Outsourced vs. In-House DevOps Engineers: Which Option Is Better?

DevOps engineers are specialists no modern tech business cannot function without. By 2019, the global DevOps market is expected to reach $3 billion. This means that the demand for this service will grow rapidly.

DevOps engineers are responsible for the way your applications and systems work, so a normal wish of every business is to hire a real professional in this domain.?

For many years already, it has been possible to work with people in house or cooperate with outsourcing companies that can provide the services your business needs. In the case of DevOps services, both options are widely used, but which one is better?

As a provider of outsourced Devops services that has gained a great experience and worked with 100+ clients for the last 13 years, we think that outsourcing is a better solution for the majority of businesses. Our answer can be explained by a financial aspect of this question and by other facts that are connected with the process of hiring, onboarding, and management.?

Let’s start with the latter reasons.

Advantages of hiring outsourced DevOps engineers

Hiring outsourced DevOps engineers can offer many advantages:

• Expertise and specialization?

Outsourcing allows you to taccess specialized DevOps professionals who have a great experience across different industries and projects. This expertise can be particularly valuable if your organization lacks the resources to maintain a comprehensive in-house team with varied skill sets.

• Flexibility and scalability?

Outsourcing offers flexibility in scaling up or down as project demands change. You can easily ramp up the team during busy periods and scale back when the workload decreases, without the complexities of hiring and firing full-time employees.

• Access to cutting-edge technology?

DevOps service providers often stay on top of the latest tools and technologies. Engaging with an outsourced team can provide access to innovative solutions that may not be readily available within your organization.

• Immediate availability of skills

Finding and hiring highly skilled DevOps professionals can be a challenging and time-consuming process. Outsourcing provides quick access to a pre-vetted talent pool.

• Faster onboarding?

Outsourced DevOps engineers typically get integrated into new environments and projects quickly. This can lead to faster implementation of DevOps practices and solutions compared to hiring and onboarding new in-house employees.

• Focus on core competencies?

By outsourcing DevOps tasks, your in-house team can focus on core business activities and development efforts. This allocation of resources can lead to increased productivity and efficiency in delivering value to customers.

• Reduced management overhead?

Managing an in-house team involves administrative tasks, performance reviews, and other HR-related responsibilities. With an outsourced team, these management aspects are handled by the service provider.

• Risk mitigation?

Outsourced teams often come with service-level agreements (SLAs) that outline the level of service and support you can expect. This ensures that your projects will stay on track and issues will be addressed promptly.

• Cost efficiency

Hiring outsourced DevOps engineers can often be more cost-effective, especially for smaller organizations or projects. You can avoid the expenses associated with full-time salaries, benefits, training, and infrastructure setup.

The financial side of the question

Let’s make some calculations. If you’d like to have in-house specialists, you should hire a minimum of 2 DevOps engineers to be sure that your work will not stop when one of them takes a vacation or a sick leave. Two specialists of the middle level will cost you approximately $8-15k per month in Ukraine or Poland and $18-20k per month in the USA. If you’re interested in senior DevOps engineers, the salary spending will be $14-20k per month in Ukraine or Poland and $26-30k per month in the USA.

An ideal team should consist not only of these two professionals but also of a team leader and a project manager which adds additional $10-14k per month in Ukraine or Poland and $22k per month in the USA.

This team will have a full-time schedule if this is a project start. Such an active period will last for 1-3 months, but later, if everything is set up and configured correctly, you will need only to support your systems. Approximately 20-30 hours per month will be enough for a good support. In this case, having even two full-time DevOps engineers in house will be very expensive.

According to our pricing, 20-30 hours of support will cost you $1.5k without emergency tasks and a bit more if you require emergency support.

So, the benefits are obvious - $1.5k per month for outsourced DevOps services and $8-15k for in-house specialists in Ukraine or Poland, or $18-20k per month in the USA.

Bottom line

Ultimately, the decision between hiring outsourced or in-house DevOps engineers depends on your organization's priorities. However, if you choose an outsourcing company like IT-Magic, you will receive top-level services and the benefits listed above, all for a reasonable price and with a great approach to work from our side. We foster open communication, clear expectations, and a shared understanding of objectives, because we believe that all this contributes to the success of our cooperation and your business development.

Below, you will find feedback of a few IT-Magic’s clients:

If you’re looking for DevOps services, our company is ready to provide all necessary consultations and implement the right solutions that will help your business grow and earn money. Feel free to message me with your inquiries.