This year has seen India, China, Russia and Brazil continue to dominate the offshore location agenda, but it has also marked the rise of new outsourcing destinations, such as Egypt, as credible alternatives.
However, key questions remain as the industry heads into 2009, principally the effect that the credit crunch will have on offshore providers, and the extent to which the instability of a region may affect a company's choice of outsourcing destination.
A recent report from analyst firm Gartner looked at the credentials of 72 countries as offshore locations, and listed the top 30 destinations in 2008.
Evaluation factors included language skills, cost, political and economic environment, cultural compatibility, global and legal maturity, and data and intellectual property security and privacy.
