Software Outsourcing To Belarus
Belarus
If you are looking for a low-cost destination for your outsourcing in Eastern Europe, Belarus might be for you. Well-educated engineers in Belarus are more than capable of executing your software development in all the standard technology stacks. The Belarusian IT outsourcing industry, in 2004, employed between 3,000 – 3,500 software engineers, according to the Belarus government. A Gartner partner in Russia estimates the Belarusian outsourcing industry’s revenue was $90 million in 2004.
The Accelerance Global Partner Network includes teams from Belarus that have been thoroughly screened and vetted. These GPN members have reasonably good command of English and have agreed to Accelerance’s terms for intellectual property protection.
Working with outsourcers in Belarus – Pluses
Belarus has a mature technical infrastructure and strong educational system, a legacy from the days of the Soviet Union. Before the end of the Soviet Union, Belarus manufactured over half of the computers and computer components in the USSR. Belarus boasts some exceptional programming talent. A team from Belarusian State University was, in 2004, among the top three of more than 3,000 teams at a major college-student programming contest, outscoring their counterparts from Harvard and MIT. In 2004, the government of Belarus announced the creation of a high-tech park to consolidate IT outsourcing companies. The park is a place where high tech companies can work free of government bureaucracy.
Working with outsourcers in Belarus – Minuses
If you plan to visit your outsourcing team frequently, traveling to Belarus will be time-consuming from the US. There are no direct flights to Minsk, the capital, and you will need to make one or two stops along the way in Europe. Minsk is a two and one-half hour flight from Frankfurt. Because of restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had trouble attracting foreign investment, which remains low. Belarusian businesses suffer from a heavy tax burden and excessive bureaucracy. If political turmoil concerns you, Belarus may be too exciting a place for your outsourcing. On the other hand, working closely with people in Belarus will support their continued effort to achieve fairness and uphold democratic ideals.
