Sep
Local software developer Knightfox gets international accreditation
Software development is gaining traction in the Caribbean as more local developers adopt global best practices, and Jamaica is among the leaders in the region.
Homegrown software outsourcers, Knightfox App Design Ltd., demonstrate this.
The company was recently accredited as a Technical Partner under the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner network, a global network of AWS-based businesses who have been vetted and deemed suitable by the international tech giant for technical, business, and marketing enablement. This move adds credibility and structure to the region’s emerging software development industry.
Traditionally, international companies have not seen the Caribbean as a strong outsourcing destination, and many Jamaican companies seek software development services abroad. Knightfox is helping to build the industry by showing that the technical competencies and service standards needed to develop globally competitive software solutions do exist here.
“Our work is world-class quality and we use global best practices in our project management and delivery of software solutions to clients around the world. Our work on the AWS platform is a testament to this and we’re thrilled that we’ll now be working more closely with them to differentiate our business and be more competitive in the world market,” expressed Egbert von Frankenberg, Knightfox Apps’ Cofounder and CEO.
Asian countries, like India, currently have the largest share of the global market for software outsourcing, but more near shore locations, like the Caribbean, are starting to attract North American and European business.
Factors such as language, cultural affinity and time zone alignment help to enhance this trend. However, what is really needed to move the industry forward is more programming and cloud architecture expertise. With industry leaders like Knightfox stepping up their game, they help to build trust in the industry and enable Caribbean coders to commercialize their skills.
“There are some brilliant techies coming out of school, but they’re going overseas or going straight to the banks. We need to train students in more sophisticated coding languages and educate corporations that the talent and expertise for website and application development is here,” explains Frankenberg.
Yoni Epstein, former head of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica and the Founder and CEO of ItelBPO, sees this is a step in the right direction for the industry, and agrees that more is needed to add structure and set quality standards for expansion.
“We need more local software development companies to seek international accreditations, provide training for programmers and adopt first-class project management systems so that the region can truly capitalize on the potential of the BPO sector.”
AWS is a division of the online retail giant, Amazon. It sells cloud computing services to Amazon itself, as well as outside clients, such as Adobe, Airbnb and Netflix, which use AWS for all of its backend infrastructure. It is free to register on their Partner Network, but Technical Partners must demonstrate sophisticated skills and technical knowledge to earn accreditations and advance through the networks three tiers.