FAQ

Offshore software development remains consistent worldwide, regardless of its location. At Orient Software Development Corporation (OSD), we establish the benchmark for offshore development practices. Throughout the project, our team’s project manager maintains direct communication with you, updating you on our progress at every stage. This encompasses initial project development, comprehensive analysis of your requirements, documentation of all needs, prototype development, product creation and testing, market launch, integration with your current business processes, and continuous technical support. Despite our offshore operations, our communication excellence and Internet utilization ensure seamless collaboration that feels as if we are right beside you.

Modern businesses face various challenges, including cost reduction, enhanced productivity, talent acquisition and retention, recognition for business practices, risk management through diversification, and swift product launches. Offshore outsourcing offers a solution to many of these objectives, providing four key advantages:

  • Cost reduction: Skilled IT professionals residing overseas typically earn lower salaries compared to their counterparts in Europe and North America. This translates to significant savings in labor costs, enabling businesses to achieve more with fewer resources.
  • Talented workforce: Vietnam boasts a pool of highly qualified IT professionals with extensive experience in areas crucial to your company’s operations. Leveraging their expertise and innate abilities, they deliver top-quality IT services at a fraction of the cost associated with in-house development or local contractors.
  • Industry leaders: Reputable offshore development centers are dedicated to continuous improvement and excellence in service delivery. Opting for a reliable and efficient offshore development center minimizes the risk of project failure or delays. Vietnam’s IT vendors, in particular, are recognized for their culture of relentless pursuit of perfection.
  • 24/7 service: Offshore development in Vietnam offers the advantage of time zone differences. While your local staff rests, our IT professionals work diligently to develop customized software solutions and other projects, ensuring swift product launches and service delivery beyond traditional business hours.

Research indicates that over 90% of Fortune 500 companies utilize outsourcing to fulfill some of their IT requirements. These companies allocate consistent budgets for outsourced functions annually, recognizing the substantial cost-saving advantages associated with outsourcing. Moreover, they prioritize selecting the appropriate vendor, often preferring offshore outsourcing centers with accessible onshore offices for timely response to inquiries or issues. Furthermore, maintaining effective communication with contracted partners is paramount for these companies to monitor project progress and optimize the business relationship.

Outsourcing has the potential to enhance the performance and profitability of almost any company, although certain businesses are better positioned to reap the benefits of offshore outsourcing. Consider the following statements. If any or all of them resonate with your business, it may be prudent to explore the option of outsourcing some of your tasks:

  • You frequently contemplate whether your current resources are being utilized optimally.
  • You seek methods for your IT team to enhance your business’s efficiency.
  • You are apprehensive about your company’s ability to keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies.
  • You question whether your IT department could handle tasks more swiftly and efficiently.
  • You have an interest in offshore outsourcing and wish to delve deeper into the subject.
  • You are worried about how your employees might react to outsourcing and want to explore their options further.

If you seek to reduce expenses on IT and software development, offshore outsourcing offers an excellent opportunity to access top-notch and innovative solutions at a lower cost. By cutting expenses and enhancing services, your company will have additional time and resources to focus on enhancing its core functions, developing its core competencies, and increasing competitiveness. Businesses in software development and website development are increasingly acknowledging the advantages of offshore outsourcing.

