Sieena, an information technology/application development consultancy, was founded on a model unlike most traditional consultancies. The company's operations are based Monterrey, Mexico, which firm leaders call "the Silicon Valley of Mexico." The firm is looking to capitalize on clients' outsourcing efforts by providing an alternative to India or China. Consulting recently spoke with Sieena's president, Mauricio Duran, about the model.
Consulting: How is Sieena's model different?
Duran: Sieena's model inherently has the benefits that make offshore outsourcing attractive while removing all the unpleasant aspects of offshoring. While both traditional offshoring and Sieena's model provide good cost containment, only Sieena's model allows U.S. clients to communicate with Sieena within the same time zone. Similarly, the proximity of Sieena to the U.S. allows clients to make same-day trips to our facilities for meetings, something impossible with overseas offshore outsourcing outfits. Sieena's presence in Mexico also means there are much fewer cultural differences compared to say India or China.
Besides the fundamental advantages of nearshoring, Sieena has put a lot of focus in specializing in cutting-edge technologies. Sieena has carefully selected successful products such as Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) collaboration solution and Microsoft PerformancePoint business intelligence solution and put substantial resources behind them.
Consulting: Who are Sieena's target clients? What notable projects has the firm recently done?
Duran: Sieena's target client profile is a company in the U.S. who needs to develop unique solutions using the latest technologies but do not have the budget to hire a U.S. consulting or application development firm.
[One recent project is] Dial 800, one of the top vanity 800 number providers and a marketing optimization firm that helps companies understand and manage marketing spend. Sieena built their new CallView 360 software-as-a-service, that is a core part of their business going forward. CallView 360 is a full-featured system that tracks leads, records calls, provides detailed lead demographics and comprehensive analytical tools. Sieena was an integral part of the backbone of Dial 800's competitive advantage.
[Another is] MyNetResearch.com. This recently launched Web site provides researchers a destination to collaborate in a social networking environment. Researchers around the world can now locate each other, work on projects together, keep up with the latest news and discussions in their subject specializations and obtain specialist tools to help them in their research. The community aspect of the site includes all features of a social networking site including blogs, wikis, photos, groups, profiles, etc. Furthermore, the entire project was done on a tight budget; Sieena had to come up with creative ways of implementation.
Consulting: Who are Sieena's primary competitors?
Duran: The main competitors are interactive agencies in the U.S., mainly due to their strong relationships with customers who need sophisticated Web application development. However, often U.S. companies are constrained by budgetary concerns. Sieena can then step in to fill the gap.
Consulting: What is Sieena's relationship with other consultancies? How has that changed since the firm's inception?
Duran: Sieena really benefits from our capacity to deliver project under tight budgetary constraints and we often partner with other consulting firms in the U.S. Sieena looks for companies who have challenging projects who need developers with the latest technology, and we often provide services as a team with a consulting firm. On the other hand, in Mexico we have numerous relationships with consulting firms who complement our services. We then leverage these relationships to provide a full portfolio of services to our clients.
Originally we were trying to do everything in house and keep it close to home. However, as our business expanded and projects grew in complexity and scale, we had to reach out to other companies to ensure our work was of the highest quality in each area.
Consulting: Recent reports point to the frequency of IT project failure. What is Sieena doing to ensure a positive process for the client?
Duran: A good example of how we're proactively improving process is our path to CMMi Level 3 certification by mid-2009. Prospects will understand that companies who reach CMMi levels have a thorough understanding of rigorous process flow. In addition, internally we are making sure to aggressively staff in Quality Assurance, Project Management and other areas of emerging technology. Our interview process is very thorough and rigorous.
Consulting: How have clients responded to your geographic strategy? Has it limited your ability to grow a U.S.-focused business? Has it hindered talent acquisition?
Duran: Our expansion is a testament to the attractiveness of our model. From our point of view, we're able to attract and retain the best technological talent in Mexico. They enjoy the opportunity of working with U.S. companies.
On the other side, clients enjoy working with Sieena as opposed to offshore outsourcing firms in China or India. They still get a competitive price but enjoy all the benefits of nearshore. Psychologically they love the idea of working with a firm who's closer to them both in terms of geography and culture.
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