Phl software association marks 25 years of success

MANILA, Philippines - Progress in the software development and IT outsourcing (ITO) sector is crucial to the growth of the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry, according to the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA).

The association, whose pioneering work has largely contributed to the success of the sector, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

“Through the years, the Philippines has been an important destination for outsourcing software development and IT services,” said Nora Terrado, president of PSIA.

“Our sector is composed of companies with solid track records of delivering high-value software services and with decades of software development experience focused on niche technology areas and industry domains,” Terrado added.

PSIA played a key role in an industry delegation for Japan IT Week’s Software Development Expo (SODEC), participating in a series of meetings, seminars, and an exhibition.

The PSIA delegation included Advanced World Systems Inc., Alliance Software Inc., CAI-STA Philippines Inc., ManpowerGroup, Pointwest Technologies Corp., PNI Business Solutions, Tsukiden Global Solutions, and Ubiquitous Technologies Philippines Inc.

During the event, the Philippine software and IT industry was highly commended by Taro Naguchi, founder of KLab Scorpions, a Japanese firm that invested in the Philippines.

In a testimonial speech, Naguchi shared how business is done in the Philippines as well as the success story of his company. Furthermore, Keizo Kawata of Nihon Unisys Ltd. said one of the advantages of Filipino software developers and IT professionals is their ability to speak English better than their competitors.

In the annual ranking of the top 100 global outsourcing destinations by investment advisory firm Tholons released early this year, Philippine cities Manila (NCR) and Cebu City are included in the top 10.

Manila, ranked No. 4 in 2012, rose one notch to No. 3, behind Indian cities Bangalore and Mumbai. Cebu City, formerly at No. 9, also went up one rank and pushed Dublin from the eighth spot.

Recently, PSIA director and Gurango Software Corp. (GSC) founder and CEO Joey Gurango discussed startups and the innovation ecosystem at the Cebu ICT-BPO Conference organized by the Cebu Educational Development Foundation and Information Technology (Cedf-it).

PSIA’s series of activities to mark its 25th anniversary will conclude in a general membership meeting and culminating dinner entitled “PSIA Silver Night” on June 28 which will be attended by representatives of 150 member-companies.

International research firm Everest Group reports that the Philippines is already a mature destination for software development and ITO, joining the ranks of India, China, and Poland.

The sector’s key strengths and drivers include English skills that support voice-associated IT delivery such as technical help-desk, strong social media penetration that enables content creation, and cultural affinity with US and Asian markets.