Building Software locally is important for jobs and security.
Thanks to technology, the world is indeed a global village. A service provider and a client from different ends of the world can collaborate seamlessly to bring a product to market. The field of technology, software development to be precise, isn’t immune to this reality. However, critical analysis of some realities shows why building software locally is important for jobs and security.
Often times building software, based on disruptive technology, requires putting together a team. The talent of such a team could considerably be challenged and the end objective defeated if the team cannot collaborate physically and at short notice because they are found in different locations. An argument can be made that remote work is a possibility but in environments with low internet penetration and unstable power supply, the most viable option is building locally with a team made up of people in the same location or within the same geographical area.
Furthermore, with the current global interest in software development and technology, building software locally generates much-needed publicity and media attention for the eco-systems where the technology development takes place. Such publicity in turn increases the value of such eco-systems and their actors, enabling investments to flow to them. This is a possibility that would not exist if software development is outsourced.
Software are products. They are not built in a vacuum but rather in an attempt to meet a precise need. When such needs are local, building software locally is ideal because it provides the highest guarantee that the final product will perfectly meet these given that the developers are local and have a keen sense of the environment in which the software is supposed to be used. Refusing to build locally increases the likelihood of a major mismatch between the product and the need expressed.
In addition, building software locally has a doubly positive incidence on jobs. With the high unemployment rates among youths in some corners of the world, building software locally provides both training and job opportunities. Many youths find themselves unemployed because they lack the requisite training and skills. Building software locally creates opportunities for unskilled youths to get the requisite training that will make them eligible for the software development jobs available locally. Furthermore, building software locally provides ready-made opportunities for trained youths to get jobs and hands- on -experience in their relevant areas.
Software development often involves processing private data and information. When building software, a major challenge therefore is protecting such information from breaches and piracy. The risk of breaches increases significantly when software building is externalised because oversight becomes more difficult. To reduce this risk, it is best to build software locally where the physical proximity between client and developers makes oversight easier.
It is also worth pointing out that building software locally drives the local economy. When software developers are locals, they contribute to the local economy not only intellectually but also economically given that the consume other products and services, contributing to the economy of their host environment. These are economic gains that would not be possible if building software is outsourced. In such a case, the local economy would not benefit intellectually or financially. It would on the contrary only lose because the external developers would be paid and not inject even a dime back into the local economy even by way of taxes.
Mindful of the job and security implications explored above, it is safe to say that building software is not only important but indispensable. This is because the contrary perpetuates a cycle of not just brain drain but also capital flight. Local stakeholders must acknowledge this reality and do everything in their power to turn the tide for the advent of situation that benefits everyone locally, not just some externally.