The FutureSource Summit in Mexico City starts today and will feature an engaging series of discussions on Mexico’s current capabilities and future direction as a global information technology (IT) hub. Buy-side and provider-side groups will both be in attendance, but this summit will also offer opportunities for U.S. and Mexican IT and business leaders to talk face-to-face about their common challenges.
Having lived and worked in Mexico, I have high expectations for the summit. I predict a large number of attendees will be wowed by the IT capabilities they find there. Many of the companies that are attending the summit or who are looking at Mexico as an outsourcing location have already discovered the benefits of having a delivery network node to complement work carried out in the U.S. and offshore. Mexico offers a location in the same time zone, without visa restrictions, with a stable exchange rate at lower price points and with people who share a very similar culture to people in the U.S.
American businesses looking to outsource abroad often buy into two misconceptions that work against them: an incorrect stereotype of Mexicans and the incorrect belief that the best outsourcing models send everything to India. Both of these ideas couldn’t be farther from the truth. Some of the most ingenious problem solving I have encountered was in a technology center in Mexico.
When I tell people that I worked in Mexico, many immediately assume that I ran a bilingual call center. Businesses often make the mistake of thinking that that is all Mexico is good for – servicing their Spanish-speaking customers. And while call centers are necessary, this thinking clouds the reality that Mexico is a deeply skilled IT powerhouse that also supports IT delivery centers capable of designing, building and testing complex applications.
Mexico’s ascension in IT is due to smartly targeted investments by government and leading academic institutions that have pushed to grow Mexico’s IT capabilities. Many Mexican cities feature “technology parks” modeled on the more well-known U.S. versions. And academic leaders in Mexico are typically eager to engage U.S. business personnel to understand their talent needs and to showcase what their students are learning. In many cases, people from Mexico have already lived in the U.S. or been involved with projects in the U.S., and they bring those skills and experiences back home when they return.
At some point – and maybe starting at FutureSource Summit – the U.S. IT industry will begin to understand that Mexico offers cutting-edge technology skills possessed by people who speak fluent English … and many who are NFL and American Idol fans to boot!
