Nearshore software development is a game-changing strategy where businesses can hire developers from geographically closer countries.
This lets you access expert tech talent at a lower cost than in your home country without compromising project quality.
But how do you find and hire top-notch nearshore developers?
We’ll help you with that, including why you should hire nearshore talent over offshore and onshore developers.
You’ll also discover the most reliable partner for a hassle-free nearshoring process.
| Further Reading: Check out our detailed comparison between nearshore and offshore outsourcing to help you determine the right model for your business. Explore eight reasons why you should nearshore software development to Mexico. |
This Article Contains:
- Why Should You Hire Nearshore Developers?
- Nearshore vs Offshore vs Onshore Developers
- How to Identify Reliable Nearshore Software Development Companies? 9 Crucial Aspects to Check
- Hire the Best Nearshore Developers From Distillery
Why Should You Hire Nearshore Developers?
From faster turnaround times to increased cost-effectiveness, here are some of the biggest perks of hiring nearshore talent.
Let’s take Latin America as an example.
- Cost efficiency: Nearshore destinations like Latin America have lower labor costs compared to countries like the United States. For example, the average monthly salary of an Argentine software developer is 43,600 ARS (about 124 USD), while it’s 7,460 USD in the US.
Nearshore outsourcing also lets you save on other overhead expenses like maintaining a physical office, hiring costs, and more.
- Access to skilled developers: Latin America has some of the world’s best technical colleges that produce top-notch talent. According to the Pentalog report, Mexico ranks second globally in 2022 for best developers in terms of tech skills. Meanwhile, World Bank development indicators show that nearly 80% of the Argentine workforce had bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in 2021.
- Time zone alignment: Outsourcing to a nearby country automatically translates into overlapping work hours and shorter flight times. For instance, the time difference between regions in Eastern Europe like Minsk (Belarus) and Washington DC is 7 hours. Meanwhile, there’s only an hour’s difference between Washington DC and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
This makes communication instant, leading to faster feedback, improved project turnaround time, and accelerated time to market.
- Cultural similarities: In most cases, you may share similar cultures, languages, and business practices with your nearshore developer. This makes it easier to understand instructions, subtle cues, and work ethics better, minimizing the risks of miscommunication. You might even share common holidays, making planning workload and project deadlines easier.
- Scalability: Nearshoring offers flexibility to scale your nearshore software development team up or down quickly. A nearshore software developer often requires minimal training or onboarding time as their experience with similar projects and clients help them jump right in. This allows you to quickly adapt your development process to changing project deliverables and market demands.
- Data protection and IP security: Nearshore countries often have similar legal frameworks and compliance policies. Plus, some nearshore countries under trade agreements, like the USMCA, have special provisions for intellectual property protection. This helps mitigate the risks and complexities associated with outsourcing.
- English Language Proficiency: Most Latin American countries prioritize English language education. In fact, Argentina ranked 30 among 111 countries on the English Proficiency Index in 2022. This minimizes language barriers and makes it easier to understand each other and smoothly share project needs, ideas, and feedback.
Now if you want to compare nearshore software development outsourcing with other models, we’ll help you figure out which suits your business the best.
Nearshore vs Offshore vs Onshore Developers
Here’s a quick comparison to see how nearshoring software outsourcing has several advantages:
| Factors | Nearshore software development | Offshore software development | Onshore software development |
| Best Suited For | B2B, B2C, and SaaS solutions that use agile methodologies. | IT support projects like data storage services and non-automated tasks like manual QA that don’t ideally need agile processes | Any type of software development project |
| Proximity | Geographically close | Geographically distant regions | Within the same country |
| Time Zone Differences | Similar time zones, making real-time communication possible | Huge time zone differences leading to delayed communication | Same time zones, resulting in direct and real-time communication |
| Cultural Compatibility | Similar cultures and languages | Different cultures | Same culture and language |
| Cost Efficiency | More cost-effective than onshoring | Most cost-effective of the three | Least cost-effective of the three |
| Adaptability and Scalability | A nearshore development team is very flexible and easier to scale up and down | An offshore development team can support scalability but may have security risks and quality control issues due to geographical and time zone differences | An onshore software development team is flexible and can be scaled up and down at a higher cost |
Nearshoring software development certainly has its perks. Now, all that’s left to do is choose a reliable nearshore partner.
How to Identify Reliable Nearshore Software Development Companies: 9 Crucial Aspects To Check
Choosing a credible nearshore software development outsourcing company is essential to make the most out of your nearshoring arrangement.
