More Nations Vie to Be Outsourcers — Maybe Even Cuba

More Nations Vie to Be Outsourcers — Maybe Even Cuba
Patrick Thibodeau

March 26, 2007 (Computerworld) -- DALLAS -- At the Gartner Outsourcing
Summit here last week, representatives from countries like China, South
Africa, Brazil, the Czech Republic and, of course, India set up shop on
the trade show floor. And many other nations may have a presence in the
future if they can successfully develop offshore outsourcing industries.

Gartner estimates that about 60 countries are involved in outsourced IT
at some level. The firm divides them into several categories: market
leaders, such as India, China, Argentina and Russia; active
participants, which include nations such as Vietnam, Egypt and Chile;
and countries that are just taking preliminary steps to develop
offshoring capabilities.

Among the new countries added to Gartner's list of potential offshore
providers this year are Algeria, Bahrain, Kenya, Madagascar, Malta,
Moldova, Saudi Arabia and Uganda. It's a fluid list — countries removed
for a lack of progress include El Salvador, South Korea, Panama, Peru
and Taiwan. Puerto Rico was also scratched.

One survivor on the list is Cuba. Gartner analyst Frances Karamouzis
said the communist country, which has a population of about 11 million
people, is "an interesting prospect" because of its educational programs
in math and computer science.

Eric Driggs, a research associate at the University of Miami's Institute
for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, said in a telephone interview that
Cuba offers an educated population and university-level IT training. It
also has youth centers that provide basic computer training. "You are
definitely seeing a buildup of human capital to make [offshore services]
possible," Driggs said.

But Cuba's government restricts Internet access and sees IT as a threat
to its security, according to Driggs. And the Castro regime isn't
showing any signs of loosening its technology controls: Ramiro Valdes,
who was appointed last year as Cuba's IT and communications minister, is
a longtime government official and former security chief. His
appointment, Driggs said, "is probably a good indicator that they are
not messing around when it comes to the Internet."

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