An IT consultant or IT consultancy is a business that specializes in providing information technology (IT) related advice and services to businesses and other organizations. Such consultants advise and support most of the aspects affecting the business, like design, development, implementation, and maintenance of IT systems.
In some cases, an IT consulting firm may have its own team for this purpose but most often they outsource these tasks to freelancers from outsourcing companies. Technology solutions in Newcastle can help you to avail this kind of service. They then provide access to those teams as well as supervise them on behalf of their client. In some cases, they also offer software as a service that includes maintenance support. Here are 6 things you should know.
Hourly Billing Is Common
IT consulting firms use different models for charging their clients – hourly being one of the commonly used by such firms. Depending on the nature of your project and the consultancy firm you hire, hourly billing may also vary as they can be per hour or monthly.
An example of a monthly rate would be $20 US dollars an hour with a minimum time charge that varies from one company to another. A common practice is to count every full 30 minutes as a unit and some companies will round up time after 30 minutes – i.e., 31 minutes = 1 unit and 59 minutes = 2 units for one-hour charges.
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) Is Standard
A non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is usually required before any work can begin and it is designed to ensure information related to your company’s technology is kept confidential. While the exact clauses vary from one consultancy company to another, it includes important details on what you are allowed to disclose and what is off-limits.
Some common clauses are:
- Disclosure: The consulting firm must reveal all the information related to your project and you are not allowed to disclose it further.
- Ownership: You won’t be allowed to use any materials or information provided by the consulting firm (for free or otherwise) for other purposes such as creating a competitive product without prior consent from the company.
- Work Product: All work performed by the consultant is deemed ‘work made for hire and thus owned by you unless stated otherwise in a separate agreement with the consultancy company.
- Period of Confidentiality: A period after your contract expires during which you cannot violate this confidentiality clause – usually six months onwards from when it expires or when knowledge of your company’s technology is public, whichever is sooner.
There Is A Huge Roi In It Consulting
The ROI – or Return of Investment – that your company will derive from hiring an outside consultancy firm should be reason enough to justify the expenditure. A few examples include:–
Access To Expertise
Firms can provide a group of experts ready and willing to tackle everything from recruitment software to wireless network security, saving you time and money on training staff in these areas yourself.
Expense Reduction
Outsourcing certain aspects of development save internal resources for other projects; The consultants at NetworkElites.com confirm this, adding that this also helps to avoid costly mistakes, particularly in the area of project management. In addition, it helps you avoid spending capital on office space and is thus cost-effective for smaller organizations lacking the infrastructure needed for such tasks.
Add New Capability
Some of the most successful new technologies require constant upscaling and it may become difficult to maintain current systems or develop new systems with limited resources. The additional capabilities brought by consultants can help your business gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Consulting Firms Are Not Just For Large Companies
While the most obvious clients are major corporations with vast amounts of capital at their disposal, consultants can be invaluable for startups too. A small business may not yet require a dedicated IT staff and their initial growth may be too slow to support one, for instance. Besides, by hiring the services of an outside consultant you can remain focused on your core business and leave all things related to technology to them – pay as you go and without sacrificing quality.
Don’t Over-Specify
Over-specifying is another common mistake made by those who lack prior experience with consulting firms; it is important that you avoid this as much as possible as it leads to an increase in project costs along with delays in project completion.
Not All Consultants Offer The Same Thing
As with any service, one size does not fit all and this is just as true of IT consultants. The level of expertise varies between companies and it is important that you take the time to compare their services and qualifications before hiring.
Check out what type of experience they have under their belt: Make sure they have a track record in your industry or at least something relevant to your business.
In short, hiring an IT consultancy firm is a great way to add additional and much-needed expertise to your business. However, it’s important that you find the right match and work with them closely in order to get optimal results. With these 6 things in mind. You can make the right choice.
Don’t Over-Specify
Over-specifying is another common mistake made by those who lack prior experience with consulting firms; it is important that you avoid this as much as possible as it leads to an increase in project costs along with delays in project completion.
Not All Consultants Offer The Same Thing
As with any service, one size does not fit all and this is just as true of IT consultants. The level of expertise varies between companies and it is important that you take the time to compare their services and qualifications before hiring.
Check out what type of experience they have under their belt: Make sure they have a track record in your industry or at least something relevant to your business.
In short, hiring an IT consultancy firm is a great way to add additional and much-needed expertise to your business. However, it’s important that you find the right match and work with them closely in order to get optimal results. With these 6 things in mind. You can make the right choice.
