News
App dev jobs start to recover from outsourcing binge
- By Stephen Swoyer
- February 8, 2006
The application development space has been hard hit by outsourcing, but there's been a recovery of sorts over the last 12 months. Companies have shifted resources--and budget dollars--from largely compulsory infrastructure-centric regulatory initiatives to other backlogged IT projects, according to research by management consultancy Foote Partners.
One upshot of this is that app-dev experts are once again in demand--especially those with expertise in EAI, .NET, Java, Web apps, ERP and CRM app dev efforts. Other in-demand code jockeys include Web app programmers, data warehousing and business intelligence coders, and old standbys such as DBAs, database developers and help-desk pros.
The app-dev renaissance is embracing next-gen architectures--principally J2EE and .NET--along with other non-traditional innovations such as agile programming processes.
"[I]t's obvious that this work increasingly requires customer- and industry-savvy workers and sometimes familiarity with company culture," writes David Foote, CEO. That kind of expertise is "[t]ough to find...in Bangalore, India, and even when you can, offshoring development is proving to be far more difficult than anticipated to manage. Costs may be reduced, but scheduling and project completion timelines are less predictable."
About the Author
Stephen Swoyer is a contributing editor for Enterprise Systems. He can be reached at [email protected].