Business StandardKeralas transition form Gods own countrys to Gods own e-state has come about pretty steady. A late start not withstanding, certain inherent strengths provided the state with the capability to log on to the IT revolution and Kerala made itself ready to be networked. Though not in the scale of the other southern IT regions, Kerala too has it share of unique tech boosters that continue to attract global players to its soil.
The governments role has helped much. As pointed out in the states latest economic survey document, "the government is keen to play a catalytic role for the development of IT and ITeS industry within the state, as it is ideally suited for such a densely populated state, having a multitude of highly qualified and experienced human resources uniformly spread across the state".
The government has in fact identified its role and the part it needs to play. Plans to develop Thiruvananthap-uram and Kochi as the foremost IT locations in the region come first on the agenda.
According to Chief Minister VS Achuthanan-dan, who also is the Minister for IT, the state government has commenced work on integrated townships, specifically for IT and ITeS industry. It has been pointed out that the Technocity project planned in Thiruvananthapuram and the Smart City project coming up in Kochi will boast of global standards, complete with the most modern stateof-the-art infrastructure.
The Thiruvananthapuram Technopark is already home to nationally and internationally reputed IT and ITeS companies. As the Chief Minister pointed out recently, "Kerala is in the threshold of many new initiatives in this sector. Within the next few years the state will be one of the leading states in India in the IT and ITeS sectors".
The Kerala State IT Policy 2007 had clearly spelt out a frame work in evolving the state into a knowledge society with sustainable economic growth with equity, social harmony, and high quality of life. It out lines an attractive incentive package for IT industry, enhances infrastructure capacities at our IT parks, sets up statewide e-governance network and offers single window clearance among others. The government, in the meantime, has prioritized yet another dream. It is developing parks in all districts of Kerala in a hub-andspoke model with the hubs in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode, and spokes in all the remaining districts.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
VFPCK, KERALA IT MISSION PLAN E-KRISHI PROJECT
It does not matter how slowly you go up, so long as you don't stop." - Confucius, Philosopher
The Hindu Business LineThe Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Kerala (VFPCK) is joining hands with the Kerala IT Mission to start a new project called e-krishi.
VFPCK, which provides everything from seeds to marketing assistance for its member farmers and participants, has been collecting market information like price changes, stocks and availability, as well as arrivals at 17 major markets in Kerala and four major markets outside the State through its marketing division.
Now, the company would be extending this daily market information to the farmers by opening the e-portal in association with Kerala IT mission.
The primary objective of the new venture is to create greater transparency for the farmers and the public, between the producers and the consumers, on the price trends and availability of fruits and vegetable in the markets, Dr T.R. Gopalakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer of VFPCK said.
It would also help in disseminating information on marketing, agriculture infrastructure and information on the weather conditions to the farmers and the public.
Dr C.K. Peethambaran, Consultant to the IT Mission, explained how the e-portal works to the gathering of farmers and the public after the inauguration of the e-portal in Kochi.
The Hindu Business LineThe Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Kerala (VFPCK) is joining hands with the Kerala IT Mission to start a new project called e-krishi.
VFPCK, which provides everything from seeds to marketing assistance for its member farmers and participants, has been collecting market information like price changes, stocks and availability, as well as arrivals at 17 major markets in Kerala and four major markets outside the State through its marketing division.
Now, the company would be extending this daily market information to the farmers by opening the e-portal in association with Kerala IT mission.
The primary objective of the new venture is to create greater transparency for the farmers and the public, between the producers and the consumers, on the price trends and availability of fruits and vegetable in the markets, Dr T.R. Gopalakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer of VFPCK said.
It would also help in disseminating information on marketing, agriculture infrastructure and information on the weather conditions to the farmers and the public.
Dr C.K. Peethambaran, Consultant to the IT Mission, explained how the e-portal works to the gathering of farmers and the public after the inauguration of the e-portal in Kochi.
I ADMIRE
"I believe through learning and application of what you learn, you can solve any problem, overcome any obstacle and achieve any goal that you can set for yourself." - Brian Tracy, Author
Sanjeev Aggarwal,
The Financial ExpressWith so many benchmark companies to choose from, one is spoilt for choice. It is hard to choose a favourite but if choose I must, then GE it is. This is despite the fact that I have neither worked at GE nor transacted business with them. I have been influenced by the way they have built their globally integrated Indian operations, the leaders they groom and by the writings of Jack Welch. I have taken a number of personal leadership cues from Jack.
