The rise of software development outsourcing as a competitive advantage has led to much debate over which of the different outsourcing models best applies to the goals of businesses in the United States. In this article, we’re looking at how the nearshore development model stands out from the rest as the top choice.
Nearshore software development involves engaging with a contractor that is geographically close to your location and therefore also has a similar time zone. From the perspective of US companies, nearshore development teams can be found either in North America or Latin America, offering unique benefits when compared to traditional offshore vendors located overseas.
When it comes to Agile software development, geographical proximity is a huge plus, as travel times and costs will be much lower than offshore locations. Whether you’re looking to visit a vendor or have them fly into your office in the US, nearshore destinations provide easy access and quick travel time frames.
Successful software development projects are predicated on efficient communication between teams. Nearshoring makes it possible for your onsite and remote teams to share similar (if not the same) time zones, therefore overlapping throughout their workday. Most nearshore countries only have a one-hour time zone difference with the US, the maximum being at a four-hour difference.
This is by far the biggest advantage of the nearshore model when compared to overseas vendors, because however skilled offshore developers may be, communication with teams so far away can prove incredibly challenging and may lead to project delays and other unforeseen risks if not carefully managed.
Countries in Latin America share the Western cultural values of the United States, and in addition, most of its population has been following US pop culture and events since childhood. Whether it’s through sports, music, films and Netflix series, or late night shows, Latin Americans are regular consumers of US culture.
Moreover, Latin America’s software development workforce is mostly English fluent. In addition to government initiatives to improve English language teaching in public schools, private bilingual schools teaching English as a second language are very popular, and high-paying jobs tend to require language proficiency.
Talent shortage in the US market is one of the main reasons companies look to augment their teams by partnering with offshore and nearshore development companies. Both of these have highly skilled talent to offer, but the nearshore option provides the huge added benefit of proximity and similar time zones.
Universities in Latin America have been successful in responding to the growing demand of IT professionals, and governments continue to enact policies that foster the growth of the region’s workforce. A prime example of this focus on adaptation in the region is Uruguay, which became the top software exporter per capita in the region with a population of 3.5 million by heavily investing in its IT industry and workforce.
Top talent in Latin America is usually found in boutique development shops that specialize in specific technologies and work exclusively for the US market. These smaller-sized firms focus on quality and carefully hire and train their developers, with the goal of reducing any learning curve issues at the time of working along US teams.
As a direct result of all the benefits listed above, the overall cost of nearshore development proves to be lower than the offshore alternative, despite having somewhat higher rates. Responsive, real-time collaboration between teams in similar time zones provides the ideal environment for successful projects.
The two best use case scenarios for nearshore software development are as a team augmentation solution to address talent shortage in your home market when looking to hire developers, and as a way of delegating specific parts of bigger projects to an external team in order to focus on your core tasks.
At VAIRIX, we help our US partners through both of these services:
- Staff Augmentation: As a nearshore development boutique based in Uruguay and working exclusively for the US market, we can help augment your team on demand with seasoned engineers that work with the latest trending technologies, so you won’t have the added cost of going through a big learning curve.
- Product Development: If you’re looking to outsource whole projects or given parts of bigger projects, we can help you set up dedicated Agile teams to bring your product to life.
The right nearshore development team can help you maximize productivity and reduce costs while maintaining high-quality standards. The VAIRIX team has ten years of experience and is featured within the top app development companies according to App Development Listing. Get in touch to learn how we can help you reach your business goals.
- VAIRIX Featured on Clutch as a Top Custom Software Developer in Latin America
- Nearshore software development in 2019: The growing IT talent Pool in Uruguay
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