When considering how to meet your business’ IT requirements, you’ll need to decide whether you’ll want to hire permanent staff, work with contractors, or outsource your project to an IT Consultancy.

For most companies, outsourcing to an IT Consultancy will be the most cost-effective and efficient way to approach their IT projects because there are fewer limitations and associated costs than with permanent employees or contractors.

Whilst there are advantages to hiring staff who get to know your business and customers, it’s difficult in the IT field to rely on one person.

Here we explore some of the considerations you’ll need to take into account when deciding whether to hire a consultant or brief a multi-disciplinary IT consultancy.

Have a look at our infographic below for a quick summary, click here to view the pdf, or keep reading to find out more.

An IT consultancy provides access to the right experts at the right time

Most IT projects will require different specialists at different times. An IT consultancy can give you easy access to the right expertise – it’s a cost-effective way to get experienced experts on your team.

An IT consultancy will minimise your risk

If defining an IT project is hard, managing one is even harder. It is notoriously difficult to manage an IT project and there can be complications that arise if your in-house staff can’t complete the project successfully or the project needs extending with a contractor who already has another position lined up. Working with an outsourced consultancy ensures your project is completed successfully by experts – no matter how many obstacles may arise.

An IT consultancy will mean you say goodbye to employee overheads & recruitment challenges

Due to the extreme pace of development in the tech industry, it’s unsurprising that IT contractors are in high-demand, which only drives up their rates. Full-stack developers who can design, build, and manage a complete project are like unicorns, and if you can find one willing to join a company with outdated IT function, either permanently or on contract, they will require a high fee. An IT Consultancy has a complete team able to design, build, and manage your project beyond expectations and they’ll provide ongoing support as technology continues to change.

An IT consultancy will remove the headache of staff retention

As IT is a competitive field with lots of opportunities, there will always be another job on offer, which promises more money and better benefits – this is true for both contractors and in-house staff. This makes it almost impossible to retain IT staff for ongoing support after your project is completed. And even worse, if your project hits hard times and your staff feel under pressure, they may be tempted to move, leaving you at a financial loss with a complicated IT project to finish.

An IT consultancy will provide flexible, long-term support

Your bottom line. This is where you truly have to weigh up contractor vs permanent employee vs outsourced consultancy. Any good contractor will request a large fee and will be gone when the development is complete, leaving you with a tricky-to-fulfil support requirement. In contrast, permanent employees will require a consistent stream of ongoing work to keep them occupied once the project is complete, meaning it can be difficult to hire anyone worthwhile without a clear personal development plan. With an outsourced consultancy though, your project will always be completed down to the most finite detail and you will be offered reliable, dependable support contracts with SLA’s for ongoing support requirements, so you’re never left in the lurch.

Get in touch

While contractors and in-house employees both have their benefits, if you have an upcoming project to digitise your business and stay ahead of the game, we suggest getting in touch with an external development partner, like ourselves.

We have a sizeable and growing team offering expertise in a diverse variety of IT areas, so we’ll have the right combination of skills to tackle any project. Plus, we understand that a technology project is never truly over, so we’ll always be on hand to offer support as software changes and develops – keeping you ahead of the curve without you even needing to ask.

Get in touch for a no-obligation exploratory discussion about how we can partner with you to meet your current and future IT needs.

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