In an ideal world, you’d have your own dedicated software department, fully staffed with experts in every discipline. They’d be poised to answer your every software development whim. You say jump – they leap. Sounds brilliant, doesn’t it? But let’s think about the reality of it and then look at our Managed Services.
DIY Software Department
Firstly, you need the physical space for a software department. Not a problem? Okay, now for the talent. Recruiting high calibre people isn’t easy and unearthing stars of the future takes experience. It’s all too easy to hire the wrong people. Also, the best in the business are well looked after by software companies and command a decent salary. For example, for a Lead Developer, you’re looking upwards of £60k a year. That’s just for the developer – what about other specialists? Add a UX designer, UI designer, front end, back end, testing and project management, and suddenly recruiting and setting up a department is starting to look expensive.
It’s not just about the money though. Good staff are notoriously tricky to recruit for in-house positions. Why? Two reasons. They don’t want to end up working as support and they don’t like the day-to-day reality of working on one single product. They want the variety and challenge of working in a vibrant environment where they can work across different projects and clients.
If you do manage to assemble a software department, you then have to maintain, motivate and retain the people in it. What if you don’t have enough work for them? For one, you’re not getting value for money from your investment and two, talented people don’t like sitting around all day watching cat videos on Facebook. They could get itchy feet.
Our Managed Services
Now compare the above to AVAMAE Managed Services. A large number of our clients have moved over to managed services contracts that start from 10 days a month and continue on a rolling basis. They love the flexibility, expertise and cost-savings they bring.
Ongoing development is important as the most successful digital products demand constant innovation and updates. Why do you think Instagram and other apps have so many frequent updates? Having an experienced team to hand to continually improve your software is essential.
The attraction of having your own software department, but without the expense and responsibility of setting up and running it is obviously strong. For less than setting up their own in-house software departments, our clients have specialists in all areas of software design and development and a dedicated project manager to ensure everything runs like clockwork.
The Beauty of Bespoke
Our Managed Services contracts are completely bespoke, transparent and controllable. Time is pre-allocated and all costs are fixed for the duration of the contract. So, you know precisely where you are.
They’re entirely flexible, too. You can set your own priorities each month. Want to start and stop projects? No problem. Want to change your mind mid project? That’s fine as you’re not tied to a fixed project spec.
Continuity is also important. You get to work with a highly dedicated team of people who know your project inside and out and work on it on a regular, ongoing basis – not dipping in and out or switching and changing. It’s got all the positives of having your own in-house software department, but none of the negatives. There are no worries with hiring the wrong people. No headaches dealing with sickness, finding holiday cover or staff disputes and redundancies.
Clear Financial Sense
Weigh an AVAMAE Managed Services contract up against the cost of hiring and running your own department, and it’s not as expensive as you might think. That’s why this way of working is no longer just the preserve of big companies – in fact, many of our clients are SMEs.
Let’s Talk
Our Managed Services are completely bespoke, which is why it’s good to discuss your individual requirements. This enables us to create a contract of 10 days, or more, per month, that will accommodate all your future software development needs. Simply call +44 (0) 20 7509 6992 or email robert.mcewan@avamae.co.uk and we can meet for a chat.
