Outsourcing Data Science Analysis to Enterprise-level Service Providers

Few small-to-medium sized businesses have the capability of doing any full-scale data analysis in-house, which is why most of them will eventually seek out a third party to do this on their behalf. The term outsourcing developed a negative connotation in the computer industry because it was often associated with organizations that wanted to slash costs through rapid reductions in staff. This kind of aggressive maneuver would often end up with managers receiving very low-quality results back from the groups they worked with.

Today it’s possible to hire high-end data science personnel on a contract basis. Small business owners who can’t afford to maintain their own major analysis projects should be able to locate professional evaluation consultants who can crunch their numbers for them and return an accurate result that makes sense for the kind of business they’re involved with. Hiring representatives from a service that’s dealt with the particular sector someone works in is perhaps the best way to reduce the risk of receiving subpar work back.

Reaching Out to Professionally Trained Staff

Human resource department personnel should take the time to look over the credentials of any service provider that they plan to work with. Treating this with the same attention that would be used when interviewing a potential hire. Around 37% of all small businesses already outsource at least some of their workflows, which means that there’s a good chance they have experience in the field and know what to look for.

Data analysis may be a complex field that involves a great deal of specialized knowledge, but that doesn’t mean that the process of outsourcing this kind of work has to be any different from any other field. New developments in outstaffing procedures make it easy to pick through individual offshore candidates regardless of where they are in the world. A majority of data science organizations in the Indian subcontinent, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia now offer some form of video conferencing service that enables near instant communication with the professionals curating a particular database.

Education and experience are always major concerns when outsourcing work to an outside organization, but those who are reviewing potential opportunities shouldn’t let conventional paradigms stand in the way of acquiring new talent. A large number of computer science experts earned their experience in non-traditional ways. Look for those who were involved in on-the-job training or attended an orientation session. Indian prospects may have taken a data science course in Bangalore while those in some international locations may have primarily studied online. These candidates may very well be exactly what you’re looking for.

Setting Realistic Expectations

Offshoring operations were notorious for overpromising and then underdelivering, which made companies somewhat distrustful of the practice. Others have a tendency to set their sights too low, which is potentially dangerous when working in the data science field because managers will more than likely base their decisions on the outcomes of studies conducted by the analyst. Never settle for less than what’s actually required, but ensure that there’s plenty of time for the organization accepting the outsourcing contract to complete all of the work in question. Newer data science training programs, like those being tested by Bangladeshi authorities, are focused on increasing the current talent pools in order to cut down on timing delays.

That being said, companies that expect to shift all of their data management and analysis workflows to an outside provider should expect to do at least some refactoring during the first few weeks. Choosing a solid cloud service that’s compatible with the organization being outsourced to will help to smooth things out. Firms that currently have little or no experience in making data-driven decisions will also want to give some thought to what kind of analysis work they need done.

Analysis Services Offered by Offshore Organizations

A majority of outsourcing services have focused on software development, but data science is probably the fastest growing segment of the market. Those who adhere to any of the major enterprise planning systems should find at least one professional experienced enough to work with them. Companies that have their own in-house problem structuring methods will want to discuss these with any service they plan on contracting with.

Nevertheless, most techniques like SWOT analysis and Porter’s four corners model are going to be covered by most data analysis firms offering services to an international audience. Relatively few organizations are going to want to drastically alter their existing modeling methods just to make it easier to outsource their data analysis procedures. However, this might make sense for companies that have no data science personnel and need to reduce costs.

Considering just how many international brands are providing additional data management services these days, this may end up being a much more popular option.