IT Offshore Outsourcing - Choosing a winning bidder

As you prepare to choose the winning bidder for your project, here are a few tips that will make you get the most out of your experience (and at the same time, fewer headaches).

1. Reliability: Are you choosing the team that is reliable?

2. Responsibility: Can your chosen team responsibly complete the project within the deadline?

3. Aptitude: Can your chosen team get the tasks done? How do they define complexity? Can they handle complicated jobs? Will you need to choose a different team if your current team cannot do the job?

4. Scalability: Is the team you are choosing scalable with your project? Our team is well-versed in systems development, integration, migration and deployment so you will never have to look for another team as your project grows.

5. Dependable: Our clients and experience tells us that outsourcing is a headache. Many software vendors run away in the middle of the project. Unless you are going with the top offshore software development house or a dependable and experienced team like Designerz, you run the same risk. We are a Georgia based LLC so you can be sure we will be there when you need us.

6. Performance: Can your chosen team perform in the areas where your project will need help? Think optimization, not only in terms of resource usage but also in other areas such as search engine optimization.

7. Dedication: Can you sense the dedication of the team? Many software vendors are more concerned about the money, not the project. We are as dedicated to your project, as you are.

Put our experience, dedication and aptitude to work for you. We look forward to being selected for this project.

Thanks
Frank

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Information Technology Outsourcing

The following are excerpts from a report I wrote:

On outsourcing:

Labor in India, Pakistan is very cost effective, however it is our experience that there is a huge gap in the quality that you receive. For instance, yesterday I received a call from a project manager in LA who manages teams in India. The work was a mess and his teams in India weren't understanding the client requirements at all, not to mention the huge communication gap.

...
Regarding use of Flash and making a site ADA compliant

Flash is a total waste of space online especially since it has no search engine value and it's really hard to make it ADA compliant.

...
Regarding integration of XML feeds

That's another thing we can do for you. What we were recommending here was that we create XML feeds for your web site which can then be subscribed to by your users to stay abreast of what's happening at the site.

We can implement a variety of industry related RSS/XML feeds for you. If you know of any feeds that you would like added, please let us know. We can also find/research industry and government related feeds for you. Moreover, recently acquired by Verisign is a good feed resource. They offer both a paid version and a free version (supported by advertisements).

Since the government is within your secondary target market, we can research the many government feeds available today that relate to your industry. In addition, we can filter the incoming feeds for certain keywords/phrases if you desire.

On the importance of timely delivery and well-engineered software

We could not agree more. The difference between a successful implementation vs. a failed project boils down to the design of its architecture. We will be studying your requirements in detail and proposing a well-engineered and scalable architecture that will be sure to meet the needs of your organization, the applications and its users. Here at Designerz, we test projects on an ongoing basis for ourselves to give our clients the very best of technology. We will be able to deliver each phase within your specified time period.

"The project cannot be done"

In the past, we have done similar projects and can propose/recommend various methodologies to achieve your objectives. In 2003, we completed a project for a large California based drop-shipping supplier who was interested in allowing their clients to have automatically maintained stores online. They spent $100K and more than a year with another company (whose systems they were already using). They came to us when that company finally told them that the project “could not be done.”
Frustrated and angered they came to us asking for help. We were able to have their project up and running within 3 months at only a fraction of the cost.

The emerging trends in the IT industry

There is an emerging trend in the IT industry where companies bid on project without reading the requirements and understanding the client’s needs. The idea is that once they get the project, they will go out and find someone in India, Pakistan, Russia etc to get the project done for pennies.

Just yesterday evening, I received a call from a frustrated LA based project manager who just simply could not do the projects he had accepted. His Indian team of 35 professionals were failing to understand his clients’ needs. Desperate for help, this project manager told me that some projects, especially the high end ones, get outsourced up to 5 times.

When you award us the project, you can be assured that your project will be developed in the US by us, therefore protecting your intellectual property. With us, it’s not just about the money; it’s about the client (you) and the project
(yours).

Our recent blog network

We also implemented recently a blog network where the same technology is implemented on more than 100 domains. The administrator can change one master domain and all the changes are synchronized to the remaining domains. The number of domains to which the changes are applied is expandable by simply putting the domain name in a file. Such a system will best suit your needs if you are looking to provide the highest level of targeting to each of your target markets. Users on each domain get their own subdomain and their own blog to go with it.

Planning search in your applications

Search has to be planned very carefully for any application or the search functionality can bog down the application. Unfortunately MySQL (and other databases) do not provide a very fast full searching capability unless the search has been properly planned and indices are used.

In 2002-2004 my team developed more than 2500 segment targeted portals / directories for ourselves to study the challenges involved in the directory industry. The portals were spread over 2500 sub-domains yet were easily manageable. Each portal targeted just one segment in the best way possible.

The search functionality can be provided either by intelligently designing the databases, or through spidering. Both techniques have their pros/cons and we
can discuss them with you to find out what best suites your project.

