Software Development Done Right – How Europe Has Become the Best Option
Outsourcing in its own right comes with a plethora of questions and unknowns. Where? How? Who? Can we trust each other? Outsourcing to Europe is more and more the right answer to those questions.
In today’s economic jungle, the winner takes it all. Fast-selling IT products are the Holy Grail of an ever growing industry which has seen millionaires rise and fall, companies appear and disappear, and inventions changing the world as we know it.
The one thing the winners of this game have always had is vision. The vision to understand the best course of action and the insight to see the key points of custom software development.
One of these key points is finding the right people, the right teams to help you on your way. Most top players have long understood that one person – or one team – cannot do it all. One efficient way is to correctly identify what is done best by whom. Here, we can offer some constructive advice!
You will want to play it safe, especially if your business is only just starting out. Hiring too many people is a pitfall – sooner than you know it, all the money will be going into salaries, insurance, and other staff-related expenses. The more cost-effective way to do it is obviously to outsource.
Outsourcing in its own right comes with a plethora of questions and unknowns. Where? How? Who? Can we trust each other?
The most common answers for custom software development are usually in Asia. Countries like India, China, Malaysia have been on the rise in offering cheap labor and easily accessible answers. The price is – well – right; you get what you pay for. Up and coming lately is, however, Europe, and more specifically Central and Eastern Europe. While this is not as cheap as Asia, it is definitely far more cost-effective, with a much higher return on investment.
“Why?” you may ask. Here’s a short list of answers for you.
You share the same culture
Maybe not to a T, but definitely to a P or M at least. That will help you and your European business partners tread fast and understand each other without fear of cultural faux-pas. With a very similar work culture as in the States, a regular European IT team will give clear and specific answers to clear and specific questions. There will be no double meanings or raised eyebrows. Remember, good communication is paramount to the success of your business!
You speak the same language
(Almost) everybody in Europe speaks English. Here, we made it easy for you. English is mandatory in schools in Eastern Europe , with complex exams at the age or 14 or 18.
Time zones
Alright, that one is less glorious, but it’s still easier to deal with 6-7 hours than 16.
Government incentives
That’s right! Countries like Romania and Poland offer incentives to software development companies and IT personnel. Which is why in Romania, there are over 100.000 people working for software development companies.
Education
Engineering and technology have long standing traditions in Europe, with IT introduction programs for children being widely spread and easily accessible in Eastern Europe especially.
European standards
European standards, much like American standards, take quality seriously. Deadlines are previously discussed and agreed and afterwards met.
Access to innovation
The latest R&D centers of Fitbit, Siemens, Verint, Microsoft, Oracle and Amazon in Bucharest illustrate better than any words the developing trend and belief that Eastern Europe is a solid talent pool.
Accessibility
There is an airport everywhere in Europe. Distances are short as well, so there will always be a low-cost airline to transport you anywhere in the European Union. Not to mention, there are highways everywhere as well and almost no borders at all. Besides, Eastern Europe has top Internet speeds which highly benefit custom software development teams. Skype, Slack, remote management systems are all known and widely used by everyone.
Expertise
While Eastern Europe has delivered some very interesting rogue IT programmers (read: hacking prodigies), the majority of IT experts prefer a proper day job. The access to knowledge is however comparable. The huge number of seminars, conferences, competitions, and hackathons, as well as the matching number of participants can all testify to that.
All these reasons and more make Central and Eastern Europe a sound outsourcing option. With costs much lower than in the American IT hotbeds of Silicon Valley and New York, you can still enjoy cultural and financial advantages similar to any part of the US. You easily adapt your software development tasks cost-effectively, while enjoying the quality guarantees the European world has to offer.
You can achieve commercial success intelligently and profitably, by welcoming the outside help of experienced engineering teams, with years and projects behind them.