Digital has come a long way in a decade. While the 1990s saw computers and the Internet, the 2000s have seen the birth (and explosion) of social networking, the slow death of wires, and practically everything we own shrinking in size but growing in power. And the digital evolution isn’t looking to slow down any time soon.
With this change in digital technology, comes a change in digital approach. Where 10 years ago, a new website or anything to do with IT may have been a one off, today digital is ongoing – and investing in digital means investing in continually evolving and growing possibilities. Whereas a decade ago, a waterfall approach to running a digital project from one end to another, was practical – today, businesses are adopting Agile, Scrum and even DevOps practices to continually improve their IT.
But, how many businesses have applied these changes in their digital approach to the way they outsource their IT?
Outsourcing IT
A huge number of companies outsource some aspect of their IT services to either contract or service providers – and 69% of UK businesses say they’ll outsource more in the coming year.For many businesses, hiring a contractor is a quick and cost-effective way to get stuff done and tap into expert knowledge. A contractor can be a great way to deliver a pre-defined and planned project with a specific start and end time – but the nature of contracting works less well for ongoing processes.
At Nemetos Tanasuk, we believe that our constantly evolving digital world and the ongoing nature of digital projects call for companies to hire an agency. And here’s why:
1. Flexibility
Agencies used to require customers to commit to certain project lengths or budget sizes. Demand today means that we can be much more flexible in terms of delivering short-term projects, scaling up and down as needed, and even terminating contracts.
2. Continuity
Since permanent staff tend to stay with the same company for longer than freelancers, by hiring an agency, you’re guaranteed an ongoing level of skill, often with the same teams. This means businesses can get all the benefits of an ongoing relationship. – add something about knowledge.
3. Efficiency
However ‘out of the box’ it may seem, each and every digital solution is built differently, so there’s a steep learning curve for anyone beginning a new IT project. Ongoing relationships mean that us agencies can continually learn about our client’s businesses and aims – which makes us more efficient in helping to understand and reach business goals.
4. Speed
Having a solid understanding of a company’s unique digital solution also gives us agencies confidence that a new strategy can be delivered as quickly as possible.
5. Expertise
Often, clients map out a project, for it to change once work begins. This work may then require a different skill set. By working with an agency, customers are guaranteed a wide range of expertise. This means we’re able to pull in extra resource or alternate skills – from the rest of our team – as its needed. Contractors, on the other hand, will have their own locked skill set. And whilst they will have their own network, it’s usually less accessible.
6. Training
IT is a hugely competitive talent market, and one in which having an advanced skill set means huge competitive advantage. That’s why most agencies – especially within IT – make investing in the development of their employees a key priority. This means that we’re able to stay ahead of developments in digital technologies and even invest time in learning about specific technologies for certain customers. A contractor might not be able to – they’d have to cover the time spent, and the cost of training, themselves.
7. Liability
Many contractors don’t have indemnifying insurance for losses or downtime, and are therefore fully liable. All staff within an agency are legally insured – improving safety for both developers and clients.
Disclaimer: As I’m sure you’ve noticed; I work as part of an agency. In fact, I’ve been working as part of the same agency for over 6 years now. Despite this, I do genuinely believe that agencies using agile methodologies on their IT projects can adjust and deliver all the above benefits when it comes to working with their clients.
Working with Nemetos Tanasuk
Nemetos Tanasuk is a technical agency specialising in Sitecore solutions. We’ve been working in long-term partnerships with our clients for over 9 years, to help them stay ahead of changes in digital technology. One of our key strategies for doing so is investing in the development in our teams, so that they are always armed with the latest knowledge and skills in everything from new Sitecore releases to Agile project delivery.
“Nemetos Tanasuk has supported the G4S Global suite of websites since 2011. We rely on Nemetos to maintain our solution, specify and produce new features and upgrade our solution when needed. Nemetos provides us with technical expertise, communication and expert technical project management ensuring our online presence is fully supported.”Charlotte Borthwick, Group Digital Communications Manager, G4S Global
If you’re interested in finding out how Nemetos Tanasuk could help your business to either implement or optimise your Sitecore solution, please do get in touch. We’re always happy to talk about what we do, why, and how.
