Tech leaders are facing tough decisions in 2025. Gartner’s latest forecast projects IT spending to hit $5.74 trillion, up 9.3% from 2024 – but the real story is in how that money will be spent. They predict that while GenAI investment will grow, CIOs are becoming more skeptical about its promises. As John-David Lovelock notes, “The reality of what can be accomplished with current GenAI models will not meet today’s lofty expectations.”

This disconnect between hype and reality is exactly why straight talk matters more than ever. With software spending set to jump 14% and IT services 9.4%, leaders can’t afford to make decisions based on buzzwords or vague promises. While many companies chase the latest trends, we’ve focused on perfecting something more fundamental – matching exceptional talent to ambitious teams. Our two decades of experience have taught us what makes technical teams truly work.

As a company that’s spent 18 years building IT teams through various market cycles, we get asked hard questions about outsourcing every day. Not the polite ones from marketing materials – the real concerns that keep technology leaders up at night. Here are honest answers to the toughest questions we receive, based on actual experience building remote teams through difficult markets.

With all these tech layoffs and AI disruption, isn’t this a risky time to start outsourcing?

Actually, this environment presents a unique opportunity. Major tech companies are still driving innovation – they’re just doing it more efficiently. Our model offers the flexibility to maintain development momentum while optimizing costs. We’ve helped numerous companies adapt and scale through market changes, as shown by our 98% client retention rate over 18+ years.

We’re worried about creating dependency on an external partner. How do we avoid that?

This is why we’ve designed our model with a clear path to independence. After 12 months, you have the option to transfer developers to your organization. Many clients use us as a bridge to establishing their own development centers. Our success isn’t measured by how long you stay dependent on us – it’s measured by how well we help you achieve your goals, whether that means continuing our partnership or building your own team.

Everyone claims their developers are “top talent.” What’s different about yours?

We let results speak for themselves. Before committing to anything, you can evaluate team members directly and check our track record through client case studies. Our teams work with both modern tech stacks and legacy systems, and we’ve built long-term partnerships with major clients across the DACH region, US, and UK. Don’t just take our word for it – read what our clients say here.

Our previous outsourcing attempt failed due to poor communication. What’s your solution?

Communication breaks usually stem from misaligned processes and expectations. We address this through dedicated account managers who work in your time zone and speak your language. But more importantly, we integrate into your workflow rather than forcing you to adapt to ours. You get direct access to developers and our transparent pricing model means there are no hidden agendas affecting communication.

How do you ensure complete cost transparency in your services?

We believe in absolute clarity about costs. Our pricing model is straightforward: Developer Salary + 20% margin + €4/h overhead. Every euro is accounted for, with no hidden fees or surprise charges. This transparency typically results in 35% savings compared to local teams while delivering consistent quality. We find this approach builds trust and allows for better long-term planning.

With AI tools becoming so powerful, why shouldn’t we just use those instead?

We’ve integrated AI tools into our daily development work to boost productivity, not replace skilled developers. Our teams regularly train with new tools and technologies to work more efficiently. This practical approach, combining technical expertise with modern tools, consistently delivers better results than relying on automation alone.

What happens to our intellectual property and sensitive data?

As an EU-based company, we operate under strict data protection laws. All code and IP belongs to you from day one. We use secure development environments and can adapt to your specific compliance requirements. This isn’t just paperwork – it’s backed by our track record with financial institutions and healthcare organizations.

How quickly can you actually start delivering value?

Our standard onboarding takes 3-8 weeks, broken into clear phases:

• Weeks 1-2: Technical requirements and team selection
• Weeks 2-4: Environment setup and initial integration
• Weeks 4-8: Progressive handover and first deliverables

Each phase has specific milestones so you can track progress.

What if we need to reduce costs suddenly?

Our contracts include a 30-day notice period for scaling down teams. We can help optimize team composition to reduce costs while maintaining critical development momentum. We’ve helped clients navigate budget cuts while keeping essential projects moving forward.

How do we start without risking too much?

We typically begin with a small team (2-3 developers) on a specific project. This lets you evaluate our capabilities with minimal risk. We focus on proving value through actual delivery rather than long-term commitments upfront. Based on results, we can then scale up according to your comfort level.

These answers reflect what we’ve learned from helping companies build and scale their development capabilities. Success in technical team building comes down to finding exceptional people, integrating them properly into your organization, and maintaining complete transparency throughout the process. We build complete IT hubs that work as natural extensions of your team, not separate units.

Every organization has unique challenges and priorities. We’ve found that a brief conversation about your specific needs often reveals opportunities that aren’t obvious from general Q&As.

If you’re interested in a more personalized perspective, reach out to our CTO, Cezary Dmowski, at cdmowski@itsg-global.com.