In a recent survey, 80% of European and US outsourcing firms ranked India as their number one outsourcing destination. The National Association of Software & Service Companies (NASSCOM) also reported that almost half of all Fortune 500 companies choose to outsource software development to Indian outsourcing firms. Even though many other countries (including China, Mexico, Ireland and the Philippines) have emerged as major competitors, India has managed to outmanoeuvre all others and emerge as the top outsourcing destination. Major differentiators such as certain favourable government policies, fast-developing infrastructure, and an immensely talented work force are responsible for the Indian IT outsourcing industry continuing to experience a tremendous growth rate of 25–30% per year. Read on to find out more about why India remains the ultimate outsourcing destination.
India has the largest technical and professional talent pool in the world
India remains unmatched when it comes to its vast pool of skilled and talented human resources. The country has a population of over 1.2 billion people and around 3.1 million graduates are added to the workforce each year. India also holds the distinction of being the largest English speaking nation in the world, larger even than the US and UK combined. Apart from the vast numbers, is the quality of talent that attracts companies wishing to outsource. “The attraction of India is not only numbers but, more importantly, the quality of the talent. Two major consumers of outsourcing services are the USA and Western Europe respectively. According to IDC, the US-based companies will spend billion on Information System outsourcing, while Western Europe will spend billion.
Approximately 18 %( billion) of this spending falls at offshore contracts. Particularly, US-based companies have spent .5 billion on offshore outsourcing services.
India offers flexible pricing options
The number one reason why India remains a top outsourcing provider is due to the significant cost savings that companies can achieve. This is mainly because of the wide gap that exists between personnel costs in India and that of the developed countries. For example, a good developer in the U.S. can cost anywhere from $50 to $80 an hour (for a full-time staffer depending on skills and experience). In comparison, the hourly cost of a developer in India can be negotiated. This pricing flexibility allows companies the freedom and creativity in managing their budget and helps them reap large profits.
India provides consistent high quality services
While the cost factor plays a huge role in outsourcing, the consistently high quality provided by Indian outsourcing firms has also enabled India to remain as the top outsourcing destination. The National Outsourcing Association (NOA), in its Annual Offshore Outsourcing Conference, reflected on the trend commonly seen among International companies who choose India as their preferred outsourcing destination. “Cost reduction was only part of the reason that companies were considering offshore outsourcing, there were benefits to be had in time-to-market and quality, leading to an adage that companies initially chose India to save costs but stayed for the speed and quality!”
India boasts of the best in Infrastructure and technological capabilities
Modern India is well-developed and offers state-of-the-art telecom, ISP, and cellular networks in all major cities and towns. Clients are offered the latest and best in software technology, including customized solutions for various applications such as e-commerce, business process re-engineering, system migration, legacy system maintenance, system integration, and much more. Outsourcing companies also maintain uninterrupted communication channels with clients by providing high-speed bandwidth via satellite connectivity, submarine cables and fibre optic networks.
The Indian Government is stable and offers attractive IT policies
The Indian outsourcing industry is supported by a stable pro-IT government whose policies on the economy, GDP growth, taxation, power, telecom, industrial parks and special zones have been helpful in improving infrastructure as well as communications systems. IT is regarded as one of the top 5 priority industries in India, and the government has framed policies to obtain maximum benefit from IT outsourcing to India. The government has offered its support to the IT industry by providing various tax-related and other benefits and by enacting the Information Technology Act, which recognizes electronic contracts, bars cybercrime, and supports e-filing of documents.
Indian companies provide the quickest time-to-market
Indian outsourcing companies are able to provide the quickest time-to-market due to the advantages gained by time zone differences. The 12-hour time difference between India and the USA and 5.5 hour time difference between India and UK provides companies with numerous opportunities for work to be completed earlier than expected, leading to greater efficiency, increased productivity and more time to focus on other crucial tasks. The time difference makes India an ideal option for clients who wish to outsource various service-related options, such as 24X7 Customer Support and Helpdesk services.
India—the most preferred global destination
India continues to remain the world’s favourite when it comes to outsourcing. It has gained global confidence with major players such as Cisco, Oracle and Hewlett-Packard opting for India because they are confident of gaining access to superior talent, quality results, fast turnaround times and low costs. Mr. Elfrink, (Cisco Systems), reiterates this point when he says, “We believe that India is the hub of the world where the IT sector is concerned.” India also holds 65% of the global offshore outsourcing BPO market, making it the dominant leader in providing outsourcing services.
To summarise Indian strengths in software outsourcing are well known, so we will be brief here. The Indian software industry is a decade older than the others and has gained a world – wide reputation for its software development resources and strong business ties with the Indian diaspora in the USA and Western Europe. It is no exaggeration that the Indian experts hold leading positions in the overseas IT –sector.
Indian companies have proven their commitment to quality. The majority of companies worldwide which have achieved CMM level 5 are located in India.
India’s standing in the geopolitical risk scorecards of management consultancies with a stabilized economic and political climate brings in a positive environment for the development of IT industry.