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Given the current economy, reducing costs and making the most of your staff is the most effective way to increase profitability. A simple and frequently overlooked aid to doing so is business performance management software. As we all know that getting the best from your business requires knowing in what areas each of your staff work at their best, and knowing how to adjust your procedures to match. While this data is useful, it is not that easy to get hold of.

If we take just one part of this — for instance, employee appraisal — defining progress and keeping track of it is a significant amount of work. You first put employee performance appraisal techniques together in order to appraise all work carried out by each member of staff. The assessment of all of this information is next. After all, before it’s ready to use defining goals and tracking future advancement you have to know what the raw data actually means. Employing performance management software you can be confident that this assessment is done for you and you only need to examine the different analyses to find what an appropriate set of goals for this employee would be. It also makes following the employee’s advancement much easier. By doing this you ease a significant time commitment while probably receiving more precise information as an added bonus. It’s also possible, of course, just to use the system to keep track of raw information like performance reviews and to analyze these items yourself. It goes without saying that it isn’t employee performance alone that you can improve by use of performance management software. You can also use the software to scrutinize your suppliers and clients. For example, when looking at suppliers you can more easily see their weaknesses such as slow delivery times, high rates of loss, and so forth. As for affiliates, clients, and retailers, you can pin down who sells the most of each product if there are payment issues, which one experiences the highest loss percentage, and more. Using this information you can adjust your system of orders and supplies to increase income and cut costs. Who couldn’t benefit from that? To add to this, it’ll be simpler to plan marketing campaigns due to your deeper insight into your ideal demographic. Watching both market and suppliers is simple with performance management software. With regular talent assessment and employee reviews such software application can accelerate employee performance management greatly. The sky honestly is the limit with performance management software backing you up.

Free spyware stoppers are programs capable of stopping harmful software programs known as Spyware from infecting your computer. If your computer becomes infected with a Spyware program, the Spyware will send information about you and your computer habits back to the Spyware owner, without you knowledge or consent. Information sent back to the Spyware owner can often include very private data, such as lists of all your visited websites, details about online purchases, credit card information etcetera. Information gathered by Spyware is usually used for commercial gain, but has been used for much more malicious schemes as well, such as credit card frauds and identity theft. To avoid this from happening to you, you can install one of the many free Spyware stoppers that are available online. Take your time and compare several free Spyware stoppers, since their quality and reliability can vary considerably. Some free Spyware stoppers are available in a more advanced version for a fee.

Unlike computer virus programs and common worms, Spyware programs usually refrain from self-replication. Instead, the computer user is lured into accepting a download of the Spyware program from the web. Spyware can be included in a popular software program, such as game. If you download music from the web without a using any of the Spyware stoppers, you will most likely infect your computer with Spyware sooner or later. Spyware can however download it self to your computer even if you refrain completely from downloading music and programs from the Internet which is one the reasons why it so important to use free spyware stoppers.. A simple click on a fake X when you try to close a pop-up window is enough for a download to begin, without you even noticing it. As of 2005, computer users that are running Microsoft Windows operating systems are most exposed to Spyware, and will benefit most from installing free Spyware stoppers. There are however a few new Spyware programs and worms out there today that can infect Linux and other UNIX platforms. If you are a UNIX user you should therefore also check out the free Spyware programs, to be on the safe side.

Unlike Virus program, Spyware programs will often make an effort not to disturb you. By not interfering with the computers normal tasks, kidnapping your mailbox or deleting any information - typical Virus actions - the Spyware can stay unnoticed inside your computer and continue to send out more and more information about you. This is why you should take advantage of the many free Spyware stoppers that are available online. By simply downloading one of the free Spyware stoppers from a reputable site you can put an end to the Spyware problem and protect your privacy. When you choose between the various free Spyware stoppers, you should ideally pick one that will not only stop all attempts to install Spyware on your computer. Instead, choose one of the free Spyware stoppers that are also capable of scanning your entire computer and removing any existing Spyware from it. Good free Spyware stoppers should also be easy to download and install and hassle free to manage. If you experience problems with your free Spyware stoppers, you should take advantage of the fact that they are free and simply choose a new one among the many free Spyware stoppers that are available today. Since all computer users have their own personal preferences and needs, free Spyware stoppers that are right for your friends might not be right for you.

New forms of malicious Spyware and Adware are constantly created and in order to protect your computer from infestations you must choose a high-quality program and keep it updated. Supportcave.com offer a selected number of the very best free spyware stoppers programs available for immediate online download

Whew! According to Computer Gaming World, there are 80 gazillion free Flash games sites in the cyber world.

