Let’s get the terminology right:

1. Outsourcing means subcontracting or exporting non-core operations to another company/entity
2. Offshoring means exporting operations to another country, whether or not it stays in the same corporation/entity
3. Offshore Outsourcing means exporting operations to another country to another corporation/entity

Though the terms are often misused, the bone of contention in the 2002 US presidential race was offshore outsourcing.

The economic logic is to reduce costs. If some people can use some of their skills more cheaply than others, then those people have the comparative advantage. The idea is that countries should freely trade the items that cost the least for them to produce. When your are offshoring, you are typically helping another country’s economy, so it should be ideologically compatible with you. India is the world’s largest democracy founded by Mahatma Gandhi, on principles of non-violence and equality. It also boasts a very active National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Offshore outsourcing is not is not synonymous with loss of jobs. We are now going through a period of transition as the workforce of developed countries adjusts and retrains according to the decidedly changing trade scenario. Resources previously tied up in time-consuming or costly processes can now be used for expansion and reinvestment in new areas.

The real challenge of offshore outsourcing is overcoming cultural differences. How do you reconcile two cultural perception of aesthetics, time, symbolism and representation? You have a buffer, a person that interfaces the client with the local workforce. The best Indian IT companies have international experts on site for quality control and communication. If you are considering outsourcing, a wise practice is to listen to the level of English spoken during phone conversations and video conferences. If it’s not fluent, it may mean your agent or developer has little international exposure and will interpret your input with a very localized perspective. This makes communication difficult, moreover you might find yourself proofreading for spelling and grammatical errors or awkward literary style.

At ilaniam you will be directly communicating with international multi-lingual staff fluent in US English, French and Hindi. You can expect from ilaniam the same level of service and solutions as high end US firms but with superior financial advantages.