Due to the shortage of skilled workers, positions in the IT departments of many companies remain vacant. Whole floors of developers, network administrators, database managers, cyber security experts, etc. are missing. Outsourcing of IT capacities is the solution for many companies - but what are the advantages and disadvantages?
The use of external services is of course reflected in higher expenses. But the hourly rate of many external developers is only too happy to be paid. The costs for a possible production downtime or a security leak are much higher. Or the margin of the orders simply exceeds the costs of the freelancers. On the other hand, the external resources also offer a high level of availability, since they are only used and billed when required. In addition, every IT specialist has expertise in their core area. Due to the high level of specialization in the respective field, projects can usually be implemented much faster and more cost-effectively than by the in-house IT department.
However, it is important to differentiate between services and projects. What initially started as a small security gap in the network can quickly grow into a restructuring of the entire network landscape. Costs and personnel expenses usually exceed the originally estimated sums. Therefore, pay attention to changes in the initial requirements.
In order to use external IT specialists correctly, however, basic, technical IT skills are required in your own company. A solid knowledge base about internal processes and systems must also be guaranteed when using freelancers in order to use them optimally.
