Top jurisdictions for setting up an IT and software development company

As more and more jurisdictions open to foreign trade, companies can gain access to large pool of resources abroad. They can establish relationships with foreign partners and move their production to foreign locations or simply export their products to new markets. IT and software development businesses also seek to benefit from moving the production to foreign jurisdictions.

Generally, the main benefit for moving the software development abroad is lower costs in comparison to the home-country. For example, the cost of developing exactly the same software is 50% less in India if compared to the US. The savings generally come from lower labour costs, but moving the IT and software production abroad can also broaden company’s access to a wider pool of labour with higher skills and expertise. This might explain why 50% of American Fortune 500 businesses are using offshore IT and software development. Let us look at some of the jurisdictions where opening a software development business might be more beneficial in comparison to others and discuss the reasons why.

India
India has long been one of the preferred outsourcing software development destinations for leading multinational companies around the world. This means that one of the biggest benefits of choosing India for your IT and software development business would be a multinational demand for outsourced software development services. Meanwhile, the company would enjoy relatively lower labour costs, wide pool of skilled labour and business-friendly environment with the government that promotes start-ups and small businesses. Additionally, due to favourable policy and economic initiatives by the Indian government, IT industry is expected to grow in early to mid-teens for the next few years.

United Kingdom
London was recently described as the city that offers the most opportunities to businesses and ranked first for technology readiness. While low labour costs will not be one of the benefits of setting up a software development company in London, there are several other benefits that might compensate for relatively higher wages. Numerous hubs and incubators offer an environment for new start-ups and small businesses with all the necessary functions and support for less than 300 GBP per month. Also the government is committed to support software development and technology sector with such organizations as Tech City UK and Innovate UK with an aim to accelerate the growth of IT businesses. Meanwhile, various tax benefits are available to IT and software development companies in London. Other benefits to consider are skilled workforce and high-speed internet access.

Poland
Eastern Europe is becoming increasingly attractive for IT and software development companies with Poland ranking as the number one Eastern European country. While Poland cannot offer as low labour costs as those in India, it can offer other benefits such as proximity to Western Europe and ability to find common working hours with the rest of the world. Poland also shares a cultural affinity with the Western world as well as other Eastern countries. It is also believed to provide better product quality and business environment in comparison to lower-cost destinations for software development businesses.

More jurisdictions to consider for registering an IT business can be found on each continent – each with their own benefits and peculiarities:

Americas: Brazil, Argentina and Chile;
Asia/Pacific: China;
Europe: Romania, Belarus and Ukraine.
Above countries have large enough populations to have wide labour pool and good education systems to produce skilled software developers. Business risks in these countries are manageable and costs are reasonable in comparison to US, Canada and Western Europe.

It is important to remember, that while a particular jurisdiction can be considered to be the best place for incorporating an IT company for one entrepreneur, it may be unsuitable for another one. Consider the necessities that your business is most interested in. It can be a language, geographical location, regulation of particular activities, skilled workforce or costs.