Almost any project can be outsourced in theory, but in practice, many companies prefer to manage their databases and networks internally. However, any project that falls outside a company’s core business functions is suitable for outsourcing to either a domestic or overseas vendor. It’s common for businesses in website design and software development to establish long-term partnerships with outsourcing vendors and assign them the majority of their projects.
Many software company managers budget for outsourcing with the expectation of cutting costs by around 30%. When considering labor costs for development, training, and implementation, this figure can rise to as much as 50% for offshore outsourcing. In essence, the potential return on investment can be significant, depending on the particulars of the project you plan to outsource.
Selecting the right outsourcing vendor is crucial for the success of your project, though there’s no single best method for doing so. However, following certain tips and guidelines can help you avoid costly mistakes. Firstly, it’s essential to create a comprehensive and accurate request for proposal (RFP) and distribute it widely to ensure healthy competition among vendors. This allows you to obtain competitive pricing and choose from a pool of qualified bidders. Before evaluating bids, have a clear idea of the type of vendor you’re seeking. If a vendor doesn’t align with your expectations, eliminate them from consideration. Additionally, when shortlisting vendors, insist on speaking with at least one previous client for each to obtain professional references. Inquire not only about service quality but also about adherence to deadlines and budgets. When making the final decision, consider various factors and avoid being swayed by superficial aspects.
International certifications like ISO 9001 and SEI-CMM Levels 3-5 demonstrate advanced technical skills. Choosing a certified vendor can provide assurance that your project will meet required standards. However, certified vendors often charge higher fees compared to non-certified ones. Therefore, you must weigh whether the improved quality justifies the increased cost, especially if cost-saving is your main reason for outsourcing.
When choosing a vendor for outsourcing your software development needs, it’s essential to request samples of their code developed for other clients. These samples should then be assessed by expert programmers. Once a vendor is selected, you must communicate your company’s coding standards, ensuring they are outlined in the contractual agreement. The agreement should also stipulate the sharing of prototypes or mock-ups before final coding begins. Inquire about the vendor’s policies for identifying, tracking, and managing software bugs, ensuring access to bug reports throughout the development process. If the vendor lacks bug reports, provide a template for completion within the agreed timeframe and ensure they are shared with your onshore team.

When you outsource a project, the offshore service provider (OSP) will inevitably take some level of control. You won’t be involved in daily operations, so it’s crucial to trust the vendor’s team to handle day-to-day decisions and project management. While this may seem daunting if you’re used to close oversight of onsite projects, remember that your ultimate goal is the final product. How the vendor achieves it matters less than meeting your specifications within the set timeframe and budget. Nonetheless, it’s essential to maintain some level of oversight. Ensure your contractual agreement includes detailed information about software specifications, processes, deadlines, and milestones, allowing you to monitor progress and address any issues promptly.

