Boost Your Team’s Success with Nearshore Staff Augmentation- nCube

If you’re exploring talent acquisition beyond borders, it’s hard to ignore the growing popularity of nearshore staff augmentation. A quick search on Google Trends shows that interest in this model has been steadily rising since 2022, with a 17% increase in the past year alone. It’s no surprise – this approach offers greater access to in-demand skills as well as lets you assemble a team at record speed and start developing instead of wasting months searching for the skill sets you need.

In this post, we’ll define nearshore staff augmentation and review its key benefits and engagement models. We’ll also cover typical services and dive into success stories to see how it drives success for companies like yours. Let’s begin!

What is nearshore staff augmentation?

Nearshore staff augmentation involves integrating team members from neighboring countries into your existing team. This approach is often used to access a pool of skilled software developers, thus enhancing an organization’s engineering capabilities. Nearshore teams work on your project full-time, seamlessly blending into your company.

How does this model work? The vendor of the nearshore staff augmentation services, like nCube, does all the heavy lifting. They find and pre-screen candidates based on the hard skills, soft skills, cultural fit, and English proficiency your company requires. Although the vendor recommends candidates they find suitable, the final decision to hire them is always yours. At the start of cooperation, the vendor helps you integrate the chosen experts into your team, within an efficient onboarding process. After that, the nearshore development center is fully yours to manage.

What is nearshore staff augmentation in terms of other options like onshoring and offshoring? Basically, all three models are about delegating software development to an external vendor, but grasping the key differences is essential.

Onshoring: Hiring a team within your own country but in a different region, such as a New York-based company working with a team in Florida.

Offshoring: Partnering with a vendor in a distant country, often with a significant time zone difference, such as a US-based company hiring a team in the Philippines.

Nearshoring: A balanced middle ground, where the vendor is located close to your home country or one with zero to none time zone difference.

The beauty of nearshore staff augmentation is that it combines the advantages of onshoring and offshoring while minimizing its risks like time zone gaps, cultural discrepancies, and language barriers. Overall, it lets you make the most of:

Greater access to tech talent;
Reduced team formation time;
Cost-efficiency.

You can select nearshore locations like Mexico, Colombia, or Argentina as countries that align flawlessly with US time zones. If you stem from the EU, then nearshore in Poland, Ukraine, or Romania can be the go-to option. Now, let’s dive deeper into the benefits of nearshore staff augmentation.

Key benefits of nearshore staff augmentation

Greater access to specialized talent. You don’t have to scrape the bottom of the barrel, especially when it comes to hiring senior-level software developers or experts with in-demand skills. For instance, if you require a Salesforce developer, you’ll notice that the demand for this talent is at an all-time high. In 2021 alone, the US had 52,300 job postings for Salesforce developers – that’s a whopping165% growth over the past five years. This intense competition often extends hiring timelines by months.

Nearshore Salesforce staff augmentation helps you feel confident during talent deficit. Regions like Central and Eastern Europe and LATAM offer a combined talent pool of over 2.5 million software developers, ready for collaboration with US and EU companies. As experts in these talent-rich hubs, we can connect you with qualified Salesforce developers in just a few days – so you can start developing instead of wasting resources on months-long in-house staffing.

Cost efficiency. In 2023, 69% of tech leaders in the Americas said they were expected to achieve more with tighter budgets when it comes to adopting new technologies. If you’re facing similar constraints, nearshore software staff augmentation is worth considering. The cost difference between your home-based and nearshore development can be drastic: You can save up to 70% due to lower rates in talent-rich regions like Latin America (LATAM) and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), according to Accelerance.

Source: Accelerance’s 2023 Global Software Outsourcing Trends and Rates Guide

Proximity and time zone compatibility. Nearshore software staff augmentation typically involves countries with similar time zones, which eliminates the challenge of collaborating across borders. The benefit of (almost) real-time collaboration lets you manage projects, resolve issues, and meet deadlines as if the team members worked within the walls of your HQ. Such an alignment lends its hand to more profound teamwork and better results as compared to outsourcing to far-off locations.

Cultural alignment and communication. Many countries (for instance, nearshoring Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Mexico, Colombia, or Argentina) share similar backgrounds when it comes to culture. Moreover, these locations offer pools of technologies with a solid understanding of Western business practices and high English proficiency, which ties back to their long history of experience working with EU and US clients. At nCube, all the engineers we provide have full professional English proficiency, which you can personally evaluate during the interview process. We also deliberately prioritize culture fit during our screening so your nearshore team and core team communicate without a hitch.

