Oracle cites ‘exportable’ software talent in RP
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 17:55:00 02/16/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- To counter the migration of Filipino software professionals abroad, software vendor Oracle’s solution is to take control of this "brain drain" while tapping into the country as a rich source of talent.
"We cannot stop brain drain in this country," Francis Ong, country manager for Oracle Philippines, stressed during his presentation at the recent eServices conference.
Last November, Oracle announced it is setting up a research and development facility in the Philippines, initially to develop revenue and operations management software for utility companies.
In an interview, however, Ong declined to divulge how much Oracle has invested in this initiative nor how many software developers it has so far.
Nonetheless, he said, Oracle’s investment now makes the Philippines part of its global software development ecosystem.
In Oracle's model, its software products are designed and built by development centers from different parts of the world. Oracle's R&D investment in the Philippines, meanwhile, resulted from its acquisition of software maker SPL World Group.
Oracle intends to develop software for utility companies originally from the Philippines, according to Ong.
"This means there would be a lot of development work to be done as extensions around existing products," he explained. "This means we have to have talent that's exportable."
What this means is that Oracle would have to send its developers in the country to deal with its end-users.
"From an organization point of view, it allows me to control overseas assignments while allowing developers to get dollar rates due to the global nature of their work," Ong said, adding that Filipinos' propensity to travel is a plus in establishing relationships with Oracle end-users.
Ong also noted the country's advantage as a source of software talent compared to other countries.
"In other countries, you get bits and pieces while here in the Philippines there is a lot of skill whether language, technical and creative design," he said.
On the negative side, he noted that recruitment for software talent has gotten more competitive due to a number of IT investors in the country. The availability of prime real estate is also a challenge for investors, he added.
|
