Outsourcing, Should Website Design Professionals Feeling Threatened? (Francis Lua)
Feb 3, 2009
Internet has become one of the main sources of income for many people especially for those who have not managed to get stable job. It has become one of the best method that used by not only professionals but also freelancers to make a living. Having a level in an area of Information Technology can open up many doors for people. Some of them include work in the areas of designing a website, analyzing programs, testing, development of new software, and even engineering. Of course there is always a need for tech support and troubleshooting when bugs are detected. Yet the need for such individuals on a regular basis is being reduced due to the volume of outsourcing.
As the world become more competitive, any effective business strives to keep costs as low as possible. That means they are going to evaluate the value they get from something for the cost. One of those areas is wages paid out to employees. When you toss in workman compensation, vacation pay, sick leave, retirement, and health insurance perks it really starts to add up. It is certainly more than just what you see in the wages column of their expenses and that is the main reason outsourcing has become popular among the business owners.
Software development is one of the areas where most businesses are finding they can save money. They can outsource it to freelancers that are not part of their company. Therefore none of those additional expenses are in place. All they pay for is the work on the particular program that they need. This is going to save them quite a large sum of money. Therefore it is only natural that they will be looking into it.
This particular scenario does not sit well with many in the profession of Information Technology though. They are starting to feel threatened by outsourcing and it is understandable why. When a company can turn to an outsider and get the same quality of work for much less it makes you wonder why they would want to hang on to people that are becoming obsolete to them as part of the company.
Most software development companies now have followed the trend and turned by outsourcing most of their projects. And this includes those companies that need software development done on a routine basis are going other routes. For example they may still outsource it which means that person is not an employee of their company. They do not have to offer them benefits of any kind. Yet that person can continue to do the work for them on a regular basis.
This means freelancers are responsible for putting money away to pay their taxes. They should also be saving a chunk of their earnings for retirement. If they are not doing so it is scary because no one else is going to be doing so. Not everyone with a degree in Information Technology wants to be a freelancer. They want the stability of working a job each day. They also want their health insurance coverage, retirement plan, and steady paycheck.
One area of Information Technology that does not seem to be negatively hit though is quality testing. This because the testing needs to be done by an independent that is not part of the software development on the project. The buyer of such software may not have the time or the desire to test it out themselves. Therefore they are willing to hire someone to test their materials on an ongoing basis.
Many in the world of Information Technology feel that freelancers and outsourcing take away some of the prestige of the line of work they are in. They no longer feel highly valued. After all, they are being told if they cannot do the work faster or better or for less money then they can be replaced. That is a very stressful set of circumstances to be working under day after day. Yet the trend of outsourcing software development continues to increase all the time. There does not seem to be any slowing down for it in the near future either.
As the world trends keep on changing and as we continue to move into a more technological society, more software has to be created. The demand for it means more freelancers are going to find this line of work to be well suited for them. They can do what they love and they can make plenty of money doing it. That attitude certainly is not making anyone working in the area of Information Technology feel any better about the situation though.
So, should business owners go for freelancers? Yes, they can but there are a lot of things that need to be defined clearly before hiring them. And this includes:
1. Support
2. Skills
3. Price tag
4. Commitment
5. Professionalism
6. Track records or portfolio
7. Deliverable
8. Terms of service
Now should website design professionals or website design company should feel the impact and feel threatened?
It depends how the business owners looking at it. If you able to make full use on the resources available then you should be able to get the proper cut. Most of the freelancers are not able to give full support which is one of the biggest issue after delivering a project. Support is a must and is the highest priority. Without support as a business owner you might spending more later to get someone else do the job. So, without doubts most of the business owners will prefer to work with local website design company due to the support, commitment and professionalism. This is because any hiccups to the development it will affect the daily business process. They rather spending slightly higher rather than having a business downfall.
About the AuthorProven Web Solutions . Malaysia Website Design and Web Marketing Consultant.At i1WebSifu, we provide Superior Quality and World Class Website Design and Web Marketing Solutions for your business needs. Be it dazzling websites and portals or customized software solutions, our team is trained and ready to fulfill your every need. Visit http://www.i1websifu.com.