Telecommunications software development is one of the most complex and know-how demanding fields in the IT industry. That’s precisely why most telecom companies have built comprehensive in-house teams that are capable of taking care of most, if not all, the day-to-day issues that are particular to this sector.
However, with the imminent arrival of 5G technology and the various challenges that the coronavirus pandemic has put upon the whole world, the way companies manage telecommunications software development projects has completely changed. In this context, IT Staff Augmentation has stolen the spotlight for the various benefits it brings to the table.
We Are All Relying on Connectivity
There’s no doubt: with people working from home and students adopting edtech solutions, the whole world is relying on networking infrastructure and connectivity more than ever. Any kind of shortcoming in service would have a potentially massive impact on how people go on their daily lives.
Naturally, this has led to a massive increase in bandwidth demand. The fact that Italy’s network traffic increased by 70% during the outbreak just marked the beginning of the worldwide massive transition to the digital environment. For the most part, service providers have been able to keep up with the increased bandwidth demand of 2020. But adding more capacity is still top of mind for most telcos.
The Role of IT Staffing
Every successful project needs support from a right-sized team with the proper expertise, and telecommunications software development is no exception. In a world where the evolution of telecom technology is mandatory to keep national economies running, having on-demand access to talented software engineers is a must.
This is where IT Staffing Services come in. IT Staffing is a software outsourcing service designed to boost the quality of enterprise-level projects by adding expert software engineers with specific abilities whenever they are needed. This is a perfect fit for telecom projects since they often require to fill very specific roles for a limited amount of time – two role characteristics that the most talented software developers are not very fond of.
To solve this problem, IT Staffing companies assemble and manage development teams that match the requirements of any particular telecommunications company. The best part of IT staffing is that it is fully customizable: staffing solutions cover projects from any size and kind, from fully managed teams to individual expert engineers.
To put it simply, IT Staffing solutions help telecommunication companies with 4 different axes:
- Efficiency: By maximizing the workload efficiency of Telecommunications Software Development and keeping projects on-time and on-budget.
- Innovation: By forcing collaboration between teams with different backgrounds and sharing industry knowledge throughout product development.
- Scalability: By jumpstarting the development cycle, boosting business growth, and helping telcos reach objectives faster.
- New Technologies: By driving business strategy via cutting-edge technology used by the leading companies in the industry.
The Pros and Cons of IT Staffing for Telecommunications Software Development
Although IT Staffing is almost always a great solution for Telecommunications Software Development, it’s important to keep in mind when it can have a bigger effect on a project—and when other solutions are better fitted for the situation. Here’s a quick rundown of the pros and cons of IT Staffing for telecommunication companies.
Pros
- Access to Top Talent: IT Staffing allows telcos to quickly and seamlessly integrate outstanding software engineers that increase their in-house team’s capabilities, instantly adding value to their projects.
- Easy Hiring: Sourcing, hiring, and retaining software development talent is not an easy feat. Through staffing, telcos can easily find the specific skill sets needed for any project, no matter the size or complexity.
- Minimal Risks: Without the proper horsepower on board, any telecommunications project is bound to run into speed bumps. Outsourcing engineering talent can rapidly minimize downtime and get most development risks off the table.
- Flexibility: Telecom projects deal with many factors and variables. An extended team gives telcos the flexibility to increase or decrease the size of their development workforce as needed thanks to the on-demand talent methodology.
Cons
- Possible Ramp-ups: Some telecom projects require high-level knowledge of the company’s history, context, and other unique data. This has a chance of creating ramp-up times in which the extended team has to learn this information by heart.
- Reliance on Internal Processes: Unsurprisingly enough, any flaws found on internal processes have a high chance of extending its negative effects to outsourced staffing solutions.
- Workflow Matching: Not all telecom companies are used to working with extended teams. Adapting to the rhythm of Telecommunications Software Development through Staff Augmentation may take some time.
The Way Forward
No one can deny that the Telecommunications industry is the lifeblood of worldwide modern communications. This isn’t the first crisis it has seen, and it will certainly not be the last. Just like in the past, relying on technology solutions will keep us moving forward. There is no innovation without risk. And, in times like these, innovation is what will prepare us for the decades ahead.