3 types of nearshore staff augmentation models

When exploring nearshore staff augmentation, one of the key decisions you’ll face is selecting the right partnership model. Currently, there are three main options: Project-Based, Time and Materials (T&M), and Dedicated Teams. But which one is the best fit for your project? Let’s break them down.

Project-based. This nearshore staff augmentation model assumes a predefined budget and an exact time frame when the provider must wrap up the works. Here’s how it goes: The client and the vendor analyze the business requirements and agree on the project scope, tech stack, tasks, and deadline before the team starts development. In this arrangement, the project scope is set in stone until the final release.

Project-based contracts are appropriate for short-term projects, with clear specifications and stringent time-frames. Overall, companies choose this model for high levels of predictability, clear contractual obligations, and a defined budget.

Time and Material (T&M). Another nearshore staff augmentation model worth considering is Time and Material. This one is more flexible than the Project-Based, given that it lets companies tie their spending to labor costs. It means that you can pay for augmented staff based on the number of hours invested in your project. For instance, you can hire a provider of nearshore staff augmentation at the hourly rate of a software engineer.

The biggest beneficiaries of the T&M model are businesses that face a significant degree of uncertainty regarding the required resources. Also, it can benefit the projects that need to evaluate the results of previous strategies before moving forward.

Dedicated Team. This nearshore staff augmentation model merges the strengths of Project-Based and T&M approaches, which lets businesses establish a sustainable software development team for long-term collaboration. Located in a nearshore region of your choice, a Dedicated Team can operate autonomously or seamlessly integrate as an extension of your in-house unit.

Nearshore software development teams can work under your direct leadership or through a designated project manager. The vendor takes care of recruiting skilled developers and conducting internal interviews to ensure they align with your project requirements. Payment typically includes the monthly salaries of team members plus a vendor fee.

This model is ideal for long-term, complex projects with evolving requirements. It’s also perfect for tech leaders who prefer to oversee the workflow directly and personally select team members.

Here’s a brief comparison of nearshore staff augmentation models:

	Project-Based	T&M	Dedicated Team
Budget	Fixed	Flexible	Monthly salary of team members + vendor’s fee
Time-frame	Fixed	Flexible	Long-term
Scope of Work	Fixed	Flexible	Adaptable
Control	By vendor	By client	By client
Ideal for	Short-term projects with clear, predictable requirements	Projects with uncertainty in required skills	Long-term, complex projects with unforeseen needs or requirements

What are nearshore staff augmentation services?

There are numerous business areas where the workforce from nearby countries can come in handy. Here are the most common types of staff augmentation nearshore:

Software development. Nearshore staff augmentation services is a versatile solution for tackling a wide range of software development challenges. Whether you need to accelerate your project, build a skilled IT team, or trim your budget, this model comes with the flexibility to choose a time zone, provider, and team members based on your specific needs.

Our nearshore software development company specializes in providing software developers skilled in both generic technologies and in-demand fields. With a network of 125,000 experts from Europe and LATAM, we ensure you have access to the talent you need to succeed.

Salesforce consulting. Nearshore Salesforce staff augmentation is a popular solution for businesses aiming to optimize their Salesforce platform. This approach involves bringing in experts who can align Salesforce with your business goals, enhance its efficiency, and implement the needed features.

At nCube, we offer access to a network of over 10,000 Salesforce specialists in Eastern Europe and LATAM. By leveraging this talent, your company benefits from geographic proximity, minimal time zone differences, and strong cultural alignment.

Data analysis. As businesses strive to stay competitive, integrating data-driven strategies has become essential. The demand for data-related roles continues to skyrocket, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a nearly 28% growth in jobs requiring data science skills by 2026. However, finding skilled data analysts can be a challenge due to the relative novelty of this field.

As a provider of nearshore staff augmentation services, we have a solution. For instance, Poland alone boasts a talent pool of 229,000 data analysis experts (according to recent LinkedIn data), ready to bring their expertise to your project. We’ll be your gateway to the talent for your Data needs.

IT Support: Nearshore staff augmentation allows you to establish an IT support office tailored to any level of specialization. Whether you need a baseline help desk for routine tasks, advanced tech support, or highly skilled roles with expertise in software engineering or IT infrastructure, this model has you covered. Additionally, you can hire staff located in regions or time zones that align with your customers location and “wow” them with prompt and efficient service.

