Should you consider transferring your IT project work to Mexico?

By Brenda V.

The answer to this question is yes! Mexico is the lowest cost destination closest to the US Market, moving your IT project work will allow your business to grow with limited resources, while having access at the same time to the best technological resources available.

Increase your business competitiveness and gain leadership in your industry.

Mexico’s geographical location will give you an ideal place to start your outsourcing project work, a place to supply the US market with Agile and “just in time” methodologies with access to world class infrastructure, labor force and technologies.

If you are thinking about outsourcing your software development work, why not consider Mexico first? Our top-notch IT industry cluster can give you the following benefits:

· Reduce project cycle time

· Enhance work flexibility

· Reduce your total project costs

· Be able to travel to meet your team in person with just a 3 hour flight

· Have all the experience labor force available for your projects

· Operate with professionals with a very close US business culture

· Maintain or acquired a leadership position by implementing technological applications to keep you above your competitors

· Take advantage of all the legal paperwork given by the NAFTA agreement

Take advantage of the closer education system in which Mexican developers have to undergo a 5-year degree to engineers and programmers, making the quality of our resources one of the best to accommodate your expertise needs.

Before choosing any outsourcing service it would be important for you to consider that buying mainly based on expenses can bring trouble for your business: There are many more important elements to consider like the experience of the company, client base, testimonials, the software development process and the open communication channels that help you in all the creation and implementation process.

Following a formal evaluation process can give you a better understanding of the advantages that outsourcing your project work can bring to your business.

In Sieena, we specialize in custom software development work with all the benefits given by the nearshore strategy. With offices in Los Angeles, CA and Monterrey, Mexico we are ready to give you the best resources and act as a consulting firm to let you know how to improve your current IT processes; we have 6 years of experience working for the US market and have many customer testimonials and commendations. Please let us know what we can do for your company.

Why is LinkedIn important for your small/medium business?

By Brenda V.

Even after … years of being created, I still bump with people who don’t even know what LinkedIn is; for all those who seek to answer the question about this I can tell you that LinkedIn is a social network dedicated mainly to help connect people on their professional side; something like connecting with the people you work with but also with former colleagues or service providers.

It’s not only that, LinkedIn has evolved into a much more elaborate and complicated tool where you can join groups of people with the same professional interest than you, ask questions related to your work activities or even put adds completely focused to the targeted markets.

Now, why would LinkedIn be important to you if you have a small to medium business? Local listings aren’t enough anymore, there is a big world out there that might be looking for your services and the only way to get to you is through the use of networking, this is where LinkedIn comes in handy.

Have you ever tried searching for a specific service on Google? I bet you have! Well I dare you to do the same on LinkedIn and you will be surprised about the results… not only will you be able to find the service providers closest to you, but you connect directly to the right people inside those companies.

There are many advantages about having your own LinkedIn Profile and having your small business on it as well:

· You will be able to gain access to your competitor’s staff skill and experience.

· Do a benchmark about what are the companies in your industry doing, what events they are attending, etc.

· Recruit and post job adds in the job section and even inside the groups you join.

· Get in touch with important people inside your industry and network with them.

· Stay in touch with colleagues and see what projects they are working on and how you can help each other advance.

· Get business recommendations by other professionals and previous colleagues or supervisors.

· Ask questions and obtain information form industry professionals who might be experts in the subject of inquiry.

· Join groups in which you can announce your products and services.

· Create online polls and send it to the targeted people that can help you in obtaining relevant information.

· Customize your profile; add all your business background, picture, even reading list or online presentations. As of lately you can even add updates from your own twitter account on your profile.

There are many things you can do with LinkedIn, the important thing about this is to never consider it as a social networking site like Facebook or MySpace; LinkedIn is a professional networking tool that will help you and your company to have an online presence and get known outside of your area of influence.

IT outsourcing, it’s not all about rates!

By Brenda V.

Outsourcing is referred as the act of a company to contract a third party vendor to provide that specific service, due to the fact that accomplishing those activities in-house would represent (most of the time) higher costs and the need of additional staff.

The act of outsourcing has been around for many years now, small to large companies are born from the act of specializing in a certain activity to offer that experience and specialization to other companies whose core activity is completely different.

When speaking about IT outsourcing, the interest for this type of service providers is normally focused on eastern countries like India or Pakistan, but sometimes outsourcing difficult project work can bring a lot more trouble than benefits for the client; and I’m not only speaking of the different language (which brings a very strong accent), I am speaking about the different culture which will always bring a different way of looking at things, a simple email can be interpreted in different ways by two or more people.

We, as humans, have the tendency of reading or listening to what other people say accordingly to our own experience and assumptions, making it very difficult to communicate clearly with someone else; we can find these communication problems everywhere, in our home, at work, etc., but just imagine having to deal with this in a project work with people from a totally different country and that they live and work in a different time zone. Not only do I need to wake up extremely early or stay up late for phone meetings, but I need to make sure that whatever it is I am saying goes through clearly to the other person on the line, someone I might never even get to meet him or her in person.