Here’s a complete guide on what you should look out for when you select one:
- Company background and reputation: Before you shortlist a company, look into its background, how long they’ve been in business, and its track record in software development. Check for certifications (for example, Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert) from tech giants and awards that add credibility to their software development services.
- Technical expertise and services: Ensure the company’s technology stack, infrastructure, and nearshore outsourcing services (like staff augmentation and dedicated teams) align with your project requirements. Assess how well they embrace new technologies and whether they have an appetite for creative problem-solving.
- Portfolio and past work: Run a fine tooth through their portfolios to check if they’ve worked with similar clients and projects, as well as the quality of deliverables. To be sure, take feedback from their past clients and check reviews on sites like Clutch to validate their services.
- Security and confidentiality protocols: Different nearshore countries have varied data security laws. For instance, under certain circumstances, Argentine data security law requires companies to have a Data Protection Officer to ensure they comply with data protection regulations.
Likewise, check if the company follows data security measures like encryption techniques. They have to sign necessary non-disclosure agreements to prevent data breaches. Also, ensure they comply with the necessary international security standards (like ISO 27000 Series.)
- Pricing model: Shortlist companies that fit your budget, and don’t forget to look for hidden costs and unexpected charges. Likewise, ensure they offer flexible pricing structures and contract terms to support potential scalability.
- Communication and collaboration: Look at the type of communication channels the company uses for effective collaboration (like email or a messaging app like Slack). Before you sign the contract, make sure you agree on project deadlines and schedules. More importantly, ensure your nearshore software developer is fluent in your preferred language.
- Market understanding and cultural compatibility: Assess your nearshore software company’s understanding of your target market. This will help them create tailored solutions suitable for your end users. Similarly, opt for a company that understands your cultural values, norms, and business practices to minimize misunderstandings.
- Development methodologies and processes: An experienced nearshore software development company will have effective project management frameworks in place.
Go for a company that uses agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban that accommodates your software development project needs.
Plus, you would need rigorous testing procedures for a perfect, bug-free product. So ask about their quality assurance and testing procedures as well.
- Continued support and maintenance: Ensure your nearshore development company offers 24/7 support and has quick response times to minimize disruptions. Check if they provide post-project maintenance services like bug fixes, security updates, and performance optimization.
Looking for a nearshore software development company that ticks all these boxes?
Hire the Best Nearshore Developers From Distillery
Distillery is a trusted software development company that offers the most reliable nearshore outsourcing services in Latin America.
How do we do it?
We offer best-in-class developers through:
- Staff augmentation: Expand your development team and fill talent gaps with top-notch developers without any recruiting, onboarding, and retention costs. You also get to lead projects on your terms and retain control over operations.
Plus, our custom Service Delivery Approach (SDA) guarantees seamless onboarding, integration, and communication.
- Dedicated teams: Our experienced, cross-functional dedicated teams integrate seamlessly with your existing development team to achieve your business goals. Our teams usually consist of project managers, software engineers and developers, QA engineers, and other roles defined by your software development project.
- Custom software development: Our developers help you build high-quality technology solutions with our end-to-end software development services. We offer all essential development services from mobile app development, software testing & QA to MVP development, maintenance, and support.
Why work with us?
- Senior technical talent: We provide experienced tech talent for UX/UI design, QA, project management, etc.
- Cost-effective engagement options: We offer both short-term and long-term solutions to meet your project requirements. You can scale your hired nearshore development team up or down as per your project requirements.
- Manual and automated QA and software testing: We conduct rigorous testing to ensure high-quality standards throughout the development process. You can manage your QA testing by building a nearshore team of your own as well. We also provide QA consulting to create a custom QA strategy just for your project.
- Agile principles and practices: We offer flexible and scalable solutions to meet your business objectives. Our agile approach emphasizes continuous collaboration, project management, and quality control for a smooth development process.
- Experts in every tech stack: We have top-tier experts in database, test & automation, and web & mobile development. This includes software ranging from AWS, New Relic, Redis, .Net to Selenium.
- Extensive industry experience: We have over 12 years of experience developing, designing, and delivering custom software solutions across various industries.
Scale Up with the Finest Nearshore Developers From Distillery!
From seamless collaboration across time zones to cost-effective tech expertise, the benefits of hiring a nearshore developer are undeniable!
But to enjoy these benefits, you need a reliable nearshore partner like Distillery. We’ll help you hire the industry’s best nearshore developers from popular Latin American development hubs.
Get in touch with us to start nearshoring right away!