In a previous article (here), we highlighted the crucial functions of the Platform Engineering team in consulting, building, and operating a software delivery platform. These functions underscore the team's significance in the platform's success.

In the conclusion of that article, we indicated that even though the roles and responsibilities of a PE team can appear daunting (and they are challenging but important), there are several ways to make that challenge much less:

1. Several tools exist that make many of the tasks of the platform team straightforward. For example, Portainer will reduce the skills required to manage the orchestration layer and app pipelines (>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Neil). Gartner's perspective is that an ideal platform is likely to be a combination of several sub-platforms, extending from CI/CD down through container orchestration to infrastructure or cloud primitives. This understanding of an 'ideal platform' sets a benchmark for the industry.
2. An increasing number of specialist partners are able to offer PEaaS. Available in a range of configurations, PEaaS allows an organization to either jump-start their platform with an external capability or free their own teams to add value to the business, leaving the heavy lifting of managing and curating the platform to experts.

Here are some additional thoughts on why outsourcing Platform Engineering might make sense:

1. Access to Specialized Expertise

• Advantage: Specialist partners typically have deep expertise in platform engineering, including the latest tools, technologies, and best practices. They often employ highly skilled professionals with experience across various industries and platforms.
• Benefit: This access to specialized knowledge can lead to better-designed, more robust, and more scalable platforms, as the partner can bring in insights and solutions that might not be readily available in-house.

2. Cost Efficiency

• Advantage: Outsourcing can be more cost-effective than building and maintaining an in-house platform engineering team, particularly when considering the costs of recruitment, training, salaries, and ongoing skill development/replacement.
• Benefit: Organizations can convert fixed costs into variable costs, paying only for the services they need from the level of resources necessary to perform the task (blended rate). This can benefit smaller companies or those with fluctuating platform needs.

3. Faster Time to Market

• Advantage: A specialist partner can often deliver platform solutions more quickly due to their experience, established processes, and ability to scale resources up or down as needed.
• Benefit: Faster implementation of platform engineering solutions can accelerate product development cycles, allowing the organization to bring new features and products to market rapidly.

4. Scalability and Flexibility

• Advantage: Outsourcing allows organizations to scale their platform engineering capabilities up or down based on demand without the long-term commitment of hiring full-time staff.
• Benefit: This flexibility is precious for organizations experiencing rapid growth, seasonal demand, or fluctuating project loads, as they can adjust resources to match their needs dynamically.

5. Focus on High-Value Business Activities

• Advantage: By outsourcing platform engineering functions, internal teams can focus on more valuable business activities, such as product development, customer experience, and strategic initiatives, without getting bogged down by the complexities of managing the underlying platform.
• Benefit: This focus can lead to better business outcomes, as teams can concentrate on what they do best while leaving the platform management to experts.

6. Risk Mitigation

• Advantage: A specialist partner often has extensive experience managing platform-related risks, such as security vulnerabilities, compliance issues, and system downtimes.
• Benefit: By outsourcing to a partner with a proven track record, organizations can reduce the risk of costly mistakes and ensure that their platform is secure, compliant, and reliable.

7. Access to the Latest Technology and Innovation

• Advantage: Specialist partners are often at the forefront of technological advancements, continuously adopting and integrating the latest tools, frameworks, and best practices into their services.
• Benefit: Organizations can benefit from cutting-edge solutions without investing heavily in research, training, or adoption of new technology.

8. 24/7 Support and Maintenance

• Advantage: Many specialist partners offer round-the-clock support and monitoring services, which can be crucial for maintaining platform uptime and quickly addressing any issues.
• Benefit: Continuous monitoring and support reduce the likelihood of prolonged downtimes and ensure that any incidents are resolved swiftly, maintaining business continuity.

9. Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration

• Advantage: Outsourcing can lead to long-term partnerships in which the specialist partner becomes a strategic collaborator, contributing to the organization’s overall technology strategy.
• Benefit: Such partnerships can create a deeper alignment between the platform’s capabilities and the organization’s business goals, driving innovation and long-term success.

10. Reduced Management Overhead

• Advantage: Managing an in-house platform engineering team requires significant overhead in terms of leadership, HR, and administrative support.
• Benefit: Outsourcing reduces the need for this management overhead, allowing the organization to operate more efficiently and focus on strategic initiatives rather than operational management.

Considerations:

While outsourcing offers many advantages, it’s also helpful to consider potential drawbacks, such as the loss of direct control, dependency on the partner, and challenges in communication or alignment. However, these risks can be managed effectively with a carefully selected partner and well-defined SLAs (Service Level Agreements).

Outsourcing platform engineering functions can provide significant strategic and operational benefits, especially for organizations looking to leverage external expertise, reduce costs, and focus on their core business activities.