It’s hardly a secret that offshoring your software development brings a host of benefits for businesses. But the reality is that it also brings very real costs, particularly when it comes to the realities of working with partners on the other side of the world.
These realities are what’s driving the growing popularity of nearshore software development for bespoke software development, an approach which brings many of the benefits of offshoring while minimizing the costs and frustrations it often brings.
What is nearshore development?
Nearshore development involves hiring a partner to build a custom software solution from a country that offers lower costs and a closer location both in terms of physical geography and culture.
It often involves working within the same political entity, like the European Union, making it easier to do business owing to fewer financial, legal, and other barriers.
Difference between nearshore, on-shore and off-shore development
Onshore refers to working with a vendor based in the same country as you are. By contrast, offshoring usually involves contracting vendors based quite far away. Nearshoring strikes a balance between the two, finding partners in countries with lower labor costs but which are still closer culturally, economically, and physically.
For example, while offshoring is most famously associated with places like India, China, and the Philippines, nearshore development shifts work to countries like Poland and Bulgaria.
Benefits of choosing nearshore development
Considering the position of nearshore development between onshore and offshore, it’s important to understand the benefits it offers as a middle ground between these other options rajkotupdates.news/watchgpt-app-apple-watch-users
Similar work ethics and culture
One of the biggest challenges many businesses face with offshoring is overcoming differences in culture and styles of work. This can vary from simple language barriers to difficulties explaining prioritization, work requirements, or other business needs.
Often these challenges are difficult to precisely quantify but the resulting misunderstandings or misalignment can easily translate into very concrete delays, frustrations, and misunderstandings.
Nearshoring alleviates this issue by working with cultures that are closer to your own. This often means a reduced language barrier and simply a greater understanding of your needs and how your business functions.
Similar time zones
Large differences in time zones may sound like merely an issue of convenience, but they nearly always translate into delays. The reason is simple: often a question or problem that can be resolved in a single day when the time difference is minimal requires two or more days when timezones limit the opportunity to discuss, answer questions, and find solutions.
These small delays can quickly add up when multiplied by all the necessary troubleshooting usually required when doing something like building a custom software solution. So it’s important to consider where the people who will be working with your vendors are based and what the overlap in working hours will be.
Lower costs than on-shore development
While nearshore development is generally more expensive than offshore development, it provides clear cost savings versus hiring an onshore vendor. Importantly, those cost savings don’t result from corner cutting, but from the lower cost of living and of doing business in nearshoring destinations.
Easier to travel, if needed
Even in our Zoom-driven digital-first world, there’s no denying that in-person meetings are generally more productive when possible. Nearshore development makes this far easier, with most destinations being well connected to major business hubs by relatively affordable and fast flights.
The ability to easily hop on a plane to go troubleshoot an issue if needed is a powerful tool to have as an option. So even if you don’t feel such meetings will be needed, it’s worth keeping in mind that they can become important very quickly when work needs to be done quickly and without compromising on quality.
High quality
While many offshore development providers focus largely on providing the lowest cost possible, nearshore companies understand that their competitive advantage lies in balancing cost with quality. They understand that you have cheaper alternatives, so they need to strive to provide services that match the quality offered by onshore providers.
The result is that nearshoring development companies generally provide high quality services. That said, you should always look to real experiences from customers like yourself by, for example, asking for the contact information of some other customers and talking with them yourself.
Making Your Choice
At the end of the day, you want to consider nearshore development if you’re looking for bespoke software development, can’t compromise on quality, but would like to save on cost. Because this is a middle option, you should have many options each looking to strike their own balance between quality of service, of outputs, and of cost.
Author:
Name: Dilyan Dimitrov
Short Author Bio: Tech writer and aficionado with a passion for writing about the latest developments in software and business. With years of experience covering a wide range of topics, from cutting-edge gadgets and software to industry trends and innovations, Dilyan brings a deep understanding to his work at Dreamix. Whether he’s breaking down complex concepts for a general audience or diving into the latest tech trends, he strives to deliver accurate content and thought-provoking insights.
Author Gravatar photo link: https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0a7870872dd1093ddc1f90a6babe7f01?s=96&d=mm&r=g