The past two years have undeniably shaken the way people and organisations around the world operate and conduct business. One of the most profound changes has been the growth of hybrid and remote working. This, along with the rapidly expanding market of international tech talent, makes outsourcing abroad more viable than ever.
As the world continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, we are beginning to see how organisations are using what they have learned as a springboard to bounce back and transform their businesses. With ongoing uncertainties in the current global economy as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis and soaring inflation rates, it makes sense for organisations to look further afield for IT talent to deliver essential technical skills while keeping costs down.
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A renaissance in IT outsourcing
After a decline in popularity, statistics suggest that IT outsourcing has begun to rise in popularity once more. Recent research by STX Next provides evidence that business leaders are planning to return to IT outsourcing, stating that 89% of chief technology officers plan to outsource software development or IT expertise in the future, even though 59% are not currently doing it, and 43% have done it in the past but have stopped.
While some businesses continue to hold a negative view of outsourcing abroad due to unsatisfactory experiences in the past, the level of IT expertise in companies based outside of the UK has grown significantly in the past few years. With this new growth, there is every chance that outsourcing in this way will yield positive results.
The potential of nearshoring
To further increase the success of any outsourcing efforts, organisations can focus on nearshoring when looking for technical talent. This refers to when businesses outsource to a company based in a different country, but one that is still relatively close to the organisations’ home region. One example would be UK companies partnering with software development or other IT companies in Poland, or elsewhere in central and eastern Europe.
Ultimately, nearshoring presents an effective option for businesses wanting to engage with an IT partner closer to home. It gives advantages to companies by providing access to a wide range of technical talent in regions with a fast-developing reputation for IT excellence. This presents a unique opportunity for businesses to reduce costs on labour fees and office rental with the same quality as hiring locally.
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By GlobalDataIt is also worth noting that Poland in particular ranked among the leading nations in the world in the most recent PISA rankings published by the OECD, achieving tenth place in mathematics, 12th in science and tenth in reading. Clearly there is a bright future for technical talent in the region.
Approaching outsourcing in this way ensures the people an organisation chooses to work with are based in a similar time zone, often with similar cultural inclinations, have a strong grasp of the English language, and have adopted similar working practices and standards of customer service as UK-based companies. As long as businesses take steps to ensure their nearshoring practices align with industry regulations and legal requirements, it can be an ideal fit.
Alleviating obstacles for businesses
With the acute burdens businesses currently face, outsourcing – and nearshoring in particular – shows a lot of promise as the world continues to navigate an uncertain post-pandemic period. Cutting costs will be a necessity for many, but the stakes remain high as far as service delivery and customer experience are concerned, so no organisation can afford to jeopardise quality.
If prospective IT partners abroad can provide high-quality services while being flexible and accommodating to business needs, there is massive potential to form strong, lasting relationships between the outsourcer and the outsourced.