Are you willing to put your money in the hands of someone you have never met? Well maybe they have lower rates, but sometimes it’s just not about the money.

When seeking an IT outsourcing firm it would be always wise to find an IT partner that has been working with similar companies and that can have references and testimonials of their work. Someone who might not have the exact same work culture than me but that has the base of knowledge needed of how I do things, how I work and how I like things done; someone that is reliable and above everything, someone that has the experience and resources to help me out with my project.

Do your research, listen to your business partner’s referrals and maybe even consider outsourcing companies closer to you than on the other side of the world… Maybe you will find that you can obtain much more benefits by considering a nearshore software development partner.

Nearshore Software Development – The Benefits of Nearshoring for US Companies

In the business world, nearshore software development, or simply, nearshoring outsourcing, refers to the use of another business for certain activities that are close to home. In other words, it is the same thing as traditional outsourcing, only the companies that are being outsourced to, are in a close vicinity to the country in which the company that hired them is located. For example, suppose a small software development firm in the US wants to find another company for IT outsourcing purposes. It would not be unheard of in this particular industry to outsource that type of work to India or China. If the US based company instead goes with a company from Mexico, then that would be an example of nearshore outsourcing.

So what would be the benefits of using nearshore outsourcing for your company’s information technology outsourcing? In other words, why nearshore? There are actually several reasons why nearshore software companies might be preferred. Here are some of the benefits of using nearshore development companies. One of the main reasons why this is commonly done is cost reduction, which may sound strange at first. After all, being cheaper was one of the main reasons why IT outsourcing, as well as outsourcing in other industries, caught on in the first place.

Nearshore outsourcing is actually less costly for a few reasons. Although traditional outsourcing was supposed to reduce costs, many times, additional unforeseen costs later surfaced, making it not that cheap after all. Using a nearshore development firm will allow a US company to save money on things like travel expenses, having to redo some of the work performed because the workers didn’t understand what was required and telecommunications expenses. Another benefit of using a nearshore software development company has to do with better efficiency in the workplace. If a US based company decides to use India for its information technology outsourcing needs, the differences in the time zones can cause a big headache for project managers. Having a nearshore software development company in the same time zone as your company will eliminate the time difference issue.

And finally, another benefit to nearshore outsourcing rather than the traditional IT outsourcing has to do with differences at a cultural level. A US based company and a company based in India are going to have more cultural differences than say a US firm and a company in Latin America. That’s not to say that there won’t be any culture clashes, but just not as many.

These are just some of the main benefits of working with Nearshoring IT firms. You can find many different firms working in Mexico, one of them is Sieena.

Since 2004, Sieena, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, has provided comprehensive IT support and nearshore software development services, including Rich Internet Applications and customized SharePoint deployments. The award-winning Sieena development staff has built and maintained business-critical Web platforms for small-to-medium businesses up through large multi-national corporations. To learn more about how Sieena can meet your software development goals, e-mail us at contactus@sieena.com or visit our Web site at www.sieena.com.

Top 10 reasons to consider Monterrey for your IT solutions needs

If you are thinking about obtaining a competitive advantage for your business while trying to maximize your resources, don’t forget to consider Monterrey, Mexico as your next IT solutions alternative. Here you will find the top 10 reasons in why considering Monterrey is the best option for you and your company.

Monterrey is considered one of the most important commercial and technological centers of Latin America.

1. Industrial Leadership: Out of all the cities in Mexico, Monterrey is known as the industrial capital of the country; it’s one of the most accessible cities in the country with more than 200 flights making daily connections. The city with the largest industrial leadership; hosting a wide variety of international corporations from the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
2. Cultural proximity: Because of Monterrey’s large base of international commercial exchange, you will find the work culture and ethics are very similar.
3. Geographical location: Monterrey is located within a 3 hour flight from the most important cities in the United States like: Dallas (1:50 hours), Houston (1:30 hours), Los Angeles (2:50 hours), New York (4:00 hours), etc.
4. Time Zone: Having almost the same time zones as most cities in the US makes it easier to schedule meetings and conference calls.
5. Infrastructure: Monterrey is one of the top business cities in Latin America, providing a modern business environment, top class infrastructure and accommodations for all visitors.
6. Government Support: The government has been pushing the creation of an IT cluster in the northern part of the country. This is why it is easier to find help in implementing strategies and activities to accelerate the growth of IT local firms.
7. Talent Acquisition: The city hosts the most important and influential universities with international recognition, making it easier to have access to the best local and bilingual talent.
8. Lower Rates: Mexico’s salary fees tend to be lower than in the US, helping client’s reduce the total cost of a project while taking advantage of the nearshore benefits.
9. The North American Free Trade Agreement: The agreement provides with intellectual property protection for US customers as well as the ability to provide temporary labor resources with work visas like the H1B or TN.
10. Reduced costs to work with a team: Not only will you be able to save on normal salary fees but if you want to meet your team in person, travel costs are lower than flying overseas.

