A common question that most companies ask before entrusting their product development to a company based in Latin America or Asia is, "What’s the best place or country to outsource?"

Before answering this question you should be aware of the Nearshore model advantages as well as Bolivia advantages. Briefly, the Nearshore model offers a new, cost-effective alternative to outsource software engineering projects because of the time zone similarity, highly qualified engineers, culture resemblance, etc.

Asian countries, like India and China, have been the primary source to execute offshore software projects for decades. India, for example, started outsourcing software aggressively beginning in the 70s. For all these years they have produced an incredibly large pool of qualified engineers who are proficient in legacy as well as newer technologies. Because of the technology explosion in Asian countries, they host the R&D centers of very big software companies. For example, Microsoft has more than 4000 employees at its centers in India.

Of course, the software development explosion in Nearshore countries, like Bolivia, has been around for less than one decade. Although Bolivian companies have access to very good universities and talented professionals, obviously the experience Asian countries have accumulated is much more well known.

In order to choose the best place to outsource your project you should at least consider the following factors: size of the team, technology and team integration.

If you need to build a considerably large team in a very short time, you will probably have better results staffing the team in Asian countries. On the other hand, if you are planning to start with a small team and grow the team gradually, you could consider Bolivia and the Nearshore model. The technology required to build your project is also very important; if you require building a project using a legacy technology, you will find more alternatives in Asian countries.

Finally, the level of integration with the offshore team is also important; if you require constant communication during the work day and integrate the offshore team with a dynamic methodology, for example, your first option would be to consider the Nearshore model with Bolivia.

Are Nearshore and Offshore Complementary?

Of course they are, some companies have the opportunity to work with: Nearshore and Offshore providers and receive the benefits of both models, reducing the time to market for the product and reducing risks to the project.

We at TRUEXTEND have good experience working with Asian partners. It is completely feasible to have a Bolivian Nearshore team working during the day and an Asian offshore team working overnight with the result that you are producing software 24 hours a day.

In addition, having two teams in different geographic locations, you can easily handle a key resource leaving the project or an aggressive deadline to be reached.

At TRUEXTEND, we have successful stories working with partners in the United States, Canada, India and China. We will be happy to help you as well.