How nearshore staff augmentation accelerates success

So, how can nearshore staff augmentation work to your advantage? Let’s explore several real-life scenarios to get nearshore staff augmentation explained at its best.

Let’s say you’re struggling to find a skilled software engineer for your mobile development project. The local talent pool is overfished, competition for qualified professionals is fierce, and the cost of senior-level experts is through the roof. This is where nearshore IT staff augmentation shines. It allows you to tap into a broader talent pool of skilled mobile engineers at competitive rates in an attractive location like Romania or Brazil. By opting for these regions, you can significantly reduce your time-to-hire, quickly fill critical skill gaps, and optimize your development budget – all without compromising on quality.

In another scenario, you’re ready to build a team in another country but are concerned about managing asynchronous workflows, language barriers, or cultural differences. Nearshore IT staff augmentation solves these challenges by placing your team in a location with a familiar time zone, strong English proficiency, and cultural alignment. For example, Poland is an excellent choice for EU-based businesses, while Colombia is a great fit for US companies. Both locations provide a deep pool of English-speaking engineers and strong cultural ties to the Western world.

If you’re looking for a flexible way to scale your development capacity as your project grows, Agile nearshore development is the optimum solution. Hiring permanent staff can impede progress and lead to delays, but with nearshoring, you can quickly expand your team by bringing in the right experts – without the long-term commitment of in-house hires. At nCube, we deliver tailored CVs of qualified engineers within 24 hours of a kick-off call, which lets us assemble a dedicated tech team in as little as 2-6 weeks – all thanks to our network of 125,000 software engineers.

Staff augmentation nearshore: Success stories by nCube

In a fast-evolving market, Flightright, a Germany-based startup specializing in air passenger rights, faced a significant challenge with the local tech talent shortage. With their core team based in Berlin, finding skilled software developers proved difficult. Turning to nCube, they successfully established a nearshore development team in Central & Eastern Europe. Notably, the first hires were onboarded within just two weeks of the initial call. Building on this success, Flightright has since expanded its nearshore team to include 8 experts.

You can explore more success stories of our nearshore staff augmentation services by browsing our portfolio, where you can dive into the details of the following cases and more:

Staff augmentation nearshore for Life360: nCube partnered with Life360, a family safety app, to build a complete nearshore development unit in Eastern Europe, tailored to their specific project requirements.

Nearshore staff augmentation for Qcify: For this industrial automation company, nCube played a pivotal role in assembling a nearshore team of full-stack developers and QA engineers to support their advanced quality inspection systems.

Nearshore software staff augmentation for Netreo: As an IT Operations full-stack monitoring and AIOps company, Netreo needed developers skilled in .NET and Azure. nCube quickly provided the required talent, with the team starting work within just one week of the initial call.

Nearshore staff augmentation: Our approach

Bringing in skilled developers fast can accelerate your time to market without compromising on quality. However, the key lies in choosing the right provider. Here’s what sets us apart:

Best European and Latin American talent: We provide access to the top 1% of software developers in both regions, carefully selected for their exceptional technical expertise, relevant experience, and strong backgrounds. Out of every five candidates we interview, only one meets our rigorous standards to proceed to client interviews.
Customized to your needs: We go beyond simply providing on-demand talent – we create nearshore software development branches that align seamlessly with your unique goals and project requirements.
Cost-effective nearshore staff augmentation: Our talent-focused approach delivers the expertise you need while cutting down on expenses tied to in-house teams. We fully cover such costs as employee bonuses, retention programs, payroll, office management, and more.
Full integration into your operations: The team we provide becomes an extension of your core team, with engineers adopting your culture, workflows, and best practices.
All decisions are yours: You maintain full authority over the project, task assignments, and the daily workflow of your engineers. As a provider of nearshore staff augmentation services, we’ll ensure everything aligns with your vision.
Focus on domain expertise: We’ll help you add experts with proven experience in your field: You’ll work with developers with a track record in similar industries and expertise in nearshore collaboration.

Wrapping up

Overall, nearshore staff augmentation can be your gateway to skilled tech talent – an approach that lets you operate during the harsh times of tech talent deficit. It also lets you trim unnecessary expenses and achieve real-time collaboration with a team based in a nearby tech hub. At nCube, we are well capable of building skilled teams in Europe and LATAM. Contact us to discuss your needs and let’s see if our approach is suitable for you.