Popular sites are:

• www.games.yahoo.com — this has card games, word games, arcade games, as well as puzzles. The number of violent games is limited so the site appeals to the “old-young” -those who are young at heart.
• www.shockwave.com — a popular site with original games as well as PopCap ones. One can do a jigsaw here everyday.
• www.addictinggames.com - has free games that are updated every weekFriday. The site has action, arcade, puzzle, as well as sports games.
• www.arcadetown.com — has Flash games, java games, downloads and more.

Since Flash offers many advantages to developers as well as players, many games are designed using Macromedia Flash. It is by far the best game platform and has incredible features.

In an industry that’s evincing exponential growth, Flash has become the universal and popular choice for multimedia intensive web sites. Flash, singly crosses most barriers

• It supports complicated and wonderful graphics.
• Allows download of files via the Internet.
• And is compatible with playback devices.

In the world of Flash enabled games the hosting system is the web server itself. Flash enables web sites to host animated as well as interactive movies and games. There is no paraphernalia required. All that is needed is to download the game itself. The costs are minimal and not recurring.

To play on the web all that is required is: a web browser, a Flash player, and the Internet. Flash is the universal plug in needed to play games. It is installed on every PC with Windows XP and Mac.

Playing online can be fun and most games can now be played by many players from all round the world. Just keep in mind:

• That there are players who cheat at games. Look for PunkBuster software on the server, this detects cheats who try and gain unfair advantages.
• Play with others who have credibility and are accountable for their actions. Many online sites need verified log ins, they are actively managed gaming environments. This is a better choice for safe gaming.
• Create a select group of friends and use the broadband server to host a private gaming server.
• Do your research thoroughly. Seek safe and high quality gaming sites.

Gaming is in its golden phase and is set to reach new heights. Innovation, new business models, and unprecedented growth is expected to open new avenues in gaming.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com<www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com/>, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com<www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com/>.

In addition to increased sales, profits can also be boosted by cutting overhead and by using your assets more productively. With this in mind, let us turn to the many benefits of that best-kept secret of successful companies, employee performance management software. It’s common knowledge that making the most out of your company necessitates knowing where each and every one of your employees do their best work, and knowing how to adjust your routines to match. Identifying and making this knowledge ready for use can be where it gets challenging, though.

Just tracking employee evaluation and determining progress in that performance rapidly becomes a huge task. The first step is to bring employee performance management systems into play. Once this is done you can assess the work of each staff member. The analysis of all of this information is next. After all, before it’s ready to use setting goals and checking future development it’s key to know what the data translates to in practice.

Using performance appraisal software you’ll find that this preliminary work is done for you and you need only examine the various metrics and factors to determine what the right targets for this worker would be. It also makes following the worker’s progress much easier. This takes away the demands on your time and is likely to be more accurate. Of course, you can analyze all of the performance review forms yourself using the system only to organize and track everything.

Performance appraisal software can do more than help employees. Both suppliers and clients can be analyzed using the appropriate software, giving you still more performance management tools. With suppliers in particular you can more easily see their weak points like slow delivery times, bad loss records, etc.

Clients have their own measurements to be scrutinized, and once again this information can be used to streamline your business practices and benefit your bank balance. With this information at hand you are able to customize your system of orders and supplies to increase profits and minimize expenses. Who couldn’t benefit from that? As well as all this, it’ll be less trouble to plan marketing campaigns due to your deeper insight into your market and the location of your best target audience.

Watching both your market and your sources is simple with performance management software. It also makes employee performance management a breeze and more effective in addition to helping you encourage staff by giving them precise goals dramatically. What you can achieve using this software is astonishing…

The state of the economy demands that profit can most effectively be ramped up by cutting costs, rather than by increase of income. One of the simpler ways of doing this is through the use of business performance management software. It’s common knowledge that a smart business will optimize its procedures to the strengths of each employee in order to get the most out of them. Discovering and making this data ready for use can be where things can become tough, though. Determining and tracking development through employee appraisal alone can turn into a huge hassle. You first put employee performance management systems together in order to appraise the work done by each member of staff. Assessing all of this data comes next. After all, before you can put it to use setting goals and checking future development it’s crucial to know what the data means in practice.

