With a focus on emerging technologies, digital consulting, and customer experience and CRM solutions, the company seeks to maintain sustained growth while addressing the challenge of the global technology talent deficit.
Just two months after starting operations in 2018, Nearsure, the Uruguayan company that offers information technology (IT) services and talent outsourcing, managed to become profitable. For 2023, it reported profits of more than US$36.7 million, of which 95% comes from its services provided in the United States. Now, with an eye to the future, the company aims to expand into the European market by 2025.
“You shouldn't put all your eggs in the same basket,” explains Giuliana Corbo, CEO of Nearsure, with this saying, the reason behind her bet. “We have already established teams of professionals in Europe, involved in high-interest projects. "It is likely that in the short term we will have more news in this area."
In line with this vision, Corbo pointed out that the company seeks to maintain sustained growth and projects progress of more than 30% by the end of 2024. This objective is justified in the context of the digital revolution, where the demand for talent in information technologies Information is constantly expanding.
"We offer information technology solutions to provide our clients with the tools, talent and support necessary to innovate and adapt to market changes," added Corbo.
The panorama of human talent shortage is evident in a report by the organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry, which predicts a global deficit of more than 85 million people by 2030. Within this context, the technology sector is among the most affected, where The information technology industry is expected to experience a shortfall of 4.3 million professionals, of which 1.2 million would be specifically in demand by the United States. This is how they explain the interest of American companies in Latin American talent.
“Although we cover all industries and sectors, Nearsure has focused on meeting the needs of numerous companies in the health sector, which has given us valuable experience in this specific field,” explained the CEO.
Nearsure offers services in four main areas. On the one hand, they have a staff augmentation offer , providing teams of technological talent. Secondly, they offer the so-called digital revolution, which includes the adoption of emerging technologies and digital transformation consulting. Added to this is the design and development service of digital products, according to the needs of each client. Finally, it also offers CX ( Customer Experience ) and CRM ( Customer Relationship Management ) solutions to enhance the business and technological challenges of each business.
LATIN AMERICAN ESSENCE: PROS AND CONS
The Uruguayan company maintains operations in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. Its payroll is around 600 people, distributed in 17 Latin American countries.
They project to reach 1,000 employees also by 2025.
However, being of Latin American origin and operating in the region means facing various challenges. According to Giuliana Corbo, on the one hand, there is the technological and gender gap, as well as the difficulty of access to technology. And, on the other, economic fluctuations, which represent an obstacle to business development.
This last aspect is supported by a 2023 EY study on external challenges and trends for companies in Latin America, which highlights that economic instability is the main obstacle that companies will face in the next three years (2024 to 2026), regardless of the sector to which they belong.
“Accustomed to living in a changing context, we discovered that Latin American talent is even more prone to adapt to the new challenges that technological evolution implies,” Corbo mentioned the advantages. “Therefore, operating in Latin America is a great advantage, mainly because the region is a powerhouse of technological talent and they can take advantage of the time zones shared with the United States and Canada.”
TRANSITION TOWARDS AI
The unification of four companies under the Nearsure brand represented a key strategic move that, according to the CEO, allowed it to consolidate its presence in the market and expand its offer of technological services. By coming together in this way, these companies were able to merge their experience and resources, allowing them to offer a broader range of solutions to their clients.
The process has allowed them to expand their service catalog to include areas such as generative AI, cloud migrations, CRM solutions and Salesforce services, among others. This means that the company can now provide comprehensive solutions ranging from the implementation of emerging technologies to data analysis and improving customer experience.
“Tero brought his leadership in managing Microsoft and Salesforce; Conexio, contributed its expertise in Adobe; UruIT, its leadership in team training and digital product development; and Nearsure provided expertise in staff augmentation ,” said the CEO.
Regarding artificial intelligence (AI), Corbo commented that the main demands regarding the use of this technology are: staff training, investment in technological infrastructure and cybersecurity.
First of all, he explained, because companies need professionals with the necessary skills to handle this type of technology, so it is crucial that staff stay updated and continually trained.
Second, Corbo continued, AI implementation often requires significant investments in technological infrastructure, such as servers or specialized software tools.
And finally, AI revolutionized the way cyberattacks are carried out, he said, making them increasingly frequent and sophisticated. This demands significant progress in cybersecurity, as well as the development of resilience and recovery plans against possible threats. According to PwC's 'Global Digital Trust Insights 2024' report, more than 30% of companies do not follow standard cyber defense practices. This reality puts confidential information, operations and reputation of organizations at risk.
“We recognize that, for many companies, doing the work of looking inward and identifying which are the key processes to be made more efficient with AI and, therefore, where the investment should be allocated, is a challenging feat,” Corbo considered. “Our goal is to facilitate both the initial diagnosis and the transition to adopt the demands implied by the use of Artificial Intelligence.”
Internally, Nearsure is training its talent to ensure they are aware of the latest trends, he said. This results in greater efficiency, better satisfaction of customer demands and accelerated progress in the industry as a whole.
