to integrate the consultants with your team.
The Advantages of IT Project Outsourcing
An increasing number of organizations are relying on staff augmentation services. The ability to choose who you want to join your team, how many, and for how long offers many benefits. Here are some of the advantages you can expect from augmenting your staff:
- Cost-Effectiveness: Hiring a managed service provider to supplement your IT department can give you access to an entire team of highly trained experts. This service is provided at a cost that is usually lower than the cost of a single employee.
- Less Legal Headaches: When you hire someone, legal liability is attached to your business. Taxes, payroll, benefits, and more—you are responsible for all of it. When you use hybrid managed services, the provider acts as the official employer of the contractors.
- Efficient Hiring: Through the normal hiring process, the human resources team has to get involved and the candidate must go through the interview process. With hybrid managed services, you can hire consultants quickly.
- Objectivity: Since the vendor isn’t a part of your business, the provided technicians can offer an objective view of what’s helping and hurting your infrastructure.
- Flexibility: Staff augmentation allows you to quickly adapt when an IT project expands or is too big for the in-house team to handle.
Why Should You Supplement Your Staff?
IT staff augmentation is currently very popular in the business world. Organizations from around the world utilize this solution to meet the demands of their business. However, it’s not uncommon to have reservations about trying something new.
If you are unsure if hybrid managed services are right for your company, here are some situations where it would help:
- If you’re ready to extend your team, but there’s a shortage of professionals or you’re unsatisfied with what the local talent pool has to offer.
- If your existing IT department is overwhelmed by work and there’s no end in sight given the current work rate.
- If you have a short-term IT project you want to finish, but you don’t want your IT team wasting too much time on it.
- If you need an IT specialist who has a certain skill set, but no one on your existing team has that skill.
How Is This Different From Managed IT?
There are a few parallels between managed IT and staff augmentation, but they are not the same service. Staff augmentation is where the vendor provides IT consultants and acts simply as an extension of your current team. You have full control over what these consultants do and how they help your organization.
By contrast, managed IT is more of a turnkey solution where the service provider handles all of your IT needs. They take over the management of your IT infrastructure, implementing solutions they believe can help your business reach its technology goals. This option works best if you have an IT team with only a few members or if you have no internal department at all.
Get the Help Your Team Needs
E-N Computers is an industry-leading IT company that is dedicated to helping our clients achieve success. We offer a wide range of IT solutions to meet the needs of your business, including staff augmentation. If your internal IT staff needs help with a project, let us step in to provide the support they need.
Contact us today to learn more about the services E-N Computers offers.