With performance appraisal software, you can just study the various analyses and factors to pinpoint what these targets should be and then track the employee’s progress. By doing this you remove a significant demand on your time while probably obtaining more useful information into the bargain. It is also possible, of course, just to use the software to track raw information like performance reviews and to make your own assessment. And making your employees more efficient is merely one improvement that can be made using performance appraisal software. It can also be valuable to study clients and suppliers to better reduce costs by precision buying. You can find out which suppliers provide products with the best quality, at the lowest prices as well as distinguish those with bad loss records or poor delivery times. Turning our attention to clients & affiliates, you can pin down who sells the most of each product if there are payment issues, which client experiences the highest loss percentage, and the solutions to other questions. Having this information means you can adjust your ordering and selling habits to boost income and cut expenses. Who couldn’t benefit from that? As well as this, the better awareness of your market will make for easier planning for your marketing.

Analyzing both your market and your suppliers is simple with performance management software. With a program of regular employee reviews such application is guaranteed to help enhance employee performance management decidedly. It seems the sky honestly can be the limit when leveraging performance management software…

The current economy means that profit can most simply be increased by an examination of costs, not a increase of income. With this in mind, let us turn to the benefits of employee performance management software.

It is common knowledge that a smart business streamlines its workflow to the abilities of each employee to get the most from them. The chief difficulty has always been in identifying and metricizing this knowledge. Just tracking staff appraisal and identifying advancement in their performance rapidly becomes a significant amount of work. The first step is to bring employee evaluation systems into play. Once this is done you can track the work of each employee. The analysis of this information is next. Before it’s ready to use setting goals and checking future advancement you need to know what the data translates to in practice. With performance appraisal software, you just study the different analyses and factors to determine what these targets should be and subsequently keep track of the employee’s progress. With more precise information for a smaller investment of time, this is a major saving on its own. There is the possibility to also scrutinize the raw data yourself using the software only to organize and track everything.

Performance appraisal software can do more than help employees. It can also be valuable to study suppliers and clients to be better able to pace your purchasing and conserve money. With suppliers in particular you can more easily see the weaknesses like slow delivery times, high rates of loss, etc. As for clients & affiliates, it’s possible to demonstrate who who is your best seller of any given product or service if there are payment issues, which client has the highest loss percentage, and the solutions to other questions. You can then tailor your orders and stock handling to boost your income while minimizing spending. Who wouldn’t take advantage of that? As well as this, the better understanding of your market will allow more efficient advertising.

Analyzing both your market and your suppliers is simple with performance management software. It also smoothes out the employee performance review and helps set realistic targets for your employees greatly. It seems the sky really is the limit when leveraging performance management software!

Why should I consider outsourcing? This is the first question comes to our mind when We think of outsorcing. I’ll be, without making a foundation, quickly list out the benefits:

o Survive and be stable in tough compitition

o Cut those hefty Expanses:

o Increasing payouts

o Employee Benefits

o High Infrastructure cost

o Recruitment costs

o Other overheads

o Talented and experienced staff

o Better production, lesser disappointments

o Meet deadlines, and

o Focus more on growth than production problems

Now if we go specific about outsourcing to India:

o Cheaper, experienced and English speaking talent

o Currency difference

o Time Gap Advantage (India works while west sleeps)

o Stong hold in IT service sector outsourcing. 85% of US and UK market.!

o Growing outsourcing reputation. Let’s have a look what NASSCOM has to say:

“Despite the challenges such as slow growth of IT spending globally, a jobless recovery in major markets and appreciation of the Indian rupee [against the U.S. dollar], the Indian software and services industry has been able to maintain its growth momentum and consolidate its partnership with overseas customers, adding to their competitiveness,” _ Jerry Rao, chairman of NASSCOM.

Furthermore Nasscom says: Recent studies on the benefits of IT outsourcing by business intelligence organizations such as McKinsey & Co. and other leading research companies have indicated the following:

o The ITES/BPO market is likely to touch US$142 billion in 2009, against the current cost of US$532 billion for these services. The difference of US$ 390 billion represents the net saving the US economy can expect from offshoring

o Such savings have a huge economic impact on dollar savings, leading to value creation for shareholders and the common man

o US banks, financial services and insurance companies have saved US$6-8 billion in the past four years owing to IT outsourcing to India

o Helped by these savings, companies have prevented layoffs and instead added 125,000 more jobs

o Offshoring to India has resulted in quality and productivity gains of the order of 15-20 percent

o US BFSI sector has managed to register customer satisfaction of almost 85% due to Offshoring to India vis-a-vis their European competitors

What can we outsource to India?

