To Capitalize on IT Consumerization, Shore Up Your Mobility Strategy
January 19th, 2012In my previous post, I discussed how IT consumerization – the introduction of consumer devices into the workplace – is already having a significant impact on Nearshore software development as CIOs rush to capitalize on the trend. But adapting to new devices alone isn’t enough. To truly get the most out of their consumerization efforts, companies have begun to incorporate Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM) into their enterprise mobility strategies.
Mobile Device Management and Mobile Application Management have emerged as real solutions for companies seeking to harness IT consumerization while keeping control over the consumer devices used in the workplace and the applications that reside on them. These solutions, which include offerings from companies like AirWatch and Sybase (Afaria), enable IT to secure employee-owned iOS or Android devices, while ensuring adherence to corporate policies and approved use of …
Sourcing Motown? Detroit Aims to Be an IT Hub
January 16th, 2012
"Spirit of Detroit" sculpture in downtown Motown.
By Dennis Barker
Is another player shaping up to compete with Latin American IT outsourcing companies? Proponents of America’s former Car Capital of the World want to transform that struggling city into a technology center that can deliver software to businesses currently outsourcing work to the Nearshore and other offshore locations like India. They say that American sourcing companies based in or near Motor City can compete even on cost with other countries.
Nearshore Needs More Training, Greater Scale
January 11th, 2012By Patrick Haller
Shanker: India has a better grasp of "the training concept."
The prospect of managing multiple locations in the US, India, Mexico and Japan can be daunting for many people. But Ravi Shanker, Sales Director for HCL America, Inc., has been doing it for years. His experience overseeing IT development projects began with Polaris Software in the early 2000s, then with HCL. As an insider, he has been directly involved in a market that has shifted from Indian-centric software development to new destinations like Brazil and Mexico. We asked Shanker about the current state of outsourcing, the trend toward onshoring, and what countries need to do to remain relevant or become more competitive.
Nearshore Nexus 2012: Bigger, Bolder and Coming to Broadway
January 11th, 2012The most exclusive outsourcing event of the year comes to New York City, April 19. Buy-side executives (including vendor management, IT, BPO, site selection and software leaders) are invited to attend.
Silicon Valley Execs Offer Up Guidance to Colombian Entrepreneurs
January 3rd, 2012By Patrick Haller
At the beginning of December, a group of 34 Colombian software designers, mobile app developers and gaming designers participated in an exploratory tour to Silicon Valley – meeting with executives at Google, Facebook, Pixar, Apple and Cisco.
The trip – which was organized by Proexport Colombia – featured several key takeaways, including alternative business management and process approaches, leading-edge ways to market and sell software and the need for Colombians to worry less about certifications and focus more on serving core business needs.
Setting Out to Train More Scrum Masters and Develop More ‘Agile Nations’
December 13th, 2011By Dennis Barker
In the big international competition with India and other low-cost outsourcing destinations, some Nearshore IT providers have been taking their game to the next level (apologies for the sports cliche) by adopting agile software-development methods. And one of the keys to helping teams become skilled agile players is to hire or train good coaches – leaders who are certified scrum masters.
(Scrum is defined by the Scrum Alliance as “an agile framework for completing complex projects.” The term was adapted from rugby – hence the sports cliche – in a 1986 study by Takeuchi and Nonaka that alluded to a team trying to “go the distance as a unit, passing the ball back and forth.”)
Stefanini TechTeam Expands to China
December 6th, 2011Stefanini responds to increasing demand from large enterprises seeking globalization of IT services
Stefanini TechTeam ( www.techteam.com ), a global provider of onshore and nearshore IT consulting, integration and development, and outsourcing services, today announced the expansion of its presence in China, adding new service delivery capabilities that address the needs of a growing base of global clients.
The latest step in its continued global expansion, this move is aimed at tapping into the demand for Stefanini TechTeam’s services in China, where the company is already supporting some of the world’s largest global manufacturers.
Over the next three years, Stefanini is expected to invest $3 million in China as part of this expansion, with plans to grow and train a team of 1,000 employees in the region, working out of offices in Shanghai and the northern Chinese city of Jilin.
The additional staff resources – together with the support of existing …
IT Talent Shortage Continues to Have Major Impact on Offshoring Dynamic
December 6th, 2011
Mezak: Plan by understanding software trends
Guest Post by Steve Mezak
In the past few weeks, I’ve been watching online discussions around software development trends. Some of it seems like hype: cloud computing takes over the world; mobile phones and tablets (and mobile apps) take over the world. There is some truth about these trends to be sure, but another trend seems more serious. IT departments and companies developing software continue to report a shortage of programming talent in the U.S. capable of using these new technologies and platforms.
IT Consumerization – What It Is, and What It Means for Nearshore
November 28th, 2011In my last blog post, I looked at some of the reasons why mobile apps have emerged as the next frontier in Nearshore, and are only likely to grow as a dominant market driver in the years to come. One of the reasons I point to is IT consumerization, the trend of information technology gaining adoption with consumers, who in turn bring these devices or software to the business.
In this post, I’d like to delve deeper into this trend, and talk through some of the reasons why I believe it will continue to reshape the IT landscape – and, by extension, the Nearshore market – for the foreseeable future.
At its heart, the concept of IT consumerization means just what it sounds like: consumer devices making their way into IT environments. But the reasons for this – and their implications for Nearshore – bear further exploration.
Certainly one of the …
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.