Your contract should incorporate financial penalties for the vendor if it fails to fulfill all the obligations outlined. However, imposing stringent penalties may prompt the offshore service provider (OSP) to raise profit margins for added security, ultimately increasing project costs. Thus, it’s essential to strike a balance between protecting your interests and maintaining flexibility. Specify key milestones and deadlines in the contract, but consider outlining a detailed timeline separately as an appendix to the agreement.
Project specifications play a vital role as they determine the nature of the final product provided by the vendor. These documents must be clear, accurate, and comprehensive. Inadequacies in these documents may suggest a lack of familiarity with your work culture standards. Specifications should address complex subjects but remain easy to grasp. This applies to specifications for the final product, processes, and procedures. It’s important to include specific deadlines and milestones, as well as details on how and when the source code should be transferred. Receiving the code during development, rather than waiting until completion, can help mitigate losses if the vendor fails to meet deadlines. This allows you to use the code as a starting point with another service provider if necessary.
In the past, software development followed a strict waterfall approach, with well-defined phases of planning, creation, and testing. However, the iterative approach breaks this sequence, allowing different project phases to overlap. This makes it easier to manage complex projects while maintaining high quality. Each iteration operates independently, enabling teams to work on different parts simultaneously. This flexibility facilitates early identification and mitigation of risks, as well as easier adaptation to changes in project specifications. Collaboration and integration between teams are encouraged, leading to reuse and adaptation of work. Similar to the waterfall approach, the iterative approach allows for incremental delivery and payment, reducing outsourcing risks as you don’t have to wait for the entire project to be completed.
When outsourcing software development, your company’s intellectual property is often involved. While vendors and clients typically don’t compensate each other for exchanging this information, it’s essential to establish proper licenses and agreements if other parties are involved. One crucial consideration regarding intellectual property rights is determining ownership not only of the final software product but also of the methodologies, techniques, and properties used during the project. If your company aims to be the sole owner, be prepared to negotiate these rights at a higher cost. Finding a middle ground that satisfies both parties is often more advantageous.
Vendors naturally prioritize prestigious and profitable projects. However, there are steps you can take to prevent your project from being overlooked. Firstly, ensure that your contract includes a detailed timeline with multiple deadlines and delivery points. The vendor should face financial penalties for failing to adhere to your schedule or meet your specifications. Consider implementing a system of incentive payments for achieving milestones ahead of schedule. Ultimately, the best approach is to work with a trusted vendor and cultivate a professional, long-term relationship of high value.
For smaller and simpler projects, visiting an offshore vendor may not be necessary, saving on expenses. However, for larger, long-term projects, it can be beneficial to visit potential vendors before selection or during the project’s duration. To minimize costs, consider working with an OSP that has onshore representation for easier communication and project oversight, albeit at a higher cost. If your chosen vendor lacks onshore presence, periodic visits may be advisable, although these visits may incur charges. Clarify your reasons for visiting and ensure your presence doesn’t cause unnecessary disruptions or delays.
Communication can be challenging, especially when dealing with a vendor in another country. If an onshore office isn’t available, you’ll need to rely on methods like instant messaging, email, and phone calls. However, differences in culture and language can lead to misunderstandings. To mitigate these issues, ensure your vendor has English-proficient team members and prepare your own staff for cross-cultural collaboration challenges.
Throughout the project, you’ll likely interact with the top managers of the OSP for overarching matters. However, for daily issues, it’s advisable to communicate with the team members directly involved in software development and testing. If you’re in a senior position, ensure your inquiries don’t disrupt the workflow. The OSP should designate a team leader accessible to discuss progress, serving as your primary contact.
If your vendor operates in a distant time zone, you might encounter challenges where their team ends their workday as yours begins. This disparity complicates communication. To address this, schedule online meetings at mutually convenient times for both your company and the vendor. With some flexibility, you can leverage the time zone difference to your advantage by organizing rotating shifts for onshore and offshore teams. This ensures continuous software development, enabling progress around the clock.
In any project, three main areas can cause issues: specifications, timeline, and budget. Among these, schedule problems are often the most prevalent. If delays occur, adjusting the project timeline by postponing milestones and deadlines might help. However, if the delays persist, or if you’re dissatisfied with the quality of work or communication, it may be necessary to end the relationship and find another vendor.
Forrester Research, a consulting firm, predicts that over the next 15 years, the U.S. service industry will outsource 3.3 million jobs and $136 billion in wages to other countries. Currently, around 60% of mid-sized companies opt to outsource their HR and IT functions, according to the Meta Group and IDC. Countries like Vietnam, Russia, India, and China are experiencing growth in their outsourcing service provider industries. If you’re considering outsourcing, you’re part of a growing trend.

EZS offers services and solutions to global industry leaders. Our expertise includes assisting clients in establishing offshore development centers and assembling top-notch IT teams dedicated to their projects. Our services primarily fall into two categories:

  • Application Development and Maintenance
  • SEO and Internet Marketing
Our offshore development center is located in Vietnam to enhance our services for our international clients.
We typically work for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
We utilize the Internet for regular communication, including VOIP calling, email, and instant messaging programs.

EZS operates its own full development center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and we do not subcontract our clients’ work. This allows us to maintain control over the projects, including their completion and the personnel involved. This decision underscores our dedication to prioritizing our clients’ business interests above all else.

The majority of EZS team members hold college degrees in computing technologies or computer engineering. We prioritize recruiting and retaining top talent in the IT field and support their professional development within our environment, which values excellence. Our dedicated and experienced staff have worked on projects for multinational corporations similar to yours.
EZS operates by implementing top-tier processes and methodologies to consistently deliver high-quality products and services. Our quality-assurance processes ensure error-free outcomes, while our project management techniques ensure projects remain on schedule and within budget. We utilize various communication tools to keep our clients informed about the progress of their outsourced projects. Here are some of the processes we employ to enhance client satisfaction:
  • Weekly project status reports Configuration management programs
  • Robust bug-management and software-checking systems
  • Comprehensive knowledge management system
  • Multi-staged prototype deliveries

We excel in several areas, with three main strengths:

  • Expertise in Microsoft .NET
  • Strong partnerships with top software companies globally
  • Recruitment and retention of top IT professionals

We are committed to providing ongoing support and maintenance after delivering your new software. We offer various support and maintenance contracts, including bug identification and correction, tracking maintenance requests, and developing additional features and add-ons. Additionally, we extend our support and maintenance services to your other software programs, even if they were not developed by us.

