Inshoring, Nearshoring, Rightshoring & Microsourcing

Warren Vieth reports about Inshoring, Nearshoring, Rightshoring & Microsourcing :

The business of finding low-cost substitutes for American workers is getting more complex -- and so is the terminology. They don't just call it "offshoring" anymore.



At a recent conference, the people who help U.S. companies shift white-collar work overseas offered potential clients a buffet of outsourcing options: "nearshoring," for those willing to stray no farther than Canada or Mexico; "inshoring," for those who prefer to bring foreign workers to America; and "rightshoring," for those desiring a custom package of in-house and off-site, foreign and domestic.



For the faint of heart, there's "microsourcing." Don't fire your entire computer department, advised David Elmo, president of Ohio-based Corbus Corp. Instead, farm out chronic backlogs and special projects to programmers in India.



"Getting rid of everyone puts you at a strategic disadvantage," said Elmo, whose company will help supply the foreign talent. "You don't know what's going to happen tomorrow."