The Benefits of IT Staff Augmentation for US Companies

Companies working on multiple different projects that need a variety of expertise, often run into the challenge of missing key skills. Hiring in-house employees, especially for short periods is not always the best and most sustainable solution, and juggling with freelancers might not give you the stability you need. So, what’s the solution? The good news is, that you have staff augmentation as a great alternative, which is about bringing in the skills you need, and for as long as you need. 

For US companies, staff augmentation has become quite a popular practice, especially in the tech field. It’s an easy way to bring in experts to your team when you’re missing key skills in your project. Also, comparing staff augmentation with in-house hiring, team augmentation is more flexible and quicker, but we will talk more in detail about that further in the article. 

So, let’s get started, see exactly how US companies benefit from staff augmentation, and compare this alternative to traditional hiring.

Benefits of IT Staff Augmentation

Thanks to remote work and constantly evolving technology, we have more possibilities than ever to work with teams and businesses abroad. Many US companies take advantage of staff augmentation for multiple reasons, but most of those are related to costs and flexibility.

One of the biggest advantages of staff augmentation is the speed at which you can fill talent gaps for any project you’re working on. Hiring the usual way can take a while since it involves several steps like interviewing, onboarding, and training. Staff augmentation makes things a lot easier, and you can jump right into the project with your new team members. If you suddenly have a lot of work or need experts for a quick project, this could be a really good option.

The ability to adapt to changes in workload and project requirements is an important benefit of staff augmentation. Many IT projects change direction at some point or need extra skills for certain parts, and with staff augmentation, companies can adapt easily. Imagine, you have a deadline and your current team size is not sufficient to handle all the tasks, so you expand your team by one or two people to help you out in this busy period, without having to worry about long-term commitments. And after the project wraps up, you can just as easily reduce your team size according to your needs. 

Cost is probably the biggest consideration, either with staff augmentation or with traditional hiring. The truth is, with staff augmentation, companies can save big, as it doesn’t involve as many costs as traditional hiring. Hiring in-house employees involves covering salaries, benefits, training, onboarding, equipment, office space, and much more. With staff augmentation, you pay solely for the skills and time that you truly require. IT staffing companies are up-to-date with their skills, and have their equipment and the necessary experience to make your IT project a success, whether that’s developing a new application, maintaining one, testing, or contributing with expertise in a programming language. 

With staff augmentation, you can reach a global talent pool. This means that any skill you’re looking for, you can choose the best candidates to add to your team, regardless of their location. US companies can reach the best professionals across the world, which means accessing more diverse skills and fresh perspectives for their projects. 

With staff augmentation, you’re still the one calling the shots. Even if your team includes professionals from different parts of the world, you stay in charge of the project and how it’s run. It’s different from outsourcing, where an external team might handle everything for you. This way, you can get the extra help you need while still keeping control.

Staff Augmentation vs. Hiring

When a company needs new talent, the first thought is usually hiring in-house employees. In many situations, this is likely the best option, and having people who are fully focused on your business has many benefits. But there are situations, and projects where IT team augmentation makes more sense. 

Flexibility vs. long-term investment

We mentioned earlier how much flexibility staff augmentation comes with. Traditional hiring is more of a long-term investment. It involves lengthy processes like recruitment, onboarding, and training in addition to salaries and benefits. That’s great if you have ongoing work for that role, but what if you just need someone to step in and help you out on a specific project? Staff augmentation can be a great alternative in this case. You can add people to your existing team temporarily without a permanent commitment. 

Financial efficiency matters

The costs involved with full-time hiring are high. Since you’re not just paying salaries, you also need to spend on recruitment, onboarding, and benefits, which add up. Staff augmentation is a smarter financial choice for project-based work, as you only pay for the work itself, without any extra costs. 

Choosing what fits your needs

It really depends on your situation. If you're looking for someone to be there for the long run, going the traditional hiring route could be the way to go. If you're facing a tight deadline, working on a short-term project, or need some specialized expertise in a programming language, you might want to think about staff augmentation.

Overcoming Common Challenges

Like with any business strategy, staff augmentation does come with some challenges, but with a little preparation and planning, you can easily overcome or prevent them. Here are some of the most common issues when it comes to staff augmentation and how to tackle them:

1. Time Zone Differences  
When you work with a global team, you will likely face time zone differences, which can make communication and working together in real time a bit difficult. Before picking a team to work with, think about this and try to come up with a plan that suits both of you. It's important to communicate regularly when working with remote team members. Project management tools and chat apps like Slack help your team stay connected, no matter where they are.

2. Communication Gaps 
Successful collaboration is built on good communication. But sometimes, things can get lost in translation when working with remote teams. Always be clear about your expectations, set regular check-in times, and encourage your team members to communicate openly and ask questions whenever necessary.

3. Team Integration 
If you’re new to the IT team augmentation strategy, adding external individuals to your in-house team can feel a little challenging at first. The trick is to include them as part of your in-house team from day one, show them how the team works, and encourage collaboration.

MoldoWEB’s Staff Augmentation Solutions

As a software outsourcing company, we have collaborated with various US companies, so we understand how important it is to find trustworthy and reliable team members. Our staff augmentation services give you a flexible way to expand your in-house team. Facing a time-sensitive task or a deadline? We’re here to help with the skills you need!

We’ve been working with technologies like Angular, Node.js, .NET, and Firebase for over 10 years at MoldoWEB. Technology never stands still, and neither do we—we're constantly learning and adapting to make sure we have the right people ready to help you with whatever you need.

Every project is different, that’s why we prioritize understanding your goals and requirements first, before finding the best-fitting talent to join your team. 

Our experience working with international clients helps us offer fresh perspectives and creative solutions. Plus, we take care of everything from recruitment to onboarding, so you can focus on your business, while we find the most suitable experts for your projects. 

Contact us if you have any questions, or let’s schedule a call to talk about your project needs!

Conclusion

Technology is evolving really quickly, creating many new opportunities for remote work and hiring. Lots of companies in the US are on the lookout for talented people to join their teams temporarily to access expertise in different technologies or to meet tight deadlines.

Whatever the reason, traditional hiring in such situations might not always be the best option, due to the long-term commitment and the different expenses it comes with. 

Staff augmentation services were invented exactly for this purpose: to extend in-house teams with one or more people who have the skills and experience to step in quickly and help out in tech projects. 

This hiring model gives you more flexibility, and it’s also more affordable, as you don’t pay for all the extras like equipment, office space, or benefits. 

And with partners like MoldoWEB, you get access to skilled IT professionals who are ready to hit the ground running and achieve great results.