Rest assured, we prioritize the confidentiality of our clients’ software coding. Our IT team members are bound by strict non-disclosure agreements, and your company’s information is legally protected. Our software developers are professionals committed to upholding their integrity, understanding the significance of safeguarding your company’s trade secrets.
Rest assured, all the software we create is backed by a one-month warranty. This covers any bugs and ensures smooth integration into your office operations. Additionally, if you wish to extend the warranty period, we offer flexible monthly and quarterly support and maintenance contracts to suit your needs.
Absolutely. Before commencing your project, we’ll establish a binding Project Confidentiality Agreement and Non-Disclosure Agreement. These agreements legally bind us to maintain the utmost confidentiality regarding all your business information. Furthermore, each of our employees has signed similar agreements with OSD. We never disclose our clients’ project details or use them as references without obtaining their explicit approval beforehand.

Absolutely! EZS keeps records of past and present clients who are happy to discuss our services with potential clients. We have established strong relationships with multinational companies who are more than willing to endorse our services and our track record of surpassing expectations.

Yes, at EZS, we are committed to enhancing the quality of our services across all levels of the organization. We foster a culture that prioritizes quality, and we implement methodologies inspired by the quality-control models utilized in CCM Level 3 and CCM Level 4 organizations. These industry best practices have been tailored to suit the unique needs of offshore software development.

Absolutely. EZS is highly adaptable and ready to tailor its standards and methodologies to ensure the delivery of the bespoke software you require. We’re committed to collaborating with you throughout the process, making offshore outsourcing an efficient and top-quality solution for your software requirements.

We understand that our clients have diverse needs, so we provide various engagement models. Most clients opt for one of the following models, or a combination of them:
Project-based pricing
Pricing determined by the resources and time required from EZS staff to complete the project
Custom development facilities tailored to your company’s requirements

Yes, we do! We prioritize partnerships and frequently collaborate with consulting firms worldwide to assist them in leveraging outsourcing for their clients’ benefit. Whether you require offshore services for any reason, EZS is prepared to deliver the dependable solutions you seek.
When you email EZS, we typically respond within a few minutes. For even quicker communication, we’re also available for chat via instant messaging programs.
Yes, we have developed specialized tools to ensure we have a clear understanding of your project’s scope, budget, and timeline. Our experienced project management team uses analytical tools to create accurate estimates of the time and resources required. Once we understand the requirements, we offer your business a comprehensive estimate and schedule. Throughout the project, we use tools like Microsoft Project, Dwins Netoffice, and Mantis to keep our teams on track and monitor progress.
If there’s a need to change the project’s scope, EZS is equipped to handle it. We understand that projects can shift direction, and we have the expertise to manage those changes effectively. For minor adjustments, your company can discuss them with the relevant EZS project manager to implement them promptly. However, for larger changes, we may need to present a revised budget and/or timeline for your company’s approval before proceeding with the change.
Staff turnover is inevitable, so it’s crucial for organizations like EZS to preserve project-specific knowledge over time. To achieve this, we ensure there’s a “shadow resource” for every 5-6 IT experts working on your project. This way, even if certain software developers leave, we’ll always have someone on staff familiar with your new software program. Additionally, we uphold high standards for creating and maintaining detailed project documentation. In the future, we can refer back to these documents for information about your software.
We utilize software tools to pinpoint and prioritize bugs, as well as to monitor our progress in resolving them. Our support teams promptly address urgent software bugs.
Before we commence a project, we require comprehensive information from your company. This involves collaborating closely with our clients to gather all necessary details regarding the scope of work. If your company hasn’t outlined specifications, we’ll request a brief description of the desired system, typically spanning one or two pages. Using this document, our team of IT experts will formulate the formal technical requirements for the software program. We iterate on this document with our clients for mutual understanding. The timeframe for developing a detailed scope of work varies depending on the project’s size, ranging from a few days to several months. Once the specific requirements, often referred to as the project’s “Bible,” are finalized and approved, we proceed with client sign-off and commence custom software development.

