Brazil Living Costs Surpass US; Economist Warns of Risks
February 1st, 2012
São Paulo: Making Manhattan look cheap.
By Filipe Pacheco
High costs are one of the prices international companies must pay for doing business in Brazil– especially when it comes to the services industry. Now one of the most plugged-in financial institutions in the world, the International Monetary Fund, has released numbers that demonstrate what many suspected anyway: The cost of living in Brazil in 2011 rose to slightly higher than that of the United States.
Brazil’s 2012 Outlook: It’s Time to Scale Up, Gear Up and Get Real about Talent
December 29th, 2011On the record: Brasscom, Tivit, Neoris point to some immediate requirements
By Felipe Pacheco
With the World Cup just around the corner, the world waking up to it’s formidable economy and the expanding demand for sophisticated IT services – Brazil is just now entering a powerful new era. To get some perspective on the year ahead, and to hear what Brazil’s technology service providers need to do and deliver to help their outsourcing customers succeed, we talked with five prominent members of the Brazilian IT scene.
A Brief History of the CIO’s Role in Outsourcing
December 13th, 2011Rogerio Oliveira, former president of IBM Latin America, talks about the evolution of the IT vendor relationship – and how the CIO has become far more influential within the executive boardroom.
Exclusive: Amazon Set to Launch Cloud Services in Brazil
December 2nd, 2011
By Edileuza Soares
Amazon will soon start offering cloud computing services to small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) in Brazil, using basically the same model it employs in the US. The company has already hired an executive to lead the operation and is quietly creating its team in Brazil.
The official date for opening the Amazon office in Brazil is still secret, but rumors say that it will happen soon, possibly by the end of December. The executive chosen to lead the operation is José Nilo Cruz Martins, a Brazilian who was local director of sales for Google, worked for Sun before its acquisition by Oracle, and he also worked for Promon.
The Software Factory Model Doesn’t Work Anymore
November 23rd, 2011Cesar Gon at CiandT: For Brazil to produce value in global IT – it must embrace the future, not the past.
From the Black Forest to Brazil Fever: GFT Sees Profit in Banking
November 21st, 2011By Filipe Pacheco
Santos, Brazil Country Manager, GFT
GFT is a German company focused on technology services and consultancy for the financial industry. So why would Mr. Ulrich Dietz, global CEO who founded this company in 1987 in the middle of the Black Forest, be so interested in the Brazilian market? If there is one industry in which Brazil stands out as one of the best models in the world in terms of innovation and professionalism, it is the financial business. Marco Santos, who is the country manager for GFT in Brazil, agrees that local competitors are highly qualified and the industry is well established — but he says there is quite a lot of room to grow for those who offer IT solutions in niches or application areas that are not yet adequately addressed. Mobile banking systems would be one good example.
A CIO’s Account of Nearshore, Ninjas and What Doesn’t Work Offshore
November 17th, 2011
Chris Snyder, CIO, Hulcher
Ever wonder what really distinguishes nearshore from offshore?
By Chris Snyder
I like to imagine an IT vendor selling the first screwdriver. “It can also replace the hammer, if you use the head of the screwdriver to hit the head of a nail. You also won’t need a knife for butter anymore because it will replace that as well. Crow bar… gone. Car keys… a thing of the past. A screwdriver will replace them all and you can finally standardize on one platform (the screwdriver) and reduce costs across the toolbox.”
The “right tool” approach to the organizational structure of an agile software development project mitigates cost by using arbitrage to achieve lower costs, while minimizing risks from misuse of resources – like using the screwdriver when you really need a hammer.
Brazil 2022: Five Experts on the Future Path of the Biggest Economy in Latin America
November 14th, 2011
Filipe Pacheco
In the past decade, Brazil has transformed itself into one of the fastest growing economies in the world, doubled its middle class, and taken on a fight against massive poverty. So now the big questions are: Is all of this growth sustainable? How far can it go? And what about the IT industry — will it keep pace?
Brazil IT Remains in a Class By Itself: Is That a Good Thing?
November 7th, 2011
Brasscom Global IT Forum Super Panel, last week in Sao Paulo: Corbett, Dreyfuss, Tapper, Vashistha and Laughlin.
By Filipe Pacheco
Brazil’s ascendancy as a major center for global IT services will be engineered in a uniquely Brazilian way, and should in no way aim to reproduce the model crafted by India over the last twenty years, concluded a ‘super panel’ of global outsourcing experts at last week’s Brasscom Global IT Forum in Sao Paulo.
Brazil is in a class by itself, the panelists recognized, in confronting and leveraging an entirely different set of unique circumstances compared with its “BRIC” nation counterpart, India. For instances, Brazil is experiencing a colossal economic boom – taking giant strides forward to become one of the top six economic powers on earth. (India has yet to officially crack the top ten group of leading economies).
Brazilian IT Provider Enables Credit for Cash-Starved Domestic Firms
November 4th, 2011
Totvs helps get up to $170K in hands of small-medium businesses
By Filipe Pacheco
Brazil’s key interest rate, determined by the Monetary Policy Committee, is among one of the highest in the world. Popularly known as “taxa Selic,” today it is set at 11.5% a year – but in reality the interest rate paid by business customers can rise much higher than that.
