South Africa`s software development capabilities have been acknowledged as among the best in the world, with many world-class concepts and products emerging in recent months.
This is the view of Mike Leeuwen, director of PM Tech, a local IT consulting, software development, systems implementation and support services group. He says innovative, locally developed systems are holding their own - and even setting trends - on the global stage.
"Local software developers are targeting their offerings at markets in Europe where many of the legal parameters governing such areas as pension fund management, payroll administration and other applications are similar to our own," he says.
"There is no doubt that SA has a competent resource in this field, that is on a par with many first-world countries."
Leeuwen maintains that the experiences gained by local software engineers in the sanctions era have stood the country in good stead today.
"Isolation helped hone their skills and the result is that our software engineers have developed the skills and expertise necessary to master the challenges of the global IT market, joining countries such as Ireland and India in this arena.
"In fact, because of our language similarities to many European countries, our time zone compatibility and the resemblance of our business methods, SA is a major contender - if not on a price basis, certainly from expertise, and service and support perspectives."
Another positive implication for local software developers is the funding that is available from Government, says Leeuwen: "Although the larger organisations are not benefiting from this funding, there is no doubt that the independent developers are gaining in experience and skills as a result."
One of the biggest opportunities for local software developers has come with the advent of the Internet as it is providing a valuable opportunity to reach out to new markets.
"Because of the budget constraints long imposed on local software developers, we have developed the expertise in this country to Web-enable many of the older, almost obsolete legacy systems," notes Leeuwen.
"This has given local companies the benefits associated with new-generation software at a fraction of the cost of reprogramming or replacing existing systems.
"Essentially it`s this `use-what-you`ve-got` know-how we are exporting today and which, with the appropriate marketing support, is placing SA at the forefront of the world`s markets," he adds.
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