The current IT skills shortage that is impacting most South African (and global) businesses can hamper operations and stifle innovation and growth. Long term, a sustained focus on skills development is essential if South African organisations want to remain competitive, however, that is not going to solve the issues that businesses are facing today.
Here are three strategies that will address immediate needs and build a foundation for sustainable growth and innovation.
- On-demand skilled it resourcing
On-demand IT resourcing offers businesses the ability to access skilled professionals as needed, without the long-term commitment of hiring full-time employees. This model is particularly beneficial for projects with a defined scope and duration. It allows companies to scale their workforce up or down quickly, in response to project demands or market changes.
The rapid pace of technological change means that businesses must be agile and adaptable. On-demand resources provide the flexibility to harness specialized skills that might not be available in-house. This approach can be more cost-effective than training existing staff or hiring full-time experts in every required domain.
Do this:
- Understand which skills are core to your business and which can be sourced on demand. This enables you to focus your in-house training on core competencies while bringing in specialized skills as needed.
- Partner with reputable agencies that can provide pre-vetted, high-quality IT professionals quickly.
- Ensure that on-demand resources can integrate smoothly with your existing teams and processes to maximize their impact.
- Effective project management is key to making the most of on-demand resources, ensuring that projects stay on track and within budget.
- Managed IT solutions
Managed IT solutions involve outsourcing certain IT functions to a third-party provider. This approach allows businesses to benefit from the expertise of specialists who manage and assume responsibility for providing a defined set of IT services on a proactive basis.
This enables businesses to focus on their core operations without the distraction of complex IT decisions. It also provides a predictable cost structure for IT management, which is often more affordable than maintaining a full in-house IT staff. Managed services also offer improved risk management with professionals who are up-to-date on compliance and security protocols.
Do this:
Clearly define Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and ensure that the managed services provider (MSP) understands your business goals and has clear metrics for success.
Look for MSPs with experience in your industry and with the specific technologies you use.
Set up regular meetings with your MSP to review performance against SLAs and discuss potential improvements.
Select an MSP that can scale services up or down based on your evolving business needs.
- Staff augmentation solutions
Staff augmentation is a strategy of hiring skilled external personnel on a temporary basis to augment the capacity of the organisation. This approach allows businesses to add specific skill sets to their teams for a variety of projects without the overhead associated with permanent employees.
It is a flexible approach to workforce management, allowing businesses to respond to skill shortages, project demands, and market opportunities quickly. It also offers the advantage of accessing a broader talent pool, which may bring fresh perspectives and innovation.
Do this:
Clearly understand the skills and expertise needed to complement your existing team before engaging augmented staff.
Foster a collaborative environment to ensure knowledge transfer and cohesive team dynamics.
Treat augmented staff as part of the team, with clear expectations, objectives, and feedback mechanisms.
Use project management tools and communication platforms to keep augmented staff aligned with your business processes and culture.
How Paracon can help
The shortage of IT skills in the market does not have to be a barrier to growth and innovation for businesses. As a well-established specialist in IT resourcing, Paracon brings extensive expertise and experience to deliver top-tier tech talent to organisations in various industries. Paracon’s understanding of project and business staffing needs, regardless of scale or complexity, is supported by our team’s deep domain expertise.
