The Silicon Valley of Latin America

This phrase has been used in several places, such as Business with Latin America and Global Business Gateways, you can also Google it or Bing it – personally I like to call it the tech hub of the Americas as it’s located in the middle of a natural paradise with easy access to North and South America – yes I’m talking about beautiful Costa Rica.

View Larger Map

Why Tech Hub? Easy:

In Costa Rica, the English language is no longer a barrier
We have one of the highest literacy rates of the American Continent: 95%
The following is just a partial list of international companies with operations in the country:
Costa Rica has many amazing local companies that together with the passion of our people are the foundation of what we’ve achieved and what we aim to accomplish.
The country exports technology to the entire world and the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency’s(CINDE) work has positioned Costa Rica as the country with the best performance in the management of investment attraction in Latin America and the Caribbean under the national agencies category.

…yet there are gaps to be filled and work to be done.

A few months ago I was talking to a prospect based in London and he was not aware that in Costa Rica he could find high-tech companies, here is an extract of one of his messages:

“…With all companies here in the UK (and EU) cutting costs in a recession, I should think most will be looking for ways to get cheaper IT, looking at India etc… thing is I would never have thought Costa Rica as a place to look…”

Maybe if he’d been looking for a vacation destination - Costa Rica would’ve been on his mind, but he wasn’t thinking about the tropics, sun, beaches and nature… he was thinking about a new business project – a new venture involving technology.

Now this is something we can improve: the global awareness of what we do and what we are capable of :p.

So i took some time and run the following search “India vs Costa Rica” in Bing, Google and Wolframalpha…. the best result for what i was looking for came from Wolframalpha. I then compared distances between London-Bangalore and London-Costa Rica:

London to Bangalore: 4997.061mi	London to Costa Rica: 5429.563mi

The difference between both is approximately: 432 miles, which turns out to be a negligible one. After this i wanted to know what’s the time difference between London-Bangalore and London-Costa Rica, i got the following:

Costa Rica is 7 hours behind London, United Kingdom.
Bangalore, India is 4.5 hours ahead of London, United Kingdom.

Finally I took a quick look at air tickets prices using Expedia:

London-Bangalore RT: As low as $460 – Air India
London-SJ, Costa Rica RT: As low as $932 - Iberia

I could go on adding more and more facts that will only confirm that it is very reasonable for EU countries to look for and work with Indian IT companies, unless a Costa Rican company adds value/innovation to their services.

Let’s replace UK with USA :).

NYC to Bangalore: 8312.919mi	NYC to Costa Rica: 2218.939mi

The difference between both is approximately: 6094 miles, which turns out to be not negligible at all. Let’s check the time difference between NYC-Bangalore and NYC-Costa Rica:

Costa Rica is 2 hours behind New York, NY.
Bangalore, India is 9.5 hours ahead of New York, NY.

Finally let’s have a quick look at air tickets prices using Expedia:

NYC-Bangalore RT: As low as $1,116 – Air India
NYC-SJ, Costa Rica RT: As low as $297 - AA

As more facts are added the more sense it makes for Costa Rican companies to do business with USA.

Tim Rogers from Business 2.0 Magazine supports this idea of having Costa Rican companies doing business with USA organizations, this is an extract of an article he wrote a few years ago:

“… With its beaches, golf courses, cuba libres, and rock-solid social-security system, it’s no wonder that Costa Rica is luring American executives who want an alternative to Indian outsourcing. After sending thousands of technology and call-center jobs to India and the Philippines, major U.S. companies including Dell (DELL) and Procter & Gamble (PG) are now looking to Latin America to meet their outsourcing — or rather, “nearsourcing” — needs. Like India before them, Brazil, Nicaragua, Panama, and especially Costa Rica are embracing the trend with business-friendly policies and aggressive marketing…”

Business 2.0

What can we do to improve our relationship with USA? We need to take advantage of the near-shore benefits and keep delivering top quality. And to work more and more with EU companies? In addition to quality, we need to work even harder, deliver innovation and value… nowadays this seems difficult, plus if you add the fact that some Indian companies have really low fees, the situation becomes even more complicated… therefore we also need to be different and while at it - add more creativity and true passion to the mix!

