Hiring a cloud architect or a SOC analyst in India can take two to three months, and the project often cannot wait. XcellConsult Staff Augmentation lets you add contract engineers to your own team by role and level, for a sprint, a quarter or a multi-year run. They work to your priorities, in your tools and tickets, on your calendar.
The engineers are engaged and managed by XcellHost, a Mumbai managed cloud and security company running a 24×7 NOC and SOC since 1999. We handle payroll, statutory contributions, NDAs, background checks, laptops and backup cover. You get one monthly INR invoice with GST, timesheets you can check, and a delivery manager to call when something needs to change. It works well alongside our Cloud Operations, Security Operations and AIOps services.
Each role is a profile — the skills and certifications we screen for — not a named person. You see anonymised profiles first and interview before anyone starts.
Engineers who design, build, migrate and run cloud estates, and keep the bill under control.
Analysts and engineers who watch, test, govern and lock down your environment.
Builders who take AI from a notebook demo to something your users can rely on.
Pick a practice and a role. Levels describe typical responsibilities and the certifications we look for; actual profiles vary and are shared before you interview.
Level guide: L1 1–3 years, works from runbooks · L2 3–6 years, owns tasks end to end · L3 6–10 years, leads and mentors · Architect 10+ years, designs and signs off. Experience bands are typical, not guarantees. Rates are indicative monthly rates per engineer, remote from Mumbai, business hours, excl. 18% GST.
One delivery manager owns your engagement from the first call. Engineers join your tools and stand-ups; XcellHost stays responsible for the employment side.
An architect plus two migration engineers for the six months of a data-centre exit or VMware move, then a hand-over to your team.
Architect · L2 × 2 · 6 monthsYour SOC runs days; we add L1 and L2 analysts for nights and weekends on your SIEM, with a named backup for leave.
SOC L1 × 3 · SOC L2 × 2 · 24×7Tax, fintech and accounting platforms add SRE and cloud cover for ITR season or March close, when traffic and change freezes peak.
SRE L2 × 2 · 3 monthsA GRC specialist to collect evidence for ISO 27001, SOC 2 or a regulator audit, backed by vCISO hours for the board pack.
GRC L2 · vCISO hours · 4 monthsA RAG developer, a data engineer and an MLOps engineer take a promising pilot to a governed, monitored service.
RAG L2 · Data L2 · MLOps L2IAM engineers roll out conditional access, MFA and PAM across business units while your team keeps the lights on.
IAM L2 × 2 · 4 monthsA FinOps analyst sets up tagging, rightsizing and commitments, then trains your team to keep doing it.
FinOps L2 · 3 monthsStart engineers on contract and convert the ones who fit to your payroll under the contract-to-hire terms.
Contract-to-hire · 6+ monthsPick the model that fits the work. Every model includes the delivery safeguards on the right.
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General information on the rules most relevant to IT staff augmentation, checked October 2026. It is not legal or tax advice; your advisers should confirm how they apply to you.
The Code on Wages 2019, Industrial Relations Code 2020, Code on Social Security 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code 2020 took effect on 21 November 2025, per the Ministry of Labour & Employment. Appointment letters for every worker are now mandatory.
A single definition of "wages" applies across the codes; if excluded allowances exceed 50% of total pay, the excess counts as wages. For a monthly wage period, wages are due before the seventh day of the following month. Minimum wages apply to all employees.
Fixed-term employees get the same benefits as permanent staff in proportion to service, including gratuity after one year rather than five. This matters for contract-to-hire and long engagements.
The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1970 has been folded into the OSH Code. Its contract-labour chapter applies at 50 or more contract workers (previously 20), allows a single licence covering several states, bars contract labour in an establishment's core activities with listed exceptions, and makes the principal employer pay wages if a contractor defaults.
Staffing services fall under SAC heading 9985 (for example 998513 contract staffing, 998514 temporary staffing) at 18% GST under CBIC Notification 11/2017-CT (Rate). Tax is charged on the full invoice value, including the salary component. Reverse charge applies to security personnel from non-corporate suppliers, not to IT staffing from a company like XcellHost.
Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and its Rules notified in November 2025 (phased in), engineers process personal data only on your instructions. Our contract sets out access, logging, breach reporting to you and deletion. See vDPO for your own DPDP programme.
Sources: Ministry of Labour & Employment / PIB release on the labour codes' commencement (21 Nov 2025); OSH Code 2020 Chapter XI (sections 45, 47, 57); Code on Wages 2019 (sections 2(y), 17); reports of central rules notified in May 2026; CBIC Notifications 11/2017-CT (Rate) and 13/2017-CT (Rate) as amended by 29/2018; DPDP Act 2023 and DPDP Rules 2025. State rules vary and transitional provisions apply. For orientation only — not legal or tax advice.
Indicative — confirm with XcellHost. Rates are for one engineer, remote from Mumbai, business-hours shift, six-month term, excl. 18% GST.
| Role profile | L1 | L2 | L3 | Architect |
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* Indicative — confirm with XcellHost. INR, excluding 18% GST. The vCISO hour and remote-hands rates are the same figures published on those XcellHost pages. Rates assume the engineer's laptop, background check, payroll and statutory costs; your software licences, travel outside Mumbai and on-site facilities are separate.
Choose a role, level, headcount, engagement model, shift and term. The first monthly invoice goes to the cart; anything bigger comes with a quotation.
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* Indicative — confirm with XcellHost. INR excl. 18% GST. Travel outside Mumbai, your software licences and on-site facilities are not included.Start from a preset or add rows. The squad, run-rate and contract value update as you type. Nothing leaves your browser.
Illustrative. Every assumption is editable — use your own salary bands and overheads. The point is the shape of the comparison, not the exact number.
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Illustrative model, excl. GST. Hire costs start after the weeks to hire; output is halved during ramp-up; attrition adds replacement recruitment in proportion to the months. GST on our invoice is usually recoverable as input tax credit for registered businesses.