If I have to pick one word that I associate GE with, it would be “Execution”. That they have done this effortlessly across diverse businesses, from aircraft engines to financial services, and have done it on a global scale over several decades, is quite a feat.
GE’s people practices… logical, portable and scaleable have greatly influenced me. The culture of candour helps conserve energy and gets issues quickly to the fore. GE’s people engagement platform that includes skip level meetings, a 360-degree feedback, and town halls ensures that each employee relates with the organisational objectives. I am very impressed with the way GE managers go deep into the organisation in a very disciplined way by conducting skip level meetings as a well-oiled process. It reduces the number of surprises that hit you. Deep dives and work outs are some practices that I have used personally while building Daksh and I find that they are very effective in getting to the heart of the problem very quickly and building consensus for resolution.
Differentiating between people is a GE practice, which to my mind is very relevant to the human capital issue that confronts the Indian Economy. Sorting out “A” players and giving them disproportionate responsibilities and rewards ensures that top talent wants to come and work for the organisation. Jack’s quote — “We build great people, who then build great products and services” is one of my favourite business thoughts.
When I think of GE, I think of process excellence built around a culture of six-sigma. Six-sigma was not invented at GE, but has been fiercely implemented there. Six-sigma was used as a universal tool for improving quality, improving processes and eliminating inefficiencies. In my mind one of the best ways to drive initiatives is to wrap them around a six-sigma methodology. As an entrepreneur who comes from the BPO industry, I know that the BPO industry has benefited immensely from the six-sigma practices brought by the professionals hired from GE. The process orientation and analytical skills that a GE trained executive demonstrates clearly stands out.
The author is MD, Helion Ventures
Sanjeev Aggarwal,
The Financial ExpressWith so many benchmark companies to choose from, one is spoilt for choice. It is hard to choose a favourite but if choose I must, then GE it is. This is despite the fact that I have neither worked at GE nor transacted business with them. I have been influenced by the way they have built their globally integrated Indian operations, the leaders they groom and by the writings of Jack Welch. I have taken a number of personal leadership cues from Jack.
If I have to pick one word that I associate GE with, it would be “Execution”. That they have done this effortlessly across diverse businesses, from aircraft engines to financial services, and have done it on a global scale over several decades, is quite a feat.
GE’s people practices… logical, portable and scaleable have greatly influenced me. The culture of candour helps conserve energy and gets issues quickly to the fore. GE’s people engagement platform that includes skip level meetings, a 360-degree feedback, and town halls ensures that each employee relates with the organisational objectives. I am very impressed with the way GE managers go deep into the organisation in a very disciplined way by conducting skip level meetings as a well-oiled process. It reduces the number of surprises that hit you. Deep dives and work outs are some practices that I have used personally while building Daksh and I find that they are very effective in getting to the heart of the problem very quickly and building consensus for resolution.
Differentiating between people is a GE practice, which to my mind is very relevant to the human capital issue that confronts the Indian Economy. Sorting out “A” players and giving them disproportionate responsibilities and rewards ensures that top talent wants to come and work for the organisation. Jack’s quote — “We build great people, who then build great products and services” is one of my favourite business thoughts.
When I think of GE, I think of process excellence built around a culture of six-sigma. Six-sigma was not invented at GE, but has been fiercely implemented there. Six-sigma was used as a universal tool for improving quality, improving processes and eliminating inefficiencies. In my mind one of the best ways to drive initiatives is to wrap them around a six-sigma methodology. As an entrepreneur who comes from the BPO industry, I know that the BPO industry has benefited immensely from the six-sigma practices brought by the professionals hired from GE. The process orientation and analytical skills that a GE trained executive demonstrates clearly stands out.
The author is MD, Helion Ventures
$5-B WORTH KPO BIZ BY 2010
"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships." - Michael Jordan
The Hindu Business Line Mint Business Standard The Financial Express DNA The Times of India The Economic Times The Indian Express Deccan HeraldGlobal consultancy services provider KPMG and Nasscom today indicated that the Financial Services industry KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) is poised to be worth $5 billion in India by 2010.