Posted in Business and Management, Computers, Costa Rica, Internet, Online Business, Promotion and Marketing, Technology, Web Development, Work, World, economy, nature. Tagged with business, CINDE, Costa Rica, High-Tech, HP, India, Intel, Latin America, Microsoft, nearshore, outsourcing, Silicon Valley, Tech Hub, Technology, UK, USA.

By rvargas

June 10, 2009

1 comment

Vu du Ciel - are you really a “visionnaire”?

Vu Du Ciel

I’m not a TV fan, nonetheless - and while spending a good evening with friends and family at Tattos(local San Carlos Bar) i had the opportunity to watch sections of Vu du Ciel. This is what the documentary is all about:

Vu du Ciel is a major series of four documentaries devoted to the challenges facing our planet. With the aim of raising our awareness to the irreversible harm we are doing to the planet, Vu du Ciel first of all sets out to astonish the viewer with outstanding images before outlining the damage we inflict on nature through investigations and reports produced by an internationally experienced team. The goal of Vu du Ciel is to take stock of what has happened to the planet, without pessimism but also without hiding the truth, by highlighting everyone – scientists, naturalists and countless others – who is committed to taking practical steps to ensure our survival.

While this is a great documentary i won’t encourage you to watch it but instead: act. I like the following phrase “The spoken word is silver but the unspoken is golden” War and Peace By Leo Tolstoy… if we all could just translate “unspoken is golden” into action, to really do something that helps… just as Jerry Maguire’s “Help Me Help You” - forget Cuba’s face of course! - let’s help nature help us.

I want to share 2 quotes - don’t ask for the author please :p - a negative one and a positive one:

- “Procrastination and not taking action while knowing that our environment is in peril is not only madness but the greatest stupidity of them all.”

+ “Daily-constant action-awareness and helping our environment is not only amazing but the greatest service of them all.”

Posted in Life, economy, food, health. Tagged with environment, global warming, nature, planet earth, pollution, survival, vu du ciel, water.

By rvargas

May 26, 2009

No comments

Who are you not to be?

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?…Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do…It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates other. Marianne Williamson

Posted in Family, Life, motivational. Tagged with dreams, inspirational, Marianne Williamson, motivational, success.

By rvargas

April 27, 2009

1 comment

Is Outsourcing the answer to your software needs?

Determining whether or not outsourcing is the answer to your software problems is not necessarily a difficult question but it is a question which involves careful consideration. There are a series of questions which should be asked to help determine whether or not outsourcing is a wise decision in a particular case. Examples of some of the questions which should be asked are:

1. Are there in-house employees capable or resolving the software problem?
2. Do current workloads allow in-house employees to work on this problem?
3. How expensive will it be to outsource the task?
4. What are the benefits of outsourcing the problem?

Let’s take a look at each of these questions and explore how they can be used to help make this decision.

The Capabilities of In-house Employees

Some software problems require highly specialized training to resolve the issues. It is often the case that a company’s in-house employees do not have the capabilities of resolving these software issues. When this occurs outsourcing the problem to a specialist is the obvious choice. However, in situations where the in-house employees are qualified to resolve the problem, the issue of whether or not to outsource becomes more complicated.

Those tasked with making the decision often weight the options by considering the cost of outsourcing versus the speed at which the problem would be resolved in both cases. If there is an expert readily available to tackle the problem it will likely be resolved relatively quickly. However, if in-house employees are currently overburdened, they may not be able to make this problem a priority.

The Workload of In-house Employees

The workload of in-house employees often comes into question when considering whether or not to outsource a specific software related task or tasks. In the previous section we discussed the importance of outsourcing when the in-house employees are not qualified for certain tasks. However, this is not always the case.

Often in-house employees are fully capable of completing a task but they are unable to do so because of their current workload. In a situation when all of the in-house employees are unavailable to take on additional tasks, outsourcing again becomes a viable option.

