Outsourcing as a concept is nothing new in the world of recruitment. For several industries, it has always been the way they have brought the right people with the right skills on board at the right time.

There are numerous advantages to this model. It allows companies to bring people on board the moment they need them. Operating models, and the staffing structures that support them, can be quickly adapted to meet the ever-changing needs of a business according to current priorities, workloads, strategies and any other factors impacting on how a company functions. This is particularly important for SMEs, who need to keep themselves agile and able to quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Such organisations are also typically less able than bigger companies to pay the overheads required to keep people on board on a permanent, full-time basis. Outsourcing is therefore a way for SMEs to enjoy the benefits of employing top-level talent that they neither require nor are able to afford permanently.

While this has been a standard approach for some roles, others have traditionally been harder to fill in this way. Finance Directors are one example of a role usually employed full-time, as they are brought into an organisation to play a central role on a permanent basis. One interesting development however is the shift in the number of Finance Directors now making themselves available for outsourcing on a project-by-project basis.

Why is this?

Central to this shift has been the introduction, and rapid evolution, of cloud computing. The functionality this provides makes it possible for Finance Directors to access data remotely and therefore work on company projects wherever they are in the world in real time.

This has been reflected in a shifting attitude as well, as increasing numbers of Finance Directors also see the benefits of such flexibility to them personally. It allows them to move from project to project, applying their skills where they are needed most, commanding the most competitive rates and working on the things that really interest them.

Given the advantages on both sides of such a partnership, the popularity of such outsourced arrangements looks likely to continue well into the future.