In a report brought out jointly and released by the Union IT&C Minister, A. Raja, KPMG researchers indicated that while there are various projections of KPO industry that range between $10 billion and $17 billion by 2010, India is well poised to garner about $5 billion worth of financial services business.
Addressing a press conference, Edge Zarella, Global Partner-in-charge, IT Advisory, KPMG, said that India is at an extremely advantageous position to garner this business, which is often misunderstood. It is not a numbers game but a mindgame, where consultants would play a very strategic role. A couple of years ago, talk of KPO seemed far-fetched, especially as businesses were still struggling to come to terms with what the earlier forms of outsourcing could do for them.
This study focuses on financial services and how KPO could play a strategic role. The Indian capabilities are tried and tested and consultants with cross functional experience would provide strategic inputs for business. These could be in the areas of investment research, IP launching, data analysis, business research among others.
Edge Zarella cited that about 5,000 companies have their regional headquarters in Singapore only because of the talent pool available there. “Likewise, you will see many companies harnessing the potential of senior executives and consultants in India”, he said.
The Global Partner-in-charge, Sourcing Advisory,. Pradeep Udhas, said that a number of factors would play a role in attracting this business. These include the existing capability of IT services and BPO companies, the comfort zone these companies have built, push towards global sourcing and improved remote project management capabilities.
Interestingly, the report predicts that there is likely to be a significant shift in the boundaries between outsourceable and non outsourceable activities and offshoring activities to embrace new locations and most global banks and insurers are expected to adopt KPO strategies.
The Hindu Business Line Mint Business Standard The Financial Express DNA The Times of India The Economic Times The Indian Express Deccan HeraldGlobal consultancy services provider KPMG and Nasscom today indicated that the Financial Services industry KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) is poised to be worth $5 billion in India by 2010.
In a report brought out jointly and released by the Union IT&C Minister, A. Raja, KPMG researchers indicated that while there are various projections of KPO industry that range between $10 billion and $17 billion by 2010, India is well poised to garner about $5 billion worth of financial services business.
Addressing a press conference, Edge Zarella, Global Partner-in-charge, IT Advisory, KPMG, said that India is at an extremely advantageous position to garner this business, which is often misunderstood. It is not a numbers game but a mindgame, where consultants would play a very strategic role. A couple of years ago, talk of KPO seemed far-fetched, especially as businesses were still struggling to come to terms with what the earlier forms of outsourcing could do for them.
This study focuses on financial services and how KPO could play a strategic role. The Indian capabilities are tried and tested and consultants with cross functional experience would provide strategic inputs for business. These could be in the areas of investment research, IP launching, data analysis, business research among others.
Edge Zarella cited that about 5,000 companies have their regional headquarters in Singapore only because of the talent pool available there. “Likewise, you will see many companies harnessing the potential of senior executives and consultants in India”, he said.
The Global Partner-in-charge, Sourcing Advisory,. Pradeep Udhas, said that a number of factors would play a role in attracting this business. These include the existing capability of IT services and BPO companies, the comfort zone these companies have built, push towards global sourcing and improved remote project management capabilities.
Interestingly, the report predicts that there is likely to be a significant shift in the boundaries between outsourceable and non outsourceable activities and offshoring activities to embrace new locations and most global banks and insurers are expected to adopt KPO strategies.
EFFORTS TO PROMOTE OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE GATHER MOMENTUM
The Economic TimesEfforts to promote Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) have gathered momentum in the country, mainly due to emergence of "Linux User Groups" (LUGs) and recognition by academics and government.
India's computing space is witnessing a shift towards free software as more and more people are drifting away from proprietary products due to their exorbitant prices, security issues and restrictions on usage, according to experts.
"Independent efforts to promote open source software technology, which ensures users' rights to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute modified computer programs, started as early 2001 in India and picked up momentum in the last couple of years," said Free Software Foundation of India secretary M Arun.
During the past few years, over 70-80 active LUGs have come up in the country, which exhort computer users to forfeit products of proprietary companies, he said.
"These companies want to reap profits and protect their investments. So they restrict the study and modification of their software by withholding the 'source code'," Arun said.
"This (restriction) actually hinders the development of the industry. By building upon the freely available software, one would be able to save time, money and effort," he said.
