| Today there are many talks about cloud computing. | | | | or offshore) developers team entirely dipped and |
| Supposedly it can give a new effective way to satisfy | | | | strictly following customer's project philosophy. It can |
| needs in hardware and software products and IT | | | | be especially efficient when utilizing the Agile software |
| services. But what about IT personnel? Can the cloud | | | | development methodology. |
| model be expanded to... cloud staffing? If yes, what | | | | And now a new wave - |
| about such notions as "nearshore/offshore dedicated | | | | * Cloud staffing - Its motto is "Flexibility, Scalability, and |
| team" or "outsourcing software development" - are | | | | Effectiveness". It is a synergy of the best outsourcing |
| they obsolete? | | | | practices and software development methodologies |
| The term cloud staffing is reasonable because IT | | | | along with the power of the up-to-date Web-based |
| outsourcing constantly evolves. And new notions | | | | communication and collaborative work technologies. |
| reflect a new level of its maturity and hands-on | | | | Features of Cloud Staffing |
| experience gained both by customers and providers, | | | | Cloud computing reduces hardware/software to a thin |
| as well as indicate possible ways of the IT outsourcing | | | | client on a web-connected laptop (or even |
| further growth. | | | | smartphone) against mainframe computers, data |
| IT Outsourcing - Steps to Clouds | | | | centers and complex applications hidden in the cloud. |
| About 20 years ago outsourcing was a tool with the | | | | 1. Cloud staffing means thin HR |
| help of which multinational companies tried to reduce | | | | Pure manpower for clients, all the troubles about |
| overhead costs. It was time of mega-deals with | | | | personnel hiring, retention, and firing are inside the staff |
| long-lasting contracts and India as a main offshore | | | | cloud. |
| location. It was a thing for "large dogs" only. | | | | 2. Cloud staffing means no administrative fuss for |
| However, even for the multinationals there were some | | | | customers |
| problems managing offshore projects. Remoteness, | | | | Vacations, taxes, and so forth - this all is in the cloud |
| lack of openness and transparency in relations | | | | and maintained by the service provider. |
| between a customer and service provider, cultural | | | | 3. Staff clouds are scalable |
| barriers could bring to nothing all potential savings and | | | | Human resources can be scaled up and down rapidly. |
| benefits. No wonder that there gradually appeared: | | | | 4. Staff clouds are transparent |
| * Captive centers built by US and European | | | | All people are selected and interviewed by clients. The |
| companies in outsourcing destinations | | | | clients can choose best-of-breed IT specialists: |
| * Western companies-intermediaries that cooperated | | | | programmers, testers, etc. They will be managed by |
| with a bunch of proven outsourcing providers - as a | | | | the customer, share their development methodology |
| result, end customers have no deal with offshore | | | | and collaborative work tools (project management, |
| personnel | | | | development, testing, telecommunication channels and |
| * Representatives of offshore companies (Do you | | | | tools). |
| remember all those ads and letters like "A BBB-based | | | | 5. Clouds are acceptable |
| software development company requires reps in the | | | | Not only for large businesses but rather for SME, |
| USA"?) | | | | start-ups, and even individuals. |
| A step to make IT outsourcing affordable for small | | | | 6. Clouds are firm |
| businesses and even individuals were online freelancer | | | | They have reliable legal background: flexible contract |
| auctions and talent marketplaces. Among employers | | | | documents, guarantees of IP right protection, money |
| there can be met both blue chip companies that try to | | | | back guarantees and other rights. |
| find "fresh blood" for their providers pool, and students | | | | 7. Cloud staffing is a new but mature form of IT |
| who need assistance in their homework. However | | | | outsourcing |
| virtual worker marketplaces has their own pitfalls too: | | | | Behind the clouds there is a new generation of |
| sometimes it is difficult to resize the project team, etc. | | | | managers and developers who know countries they |
| In order to decrease outsourcing risks companies tried | | | | work with, understand their cultural and business |
| out a number of different cooperation and managerial | | | | specificity, and have a hands-on experience in working |
| models: | | | | in remote teams. |
| * Multisourcing - Its motto was "Do not put all eggs in | | | | Cloud computing is a sound solution in our tough |
| one basket". The idea of multisourcing was to mitigate | | | | competitive world when deals should be made quickly |
| outsourcing risks distributing different parts of projects | | | | and without excessive red-tape retards. Comparing |
| among several providers: e.g., one of them develops | | | | with conventional IT outsourcing, a more mature |
| software, another one provides independent testing. | | | | approach of cloud staffing allows customers |
| As a side effect, multisourcing has stimulated interest | | | | - To avoid time and expense on building infrastructure, |
| to nearshoring and such outsourcing locations as Latin | | | | thereby increasing business responsiveness and faster |
| America and Eastern Europe (Romania, Poland, | | | | time to market |
| Ukraine, etc.). | | | | - To acquire more sophisticated business processes |
| * Acquisition or establishment of companies in the USA | | | | or services, thereby rearranging capital investments to |
| or EU by outsourcing firms, hiring both local and | | | | allocate to another business areas |
| offshore/nearshore staff. Their aims are: to be closer | | | | - To scale up and down a team, thereby staying |
| to customers, to eliminate the cultural barriers, to | | | | flexible and vibrant to the market situation by growing |
| transfer and use the best managerial and production | | | | business efficiency without giving away the control |
| practices. | | | | over the business. |
| * Dedicated developer teams - A remote (nearshore | | | | |