Someone’s nightmare is almost always another’s sweet dream. At least that is the case with outsourcing. Outsourcing is the current topic of the town, be it New York or Chennai. But is it a new concept? I am damn sure that all the articles (both for and against) are written in a PC (or a laptop) manufactured and assembled in Taiwan. It is also possible that the authors drive a German car, wear Italian underwear and taste French wine. In a market economy, as venerated by the western countries, outsourcing is inevitable – in every industry where cost matters.

In the recent days, I have read so many articles against outsourcing. Almost all the articles point out that outsourced IT projects would fail for the lack of proper communication. I agree fully. But isn’t it a documented fact that any IT project would fail for the same reason even when users, analysts and developers belong to the same culture? Proper communication is important for any IT project, more so for an outsourced one.

Then comes the quality. It should be noted that half of so far granted CMM certifications are with Indian software firms. This does not mean that every outsourced project will be a success. A careful study of requirements and vendors need to be done, like any other IT project, instead of lamenting the failure.

Another aspect in those articles is the mix-up of skilled labor migration and outsourcing. They aren’t the same. Men and women of the developed world don’t rock the bed and even if they do so, many offsprings drop out of schools. Not every drop out becomes a Bill Gates. This creates a shortage in skilled professionals. On the contrary, our national hobby is producing children and we do it exceedingly well (though current President and Prime Minister of India are bachelors). Not just the quantity, even quality has been proved consistently better. Obviously we migrate to fill the vacuum. Even this is not a new concept. Long back, during World War II, Indian soldiers fought in Europe along side the British.

Factually speaking, outsourcing is a backfire of the Regan and Thatcher’s era of pushing the developing countries beyond their limits to open their markets. Then we struggled, now we strike back.

And you think, outsourcing impacts only the western economy and we Indians are basking in the new found wealth. Not quite true. For one, it has bastardized our society. Many of us did not evolve to posses such technology and luxury and thus are cut-off from the mainstream society, living in illusionary castles. At office, I talk to Americans who still live in yesterday and to Australians who have already seen tomorrow. Few of us, sleep when our children are in school and when they are asleep we come to office because that is the time our clients are working. It isn’t easy to be an Indian, never.

What does the future holds? Well, no one can predict the future. Probably as India raise to join the elite group, costs will go up here and then we will start outsourcing – may be to Vietnam, or to Africa or may be even to America. Along side a new business model will emerge embracing outsourcing (and migration). What I fear and a good possibility of it coming true is that new laws coming in place in the western countries shutting their markets for us. That will only prove the suspicion that the western countries preach democracy and open market, but when it starts hurting them they practice otherwise.