At EZS, we take pride in our effective use of project management tools and methodologies, ensuring timely delivery of new software programs while adhering to your budget. Upon project initiation, we collaborate with our clients to establish suitable deadlines and milestones, followed by a sign-off process for each deliverable throughout the project.

While it would be ideal for the scope of work to remain unchanged, we acknowledge that this may not always be feasible for many of our clients. Therefore, our processes are based on “XP” Extreme Programming, specifically tailored to handle such changes. About half of our project time is dedicated to tasks like design, architecture building, prototyping, and documentation before the coding phase begins. This approach enhances our flexibility in adapting to evolving client needs. Clients have the opportunity to provide screen-by-screen approval of our prototype, enabling us to identify most or all necessary changes before commencing the intricate coding process. Our entire workflow is structured to accommodate iterative, interactive changes from our clients.
No, EZS’s human resources policies focus on attracting and retaining top talent in the IT industry. We cultivate a work culture that emphasizes ongoing professional growth, continuous learning, healthy competition, and active collaboration among our staff. Our competitive compensation packages, aligned with the local economy, include performance-based incentives. As a result, EZS maintains a low attrition rate, ensuring continuity for your projects.
Our HR team, equipped with recruiting specialists, knows precisely where and how to locate top-tier professionals in C#, PHP, Java, Oracle, .NET, and similar software development domains. Prospective candidates undergo an initial interview to kickstart our thorough selection procedure, comprising technical knowledge assessment, evaluation of communication abilities, English proficiency test, group discussion with EZS members, and a follow-up interview. On occasion, we even involve our clients in the interview process for job candidates.
For every project, regardless of its size, EZS designates a single project manager tasked with ensuring the timely and budget-friendly delivery of the customized software solution that aligns with all project requirements. Clients maintain consistent and direct communication with this project manager, who acts as the primary contact point and provides regular updates on the project’s advancement. Utilizing Microsoft Project and Dwins Netoffice, the project manager allocates internal resources and assigns specific tasks to team members, streamlining the process of tracking and overseeing the project’s progression.

EZS uses Subversion as its chosen version control system.

We have experience in developing various custom software programs for our clients. These projects range in size from millions of lines of code for larger projects to just a few thousand lines for smaller ones. Our more intricate projects typically involve teams of 6-10 members working on software development for three months or longer. We’re always available to discuss the complexity of software that aligns with your specific business requirements.
As outlined in our contracts, the client retains full proprietary ownership of the conceptual ideas, design, documentation, and coding for the software we develop.
During the software development phase, we provide our clients with regular access to the necessary files to ensure their active participation and engagement in the process. Documentation, design, and code are routinely shared between EZS and the client for review and potential adjustments, often on a daily basis. This frequent exchange of deliverables ensures that our clients stay informed and involved in the progress of their projects.

Our EZS team comprises experts proficient in various technology platforms, enabling us to develop outstanding custom software solutions for our clients. Specifically, our expertise extends to the following areas of offshore software development:

  • Application packaging services
  • Client/server applications
  • Legacy migration applications
  • Web services
  • Online applications
Our offshore programmers are fluent in English and utilize globally recognized software tools and programming languages. Therefore, both the code development and our project managers’ communication with clients are conducted in English.

Yes, EZS follows strict policies ensuring our programmers adhere to standard coding practices and thoroughly document their work. This not only aids client comprehension but also facilitates code maintenance during the warranty period following software delivery.

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