Yes we can?

Competing in the global software development space isn't merely a case of having the skills and the international profile.

Says Global Vision executive chairman Rob Katz: “What you need to do is have a great vision for a product that is internationally needed. Then you need to attract the right skills and partners to work with in terms of raising capital to drive the development.

“Software development is a contact sport, so you need to get out and understand what the market's needs are and what your competition is. You must also understand that this isn't going to be an overnight sensation. Developing great products takes two, four, five years, depending on the product.”

Something few people mention is the burgeoning African market. Most think of Europe, or the US. But, says Microsoft developer and platform enterprise lead David Ives: “I think we'll be a good source for development for Africa. Teleco billing software, for example, is expensive. To develop and sell that into smaller operators in Africa is a no-brainer. A small company in Durban has been doing that kind of work.

“Other guys, like K2, say the recession means all support is now outsourced to SA, and it has 100-odd developers here too. It is still cheaper to develop in South Africa. Smaller development shops and even big guys like Pastel develop here and they're doing well. Another group out of Durban, Alchemex, has just signed an international agreement to distribute into the Accpac channel. Yes, we're isolated a bit, but that often works to our advantage as we have to solve problems the other guys [internationally] haven't thought of yet.”

Another area Ives believes holds lots of potential for local developers is the Web space. “We're starting to build capability in the Web and mobile spheres. Take Kulula, for example. It is the biggest e-tailer in SA, with over R1.6 billion turnover. Its technology is good, but its real focus in on how to maximise the end-to-end supply chain in the tourism space. That's impressive. We're getting some really good thinking in that space. We're not there yet, though. We need capability in digital marketing, software on the Web, new solutions, new concepts. Compare Kulula to Jetstar and other overseas airlines sites. They've got really cool functionality, smart stuff.”

I think we'll be a good source for development for Africa.

David Ives, developer and platform enterprise lead, Microsoft

Something that seldom gets a mention but needs to be addressed is SA's self-esteem problem. And while it is not possible to give the entire country therapy, it is time the industry learned to be proud of what it does, because it does it very well.

Says Dariel Solutions head Malcolm Rabson: “We go to Cebit every year. This year we were considering hiring some Indian developers, because it looked like there would be a skills crunch. We have an entrance test that we use at Dariel and we gave the test to three of them. All three failed, dismally. We could see that one could have passed, but he misinterpreted the questions. This is also no good, because if you misinterpret customer requirements it's as bad as not doing the work at all. This belief that overseas is better is not true. A lot of it is based on the low self-esteem we have as South Africans. There's always been a stigma that we can't cut it here.”

That this is patently untrue has been proven many times over, from Mark Shuttleworth to Vinny Lingham, Dimension Data to FrontRange. It's time for SA to get real.