SQS Software Quality Systems AG Regulatory News (SQS)

23 Apr 2009 07:00

23 April 2009

SQS Software Quality Systems AG

("SQS" or "the Company")

SQS expands offshore capability with new centre in Egypt

SQS Software Quality Systems AG (AIM:SQS.L), the global leader in independent software testing and quality management services, today announces the opening of a new offshore centre in Cairo, Egypt as part of its ongoing strategy to increase its mixed onsite / offshore capabilities for its customers.

The state of the art centre, named the "Quality Tower", incorporates the most up-to-date facilities and has a capacity for 400 employees, providing SQS with the ability to meet the ever increasing demand for its offshore services in the region, which is now one of the top ten offshore countries globally for IT services.

Since establishing its operation in Egypt in 2008 SQS has experienced strong demand for its offshore services with employee numbers rising to 51 by the end of its first business year. This number is expected to have increased to approximately 100 by the end of 2009.

The growing demand for offshore testing services in Egypt comes predominantly from German-speaking companies based in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Many young local IT experts in Egypt possess an almost native command of German or French and the cultural affinity and time difference of just one hour also contribute to the attractiveness of the region to SQS' customers. Organisations which have utilised SQS's services in Egypt include banks, insurance firms, avionic equipment manufacturers and telecommunications companies.

Despite the current economic uncertainty, analysts at Ovum predict that the software testing market will achieve annual growth of almost 10 per cent over the next five years. With offshore testing playing an increasingly prominent role, SQS expects its resources in Cairo to play a key part in contributing to its growth.

Rudolf van Megen, Chief Executive Officer of SQS commented, "The demand for offshore testing has experienced rapid growth over the past few years and this is only likely to accelerate, given the need for companies to cut costs in the current climate. The opening of our new offshore centre in Egypt helps to ensure that SQS continues to be at the forefront of this market, and provides us with considerable German-language offshore capacity to respond to growing demand going forward."

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About SQS

SQS is the global leader in independent software testing and quality management services. SQS consultants design and oversee quality management processes during software and IT systems development and test the resulting products for errors and omissions.

Headquartered in Cologne, Germany, SQS now has more than 1,400 employees across Europe, Asia, North America and Africa. The Group has a strong presence in Germany (Cologne, Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Goerlitz and Hamburg) and in the UK (London, Woking, Birmingham, Manchester, Belfast), Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Finland, India, Egypt, the United States and South Africa. SQS also has a minor stake in an operation in Portugal and a partnership operation in Spain.

With more than 5,000 completed projects, SQS has a strong customer base including 36 FTSE-100 companies, half of the DAX 30 and nearly a third of the STOXX-50. It supports clients in a wide range of industries, including major corporations such as Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Post, Barclays, Allianz, Meteor, BP, JP Morgan, Volkswagen, and Daimler.

www.sqs-group.com