--- title: "IT Staff Augmentation Services vs a Managed Team | Azendo" description: "Comparing IT staff augmentation services? See how they compare with a managed offshore team: who manages, who answers for the output and what you pay." url: "https://azendo.co/blog/engagement-models/it-staff-augmentation-services/" --- 1. [Home](https://azendo.co/) 2. [Newsroom](https://azendo.co/newsroom/) 3. [Engagement models](https://azendo.co/blog/engagement-models/) 4. IT staff augmentation services vs a managed team # IT staff augmentation services and the managed alternative. If you need specialist capacity quickly, IT staff augmentation services are the obvious place to look. They give you a person. Managing that person and answering for their work stay with you. A managed offshore team gives you the same specialists with the management included, for one fixed monthly fee. This page compares the two. By [Mikkel Schmidt](https://azendo.co/about/mikkel-schmidt/) Updated 24 September 2026 Specialists under one agreement, with the management handled by Azendo. ## What IT staff augmentation services include These services supply specialists who join your team under your management. The provider recruits and employs them. You plan their work, run their standups, review their output and handle performance and replacements. It’s a good fit when you have a clear skill gap and a lead with time to direct someone. When your leads are already busy, the management load is the part to look at closely. ## What staff augmentation leaves out **Management included.** Planning, quality and reporting run through an Azendo [service delivery manager](https://azendo.co/how-it-works/). **Product knowledge that stays.** The same specialists stay on your roadmap for years, and our specialists stay with Azendo for 3.3 years on average. **One fixed monthly fee.** The same figure every month, with no surprise invoices in a busy one. **Growth without extra overhead.** A second specialist doesn’t mean a second person for you to manage. When you need a full team, a [dedicated software development team](https://azendo.co/blog/engagement-models/dedicated-software-development-team/) is the setup that fits. ## IT staff augmentation services compared with a managed offshore team Scroll the table sideways to see every column. | Compared | Typical augmentation provider | Managed offshore team from Azendo | | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | | Who manages the specialists | You | Our service delivery manager | | Who answers for output | You | Azendo | | Billing | Hourly or daily, varies each month | One fixed monthly fee | | How long it lasts | Until you end it | As long as your roadmap runs | The full comparison of the two models is in [staff augmentation vs managed services](https://azendo.co/blog/engagement-models/staff-augmentation-vs-managed-services/). ## How the fee works You pay one fixed monthly fee for a [committed monthly capacity](https://azendo.co/pricing/) in hours. The fee stays the same in August and at Christmas, so budgeting is simple. If you’re comparing suppliers, the differences between a [staff augmentation agency](https://azendo.co/blog/engagement-models/staff-augmentation-agency/), a marketplace and a managed partner matter more than the day rate. ## Talk to us about the specialists you need Thirty minutes with a service delivery manager. You’ll leave knowing which specialists we’d suggest, how many hours the work needs and when your remote team could start. If you’d rather hire developers you manage yourself, we’ll help you think that through too. ## Where staff augmentation and a managed team differ. The hourly rate is only half of the comparison. These three views cover the half that doesn't appear on a quote. What the monthly fee covers Both models handle employment. A managed team also handles delivery, and that is what the difference in hourly rate pays for. | Covered by the provider | IT staff augmentation | Azendo managed service | | ----------------------------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------- | | Recruitment and selection | Yes | Yes | | Employment, payroll and local compliance | Yes | Yes | | Office, equipment and network | Yes | Yes | | Sprint planning and day-to-day management | No, stays with you | Yes | | Quality gates and code review standards | No, stays with you | Yes | | Training and development | No, stays with you | Yes | | Performance management | No, stays with you | Yes | | Knowledge retained if a specialist leaves | No, stays with you | Yes | | Accountability for what ships | No, stays with you | Yes | | Total covered | 3 of 9 | 9 of 9 | Coordination hours a week falling on the client As the team grows, it staff augmentation takes on the hiring and leaves the management with you. Azendo's estimate from our own engagements, at the midpoint of four to eight hours per specialist per week. __Client coordination hours per week, by team size__ | Team size | IT staff augmentation | Azendo managed service | | ------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------- | | 1 specialist | 6 hours | 2 hours | | 3 specialists | 18 hours | 2.5 hours | | 5 specialists | 30 hours | 3 hours | | 8 specialists | 48 hours | 4 hours | What stands behind the person doing the work Both models put a specialist on your roadmap. A managed team also puts a development programme behind them, which is what keeps them with you, and improving, in year three. IT staff augmentation Your teamdirects the work Assigned specialist Behind the specialist Employment and payroll. Development, coaching, reviews and retention are usually left to you. Your side carries * Priorities * Scope * Technical decisions * Acceptance * Sprint planning * Quality gates * Performance reviews * Training * Retention * Continuity Azendo managed service Your teamsets the roadmap, reviews output Azendo service delivery manageraccountable for what ships Assigned specialist Talent Success programme, around every specialist * Talent Success and Workplace Experience managers Two per specialist * Well-being check-in Every 2 weeks * Coaching and development Monthly, in-house * Development plan Reviewed monthly * Client delivery score Every Friday * 360° performance review Quarterly * Growth track and promotion readiness Live skill profile * AI certification Before assignment 3.3 years Average time a specialist stays with Azendo, which keeps your product knowledge in the team Your side carries * Priorities * Scope * Technical decisions * Acceptance __What stands behind an assigned specialist in each model__ | Element | IT staff augmentation | Azendo managed service | | ------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | | Who directs the work | Your team | An Azendo service delivery manager, accountable for what ships | | Talent Success and Workplace Experience managers | Not part of the arrangement | Two per specialist | | Well-being check-in | Not part of the arrangement | Every 2 weeks | | Coaching and development | Not part of the arrangement | Monthly, in-house | | Development plan | Not part of the arrangement | Reviewed monthly | | Client delivery score | Not part of the arrangement | Every Friday | | 360° performance review | Not part of the arrangement | Quarterly | | Growth track and promotion readiness | Not part of the arrangement | Live skill profile | | AI certification | Not part of the arrangement | Before assignment | | Average specialist retention | Not published | 3.3 years | ## Questions about IT staff augmentation. Does Azendo offer IT staff augmentation services? Azendo offers the managed version. Your specialists work only on your roadmap, and an Azendo service delivery manager manages them and answers for their output. How can a managed team cost less if the day rate looks similar? The day rate is only part of the cost. Augmentation takes management hours from your own engineers, and those hours cost money even though no invoice shows them. How fast can specialists start? Four to six weeks after signing. You get a firm date in the proposal. Which disciplines can you cover? Software development, mobile, UX/UI design, QA, cloud and DevOps, data engineering, data science, AI engineering, AI automation and MLOps. ## Tell us what the roadmap needs and we will tell you what it takes. A service delivery manager replies with the disciplines we would assign, the monthly capacity and what the first month looks like. [Get in touch](https://azendo.co/get-in-touch/) [How it works](https://azendo.co/how-it-works/) ## Not sure which engagement model fits your roadmap.