The National Resource Centre for Free/Open Source Software (NRC-FOSS) set up by Union Information Technology ministry, is working on introducing FOSS in the curricula of Engineering colleges in states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
India's computing space is witnessing a shift towards free software as more and more people are drifting away from proprietary products due to their exorbitant prices, security issues and restrictions on usage, according to experts.
"Independent efforts to promote open source software technology, which ensures users' rights to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute modified computer programs, started as early 2001 in India and picked up momentum in the last couple of years," said Free Software Foundation of India secretary M Arun.
During the past few years, over 70-80 active LUGs have come up in the country, which exhort computer users to forfeit products of proprietary companies, he said.
"These companies want to reap profits and protect their investments. So they restrict the study and modification of their software by withholding the 'source code'," Arun said.
"This (restriction) actually hinders the development of the industry. By building upon the freely available software, one would be able to save time, money and effort," he said.
The National Resource Centre for Free/Open Source Software (NRC-FOSS) set up by Union Information Technology ministry, is working on introducing FOSS in the curricula of Engineering colleges in states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
INDIA WILL EMERGE AS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY: STEVE JURVETSON
MintSteve Jurvetson earned his wings as a top-notch venture capitalist (VC) in the US Silicon Valley when free Internet-based email service Hotmail was acquired by Microsoft Corp. for $400 million.
Jurvetson was a founder investor in Hotmail on behalf of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), the now legendary Menlo Park, California-based venture capital firm he co-founded with Timothy Draper and John Fisher in the early 1990s.
Since Hotmail and other Internet investments, Jurvetson’s consuming passion has been nanotechnology—a science that deals with matter at an extremely small scale—and at the turn of the century, he convinced his partners that nanotech was a space worth looking into seriously. That has translated into 15-20% of DFJ’s global investments being in the nanotech area.
For DFJ, being an early champion of nanotech as an emerging opportunity falls in line with the firm’s track record for spotting disruptive technologies early on. Its earlier successful bets, apart from Hotmail, include Baidu.com Inc. and Skype Inc., later acquired by eBay Inc.
Overall, it has backed some 300 companies, has over $5.5 billion (Rs 21,670 crore) in capital commitments and is the most globally diversified Silicon Valley venture capital fund—it has offices in 33 cities across the world.
The firm set up an office in Bangalore this year and has allocated $75 million out of its $600 million global DFJ IX fund to kick-start investments here. The local team is led by Mohanjit Jolly and Sateesh Andra.
Jurvetson was a founder investor in Hotmail on behalf of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), the now legendary Menlo Park, California-based venture capital firm he co-founded with Timothy Draper and John Fisher in the early 1990s.
Since Hotmail and other Internet investments, Jurvetson’s consuming passion has been nanotechnology—a science that deals with matter at an extremely small scale—and at the turn of the century, he convinced his partners that nanotech was a space worth looking into seriously. That has translated into 15-20% of DFJ’s global investments being in the nanotech area.
For DFJ, being an early champion of nanotech as an emerging opportunity falls in line with the firm’s track record for spotting disruptive technologies early on. Its earlier successful bets, apart from Hotmail, include Baidu.com Inc. and Skype Inc., later acquired by eBay Inc.
Overall, it has backed some 300 companies, has over $5.5 billion (Rs 21,670 crore) in capital commitments and is the most globally diversified Silicon Valley venture capital fund—it has offices in 33 cities across the world.
The firm set up an office in Bangalore this year and has allocated $75 million out of its $600 million global DFJ IX fund to kick-start investments here. The local team is led by Mohanjit Jolly and Sateesh Andra.