* Medical/Insurance Process

* Business Process

* CADD and Solid Modelling

* Help Desk / Customer Support

* Call Center

* Architecture

* Game and Graphic development

* Chartered Accountants and other Accounts oursourcing

* Software development

* Graphic and web design

* Medical Transcription,

* and much more

I guess we have got a long list of benefits one can get from outsourcing. We are also aware of India’s contribution to the outsourcing world.

There are compelling reasons for you to consider an online CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solution: You can access your business 24×7 from anywhere with an internet connection; the price sounds right and online applications are quick to deploy and maintain.
The growing popularity of online software applications is not abatting, and online CRM solutions are leading this trend.

But online software applications, sometimes referred to as hosted, OnDemand, SaaS (software as a service), web based applications, are not suitable for everybody.

Firstly you need bandwidth - lots of it. If you don’t have access to broadband internet, hit the ‘back’ button now, don’t bother reading any further and remove any online CRM applications from your wishlist. Bandwidth constraints are sure to frustrate and deter your users, setting back your CRM initiative considerably.

CRM applications are often used real-time with your client on the other end of the phone, waiting as you navigate your way around the system. It defeats its purpose if this is unbearably slow. Simulate a few typical real-world situations when evaluating the software

As many businesses look to reduce their overheads, the one obvious area for cutting costs is the real estate that accomodates the sales department. These guys should be on the road selling, not sitting behind a PC or hanging around the water cooler.

There are a few questions you need to ask yourself, and of your potential vendor, before you even get to looking at feature specifics:

*Can you import your data easily? Your existing records that currently reside in Excel; your imminently redundant contact manager, accounting system or other database - can they be imported/converted to the online CRM solution?

*How customizable is this software? Can you create your own user-defined fields and reports?

*Do you to need to synchronize your data with other software or devices, like MS Outlook, or your Palm? If so, does this online CRM support this?

*As the amount of data your database needs on their server will affect your monthly premiums, get some indication of projected costs. How much disk space does each record typically take up and how many records do you think your database will grow to in 2 or 4 years?

*How comprehensively can you retrieve your data from their server?

*Can you work their online CRM in offline mode as well, or is your business expected to grind to a halt every time the net is down? Do they offer an in-house version that you can run on your own server and PC’s?

*What is the minimum duration of their contracts? Will you be locked into a one year agreement whether you like it or not?

*How is your data backed up, and how often?

*Can you maintain your own copies of your database?

*How reliable are their servers? Are they housed in a datacenter? What sort of uptime can you expect?

*What are their security policies? How secure is your data from prying eyes and hackers, and can you prevent your own users from downloading/exporting the data from the system?

*How, and how frequently, do you back up the data?

*What are your client side system requirements? What hardware configurations, operating system and versions are required of you?

*How long has their business been in existence, and can they furnish you with reference sites?

Fortunately online CRM solutions are relatively quick and easy to deploy and test so you can arrive at a decision fairly painlessly.

Once you have satisified yourself that the proposed online CRM solution meets these basic requirements, you can start matching their feature sets to yours.

Perry Norgarb has specialized in Small Business CRM and Sales Automation solutions for the last 15 years.

Contact him or find out more about CRM, Contact Management and other Sales Tracking software tips and solutions for small businesses at: http://www.smallbizcrm.com

You are free to re-publish this article as long as this bio box and copyright remain intact and links live. © 09 February, 2006.

Hi, My name is Rasik Botadra, am currently working as an Analyst with business news magazine & new papers.

I am writing this article in view of India emerging as Highly potential Global Outsourcing & Solutions Provider for finished Consumer products & General Merchandise. India has always kept her stand in Global competition right from the beginning for Finished Products such as Cosmetic & Toiletries but limited to certain market segments.

After recent globalization and change in policies the opportunities for manufacturers & exporters have widen. Today we can say that the producers are coming-off their age from traditional methods. The developments are becoming trend setting. The Manufacturers are versatile to cope up with the vibrant consumer behavior.

The globalization in terms of foreign trends & acceptability has penetrated finely into the Indian buying market and so is the Local manufacturer’s struggle to captivate the opportunities by matching the same trends & international qualities.

The practice of quality control & organizational management has improved drastically by emergence of New generation working as a Team work. All this things has together gained importance for a Foreign Buyer seeking his eyes to create a valuable outsourcing partner in India.

What’s so appealing about Outsourcing a Cosmetic Product for a European Buyer from India?
We discuss here some important aspects for this

1. The Research base in India have revolutionalized with exceptional Education. Indian cosmetic companies employs experienced cosmetologist & PHDs for research & product development.

