There has an ongoing debate about onshore and offshore software development options, and which one is better than the other. There are benefits to both the types, and they largely depend on the development needs of your software project. Offshore provides benefits like shorter development time and lower cost, but there are problems to it as well. When you hire an offshore team of developers to work on your software project at a lower price, it doesn’t mean that the project will be a hit.
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It is rare to find great software developers, similar to finding an awesome general contractor. Many may claim that they are qualified with the right educational background, but it necessarily does not translate into a successful project. There are many factors that come into play when you hire a software development firm. You need to see that you are on the same page. You also should be able to evaluate that you have confidence in them.
When you want to develop a project offshore, there are certain factors you have to keep in mind.
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Protect Your Intellectual Property
Contents
Your IP or Intellectual Property is extremely crucial, especially when you choose to custom build a software application from an offshore developer. Several Far East countries have notorious developers who will not follow the IP and copyright laws. Care needs to be maintained especially when you have confidential data that will be added to the new application.
Breaches can be seen from any part of the world, it will happen less likely in your country. And if it does, you will have a better chance at pursuing them legally as compared to somebody living in the other part of the world.
Location
Another factor that makes onshore outsourcing better is the fact that they are close to you. If your development team is close to you, you will definitely be able to make frequent visits and see them in person to get the job done. Meeting someone in person is definitely better than virtual connection. If you have to visit the offshore developers, you might have to take a flight. And we know that flights aren’t economical. Major chunk of your communication will rely on digital mediums.
We should also not forget that there is going to be a massive time difference. As time zones are going to be different, setting meetings on conference calls can be difficult. It is definitely going to be uncomfortable for one of the two parties. However, if you want the best then offshore can also provide jewels. Choose one wisely. Many go for Intetics software outsourcing because of the quality of work provided by them.
Language Barrier
Another problem that occurs when you go for offshore software developers is the problem with language. Some of the people in the team do understand English, but communicating freely when there are technical phrases and terms involved can be a slight tricky. Another factor that could affect your communication is the accent. People from different countries have different accents, and some may be difficult to understand. We all know that communication is the key to a successful project. So, it is another drawback that offshore firms have against onshore ones.
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Unexpected Extra Costs
When you look at the whole project from a cost perspective, you may find offshore firms to be a better deal. The cost of labour is quite cheap is many countries as compared to the United States. But, you need to ask whether the lower cost cover all the other factors that were mentioned above. The lax IP protection laws, long distance, and language barrier cumulative may not suffice to beat onshore companies and their higher costs.
In a typical onshore development team, there will be a project manager who will be working with the developers to keep the information flowing from both the parties. It also helps in keeping the budget on track and on-budget. But, when you hire somebody from an offshore company, you will have to take the additional cost of project management resources. Therefore, there will be certain extra costs that the company will have to bear. So, you need to weigh both the choices down and make a decision based on that.
Conclusion
In some situations, people prefer going for offshore developers. And, they do make sense. If you are doing business in high-volume manufacturing, testing products, or anything that doesn’t involve building something from the ground level, you may want to choose offshore development solutions.
But, if you are a company who wants to create a software application from scratch or somebody who is planning to step outside his/her comfort zone into a completely new business territory, you must stick to a local software firm. When you can work with the development team face-to-face, you should obviously prefer it.
Therefore, it is better to closer at home before you go send out your next bid to an offshore development firm. Sometimes, the return on investment in onshore companies can surprise you as compared to the offshore one. It can be in the form of maintainability and quality.
In the end, go for quality, ethics, and experience. It will definitely give you the success you deserve.
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