The increasing pace of digital transformation has caused a rush on a skilled engineering workforce. Due to fierce competition for talent, even global businesses such as Lebara, Gogo, and many Fortune 500 companies have been facing an extreme shortage of qualified programmers. The IT industry is among ten domains with the longest average time to hire in the US — it usually takes more than eight weeks to hire a custom software developer.
To deal with the pressing issue, enterprises opt for outsourcing their tech projects to destinations with larger talent pools and minimum recruitment time. For the regions like Europe, the timeline to find a custom software developer is much shorter—it spans around a month. That is why scaling your team with foreign experts might save your time and accelerate the project launch.
But what are the other benefits of outsourcing custom software development? And how will your team approach the implementation of your tailored solution or modernization of your legacy software? Discover the insights in our article.
Why go nearshore or offshore to hire custom software programmers: key benefits
Though selecting a custom software development company might be challenging, the result is worth it. Let’s view the main advantages of opting for outsourcing vendors that will help you implement a tailored solution:
- Access to sophisticated tech expertise. Hiring custom software developers in distant locations allows you to fill the technology gap. In other words, enterprises can look for team members with particular skill sets they require. Moreover, when outsourcing, you might hire top custom software developers on an hourly basis if you do not need these specialists full-time. Businesses from the US often go for prominent outsourcing destinations such as Europe or Asia to augment their teams. These locations are well-known for major talent pools: for instance, 491+K ICT specialists reside in Poland only. Ukraine and Romania also boast large numbers of the qualified workforce—these countries are home to over 298,000 and 192,000 tech experts, respectively. High positions in the international skill evaluation rankings prove the top-notch quality of outsourced services. Ukrainian and Polish custom software developers have reached the top five on the SkillValue list.
Read more: Top IT outsourcing destinations: Poland vs. Ukraine
- Decreased staffing time. In addition to saving HR costs, outsourcing lets you conduct recruitment much more quicker. After you sign a contract with your engineering partner, the search for top custom software developers for your project will be on their side. You won’t have to run through piles of CVs, conduct technical interviews, and spend months gathering a team. Large tech enterprises can promptly find a custom software developer with relevant expertise in their internal base, so the staffing time will take several weeks.
- Flexible scaling. Since most IT companies apply agile principles for custom software development, enterprises are free to modify the project scope on the go. To adapt to evolving project requirements, your custom software programmers can easily integrate new custom features and additions into your solution.
- A team with relevant industry knowledge. Hiring custom software developers with robust technical expertise is only half the success. Another important aspect is to gather a team of specialists well-versed in a specific business vertical. Outsourcing allows you to choose an engineering partner with the relevant domain experience to solve your tech requests with attention to industry-related compliances.
How custom software developers can solve your business challenges, step by step
For your better understanding, we will guide you through a custom software development roadmap:
- Product Discovery or project assessment. At the initial stage of cooperation, the scenario depends on the output data. If you need to shape your business requirements, your dedicated team will help you clarify your needs during the Discovery phase. In case you already have a project vision, the company’s experts will assess your legacy system and create a plan for its further transformation.
- Project starter. This phase covers gathering the core team of top custom software developers with relevant expertise. They are responsible for launching the full-cycle software development process, conducting code reviews, implementing CI/CD practices, and preparing documentation.
- Development and testing. After the project launch comes the solution’s development, when your engineering team turns your product specifications and requirements into a code. Some tech vendors combine this stage with automated testing to detect, track, and fix any defects on the go.
- Release preparation. Once your team has completed development and testing, they are getting ready to release the final version of your tailored software to the end-users. This phase covers documentation preparation, release testing, and, eventually, the implementation of a release strategy.
- Maintenance. The successfully deployed software doesn’t mean the process is over. Now your custom software programmers take care of the solution’s maintenance that includes production support, service operation support, and adjusting production configuration.
Success story: digital transformation project for a top fashion retailer
Custom software development as a service might cover a wide range of requests: from launching the product from scratch to building a need-based solution or system modernization. A successful example of the latter is a digital transformation project, N-iX delivered to a leading Spanish fashion retail enterprise with numerous brands operating in 200+ markets.
The challenge
The client wanted to enhance their digital efficiency and automate the internal processes and legacy systems. The key tech requests were to upgrade their promotion management application and make it more flexible. The existing system operated with several integrated applications. So, one of the tasks was to implement a new unified solution that would include all the essential features and cover the whole end-to-end promotion process.
In addition, the client asked our dedicated team of custom software developers to build a proposal management system for buyers. To create proposals for goods they need in retail stores, buyers had to fill in large piles of data manually using Excel tables. Therefore, the client needed a web application that would automate and accelerate the workflow.
The solution
As a part of the digital transformation project, N-iX experts designed the architecture of promotion and proposal management systems. While developing the promotion management solution, our team has configured all environments and set up the CI/CD pipeline that allowed to decrease the application’s time-to-value. In addition, our custom software programmers implemented the QA automation process from scratch to ensure effective quality control.
Moreover, our team took full responsibility for the development of a full-fledged app—we released the MVP in three sprints and then integrated the solution with ten services. Also, we designed and created a database in MariaDB.
The value
As a result of the partnership, the client achieved sustainable business results: their promotion management system replaced numerous applications and considerably accelerated the buyers’ work. Our custom software developers have also implemented the system which enabled automated proposal creation and optimized the approval flow. In addition, the client can easily scale the solution to other countries when needed.
Clients say: why partnering with top custom software developers from N-iX was the right decision?
Before you shake hands with your future custom software development company, it is essential to look through the vendor’s client testimonials. You might find this information on the company’s website and other credible resources, such as Clutch or GoodFirms. These websites provide fair B2B ratings and reviews of top players in IT, marketing, and business services domains.
Don’t forget to check the technology list of your custom software development company. A reliable engineering vendor utilizes the latest tools and keeps the eye on the industry best practices.
Make sure that your potential engineering partner has a proven track record of delivering custom solutions. A huge advantage would be if they have experience in your or a related industry.
Why can custom software programmers from N-iX provide the best solution to your tech challenge?
- N-iX is a trustworthy European engineering vendor with 21+ years of experience in custom software development and tech consulting for manufacturing, logistics and supply chain, fintech, telecom, retail, automotive, and other domains;
- Our in-house team consists of 2,200+ top-notch experts well-versed in Cloud, Data Analysis, Big Data, Internet of Things, Business Intelligence, Embedded software development, and more;
- The company’s portfolio includes long-term cooperations with global market players, namely, Lebara, Fluke, AVL, Gogo, Currencycloud, as well as many Fortune 500 enterprises;
- N-iX adheres to standards and regulations, such as ISO 27001:2013, PCI DSS, ISO 9001:2015, GDPR, and HIPAA;
- N-iX has earned industry recognition, appearing on top positions of international rankings, including CRN’s Solution Provider 500, IAOP Global Outsourcing 100, and GSA UK Strategic Sourcing Awards lists.