TECH WILL SHAPE BUSINESSES
Kris Gopalakrishnan
The Financial ExpressIn a survey of 200 global CXOs, over 70% of the executives highlighted technology as the top change driver shaping the global business environment. It forms the backbone of every successful business. The key trends, I see, as driving technology innovation in 2008 are:
- Customer-centric era
- Emergence of attention Economy
- Rise of personal tech
- Alternate delivery models
- Continued focus on security
- Environment becoming mainstream
The writer is CEO and MD, Infosys Technologies
The Financial ExpressIn a survey of 200 global CXOs, over 70% of the executives highlighted technology as the top change driver shaping the global business environment. It forms the backbone of every successful business. The key trends, I see, as driving technology innovation in 2008 are:
- Customer-centric era
- Emergence of attention Economy
- Rise of personal tech
- Alternate delivery models
- Continued focus on security
- Environment becoming mainstream
The writer is CEO and MD, Infosys Technologies
NO ONE CAN STOP AN IDEA
"Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture." - Norman Vincent Peale, Author
"Faith is putting all eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch." - Ramona C Carroll
The Economic Times (Delhi edition)During the early Nineties, the then Calcutta Municipal Corporation was plagued by rampant employee strikes. The striking employees weren’t demanding pay hikes or lesser work. They were against a government initiative that they felt would result in major job losses. Strange as it may sound today, the initiative involved introduction of computers in the century-old organisation. Computers were just making inroads into offices and workplaces in India and these striking workers were not alone in fearing that these machines would take away the livelihood of human beings. Across the country, so called ‘experts’ prophesised that computers will take away the jobs of every clerk, secretary, typist, peon and in effect make human workers redundant. Many suggested that the impending revolution in IT wasn’t meant for a populous country like India.
Few years back, while presenting his first budget, Dr Manmohan Singh had quoted Victor Hugo and said, “No one can stop an idea whose time has come.” So it was with computers. IT soon became the buzzword and no one could stop computers from entering workplaces, government offices and homes. The IT sector witnessed unprecedented growth and exuberance, followed soon by a few tumultuous years and a reality check. Today, it is among the fastest growing sectors, the pride of the nation and most importantly, among the largest employers.
Every major change is by nature, disruptive. It brings about social unrest, scepticism and at the same time, optimism and often an irrational exuberance. So it is with modern retailing in India at this stage. The change it can effect is unparalleled. It affects the livelihood of thousands and the lifestyle and social behaviour of a billion Indians. Not surprisingly, 2007 was witness to widespread protests against new retailers and a passionate debate on the impact of modern retail on livelihoods. At the same time there was almost an irrational exuberance around this sector. Almost every month, large domestic and multinational business houses announced their foray into the retailing sector in India. It seemed as if the consumption and retailing potential in India had suddenly dawned on the wise pundits in corporate boardrooms.
Kishore Biyani, Group CEO, Future Group
"Faith is putting all eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch." - Ramona C Carroll
The Economic Times (Delhi edition)During the early Nineties, the then Calcutta Municipal Corporation was plagued by rampant employee strikes. The striking employees weren’t demanding pay hikes or lesser work. They were against a government initiative that they felt would result in major job losses. Strange as it may sound today, the initiative involved introduction of computers in the century-old organisation. Computers were just making inroads into offices and workplaces in India and these striking workers were not alone in fearing that these machines would take away the livelihood of human beings. Across the country, so called ‘experts’ prophesised that computers will take away the jobs of every clerk, secretary, typist, peon and in effect make human workers redundant. Many suggested that the impending revolution in IT wasn’t meant for a populous country like India.
Few years back, while presenting his first budget, Dr Manmohan Singh had quoted Victor Hugo and said, “No one can stop an idea whose time has come.” So it was with computers. IT soon became the buzzword and no one could stop computers from entering workplaces, government offices and homes. The IT sector witnessed unprecedented growth and exuberance, followed soon by a few tumultuous years and a reality check. Today, it is among the fastest growing sectors, the pride of the nation and most importantly, among the largest employers.
Every major change is by nature, disruptive. It brings about social unrest, scepticism and at the same time, optimism and often an irrational exuberance. So it is with modern retailing in India at this stage. The change it can effect is unparalleled. It affects the livelihood of thousands and the lifestyle and social behaviour of a billion Indians. Not surprisingly, 2007 was witness to widespread protests against new retailers and a passionate debate on the impact of modern retail on livelihoods. At the same time there was almost an irrational exuberance around this sector. Almost every month, large domestic and multinational business houses announced their foray into the retailing sector in India. It seemed as if the consumption and retailing potential in India had suddenly dawned on the wise pundits in corporate boardrooms.
