Frequently Asked Questions

1. • My company has never conducted business with an offshore IT service provider - is it difficult?
2. • How is Sitex able to charge such competitive prices for its IT service?
3. • What are typical working arrangements you have with your partners?
4. • Does Sitex offer fixed-fee contracts?
5. • Is there a warranty or guarantee on the services provided by Sitex?
6. • How many milestones does Sitex typically place in their projects?
7. • Who will own the Intellectual Property Rights to software and documentation developed by Sitex?
8. • How can I monitor the progress of my project?

9. • If I send you a RFQ or project specification what will I get back from Sitex?
10.• What development methodologies does Sitex employ?
11.• How does Sitex keep my development project safe and secure?
12.• How do I keep track of the status of any bugs I find?

13. • Can I communicate with Sitex in English?
14. • What types of electronic communication tools does Sitex utilize?
15. • What is the time difference between Krasnoyarsk and where I live?

16. • Where in Russia is Krasnoyarsk located?
17. • What can you tell me about Krasnoyarsk?
18. • What are the advantages of using offshore IT services, instead of traditional, locally-based services?
19. • What is the potential for IT services in Russia?

1. My company has never conducted business with an offshore IT service provider -- is it difficult?
No, it’s not difficult. In fact, you will interact with Sitex in much the same way you would with an IT services firm located just down the street. All Sitex team members communicate effectively in English.

2. How is Sitex able to charge such competitive prices for its IT services?
Sitex is able to competitively price its IT services by locating its operations office in the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk. The availability of high-caliber, experienced technical professionals and the city's relatively low cost of living allows Sitex to keep its costs low and pass on the savings to its clients.

3. What are typical working arrangements you have with your partners?
Working arrangements depend on the needs of the partner. Sitex can directly or indirectly provide custom development services for the end-clients of its partners. In other situations Sitex can function as a member of a partner's internal development team and take part in the development of packaged software products. Let us know what role you would like us to play for your organization.

4. Does Sitex offer fixed-fee contracts?
Yes, the majority of Sitex contracts are fixed-fee. This allows Sitex' clients to control their costs effectively and to reduce their risk. Sitex can also run projects on a Time & Materials basis, so it is up to you.

5. Is there a warranty or guarantee on the services provided by Sitex?
Yes, Sitex offers a warranty of up to 1 year on all services provided. The duration of the warranty depends upon the complexity of the service carried out. The minimum warranty duration will be 90 days.

6. How many milestones does Sitex typically place in their projects?
This depends entirely upon your wishes and the scope and scale of your project. For large projects Sitex typically provides a new release of the software every month. This helps you to see that the project is progressing as planned.

7. Who will own the Intellectual Property Rights to software and documentation developed by Sitex?
You, as the client, will have unrestricted and exclusive IPR to all software and documentation developed by Sitex specifically for you.

8. How can I monitor the progress of my project?
You will be assigned a project manager for your project. Your project manager will send you monthly updates on the status of your project. However, during periods of intense activity these reports may become weekly or even daily. You will also be able to contact your project manager in between these reports for interim updates or for clarifications.

You may also monitor specific issues that have been found in your project using our online Issue Tracker tool. You will be given access to this tool when your project is kicked off.

9. If I send you a RFQ or project specification what will I get back from Sitex?
Sitex will review any RFQ’s or specifications it receives from you and try to provide a quotation, with price and timescales for completing the project outlined. Sitex will contact you to clarify any points that are unclear.

10. What development methodologies does Sitex employ?
Sitex runs small projects in the classic waterfall model, but larger projects are often developed using rapid prototyping techniques.
Where Sitex developers are used as an addition to your own development team, they will adapt to your own working practices.

11. How does Sitex keep my development project safe and secure?
Sitex uses version control software (SVN) during development in order to keep your project safe from failures. The software is stored on a server, located in Sitex offices, which is password protected and regularly backed up to prevent loss.

12. How do I keep track of the status of any bugs I find?
For each project, Sitex runs an Internet based bug tracking tool. When we start business together, you will be granted a username and password to access this system and will be able to report bugs, and view the progress of bug fixing.

13. May I communicate in English with Sitex?
Yes, of course. All Sitex team members communicate effectively in English.

14. What types of electronic communication tools does Sitex utilize?
Sitex uses a number of electronic communication tools to stay in contact with its clients. These tools include: e-mail, Instant Messaging (using ICQ) and Internet Telephony (using Skype).

15. What is the time difference between Krasnoyarsk and where I live?
Krasnoyarsk is 2 hours behind Sydney, 7 hours ahead of London, 12 hours ahead of New York and 16 hours ahead of San Francisco.

16. Where in Russia is Krasnoyarsk located?
Krasnoyarsk is located in the centre of Russia, in the Siberian region, slightly northeast of where the borders of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia meet. Moscow is 5 hours away by plane to the west, Vladivostok an equal distance to the east. CLICK HERE to see a map.

17. What can you tell me about Krasnoyarsk?
Krasnoyarsk (pop. 950,000) is a a major stop on the Trans-Siberian railroad. It is a significant scientific, industrial, and educational center in Siberia and is the capital of the Krasnoyarsk region. The Krasnoyarsk region is the second largest region in Russia (more than 3 times the size of France). In addition to the city's 19 colleges and universities, the city and region boast of having the world's largest aluminum production plant, a center for the development of aerospace technology, and the world's most productive nickel mine.

18. What are the advantages of using offshore IT services, instead of traditional, locally-based services?
Cost - Over the last several years it became apparent that there is a lack of available, qualified IT staff in Western countries. Even temporary growth spurts have not changed this significantly. The consequence is that the prices for IT products and services are continually increasing due to over-demand. The necessary improvement or implementation of modern data processing within companies is therefore becoming ever more expensive. The costs for servicing and updating data-processing programs are also rising.
As a way of reducing costs, many IT service providers work in regions where they can offer vastly reduced costs for their services. With the latest means of data transfer, even complex download systems can easily be bought and delivered over the Internet.

19. What is the potential for IT services in Russia?
Numerous Western IT giants have already discovered the potential of Russian programmers, who manage to profit from a traditionally strong education in mathematical subjects.