A Brief Introduction to Offshore Software Development
Before I get to what offshore software development is, I’d first like to define some important terms that are related to the topic on hand:
Firstly: Outsourcing refers to the business practice of hiring an external third party to provide services or products rather than obtaining them in-house. The third party can be located anywhere in the world—it can be based in the same city or in the same country, and it can also be based in a neighbouring country or region, or even on the other side of the world.
The services that are usually outsourced are business processes, app or software development, manufacture, legal services, and so on.
Now, outsourcing generally happens in three types: offshore, onshore, and nearshore. For today’s topic, let’s just define what offshore is.
As its name suggests, offshore literally means outsourcing “beyond the shore”. The contracting party is located in another region or another continent, far from the client. The most common example of offshoring today is the Philippines, India, and Malaysia providing BPO and IT services for companies in the UK, the US, and Australia.
Offshore software development now means sending your software development to a development team located in offshore countries. Going offshore provides several benefits to clients, such as lower labour costs and a wider pool of talent.
Offshore countries like the Philippines is actually great for outsourcing your development needs! In the 2017 Tholons Services Globalisation Index, the Philippines is named as one of the Digital Nations Leaders. Manila also made it to the Top 10 Super Cities—which is home to a lot of IT hubs and outsourcing centres in the country. Turning to offshore countries can be a great leap for your business, all you have to do is find a reliable offshore service provider that’s ready to help you from day one.
If you’re looking to hire an offshore staff or developer, you may want to check out Cloud Employee, a UK-managed IT Outsourcing Company. Our business model is designed to provide client-oriented services; we help tech startups and SMEs find the right talent they need fast and hassle-free. Build your offshore development team today! Talk to us!
Here’s how you can get the most out of offshoring!