With the support of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), this is the first time an association in the sector has done a study of this scope, including data that will be a reference for anyone needing information on the industry

Antonio Gil, President of Brasscom; Ricardo Asse, Marketing & Exports Director and André Limp, Technology Project Manager of Apex-Brasil, during the press conference to launch the Brazil IT-BPO Book, in September, 24th.

São Paulo, Brazil – September 24th, 2009 – To provide a detailed overview of Brazil’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, the Brazilian Association of Information and Communication Technology Companies (Brasscom), with the support of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), is launching the Brazil IT-BPO Book. Based on the extensive information the association has built up in recent years, the book compares the Brazilian and international markets, presents indispensable primary data for those in the industry and investors, and provides a special look at infrastructure, human resources and policies for the industry, stressing the important role played by the Brazilian government, the private sector, and universities.

“The material will be a valuable source for those seeking information on Brazil’s IT-BPO sector and is part of a wide-ranging market intelligence study organized by Brasscom. The book illustrates not only the growing importance of Brazil as a technology provider, but also how essential IT is to fostering the economic and social development of any country wishing to establish a meaningful presence in the global market”, says Antonio Gil, president of Brasscom.
“One of the pillars of effective promotion of exports and investment is a having wide-ranging and well-structured information on sectors. For the potential client or investor, complete and correct information is essential to the decision-making process. In this sense, the Brazil IT-BPO Book is an important reference for the Brazilian IT services sector, and it will certainly contribute to leveraging business generating potential for our companies”, says André Limp, technology project manager at Apex-Brasil.
After over four decades of development, Brazil is currently projecting itself as a strategic center in information technology, having become the eighth largest market in the world. The best example of this strength and dynamism is the industry that combines IT services and business process outsourcing (BPO), whose growth forecasts have remained high despite the global economic crisis. In 2008, IT-BPO turned over US$ 59.1 billion, including exports and IT in-house.

Brazil’s IT-BPO sector is amongst the strongest and most mature in the world and, along with communications, accounts for about 7% of Brazil’s GDP. In recent decades it has been growing in size, reach and complexity, in step with the other sectors of the economy. Large, strong Brazilian companies operate in the country, as well as the most representative multinational companies of various origins.

Private initiative and the Brazilian government are in tune with ambitious aims to position Brazil as an increasingly relevant and strategic global player in IT-BPO. Gradually, the targets set by the Productive Development Policy (PDP), launched in 2008 by the Ministry of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade (MDIC) have been met.
“This study reaffirms Brazil’s position in the vanguard as a strategic IT center on the global stage. Apex-Brasil is a partner from the sector which, through excellence and maturity, has contributed to the development of Brazil and the generation of new jobs. We are convinced that shortly the objective set by the Brazilian government for 2010, to increase IT-BPO exports from US$ 2.2 billion in 2008 US$ 3.5 billion will be achieved”, says Alessandro Teixeira, president of Apex-Brasil.
Brasscom has been tracking this trend and is working to make the most of the advances in the IT-BPO sector. With the support of Apex-Brasil, the association developed this material, which presents the potential of the Brazilian IT market and serves as a source of information for everyone who works in this industry or who wants to invest in Brazil. “We had a string of meetings with analysts, clients, prospects and the press in the USA, promoting our market and the opportunities that Brazil offer. We have to build on this good period and continue our work. I am sure that this book will help us show that Brazil is gaining an increasingly prominent position on the global market”, says Ricardo Asse, Marketing and Exports director of Brasscom.

Highlights of the study include:

• Growth forecasts and background on Brazil’s rise as a strategic center for information technology. After more than four decades of development Brazil has grown to become the eighth largest market in the world. Growth forecasts for the IT-BPO segment have remained high despite the global economic crisis, turning over US$ 59.1 billion in 2008.
• Examination of the unique capabilities of Brazil’s IT labor pool. Large Brazilian and multinational companies has been part of the country’s economy for decades. As a result the country has a strong IT labor pool with deep industry specific know-how. Revenue comes mainly from IT services, with 73 percent related to development, a higher proportion than in other countries.
• Review of the Brazilian government’s IT sector growth initiatives and targets. The Brazilian government has its aim set to become one of the three key global IT centers in the world. Its goal to increase IT-BPO exports from US$ 2.2 billion in 2008 to US$ 3.5 billion by 2010 is close to being achieved. To help drive development they have implemented numerous initiatives, including: favorable tax reductions, government sponsored venture capital funds and IT education support.

For more information, press only:
Elizabeth Warnock, Burson-Marsteller for Brasscom, elizabeth.warnock@bm.com +1 212 614 4417
Thais Trapp, Brasscom, thais.trapp@brasscom.org.br, + 55 11 3053 9106
Clarissa Furtado, Apex-Brasil, clarissa.furtado@apexbrasil.com.br, +55 61 3426 0202