Source:www.business-standard.com

The father of Indian outsourcing, Raman Roy, is ready to step into the field of offshoring for gaming firms. His business process outsourcing (BPO) outfit, Quatrro, is all set to offer back-office services to gaming companies.

Talking to Business Standard, Raman Roy said: “Little work is being done in offshoring on the gaming side and it holds a huge potential for us. We are a BPO, hence we will naturally provide back-office functions such as software testing and implementation for large and small gaming companies.”

The foray is expected soon. Raman Roy said the company might grow organically or through acquisitions. He, however, added that the company was “already in talks with various companies”.

According to company executives, the company is eyeing an acquisition in the US. The details of the deal, however, were not divulged. The company is also close to sealing a deal in the US for its finance and accounting area. According to the sources, the deal is likely to come through in the next two to three months.

Quatrro currently offers processing capabilities across India, the US, Sri Lanka, China, Singapore and Dubai in BPO areas such as FAO, mortgage, technical support and banking, among others. And in line with its “beyond the existing” strategy, the company is looking to extend its reach to new areas such as legal, risk management and data analytics besides gaming.

Quatrro had recently acquired the mortgage technology platform and onshore-offshore loan processing operations of the US-based Preferred Financial Group. Raman Roy’s company had also bought out Mauritius-based fund eIndia’s stake in Chennai-based Scope eKnowledge, a knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) firm in April this year.

With private equity investments of over $300 million, Quatrro is on track to to use the means of “build acquire and align” to grow.

Source:www.portfolio.com

Even small businesses can benefit from tapping low-cost resources abroad. But how to start?

In a global economy, it’s not surprising that most large companies outsource. But within the last five years, more small businesses, from travel agencies to boutique motorcycle manufacturers, are taking advantage of inexpensive labor outside the United States.

Improved communication technology and online job-posting services are making it easier for even single-employee companies to find and manage contractors all over the world. A new class of consultants has even sprung up to provide guidance.

“The virtual company where numerous, if not all, tasks are outsourced has been evolving over the last four years,” said Anita Campbell, founder and editor of Small Business Trends, a newsletter and website. www.smallbiztrends.com “These days you almost can’t afford not to outsource.”

Labor is so much less expensive in other parts of the world, she said, that businesses have a hard time competing if they don’t hire, for example, computer programmers in India, accountants in Ukraine, or manufacturers in Taiwan.

Costs for outsourcing all kinds of tasks abroad can be as little as a tenth of what they are in the U.S. For example, a computer application that might cost $10,000 to get done in the U.S. would cost $1,000 in some Asian countries.

But it’s daunting for small businesses that can’t spare employees to scope out and supervise foreign talent. Nor do they have the financial reserves to cope if vendors don’t follow through on their commitments. If delivery of physical product is involved, there is the added danger of delays in transit due to weather or customs hassles.

“There’s definitely more risk involved when you are a small company,” said John Challenger, C.E.O. of outplacement consulting firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas in Chicago. “It could potentially destroy your business if you rely on someone who doesn’t deliver.”

Websites like Elance.com, Guru.com, Rentacoder.com, and MyBusinessAssistant.com have made it easier for small businesses to find eager service providers worldwide. Prospective employers post jobs on these sites and vendors respond with bids.