When Is the Right Time to Outsource a Dot Net Project?
The .NET framework is a popular technology stack used by many businesses and organizations to build custom software applications. It provides a comprehensive and flexible platform to develop robust and scalable solutions.
However, not all companies have the required in-house talent or resources to handle all aspects of a .NET project. This is where outsourcing parts or all of the .NET development to a specialized external vendor can be beneficial.
When Is the Right Time to Outsource a Dot Net Project?
A Brief Overview of .NET Technology
The .NET framework is a software framework launched by Microsoft in 2002. It provides a managed execution environment, simplified development and integration of various programming languages, and rich class libraries to accelerate application development.
Such multifunctionality of the technology can make your experience in NET development outsourcing even more fruitful and mutually beneficial.
Some key aspects of .NET technology include:
Support for multiple programming languages like C#, Visual Basic, and F# that compile into an intermediate language (IL)
Common Language Runtime (CLR) that converts IL into native machine code
Base Class Libraries with reusable functions for common programming tasks
ASP.NET framework for building web apps and services
Windows Forms and WPF frameworks for desktop application development
ADO.NET libraries for database access and management
Powerful developer tools like Visual Studio
What is .NET Development Outsourcing, and Why do Businesses Opt for It?
DotNet development outsourcing refers to hiring an external software development company or freelance developers to create .NET-based solutions instead of relying solely on in-house resources.
There are several reasons why a business might choose to outsource parts or all of its .NET development projects:
Lack of required .NET expertise in-house
Need to ramp up projects quickly with extra bandwidth
Seeking the latest .NET skills not available internally
Reduce project costs compared to full-time local .NET developers
Strategic focus is not software development, so outsourcing allows focus on core business
Round-the-clock productivity by leveraging outsourced teams across time zones
Reputable development partners can provide seasoned .NET developers outsourcing, latest .NET technology skills, structured development processes, and cost arbitrage to help deliver projects successfully.
Benefits of Outsourcing .NET Software Development
There are many different reasons why companies decide to outsource rather than building an internal team to implement their products.
We will discuss these rationales as well as the monetary and non-monetary advantages in this section.
Platform Neutrality
A good outsourcing team would have broad experience building .NET solutions on various platforms, such as Windows, Linux, cloud, on-premise, hybrid, etc.
This platform-agnostic approach allows the team to deploy the applications in the most optimal infrastructure based on cost, performance, security and other factors.
For example, if the application needs to scale elastically to manage sudden traffic spikes, a cloud-based deployment may be preferred, as it provides additional capacity on demand. For another application dealing with sensitive data, an on-premise private cloud may be warranted with tighter access controls.
The .NET outsourcing team with cross-platform expertise can guide you in what works best and where.
Accessibility
More than 90% of G2000 companies use IT outsourcing due to its accessibility and efficiency. Outsourced .NET developers are easily accessible via online communication channels despite being in different geographies. This facilitates constant collaboration, which is critical for project success.
Channels like Slack, Teams and Zoom have made it easy to have chat conversations, conduct sprint planning meetings, document reviews and code walkthroughs and seek clarifications when needed.
Time zone overlaps between some offshore regions, and the onsite team also allows for a few hours of collaborative work each day.
The accessibility enables offshore teams to function almost like extended in-house staff. It also helps bridge cultural and linguistic barriers that used to impede offshore development previously.
Flawless Project Management
Reputed outsourcing .NET development providers have institutionalized project management frameworks with defined workflows for user story acceptance, solution architecture reviews, status reporting, change requests and knowledge transfer.
For example, a change request raised by the onsite product owner can seamlessly flow via the outsourced account manager to the technical architects and developers while keeping everyone in the loop. Similarly, best practices like periodic sprint demos and retrospectives ensure continuous feedback and improvement.
Such structured processes for the entire SDLC, from requirements to deployment, support flawless project execution. They also simplify things for the onsite team, who interacts with just an account manager instead of multiple technical resources.
Security
Experienced .NET outsourcing partners invest extensively in security aspects covering various facets:
Data encryption techniques to protect sensitive information
Access controls using protocols like SSH to prevent unauthorized access
Secured code repositories like GitHub Enterprise for source code storage
Automated security scans during CI/CD pipelines to identify vulnerabilities
Dedicated cybersecurity teams that simulate attacks and conduct audits
Regular cybersecurity training completion is mandated for all technical resources
This focus on security protects source code IP, and sensitive application data across the development lifecycle right, from design through deployment. Rigorous testing also ensures that any vulnerabilities are caught early before reaching production systems.
Significant Time Saving
Getting an offshore outsourced .NET team trained on the project tech stack in parallel while the onsite team focuses efforts on high-value-added activities provides big lead time improvements.
Some examples of critical focus areas for the onsite team that can be done in parallel:
Business and user requirement analysis
Vendor evaluation and selection
Core application architecture and high-level design
Data modeling
UX design and wireframing
Test case definition
The offshore team utilizes any waiting time in between to get fully upskilled. This cuts down the overall project timeline significantly compared to doing things fully sequentially.
The onsite team is also not distracted by detailed requirement documents, code reviews etc., allowing quicker turnarounds.
When to Outsource .NET Project?
