Linux tech support job

[CLIFFORD ILKAY]

On Monday 05 March 2007, R.R. wrote:
> 6. Someone doesn't believe in keeping jobs at home (Canada), and
> not having to resort to outsourcing every time IT "resources" are
> needed.

From an economic efficiency perspective, it is valuable to have 
alternative sources for services. The growth of India's IT industry 
is a *good* thing for us. First, if a company can achieve lower costs 
through hiring lower-cost employees in India than in Canada, it has 
the option of lowering its prices, which is good for consumers, or 
providing a greater return to its shareholders, which creates wealth. 
Second, it creates economic opportunities in India, which increases 
demand for products and services, some of which we will meet. That's 
the whole point of trade. It's not a one way street. We're perfectly 
happy to exploit "Third World" countries if we're the net 
beneficiaries but heaven forbid that they grow up one day and start 
competing against us. Third, it forces the IT industry here to be 
more competitive and competition improves the breed. Weaker players 
will be shaken out of the industry and the cycle will start 
anew. "Competitive" doesn't necessarily mean "lower cost". It could 
also mean "more innovative".

Having said that, whether a company can really achieve lower costs by 
outsourcing to India isn't clear at all. The results have been mixed. 
Many companies have found that they have had to create an entirely 
new layer of management just to manage the offshore development 
teams. I know from personal experience that it's a big challenge but 
that doesn't mean it can't be done.

> On a side note, I'd like to point out that if companies that
> outsource are looking to save money, they should consider
> off-shoring their own managers - Those $100,000/year salaries could
> use a little 'slimming down'. :)

How do you know that isn't being done? Telecom is close to zero cost 
today so anything that doesn't require a physical presence can and is 
being shifted to lower cost places, like India. In fact, it's not 
even just services that don't require a physical presence. There is a 
growing "medical tourism" industry in India and South Africa. 
Already, Indian accountants are doing tax returns for North Americans 
and Indian radiologists are reading X rays, CAT scans, MRIs, and 
sonograms for North American hospitals. You can be sure that a  
radiologist in India wouldn't be paid anything close to what a 
radiologist in the U.S. or Canada would be paid.
-- 
Regards,

Clifford Ilkay
Dinamis Corporation
3266 Yonge Street, Suite 1419
Toronto, ON
Canada  M4N 3P6

<http://dinamis.com>
+1 416-410-3326
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