South America aglow for outsource role

With a recession looming or already here (or not), cutting costs will once again be on the CIO's to-do list. Inevitably, that means more outsourcing. Martin Migoya wants you to add South America to your regional considerations for development partners. He's the CEO of Globant, an 800-strong outsourcer in Buenos Aires that specializes in Agile programming methodologies and open source technologies. He claims Latin American-based shops like his, while not the lowest cost compared to work for hire sent to India, Russia or China, are a better "cultural fit" and have comparable time zones.

"We're working when you're working," Migoya says. Buenos Aires is only two hours behind London and three ahead of New York. One other advantage Migoya contends Globant offers is its SmartStaffing technology that matches the development team with the best project.

He's so convinced of SmartStaffing's value that Globant will be releasing in Q2 part of it called Glow as a free service online. According to Migoya, you'll be able to create and anonymous or public profile and describe your IT skills and the projects you've worked on. He says there will be rating system "similar to eBay" so your colleagues can rank your standing among your peers. Migoya thinks developers will like Glow because it "will let them explain what they do" and IT managers will find Glow a useful tool in putting together well-suited development teams. "Matching people is always a mess," he sighs.