Amsterdam welcomes Sonata Software
Sonata Software, an IT consulting and software services provider from Bangalore (India), has announced it will open a new office in Amsterdam. From the new office, Sonata will cater to the requirements of its growing number of customers in the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg).
Strengthening ties
In a press release, the company announced that a new office in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area will further strengthen Sonata’s ties with its European customers and improve its understanding of the local European IT markets.
“Our long-term strategy is to establish a local presence in all the key markets, and be where the customers are. The Netherlands office further extends our footprint in the European region and provides us an opportunity to offer nearshore support to our customers in the Benelux market,” said Mr. B Ramaswamy, President and Managing Director of Sonata Software Limited.
Moving to the Amsterdam area to cater to the needs of European customers is a popular move with Indian firms.
Amsterdam area attracts Indian firms
Half of the Indian firms that are active in the Netherlands are based in the Amsterdam area. Indian companies such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys Technology Limited have set up their European and Benelux head offices in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.
Charms of the Amsterdam area
The Amsterdam area is popular with Indian firms due to its unique location and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Amsterdam is regarded as the gateway to Europe and the fiscal climate is especially attractive for foreign companies. The 30% ruling for expats means that 30% of the salary of many Indian expats is tax free.
Amsterdam boasts first-rate accessibility. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport offers a large number of direct flights to both intercontinental and European destinations, including daily flights to several Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad. Labour costs in Amsterdam are low in comparison to the United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany. According to a benchmark comparison of head offices carried out by Ernst & Young, at 12.5% Amsterdam has the lowest social contribution paid by the employer and offers attractive performance incentives.
Booming ICT hub
The Amsterdam area attracts a booming ICT industry. In 2009, 25% of all international companies setting up shop in the area were active in the IT sector.
The World Economic Forum ranked the Netherlands as ninth in The Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010, a report outlining the impact of ICT on development processes and the competitiveness of individual nations.
IT infrastructure, research and development opportunities are particularly strong in the Netherlands and in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area in particular. The Amsterdam area already has one of the world’s highest broadband concentrations. It also boasts the best possible digital foundation, in the shape of the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX). This powerful and stable global internet hub has supported the rise of a dynamic digital sector: internet service providers, mobile operators, web hosts, content and VoIP providers and applications specialists.
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