Why CIO OutSource?

Finding the Right Off-Shore Partner

Reliance and our offshore development team are:

• Available to meet with our prospective clients and establish an excellent relationship with our offshore development offices to make sure that our offshore development team fully understands our client's needs and quality demands.
• Able to keep current with technical resources, and have excellent management skills.
• Offer exceptional communication equipment and facilities.
• Offer exceptional language ability.

Projects that are ideal for Off-Shore Development

Reliance  has identified a list of the most ideal projects for outsourcing as:

• Platform projects - porting from DOS, Windows.x/NT/2000, Unix, etc.
• Application Conversions
• Database Conversions
• Integration of legacy or enterprise systems to client/server
• Web development, design, programming, etc.
• E-commerce projects
• Components like ActiveX, OOP, OOD, Reports and Modules
• Documentation, Producing of Windows Help Files, etc.
• Testing
• Installation programs

Drawbacks of Offshore Development and their solutions

Occasionally, the outsourcing company does not consider the potential risks involved with offshore development, simply because they are overwhelmed by the savings. At Reliance, we have done the research for you, and have created a number of solutions to avoid project problems.

• Language and cultural barriers. Solution: Reliance has experienced project managers locally that can provide an effective solution to your technical needs, and then communicate those guidelines to our offshore development team. Also, the majority of our offshore development staff has excellent knowledge of the English language.
• Time difference. Solution: We have turned the time difference into an advantage, by building your project in a twenty-four hour development cycle. While offshore resources concentrate on development, your company can test the build the next morning, and create new information and documentation to be sent to the OSD team later that day. Our hours are constructed so that developers are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
• Technical communication problems. Solution: All of our technical professionals have between five and ten years of experience in many areas of technologies.
• Skill mismatches. Solution: Reliance employs the most qualified consultants overseas and we have a large network to recruit hard to find technical skills. We maintain a very low turnover ratio, by keeping the same professionals employed.
• Quality issues. Solution: Reliance provides an outline of the project in question to make sure that everyone understands the technical guidelines for the end product. Before shipping the code or product we have local quality assurance personnel who approve the product giving our clients 100% confidence that they will have a quality end product that is cost-effective.
• Security problems. Solution: We understand that security is a major concern and take all the precautions to ensure the confidence, security and integrity of the information. All the electronic data being exchanged is encrypted and all communications are relayed through a secure VPN connection. At our offshore offices, Reliance employs 24-hour security personnel.
• Bad management and organization. Solution: Reliance has been executing offshore development for more than 4 years. During that time we have worked with Fortune 1000, 500 and smaller businesses, which we believe has given us the ability to assure our clients smooth project flow.

Off-Shore Project Management

Reliance and our offshore teams have established practices to make sure that our clients are continually updated and informed about their progress of the project. All parties involved need to establish a methodology of communication to make sure that information regarding project development is not lost. Reliance knows that if emails are lost or left unanswered it can be critical to the development of the project, we will respond to questions in a timely manner and our clients will always have a local point of contact for urgent matters concerning the project. We will also provide telecommunications or virtual chatting as an alternative means to email.

Exceptional specifications will always equal exceptional results, also making it more cost-effective to have developers spending more time working on the project rather than asking questions about it. More importantly, it must be clear that all specifications concerning the project have been made during the initial meeting, as these specifications will become the main guidelines for our offshore team. The most effective way to make sure that everyone understands the project, we suggest a meeting between all parties involved, to define the project goals, solutions, milestones and timeframes.

After the initial meeting takes place, we present the client with a proposal for contract. Rates will be based on a time and materials basis. Cost for research may not be included at the time of the proposal submission. Reliance believes that if we follow these guidelines of project methodology, you will be pleased with our services and that your offshore projects will be a success.