Introduction

Alamy, launched in 1999, is a leading stock photo site. By creating the world’s first open, unedited collection of images they became the largest and most comprehensive online photo resource, offering an unrivalled choice to picture buyers around the world. 

To enable their rapid expansion they decided to setup an Offshore Center in India.

The reason they chose India as a destination, was not only for the significant cost reduction, a team of 40 persons in India compared to a team of less of 20 persons in the UK at the same cost, but also for the availability of highly skilled professionals and the maturity and high quality standards of the Indian IT industry.

 

Requirements

Alamy decided to setup a 50 - 80 person facility in India, with all features and functions to enable them to have a seamless integration of their headquarters and the Offshore Center. Short term the Offshore Center had to support new technology developments and long term it should support global services, making Alamy India a Shared Service Center for Alamy worldwide.

 

Benefits

Alamy has gained significantly from our services in India, managing the end-to-end setup of their facility.

Key benefits were ready available knowledge and experience, smooth transition and costs savings.

Alamy’s team had to visit India only four times during the setup phase, two of which for job interviews and one to see the sites and decide on the final location.

Not only is all their software development and worldwide IT management done nowadays in India, but also Back Office functions such as picture research, accounting and customer service e-mail support.

Being a media company and distinguishing them from their competitors, quality was very important.

They could get both high quality as well as low costs of operations.

This all has resulted in a considerable increase of their profitability.

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Project components

Manage end-to-end setup of the Offshore Center including:

• All statutory registrations and approvals‚ ROC, STP, customs, sales tax, RBI, labor laws

• Management of all procurement‚ domestic and import

• Clearances, customs, sales tax, etc.

• Selection of premises

• Setup an IT enabled facility, including furniture & fixtures, power

• The ICT infrastructure‚ LAN, WAN, IPLC and internet services, all hardware, software, server room

• Recruitment of core team

• Recruitment and introduction of kick-start development team

• Sourcing of all requisite services‚ security, housekeeping, audit, etc.

• Handholding operations in setup phase

 

Key benefits

• Our ready knowledge and experience helped them get an Offshore Center first time right

• Minimised Offshore risks - strategic, operational and investment risks

• Maximised incentive benefits by adopting a right in time plan for duty free materials and services by paying the lowest tax levels possible during setup time

• A scalable and stable network was created ensuring a smooth flow of the heavy duty data and video traffic needed for the Offshore - Onshore communications

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Alamy Office

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