Social Media Becomes a Key Weapon for Some Latin America Outsourcing Firms

Social Media Becomes a Key Weapon for Some Latin America Outsourcing Firms
August 17th, 2010
By Fernando Labastida

outsourcing social media nearshore americas 300x208 Social Media Becomes a Key Weapon for Some Latin America Outsourcing Firms Despite the hype of social media there is still a lot of skepticism about its effectiveness as a lead generation tool for businesses that rely on other businesses for revenue. This is no less true for Latin American Nearshore providers of custom software development, business process outsourcing, and call centers.

However, there is a new generation of software outsourcing providers that are harnessing the power of social media to enter international markets and compete against their larger competitor from Latin America, the U.S. and Asia.
Two companies that particularly stand out are Scio Consulting, and Sieena Software, two “under the radar” companies out of México. They are also using innovative social media approaches to gain market share in the United States.

Less that 100 Employees

The first thing you notice about both companies is their size. Both Scio Consulting and Sieena Software have slightly less than 100 employees. But that hasn’t stopped them from generating more than 70% of their revenues from the United States. They were also created from the ground up as providers of outsourcing services to the United States, contradicting the conventional wisdom that you have to already be successful in your own country before entering the U.S. market.

Scio Consulting CEO Luis Aburto commented: “I got my first client in 2003 using a project board which I think was called contractednetwork.com. Back then I was just a freelancer with a website…I didn’t even have any employees yet.” Sieena CEO Mauricio Duran’s first two customers were people he had met while studying in the United States about ten years ago, both of whom are still customers today.
Targeting Digital Niches

LuisAburto 127x150 Social Media Becomes a Key Weapon for Some Latin America Outsourcing Firms

"We experimented by focusing on different approaches, and what we found was that there isn’t a single activity that provides you the best results. What’s worked for us is to have a presence and a voice in many different channels" - Luis Aburto at Scio

Both companies provide development services for the Web, niches not traditionally served by outsourcing providers, instead of competing head to head with the large providers in managed services or IT outsourcing. “We focus on building corporate Internet portals using Microsoft Sharepoint, with an emphasis on user interface design,” Durán said. “This is an area almost completely ignored by the large Indian providers.”

Scio Consulting’s helps software companies deliver their applications as a service over the Internet as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies. Aburto’s roots as a “freelancer with a website” makes him unique in the outsourcing space. Aburto says that about 60% of Scio’s customers come through their website. However, it wasn’t always like that.

“In the beginning all we had was our website, and we promoted our services through our network of contacts,” said Aburto. Sieena’s Duran said most of his early customers were people he had met while studying in Los Angeles.
Scio Consulting initially used the traditional marketing tools common to B2B technology companies. According to Aburto, “…we did telemarketing, email marketing, launched a blog, held webinars, podcasts, wrote white papers, and even had booths at trade shows and conferences.” In 2003 they started using LinkedIn, forging connections with their contacts. But starting in 2008 they became active participants in various LinkedIn Groups, and in 2009 started using Twitter and Facebook.

Aburto said after experimenting with various social media channels and approaches they found there wasn’t a magic bullet. “We experimented by focusing on different approaches, and what we found was that there isn’t a single activity that provides you the best results. What’s worked for us is to have a presence and a voice in many different channels,” explains Aburto.

Scio practices a classic two-step approach in their social media marketing. Reminiscent of direct-response advertising, they first offer valuable content by promoting their webinars and workshops instead of directly soliciting business.
After prospects attend a workshop or webinar many of them turn into customers. Aburto: “We get roughly 50% of our webinar and workshop attendees through social media.”

What about Lead Quality?

“One time one of the largest American software companies sent eight people to one of our workshops because they found out about us via Twitter,” Aburto said. He said they eventually became a customer.

Sieena’s story is slightly different. According to Duran, their first social media success was a customer that found them through LinkedIn. “We currently get 20% of our business through the Internet, but we have started to see more activity on our website through our weekly blog posts,” Duran said.
Sieena takes a more narrow approach to social media. Duran: “What has worked for us to choose a limited number of marketing activities and focus on that,” instead of spreading themselves too thin.

As content marketing expert Joe Pulizzi has stated, content strategy comes before social media strategy, a statement Aburto agrees with.

“In order for social media to work, it’s important that the content that you publish is relevant,” Aburto says. “It’s relatively easy to make ‘noise’ using social media channels by hiring people to publish content robotically, but it’s very obvious to your customers who is a marketing hired gun, and who is a true though leader.”
Through relevant blog posts, case studies and webinars, both Sieena and Scio Consulting are providing relevant content to U.S. buyers. But what about other Latin American outsourcing providers? Has the word caught on yet that relevant content and “thinking like a publisher” is the way to success? That remains to be seen.

We would love to hear your views and experiences on social media and content as a way for Nearshore services provides from the Americas to drives success in foreign markets.

Fernando Labastida is the owner of Latin IT Marketing, a content marketing consultancy helping Latin American software and nearshore providers successfully enter the U.S. market.

Posted by Kirk Laughlin on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Filed under Nearshoring 101 · Tagged Global services marketing, Latin America marketing, Scio Consulting, Sienna, Social media