Offshore Software Development Services - is it really recommended?

Companies around the world have opted for software outsourcing with offshore vendors. A critical part of the strategy involves business flexibility since it allows for focus on core competencies while also offering cost-effective solutions. For companies just starting up, the benefits of offshore software development are humungous.

As pointed out in some reports, worldwide offshore practices do not revolve around cost alone but on overall expertise and experience of the vendor. Worldwide practices reveal that low prime cost is not the prime factor which affects different projects but resources are much more important. One needs to strike the right balance between cost and resources while implementing an offshore software development model.

One of the most important benefits of outsourcing is that a company attains freedom from non-core activities to spend more time towards their prime work. One can easily maneuver your work force depending on the tasks to be done.

There are many such benefits which offshore outsourcing services offer. According to reports from Businessweek.com, America’s growth in recent years has been attributed to offshore destinations such as India. The country is fast proving itself to be a coveted offshore country for outsourcing needs. India is a destination which boasts of high quality resources and immense cost benefits without even a language barrier since majority of learned Indians are fluent in English. India has also attained maximum reviews from western companies for good qualitative work that it has delivered in the past. Even the recent spate of government policies, have proved favorable for healthy trade and cost benefits related to setting up of branches of multiple companies from the west.

Education in India has improved tremendously since the average school-going children are quite well versed with the latest technologies and the new happenings in the scientific world. Indian students are said to have remarkable grasp over the English language and have displayed decent aptitude on more than one occasion on different platforms. There are many colleges and universities in India who train their students in the latest technologies in the best manner possible. Hence the resource pool in India is huge with tremendous scope for companies in western countries such as US or UK to open their subsidiaries in the country. The cost-effectiveness factor plays a major role while companies are looking for setting up centers to boost profits.

Indians are available as worthy resources in both quality as well as quantity. The liberal policies and initiatives started by the government also play an important role to support the growth of outsourcing sector. Technology is being pulled to the grass roots by bringing in forest direct investment money (FDI). Additionally, it is important to note that the selection of an ideal outsourcing provider is essential for every company willing to put in their money for outsourcing needs. The choice will decide whether the company will make profits or face losses from its decision. Previous experience and overall expertise of the vendor needs to be cross-checked before awarding a software development project, in particular.

Cloud Computing, the Benefits and its Feasibility

The name "cloud computing" derived its name with the cloud symbol that was used to represent the Internet in most diagrams and technical flowcharts. Right from the start, cloud computing and its feasibility have always been debatable among analysts although most of them rooted for the cloud and against desktop computing. The volatile nature of its definition signaled distrust in the minds of experts.

Business requirements have demanded a lot from IT resources which necessitated the advent of cloud computing. Most enterprises opt for cloud computing options to prevent upfront infrastructure expenses. The cloud has ensured nowadays that the companies based in western countries are not wary to get the software solution. Potential flaws in the software development plan are pointed out before actually implementing the solution on the cloud.

Cloud computing has witnessed a huge interest in the technology world in recent years. It is an oft used term for referring to independent hosted services over the web. Cloud computing services can be classified into three main categories:

• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
• Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and

Analysts agree that it is imperative for offshore software development companies to make use of applications that can make use of the cloud. Here are some of the benefits of cloud computing:

• Low Cost of Infrastructure: There is no reason to invest heavily on infrastructure and a company can have limited number of hard disks and less memory for storage while they can have good and efficient processors. Peak computing needs can be easily handled by robust servers in the cloud
• The cloud setup will let computers to pitch in a good performance since it will run with fewer programs loaded into memory.
• Few maintenance costs will be the order of the day since cloud computing reduced hardware and software maintenance costs easily.
• Only those who need access to particular software will have license to use it through the cloud. Cloud services will be cheaper than desktop versions. Web-based applications are available for free and the upgrades of most software come cheap.
• Unlimited Storage Capacity: The cloud boasts of unlimited storage capabilities since it can store any number of data without any restriction. Even the computer’s 200GB hard drive would look like peanuts compared to the size of the cloud which would come to about hundreds of petabytes.
• Increased Data Safety: Data is safe and secure in the cloud since the information and files in a desktop might get corrupted or your disk can get crashed. Data gets duplicated in the cloud hence it won’t have problems with data security.
• Improved Document Format Compatibility: All documents created through document based applications can be read and easily accessed by the other user. In the cloud, there are very less problems related to format incompatibilities. Documents can be accessed easily and universally with a web connection.
• Easier Group Collaboration: Anyone and everyone can collaborate and communicate in real time with the help of cloud computing services.
• No need for Tether to connect to System: You apps and important documents will still be available if you change your desktop or laptop.

Tips to avoid the failure of software development implementations

More than 71% of the software development projects are reported to have failed due to improper planning, faulty test cases, error-prone programming logic, or incompetence of the developers. Here are some time tested tips which can help you to deliver software development projects successfully.

• For a good software solution, it is important to keep into account the immediate user's needs and detailed specifications before venturing into real-time coding. One needs to adhere to the client needs to the letter.
• Risk strategies should be implemented right from the start and the rest of the software development cycle should follow later. Early completion of projects can be assured with this step.
• Development projects need to be broken into small modules for on-time delivery of projects and fantastic ROI.
• The software development company should never get short of technical resources since that might cause unnecessary breaks in the software application development process. Hire backup resources as required.
• Validation milestones are essential for breaking down projects in simpler terms. They can be spaced out in the gap of 3-4 weeks.
• The companies need to make use of user-friendly features which can help clients operate smoothly rather than making it more and more complex.
•  Developers need to be accountable and committed to their work while being part of the software development lifecycle
• Functional testing tools are helpful while conducting stress testing tools. Use the industry standard tools to conduct free-flowing tests. Real-time testing will be advantageous for the client and beneficial for you too.
• The development services project should be cost-effective and efficiently managed. The requirements need to be addressed on a transparent basis.
• Designing is an integral part of the whole process. The user interface should be uncluttered too, since too much of information or heavy design robs the developed application from its user-friendliness.
• The planning phase should include stage-wise execution and work tasks should be assigned on a weekly basis rather than a daily basis. This would reduce the time involved in planning out and implementing the modules.
• One needs to plan and use diverse features, set appropriate timelines and milestones for every module. Any fault in the planning phase will affect the results of the project.
• Do not become prone to the “feature creep” state of affairs during implementation and testing.
• The best way to handle the client requirements is to under-promise, over-deliver and then plan something special when the project is over.

At times, things do not work according to the plan, maybe you promised much more than you could deliver. Make amends and incorporate the desired features at a faster time period and under the budget. That would help in maintaining good relations with the client and will bank on predictable results. Your developers will be happy too since they were able to make amends in spite of the mistakes done on a larger scale. Additionally, reward your developers occasionally to show how much they matter to you in the larger scheme of things. This is the best policy which would help you retain them when a software development project enters a critical phase.