Blue Bell, PA., September 10, 2003 : VARBusiness, a leading magazine covering strategy and technology trends for the Architects of the Digital Economy published an interview today with Kat Shenoy, President and CEO of E-SoftSys as part of their article App-Dev Megatrends, New tools and techniques take the drudgery out of development work”. The interview was conducted by Ms. Carolyn A. April.

The excerpts of the interview are given below:

The Global Economy Has Come To Software

 

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year; you know that lots of companies are outsourcing their software development work offshore, most notably to India and Russia. That includes the likes of vendors as large as IBM and big corporations that hire solution providers to develop custom apps for them.

The lure of offshore is real and taking root for developers of all size. Offshore outsourcing also speeds time to market for ISVs by, in effect, enabling a near 24/7 operation between the United States and overseas developers in opposite time zones.

But with the benefits come challenges, say some solution providers. Job No. 1 is managing offshore coders carefully and closely.

Kat Shenoy, president and CEO of software development solution provider E-SoftSys, has been running an offshore operation in India for the past five years (two of them with a previous company). He's struck by the development efficiency and high quality of the applications produced. Shenoy says he expects the offshore arm to grow by 20 to 25 percent this year and next. But over the years, he has learned some things.

"Make sure you locate in a city with good infrastructure available," says Shenoy, who found out the hard way when the small Indian town where he first set up shop lacked networking access.

The company eventually moved to better-wired Bangalore, where ample lines and a dedicated VPN connect its transcontinental teams. To improve communications, the company relies on instant messaging and NetMeeting software for collaboration. These tools are no substitute for human contact, however, and Shenoy advises stationing a project manager at the offshore site during a job's design and analysis stage.

Another fact to note is that, unlike U.S. shops, offshore operations almost always have to secure ISO9001 certification to land business. It's the equivalent of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for U.S. customers buying sight-unseen. The arduous certification process is worth it, however, Shenoy says, because the quality of projects is improved as a result of regular audits and strict documentation.

"In the long run, you are saving time because you end up with fewer development mistakes," he says.

E-SoftSys

E-SoftSys, an ISO 9001:2000 certified company provides e-Commerce consulting, and full life-cycle development of e-Commerce, web, wireless and client/server applications to companies in North America and Europe. E-SoftSys provides offshore software development, maintenance and quality assurance services through its offshore development center located in Bangalore, India. With the help of E-SoftSys, a number of software companies and other businesses have introduced e-Commerce sites, web portals, software modules and wireless applications at a rapid pace and at low cost to their client base.

For more information about E-SoftSys, please contact the Blue Bell, PA office at 610-277-7457 , visit the company's web site at www.e-softsys.com or send email to kshenoy@e-softsys.com.

VARBusiness

VARBusiness is the leading magazine covering strategy and technology trends for the Architects of the Digital Economy.

Circulation : 107,500 (June 2001 BPA); 100 percent qualified within 12 months

Frequency : 26 issues per year (including seven VARBusiness Intelligence Series editions)

Launch : 1987; Redesign November 2000