On implementation of Payment Gateways

In the past, we have created and integrated highly customized e-commerce solutions based on OSCommerce / Interchange / Yahoo! Stores. Integration of payment gateways is not an issue as we have the skills and ability to implement just about any payment gateway.

On the issue of online security

As a team who manages our own security, we can help you with proprietary and industry standard techniques to keep intruders out. You may be surprised to learn that some of the biggest hosting companies don’t have simple, yet highly effective techniques implemented. We understand that server administrators / network and software engineers need to protect their systems aggressively against hackers and costly brute force attacks. We utilize proprietary methods to detect/log/ban intruders.

On search engine optimization

When it comes to site maps, you will be surprised to know there are many definitions. We have created custom site maps for highly complex applications. The URLs and the layout of a site map are of utmost importance to not only the search engines but also your visitors.

In addition to human targeted site maps, we can also create Google and Yahoo! compliant site maps that will keep these search engines informed of the latest developments and updates as they happen. Our team members include qualified Yahoo! Search Marketing Ambassadors whose Ambassadorship status can be verified by visiting
http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/af/amb_confirm.php?type=amb&id=1096

On retaining customers and creating customer loyalty

To help create a strong awareness for your application and to keep competition out, we also recommend the creation of SOAP based APIs. Companies such as Google, Microsoft, eBay, Amazon, Sabre, Flickr etc have found these APIs to be one of the biggest tools when it comes to revenue generation and creating brand loyalty. By placing a usage fee for these APIs, you can have the APIs support themselves.
You will also need browser integration tools such as toolbars to help retain customers.

On how we can help

Being a highly experienced team, and one who understands and puts the client’s needs above everything, we will work with you to create the application you desire.
Before we can submit your detailed development methodology, we would like to talk with you. Lets schedule a conference session at your earliest convenience so we can better understand your needs.

When it comes down to web application development, we are confident that you will not find another team with a diverse skill set and aptitude like ours. Maybe that’s the reason even highbrow developers and programmers come to trust our team when they need help with applications and web standards.

I thank you once again for your consideration and look forward to discussing your
requirements over the phone.

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Information Technology Outsourcing - Read more!

"Perserverance commands success"

Today, I got a message from someone

i bet your a very popular man the info on the forum was helpful ........................................................................i have sent you a friends request please approve------ i have started a promotion business with two other partners but they dont seem to have a clue @ it but every time i pitch ideas they say i dream too big or that it out of my league never our league or maybe it just me and i'm reading into it too much

Here's the reply I sent to them

Hello,
Thanks for your message.

Your partners don't seem very helpful :)

I believe nothing in this world in unachievable if you have the will and are willing to perservere. As someone said "Perserverance commands success."

Many ideas that succeed often seem ridiculous to someone.

I once heard the US patents director said in 1950's or 1960's that goes something like "everything that needs to be invented has been invented."

Try using online medium and web sites to promote your business. In case you didn't see my coupon, here is $50 in search marketing credit (http://searchmarketingambassador.com/credit.php)

I am a professional consultant and software engineer/webmaster. Let me know if I can assist you in any way or if you have a question.

You can call me at 1.706.356.0282 or write me at ebusinessconsultingus@yahoo.com.

Feel free to ask a question/give my number to anyone who you think can benefit from it.

Thanks
Frank

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"Perserverance commands success" - Read more!

Promoting a Small Business - Getting the word out

Today, I answered a question by Jen at MySpace. Here is my answer on how to get word out for a new web site.

Hello Jen,
Track50 seems like a great idea. My best wishes are with you.

Now to answer your question:

There are quite a few ways for you to spread the word about your new web site. The best one is going to be through press releases and blogging.

Write up a press release (message me if you need some good resources on how to write a press release and what to avoid in PR). Once the press release is ready, submit it to a news distribution company. For e.g., I tell many of new clients to use PRWeb.com. You can submit a press release for free. For a $10 contribution to PRWeb.com you can get listed in their syndicated RSS feed. For every $40 you donate, they will add a star to your release and give it better coverage.

Business Wire is another press release distribution company but be prepared to pay $$$$ for each release.

Then there are affiliate programs. You can start your own affiliate program for as low as $75 with ShareASale.com. You can choose to pay affiliates as low as $0.01 (I think) per click or a pre determined amount per sale. PM me if you would like more assistance. You can also call me at 706.356.0282 and have me guide you through.

One thing I noticed on your site (or may be I couldn't find it) is that you don't have RSS feeds. You need syndication capabilities on your site to help your audience stay in touch and informed about your site.

You may also want to host a forum on your site to add stickiness.

Sign up with your local chamber of commerce and have them give you their list of journalists (works great for local publicity).

These are just right off the top of my head.

Add your URL to del.icio.us, http://openencyclopaedia.com (mine), http://de.lirio.us,
http://digg.com, http://furl.com and related sites and photos (or screenshots) to http://flickr.com.

Just be careful out there.

Good Luck :)

Frank
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If this post has helped you, feel free to add me as a friend and ask questions either here or by making a comment on my profile / blog. I will try to answer them as I get time. You can also email me at ebusinessconsultingus at yahoo dot com.

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