7 Reasons To Outsource Software Development to Colombia
For future-focused companies that seek to build competitive advantage, Colombia outsourcing offers an attractive alternative to onshoring and offshoring. Because talent is hard to find, onshoring can be time-consuming and slow your project down. And unlike traditional offshoring locations such as the Ukraine, Colombia outsourcing offers the perfect balance of proximity, affordability, and high quality work.
Many U.S.-based companies outsource development in Latin American countries such as Colombia, using nearshore teams either as their primary delivery model or as complements to onshore and offshore teams. Companies with Agile or distributed Agile software development practices also find outsourcing in Colombia attractive, because the teams work within the same or adjacent time zone, share language fluency, and cultural affinities. The cost efficiencies that come from reduced overhead and lower service fees provide an added bonus.
Building on our highly successful nearshoring operations in Costa Rica, Gorilla Logic’s Nearshore Development Center in Antioquía, Medellín takes advantage of some of Colombia’s strongest outsourcing advantages:
• A highly skilled, competitive workforce that is primed to build elegant, engaging digital products that drive business value
• Time-zone proximity to U.S.-based businesses, so teams share the same workday
• Business-friendly environment, so doing business is easy and enjoyable
• Global leadership in technology and innovation, so locally-based teams thrive
Among the top five most innovative economies in Latin America, Colombia attracts a growing number of leading U.S. and global companies in need of business outsourcing opportunities. What do these companies know about the advantages of Colombia outsourcing? Here are seven reasons why we located our second outsourcing hub in Medellín, and why Colombia outsourcing may be the ideal option for your high-stakes software development project.
1. Outsourced development teams in Colombia work in the same time zone as U.S.-based teams
Because Colombia is situated in the Eastern Standard time zone year-round, it’s easy for our Gorilla Logic developers based there to collaborate with U.S.-based teams. All developers are in the same or adjacent time zones, work in the same business day, and communicate smoothly between teams.
An added bonus of outsourcing in Colombia is that when you want to visit your team in person, Medellín is just a short, four-hour flight from Miami. With other offshoring locations halfway around the world, you might be flying for more than 20 hours!
2. Outsourced development teams in Colombia share the same language fluency
Agile development teams work best together when they share fluency in the same language. From daily communications to Agile ceremonies like standups and retrospectives, everything is easier and more efficient when the teams share a language. There’s greater opportunity to build relationships, and there are far fewer miscommunications and mistakes. It simply works better.
English is the de facto primary language for many businesses around the world. Recognizing this, Colombia’s education system starts English language development in the primary grades and continues to focus on building language skills in secondary education. English language skills are so important that Colombia aims to become fully bilingual by 2025.
At Gorilla Logic, we also know how critical language fluency is, so we interview our candidates in English and test language skills extensively. Our Colombia-based Gorillas are English-fluent and ready to go.
3. Software development teams in Colombia share a cultural affinity with U.S.-based teams
When outsourced software development teams share the same culture, including business practices and education, communication and collaboration flow much more easily. This is especially true with Agile software development. Cultural affinity is one of the key factors that puts Colombia consistently in the top of Agile outsourcing locations lists. Our Gorillas in Colombia understand your business culture and work seamlessly with your team to deliver the business value you need.
4. Colombia’s education system produces a highly competitive software development workforce, ready for outsourcing
Many businesses struggle to staff software projects with the talent they need because they lack access to a robust pool of affordable, skilled developers. With the highest number of IT and engineering graduates in all of Latin America, Colombia is a powerhouse of experienced, high-tech workers that are ideal for outsourcing software development.
For Colombia, the goal of being a global technology leader starts with education. Colombia spends 4.4% of its GDP on education, higher than many countries (for example, the U.S. spends .5% of GDP). The higher education system in Colombia has a strong technology focus and includes:
• Over 30 award-winning universities and leading technology centers across Colombia
It’s easy to see why companies around the world seek to outsource their software development projects in Colombia, with its highly skilled and educated workforce.
5. Colombia nurtures a robust and vibrant developer community to fuel the need for outsourcing
At 64,000 software developers strong and growing every day, Colombia’s IT and developer communities are active in all the country’s major cities, including Medellín. The largest JavaScript community in Latin America finds its home in Colombia, as does the largest Spanish-speaking JavaScript community in the world.
Not surprisingly, the developer community in Medellín is booming; for example, the Facebook group Digital Nomads Medellín has more than 7,000 members. Groups like Colombia Startup and FCP Innovation help to foster a robust entrepreneurial and developer ecosystem. A spirit of curiosity and entrepreneurial drive run deep in Colombia’s culture, providing the perfect environment for outsourcing software development, and our Colombia-based developers prove it.
6. Colombia’s economy is strong, stable, business-friendly, and ready to support software development outsourcing
With one of the oldest democracies in Latin America, Colombia is deeply committed to promoting security, prosperity, and democratic governance. As a result, Colombia’s economy is among the strongest in Latin America, ranking as the fourth largest. For companies looking to outsource development in a stable region with a robust business environment, Colombia is an ideal location.
Additionally, Colombia aggressively pursues foreign investments, offering tax incentives, Free Trade Zones (FTZs), and other hiring and investment benefits to attract leading businesses from around the world that want to outsource business operations. In Colombia, there are over 200 foreign companies (not counting franchises) with current operations, including major players such as HP, Kimberly Clark, Amazon, and UPS. And in 2019, Medellín won the Nearshore City of the Year award from Nexus. You can rely on our Gorilla Logic developers in Colombia to deliver the business results you need when outsourcing your software development projects.
7. Colombia’s focus on innovation drives opportunities for outsourced software development
You need developers who are creative thinkers and problem solvers when you outsource a custom software development project that will move your business forward. Medellín, home to Gorilla Logic’s Nearshore Development Center in Colombia, is renowned for its focus on technology and innovation.
Medellín is one of only five cities in the world (including San Francisco, Tokyo, Beijing, and Mumbai) to host a World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These Centres promote science and technology; in the thriving Colombian city of Medellín, the Centre at Ruta N hosts over 320 companies from over 30 countries. The spirit of innovation runs through the culture of Colombia, and our Gorilla Logic developers in Medellin are energized and inspired by it.
Colombia outsourcing provides the ideal balance of convenience, affordability, and high quality
When you have a high-stakes software development project and your Agile or distributed Agile teams require real-time communication and collaboration, you need all the advantages that Colombia outsourcing offers. Colombia outsourcing provides many leading global companies with an ideal balance of convenience, affordability, and high quality. Working with a premier outsourcing partner like Gorilla Logic, companies find they can outsource their most high-stakes software development projects with confidence.
For Gorilla Logic clients, nearshoring in Colombia makes software development easy, with purpose-built teams that work in the same time zone, share the same language and culture, and possess the technical acumen and creative minds needed to tackle even the most complex challenges with flair. Colombia’s commitment to education, thriving community of passionate IT and development professionals, and focus on business-friendly innovation and technology make it the perfect place to build and invest in an outsourced software development team. Whether as a primary delivery model or as a complement to onshore or offshore resources, Colombia outsourcing with Gorilla Logic means you can build and deliver digital products that differentiate and drive business value.