2. Indian Engineering Industry have created State of the Art Process machineries for renowned Pharmaceuticals & Cosmetic Industries worldwide. Its inevitable that the Process engineering today is expertly competed by India.

3. The Skilled & Unskilled Labour even today is a Prime resource for Lower value addition in India.

4. Quality Control, Lab trials & ISO accreditation Practices is a Prime criteria which companies adopt for their creditability.

5. All kinds of Packaging materials & Raw Materials are easily outsourced from Local access. For a particular Input a Producer have an option of more than 5 vendors in the Indian local competitive thriven market..

6. New Policies & Sectors such as Special Economic Zones cut outs completely Tax burdens & overheads.

7. Indian Policies for Export is Not subsidized. Country like China wherein the Producers enjoy unreasonable government subsidies are not reliable for long term partnership. As we are not sure when can a product from China crash from global competition.

8. Information Technology as India being pioneer, have made communications made more & more faster & convenient. Designing & Branding Solutions can be provided at highly professional level, at economic costs.

9. Stringent Laws for protection of Brands & Copyrights.
The Business for India is beyond private label supplies for Chain stores & Dollar Shops. We see India in near future as partnering for Giant brands of Europe & American Segments.

Amongst the Cosmetics & Toiletries, with a professional outsource job owners produces a wide range of Creams, Lotions, Talcum Powders, Tooth Pastes, Body Oil, Baby Products, Toilet Soaps, Compacts, Shampoos, Conditioners, etc. with constant knowledge & update of New-age Active Ingredients & Packaging.

I visited one of the leading Exporters of Cosmetic Products for foreign brands. The company has complete facility for production of a wide range of cosmetic products. You may have a look at their website http://www.asiantradelinkindia.com/consumer_goods_home.html

Rasik Botadra is an Analyst with several business news magazines & newspapers. He can be contacted at rasikbotadra@yahoo.co.in or at Phone No.: 91-22-25007236 / 25000659

A/19, Siddhpura Ind. Estate
L.B.S. Marg, Ghatkopar (W)
Mumbai 400 086
Maharashtra, India.
Phone No.: 91-22-25007236 / 25000659
Fax: 91-22-25000851

While Ukraine is becoming a new popular IT outsourcing destination, there are still many myths about it and no clear understanding of the opportunities outsourcing to Ukraine can present. Let us look closely at some of those myths and find out whether there is any truth behind them.

Myth No. 1 - Ukraine is politically unstable

This myth has seen its rise in November-December 2004 during the events around the presidential elections that led to the Orange Revolution. However, presently there are no grounds for concerns. During the Orange Revolution, the Ukrainian people have shown their devotion to the democratic ideals and prevented the worst scenario from happening, bringing the legitimately elected president to the power. The new Ukrainian government has clearly voiced its intentions to move towards the goal of joining the EU and is making logical steps in that direction. The overall political situation in the country is stable and predictable. Unlike some popular Asian outsourcing destinations, there have never been any threats of terrorist acts in Ukraine.

But even during the most critical events in November and December, no threat existed for the clients of the Ukrainian outsourcing services providers. There were no power shortages, Internet and telephone lines functioned as usual, and no danger was posed to the outsourced project. Many companies did join the national strike that was going on, but the most urgent tasks could still be done uninterrupted. Ukraine has proved that it is a civilized 21-century European nation.

Myth No. 2 - Ukraine’s IT infrastructure is poorly developed

Ukraine’s IT infrastructure is rapidly developing. As the recent research conducted by the Ukrainian Democratic Initiatives Fund and Kiev International Sociology Institute has shown, 13.1% of Ukrainians have a computer. 14% use Internet and/or email either at home or at work. Internet connectivity, being one of the primary concerns, is also developing rapidly. Telecom is one of the fastest growing markets in Ukraine, and fibre optics are continually being laid and new companies are continually opening new connectivity services, which continually lowers cost. For example, monthly fees for a DSL connection are lower in Ukraine than in India. It is considered indispensable for an IT company to have a broadband Internet connection and several telephone lines. Furthermore, there is no shortage in high quality hardware, and IT companies provide their development teams with powerful, modern computers and servers.