When deciding to outsource a .NET project, there are several important factors to consider. Outsourcing can be a flexible and cost-effective way to address unexpected challenges that arise during the development process.
It enables businesses to scale their workforce quickly and access specialized skills that may not be available in-house. In this section, we will look at the various scenarios in which outsourcing a .NET project can be beneficial, as well as how it can help businesses overcome common roadblocks to deliver successful results.
Unexpected Spikes In Scope
If a .NET project is already underway with the defined scope and suddenly new features, integrations, data inputs etc. get added to the roadmap, it can strain the existing team.
Instead of attempting to hire rapidly and onboard people with additional technical skills locally, outsourcing .NET development provides a flexible buffer.
Reputed offshore vendors maintain bench strength across skills to ramp up small teams quickly. New team members also get aligned faster, having undergone similar onboarding to other teams previously.
It also prevents over-hiring locally for a short-term surge only to ramp down soon after. The outsourced team can simply be released once the spike stabilizes.
Resource Metrics Not Supporting Local Hiring
Examining the hiring velocity and training investments required to scale an in-house .NET team rapidly often uncovers an unfavorable return on investment.
For example, bringing on a mid-level local .NET resource may take 60-90 days for full productivity after considering recruitment lead time and domain training. Instead, the same capacity can be realized within 30 days by outsourcing .NET development with the right partner.
Thus, outsourcing helps get quality .NET skills and knowledge of technological innovations such as .NET 8 and .NET 9 operational faster with lower overheads when metrics do not support adding rapidly to local teams.
Lower Overall Costs
The fully loaded costs of an offshore .NET team from regions like India often work out much less than comparable talent hired locally when viewed in totality. Here's a comparative breakup:
Local Mid-Level .NET Developer Costs (Example):
Salary: $60,000 per annum
Health benefits: $6000 per annum
Payroll taxes: $8000 per annum
Infrastructure & office space: $10,000 per annum
Recruitment fee: $5000 one time
Training/Conferences: $3000 per annum
Total: $92,000 per annum or $115 per hour
Equivalent Outsourced Costs (Example):
Blended rate for Mid-Level .NET Developer: $30 per hour
Additional project management fees: $10 per hour
Total: $40 per hour
Thus, almost 3x annual cost savings are realized along with faster onboarding, no headaches from constant recruitment, and attrition management.
Rapid Scaling Needs Outpacing Local Hiring
Growing companies often need to scale up .NET teams 3-4x over a few quarters to match the pace of expansion. While local hiring continues in parallel, the majority of this exponential pace is not sustainable without outsourced capacity.
Some ways offshore resources help fuel growth:
Specialized skills like AI/ML, IoT etc, not readily available locally, are accessible
Helps the company focus on priorities without the distraction of managing large teams
Buffers up capacity when local hiring or training paces fall behind business growth
This provides a flexible buffer directly tied to business growth rather than fixed local capacity. As growth stabilizes, the outsourced scale can be normalized again.
When You Lack In-House Expertise
Lacking internal access to niche or complex .NET skills like asynchronous programming, parallel programming and memory management, can be easily mitigated by outsource .NET development providers who have access to experts globally across technologies.
Is .NET Development Outsourcing Expensive?
The cost factor depends significantly on which geography the outsourced .NET capabilities are sourced from. Nearshore regions in similar time zones often command higher rates closer to local developer costs.
Offshore regions like India can drive larger discounts from a cost perspective but also require more communication and alignment.
The level of technical expertise and solution complexity also impact costs. A UK or European (West or Central Region) outsource .NET development team would quote higher for the same work compared to teams in Ukraine, Poland, India or Southeast Asia.
However, the latter may lack depth in complex solution areas.
Thus, cost savings from outsourcing depend on the combination of the location selected and the technical capabilities required for the project's complexity.
Where Do the Outsourcing Financial Profits Hide?
The cost benefits of outsourcing .NET projects are not always immediately visible. Some ways it contributes over the longer term are:
Frees up internal team to focus on core priorities rather than peripheral application development needs
Reduces the burden of managing large teams for temporary project needs
Lowers training costs by leveraging skills already available with the outsourcing .NET development vendor
Saves infrastructure, operations and other fixed costs of managing all talent in-house
Adds an extension to the in-house capability available on demand
Thus, while per-hour developer billing rates may seem higher in some cases, outsourcing lowers the overall total cost of ownership over time.
Conclusion
Outsourcing parts or all of .NET application development is a strategic lever used by many modern businesses today. The drivers range from cost management tapping global talent, fueling growth through flexible capacity, and adding velocity to the market.
The keys to successful outsourcing lie in choosing the right partner, aligning internally on communication plans and governance mechanisms, and delineating clear responsibilities.
This allows the in-house teams to focus on the business logic, domain expertise and core differentiators while the outsource .NET development teams deliver on the technical heavy lifting.
When planned and executed well, outsourced .NET application development not only accelerates delivery but also reduces the overall total cost for the business. The time freed up for internal teams to pursue innovation and new ideas rather than get bogged down in routine application development.
In summary, businesses today have more reasons than ever before to leverage specialized offshore outsourcing partners for their .NET needs.
The outcomes, when done right, have the potential to enhance both capabilities and capacity while lowering TCO.
