Offshore Outsourcing: "They Lived Happily Ever After"? or "Something Wicked This Way Comes"?

by Roger Gaunt

I entered the world of offshore outsourcing with the naiveté of the uninitiated. After all, offshore outsourcing was the answer to our prayers: quality coding at inexpensive prices with no additional headcount, no personnel issues, no expensive benefits or overheads. Engage a vendor, deliver specs, and receive in return bright, shiny, production-ready code at an unbelievably low price. What could be easier? Even knowing that the vendors were from such exotic places as India or South Africa was not daunting. This is the age of global communications, virtual handshakes, and shrinking cultural differences. Right? Right!