Will Outsourcing Save Money

One of the main factors company’s consider when they contemplate outsourcing is whether or not they will save money by outsourcing. Hiring an expert on a contract basis can certainly be expensive but it is often a worthwhile investment especially for highly specialized work. The cost of outsourcing is usually higher in terms of the hourly rate of the employee but overall the costs may be reduced.

When considering work performed by in-house employees it is important to realize the cost of the work includes the employee’s hourly rate, the cost of benefits such as social security, Medicare and workers’ compensation and resources such as office space, hardware, office supplies and other incidentals. After factoring in all of these costs it becomes clear that outsourcing isn’t always the most expensive option.

Another factor to consider when calculating the costs of outsourcing a software problem is how quickly the problem can be resolved by outsourcing as opposed to handling the problem in-house. This will depend on the capabilities and availability of the in-house staff. If there is not a capable staff member available it may take significantly longer to handle the problem in-house.

The Benefits of Outsourcing

Finally, the benefits of outsourcing should be considered in deciding whether or not to outsource particular tasks. We have already touched upon some of the benefits of outsourcing but for the sake of completeness i will include a list of some significant benefits below:

1. Decreased labor costs
2. Access to industry experts
3. Flexibility in scheduling
4. Increased manpower

With so many benefits it is clear that outsourcing can be a viable solution to many software problems. The bottom line in determining whether or not to outsource a particular software problem often involves comparing the benefits of outsourcing to the costs of outsourcing.

Cheers!

Posted in Computers, Technology, Web Development, Work, economy. Tagged with outsourcing, software.

By rvargas

March 24, 2009

No comments

Harvesting Greatness

It’s been some time since my last post, things are definitely not the same. Not all are bad news: it’s nice to read the following in the NYTimes: “Stocks are up sharply as advancing issues outpace declining issues on the NYSE…”

So my life in the past days goes from Ruby on Rails to screwing up a business relationship with a colleague, but hey you need to take action and decide what to do next. This brings to my mind a story someone told me yesterday… a story that you may find useful or even inspiring…

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.” - “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Costa Rica’s 5 colones bill(1968) reflected our economy back then - and even nowadays - and guess what it was based on coffee :

5 Colones Costa Rican Bill

More info on Costa Rica’s bills: Museo del Banco Central

More about Costa Rica: www.cinde.org/?page_id=152

Posted in Business and Management, Costa Rica, Family, Finance, Life, Work, World, economy. Tagged with 5 colones bill, bean, carrot, Change, coffee, Costa Rica, crisis, difficult times, economy, egg, Life, market, NYTimes, opportunity, Passion, Ruby on Rails.

By rvargas

March 12, 2009

No comments

A cool challenge for Costa Rica

I created this post to remind myself(and you) if what i do every day could make a difference and help others accomplish whatever they dream of work hard for!

Challenges are always there, the thing is… are you really up for them? really? I’m inclined to believe that “soon” we all can include “Costa Rica” in a video such as the above. Don’t you?

Posted in Business and Management, Computers, Costa Rica, Internet, Life, Technology, Work, World, economy. Tagged with China, constant change, english, evolution, facebook, India, myspace, new paradigm, Progress, school, teach, Technology, time.

By rvargas

February 19, 2009

1 comment

Help Nature in Costa Rica 1 bag at a time

In a world being destroyed by plastic bags this is a hands-on way for you to help the environment in Costa Rica: take a look here bolsitikas.

Posted in Costa Rica, Life, World, economy, nature. Tagged with bag, Conservancy, Costa Rica, help, nature, plastic.

By rvargas

February 10, 2009

2 comments

We are here to help, not brag!!!

“There is no higher honor than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest deed.”

I had the opportunity to be close to some people that helped during the past Costa Rica’s earthquake, and let me tell you that some attitudes are just offensive… yes!! some people just want to hear “wow you are such a great person”… if you want to help people, really-really help, then do it, but if in the meantime you are just trying to make yourself (or your business) look better than what you really are… please save it!!! it’s just disgusting.

Posted in Costa Rica, Family, Life, food, health, nature. Tagged with Costa Rica, earthquake, help, natural disaster.