THE INDIA OPTION - PERCEPTIONS OF INDIAN SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS

A survey of US software developers has been conducted to determine how Indian software is perceived in terms of quality and productivity and to determine if, in fact, many MIS managers view it as a viable optio n. We find that Indian software solutions (ISS) are an option for many US firms. However, the growth in offshore sourcing is not expected to increase at the rapid rates of the past. There are several reasons fo r this. First, the Indian software industry has not matured to the lev el of offering a variety of services including off-the-shelf packages. Bodyshopping/personnel remains the main attraction, although the indu stry has made strides in offering customized software. Second, the ran ge of user experiences with ISS varies considerably. Those using the b odyshopping option have significantly better experiences than those us ing the customized software option. This has implications for how user s perceive the quality of ISS products and Indian programmers, and whe ther they want to commission ISS in the future. Third, a lack of infra structure support is cited as the most negative aspect of doing busine ss with India. Infrastructure problems include power cuts, traffic, an d the need for modern international airports.