Myth No. 3 - Ukraine is software pirates’ paradise

WTO ascension is a top 2005 priority for Ukraine’s government. As Ukraine moves towards this, its intellectual property laws are being revised to comply with WTO standards. While a lot of private users may still be using the cheap pirated copies of the most popular software products on their home computers, companies specialized in software development are under severe control, and to avoid problems with law, switching or have switched to licensed products. Those companies who can’t afford the price of more expensive software products choose Open Source solutions, but the problem is being tackled in one way or another anyway. Ukrainian companies are looking to work legally and don’t want to risk their good reputation.

Moreover, a large part of professional software aimed specifically at software developers has never been available as pirated copies in Ukraine, hence it has always been used in its legal, licensed form (take IBM RationalTM products as an example, as well as many others).

Myth No. 4 - Ukraine is not secure when it comes to sensitive information

Special measures must be taken to protect sensitive information no matter where your project is developed. However, according to the recent reports, India is much more dangerous than Ukraine when it comes to sensitive information leaks or theft. While it is reported that it is difficult to run background checks on employees in India, it is not that problematic in Ukraine. It has become a common practice in Ukraine for the outsourcing customers to sign NDAs with every member of the development team. Additional security policies can also be implemented to protect your sensitive data.

Myth No. 5 - Ukraine’s IT sector lacks support from the government

The new Ukrainian government is showing its extreme interest and support to foreign investments into the country’s economy and international cooperation. While Ukraine moves towards joining the EU and WTO, the laws, including those covering the IP issues, are being revised to create better environment for the economy’s development and growth. This applies to the software development as well, IT being the most rapidly developing sphere of the Ukrainian economics.

According to the reports, the volume of export of Ukrainian IT services and products rose by US$ 40 million or 57% to US$ 110 million in 2004. The export of the IT sector of the Ukrainian economy is the most dynamically developing. At the same time, the total number of IT specialists operating on the market reached 15,000 toward the end of 2004. This was an increase of 50%, compared with 2003.

Myth No. 6 - Ukraine’s IT workforce is cheap

Ukraine’s IT salaries level used to be low, but as the country’s economy develops and integrates into the European and world market, it is growing, even though it is still lower than the salaries of EU and US IT specialists. The Ukrainian programmers possess high level of education and skills, as the IT sphere of the Ukrainian economy develops the demand for them increases, hence their highly intellectual labour cannot be cheap. However, outsourcing customers need to realize that cheap workforce is not a good reason to choose an outsourcing provider, as it is likely to cause problems in the long run that will lead to an increase in expenses instead of savings. The reason behind many outsourcing failures is actually the customers going for cheap workforce and overseeing the quality and efficiency issues.

Outsourcing is seen as a way to cut down the development costs, but this should not be done at the expense of the developers’ salaries and therefore, quality. There are better and more effective ways to save. If a company employs methodology allowing for faster development, better quality source code, automated code generation, less developers involved, etc., this actually does reduce the development costs while still providing a satisfactory software solution.

Myth No. 7 - The language and cultural barrier

It is certainly important to be able to communicate with your outsourcing development team on a level allowing for a smooth development process, and the language and culture differences can be an obstacle.

However, Ukraine is a European nation, and the mentality of people does not differ greatly from that of your country, be it anywhere in Western Europe or the US. There is no striking difference as you would encounter in some Asian countries. Besides, before outsourcing software development came to Ukraine on a large scale, many Ukrainian IT specialists used to go to the Western Europe and USA and work for IT companies there, which means they are familiar with the approach traditional for Europe and America and the procedures used for software development in those companies. Moreover, different international agencies are now offering courses in management providing necessary management skills to the Ukrainian specialists. Thus, all the business processes in a development team can be organized according to the international standards.

While English is not the native language to the Ukrainian developers, this issue is also being actively dealt with. English is the language of choice in the universities and in the schools it is now required from an early age. Several universities are conducting their entire programs in English. Oral and written comprehension is high among software engineers, given the amount of text they have to read for their degree and work programs and the amount of English language programming available in the country. Communicating with the Ukrainian developers through online chats, instant messaging and e-mail in English should not be a problem. While not all the development team members might be completely fluent in English, those who communicate directly with the international customers will speak, read and write in English at the proper level. Many companies conduct in-house English language training programs to improve the language skills of their personnel. Specialists speaking other languages, such as French or German, can also be found, though these languages are not as popular as English.

So as we see, not everything looks as bad as it can be assumed. Care should be taken when planning an outsourcing deal, as is in any business move, but if done wisely, outsourcing to Ukraine can leave you satisfied and meet your expectations.

Julia Lukianova has several years of experience in the outsourcing software development business in Ukraine. She is a marketing manager of Metasoft Ltd. (http://www.metasoft.com.ua)