nearshore software development in the city center of madrid

Nearshore Teams For UK Companies – Case Study of Madrid

#Nearshore

It’s no secret that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to hire software developers in the world’s leading tech cities. A shortage of engineering talent in places such as London, San Francisco and New York is forcing companies to think outside the box when searching where to hire software engineers or build remote development teams.

In the UK, Brexit has created additional pressure, with companies voicing concerns over the impact it’s having on access to skilled technology workers. Chairman of Inskin Media, Andrew Walmsley, recently stated in an article published in June on Tech Crunch:

As a growing tech business in the UK we’re already seeing the Brexit effect, restricting access to the best talent and holding back advertisers from investing in brand growth.

According to the Statistica, the total numbers of programmers and software development professionals actually decreased in the UK in the year following the referendum, bucking a 5 year growth trend.

 

Graph shows the total numbers of programmers and software development professionals in the UK

Why Build A Nearshore Software Team in Madrid?

 

  • Top notch developers

Madrid’s software engineering talent pool is up there with the best. Its developers consistently appear towards the top in world rankings. The latest rankings from Penta show Spanish software developers performing above the US, UK and India (as does Hackerrank). The upturn in the Spanish economy also means that many Spaniards are returning home. Many have spent time abroad working with tech companies in the UK, US and Ireland, bringing home a range of valuable experience. Thefore, there is the assurance of a cultural fit for companies who are worried that nearshore teams may not carry similar values as the in-house team.

 

  • Madrid is a great city

Madrid is a culinary, artistic, and sporting hub. A dynamic city that brims with culture and energy. It is the third-biggest city in the EU by population (after London and Berlin), with a thriving start-up scene and numerous universities. All of these factors make it extremely attractive for companies looking to expand their operations through nearshore programming services.

 

  • Well-connected

Madrid is very easy to get to from the UK. There are multiple daily flights from London, Manchester, Bristol and other major cities. Flight time from London is just over two hours, while from Manchester this is around two and a half hours. From Madrid’s Barajas Airport, a taxi ride to the city centre takes 20 minutes, and it won’t break the bank. Music to the ears of CIOs, CTOs, and CEOs who regularly travel to and from London’s airports to visit their remote software development teams!

 

  • Ease of communication

The time difference between Spain and the UK is one hour, meaning communication between HQ and your remote development teams is very easy. Daily contact is straightforward, and there are an abundance of communication apps available to help (Google Hangouts, Slack, Skype). The standard of English in the workplace in Madrid is high, particularly in the growing tech sector.

Nearshore Software Project Example: A Zartis Case Study

For a real-life example of a complex project that required collaborative nearshore teams, click here to read about our collaboration with Fexco, Ireland’s leading fintech company.

Here is the gist of it: back in 2016, Fexco was looking to update its old tech stack, build a new API, and migrate its monolithic, on-premise legacy software to a cloud-based solution with a microservices architecture.

This was a complex project that would not only take a lot of work but also required highly specialized technical expertise.

We approached the challenge by providing Fexco with software consultancy services to help them chart the way forward. We then put together a dedicated development team that functioned as an extension of Fexco’s internal engineering department — and got the job done.  Our collaboration with Fexco has been going on for over 5 years with a steadily growing number of nearshore programmers, working as a seamless extension of their team.

 

Take The Next Step towards Nearshore Programming

These are just four of many reasons why Madrid is among the best nearshore cities and why it should be the home of your next nearshore programmers.

Want a high performance development team to build your next innovative solution? Our dedicated development teams services can help you get up an runnign with a team in Spain in as short as 4 weeks!

 

Read more about setting up nearshore teams:

How Zartis Recruits and Onboards Dedicated Development Teams

Nearshore vs. Offshore Software Outsourcing: Which one is the better option?

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