How to Find a Good IT Outsourcing Partner.

Find an outsource company and do not go broke — a task that faces all IT startups. More and more companies are outsourcing their IT tasks. And this is justified:

• On your product will work professionals who are versed in modern technology
• You and your company will be able to focus on your core business
• You will save time and money (we, however, do not recommend treating outsourcing as a means of saving — this is more about quality, which you will find difficult to achieve in the state)

There are much more reasons why large companies and startups give development to outsourcing. In this article we will explain how to search for a service provider and how not to regret your choice. First of all, you need to decide what you will give for outsource company, and what you can do by yourself.

Find an outsource company and do not go broke — a task that faces all IT startups. More and more companies are outsourcing their IT tasks. And this is justified:

There are much more reasons why large companies and startups give development to outsourcing. In this article, we will explain how to search for a service provider and how not to regret your choice. First of all, you need to decide what you will give for the outsource company, and what you can do by yourself.

Where to look for a company?

The process of searching for an outsource company usually looks something like this: a person enters into google something like “the best IT outsourcing companies” or something broader: “the best IT outsourcing countries”.
On LinkedIn, you can check companies found elsewhere. If an outsource company has a profile there, it is already good! Look at who the CEO is, what his contacts are, and whether there are feedback on cooperation. Check if they post their own articles, this is a good sign — it means the company cares about its reputation in the industry and has expertise.
Another common option is to find the right company in business directories. There are a huge number of directory sites that are focused on specific regions (Europe, America, and others) and have many different categories in which you can easily find a company offering the necessary services, as well as see ratings, customer reviews, company locations, etc.

5 steps to consider when choosing an outsourcing service provider:

01. A clear understanding of goals saves time and money.

Start with a clear idea of what you want to outsource and why. Orient on goals and time. Ponder the functionality of the future product. It is very useful to consult with a marketing analyst. Subsequently, it will help to choose a more suitable design and functionality.

Ideally, at the end of this stage, you should have clear and precise requirements for future products. This will allow developers to more accurately estimate the amount of work and can reduce the budget. In addition, it will be easier for you to find out if a certain outsource company can bring your ideas to life. Once you clearly identify what you need, you can go directly to the search for the desired provider.

02. Expertise is important, but not always obvious.

There are thousands of IT companies. How to choose the right one? You can start with Google search, as we do when looking for other products and services. But you have to be ready to deal with dozens of pages.

Here are some tips:

• The website. What does it look like? Is site navigation easy to use? Is there enough information on it? Agree, that rarely you can meet a shoemaker without shoes.
• Portfolio. Study projects. If websites are presented, go to them, make sure you like them.
• Technology. If you are not a developer yourself, it may be difficult for you to assess the technical potential of the studio. But you can find out how extensive the expertise is (in other words, is there anything to choose from). Good IT companies stay on top, constantly expanding their expertise and invest a lot in developer training.
• Team. Explore yourself with the company’s infrastructure. For IT outsourcing, it is important that the company provides a full range of services (including design, development, testing, project management, and support). Otherwise, at some point, it may turn out that other suppliers are needed to complete the project.
• Blog. A blog is also a valuable source of information about peer review, values, workflows, and even language proficiency. Good companies seek to benefit customers and colleagues. So, the presence of articles in the blog is a good sign.

03. Understanding your business is as important as code quality.

Dealing with developed enterprise and startup is two different things: they have different needs, different internal processes. So make sure the provider has the appropriate experience: did it work before with start-ups (or business corporations, etc.). This will help avoid misunderstandings when it comes to agreeing on decisions or making amendments.

A reliable and responsible provider will offer to start with the MVP (minimum viable product) instead of investing all available resources in the final version. This is especially useful in the case of startups: you can check the idea at work and change it in accordance with the reaction of users. And the product starts to bring profit much earlier.

04. Transparent communication is the key to everything.

Communication transparency is the most important aspect of IT outsourcing, which often overlooked. But without clear understanding who is dealing with your project now and at what stage it is, how will you be sure that you are moving in the right direction? It’s like drifting in the open sea without a compass.

Therefore, a clear communication plan is needed. It should contain convenient types of communication, the frequency of phoning, written reports or video chats (we recommend that they occur at least once a week).

During contacts, the representative of the supplier should be ready to report on the difficulties, the budget spent and the work is done. Ask questions if you do not understand something and provide feedback.

05. Safety First.

Make sure that the supplier you will deal with is familiar with the latest security procedures. These include:

• storing confidential data and encrypting it
• user privacy issues
• following generally accepted rules, for example, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

The easiest way to reduce development security risks is to sign a confidentiality agreement. In Geniusee a non-disclosure agreement is the first thing you will be asked to sign in order to protect your rights. All members of our team also sign a non-disclosure agreement for recruitment.

According to the IT Ukraine Association, our country is characterized by a positive dynamic in the workforce and high-quality indicators. 74% of Ukrainian programmers have a higher technical education. This indicates that Ukraine is a country with great potential in IT outsourcing. We invite you to cooperation!

Contact us to ask questions, discuss your business ideas and plan joint action.

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