Kishore Biyani, Group CEO, Future Group
BIG BIZ KNOCKING, KERALA IT COUNTS ON RS 1000 CRORE INVESTMENT
"Flexibility in a time of great change is a vital quality of leadership." - Brian Tracy
The Financial ExpressIt's the day of demand-pushed expansion for Kerala's IT parks at Technopark, upcoming Technocity and Kochi-based Infopark. With big-billed firms in the league of Oracle, Intel, Satyam and Ford Business Solutions knocking doors for IT space, in the space-starved Technopark, Kerala has placed its bets on logging at least Rs 1000 crore investment in three years.
Work on Rs 1000-crore Technocity will also start this year, Dr Ajay Kumar, Principal Secretary (IT), Kerala government said. In expansion of Technopark (now 3.2 million sq ft) alone, Rs 100 crore is pegged to be the current year's investment for adding five lakh sq ft. In Technopark alone, Rs 75 crore investment is envisaged very soon.
The proposed slew of investments are likely to take the number of employees in Technopark to 25,000 this year, says Radhakrisha Pillai, CEO, Technopark. At present, the country's first IT park houses 17,000-odd employees through 140 companies.
In Infopark, 150 acres of land has been added this year. This will translate to 5 lakh sq f in IT space.
Simultaneously, both in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, private initiatives in IT infrastructure building are taking off this year. The $400-million Smartcity has started civil work early enough to make it functional in the current fiscal. L&T has made progress with its 4 lakh sq ft park in Kochi.
In Thiruvananthapuram Infosys unit in Technopark has been setting up its independent campus. Infosys is nearly ready to move to the new campus this year. IBS, TCS, NeST and Caseconsult have made some progress with their projects for independent facility, Technopark officials said.
Topping the charts as a hot favourite among tier-2 cities helped, according to Dr Ajay Kumar, Principal Secretary (IT), Kerala. But the shortage of prime land didnot, he added.
State IT policy has been favouring a hub-and-spoke model of growth, to push an evenly spread development. district level parks are in pipeline. The first of these will be in Kozhikode and Kannur as access to airport was a priority-score for investors, Ajaykumar said.
The Financial ExpressIt's the day of demand-pushed expansion for Kerala's IT parks at Technopark, upcoming Technocity and Kochi-based Infopark. With big-billed firms in the league of Oracle, Intel, Satyam and Ford Business Solutions knocking doors for IT space, in the space-starved Technopark, Kerala has placed its bets on logging at least Rs 1000 crore investment in three years.
Work on Rs 1000-crore Technocity will also start this year, Dr Ajay Kumar, Principal Secretary (IT), Kerala government said. In expansion of Technopark (now 3.2 million sq ft) alone, Rs 100 crore is pegged to be the current year's investment for adding five lakh sq ft. In Technopark alone, Rs 75 crore investment is envisaged very soon.
The proposed slew of investments are likely to take the number of employees in Technopark to 25,000 this year, says Radhakrisha Pillai, CEO, Technopark. At present, the country's first IT park houses 17,000-odd employees through 140 companies.
In Infopark, 150 acres of land has been added this year. This will translate to 5 lakh sq f in IT space.
Simultaneously, both in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, private initiatives in IT infrastructure building are taking off this year. The $400-million Smartcity has started civil work early enough to make it functional in the current fiscal. L&T has made progress with its 4 lakh sq ft park in Kochi.
In Thiruvananthapuram Infosys unit in Technopark has been setting up its independent campus. Infosys is nearly ready to move to the new campus this year. IBS, TCS, NeST and Caseconsult have made some progress with their projects for independent facility, Technopark officials said.
Topping the charts as a hot favourite among tier-2 cities helped, according to Dr Ajay Kumar, Principal Secretary (IT), Kerala. But the shortage of prime land didnot, he added.
State IT policy has been favouring a hub-and-spoke model of growth, to push an evenly spread development. district level parks are in pipeline. The first of these will be in Kozhikode and Kannur as access to airport was a priority-score for investors, Ajaykumar said.
THE NEW WORLD ORDER IN SERVICES
There is at least one point in the history of any company when you have to change dramatically to rise to the next level of performance. Miss that moment, and you start to decline." - Andy Grove, Intel CEO
Shailesh F. Shah
The Hindu Business LineSome of the best minds in managing pensions can be found in Chile. The best accountants in the world are considered to be in India. Counsellors in Israel and India can help solve legal issues in Kentucky and Arkansas. The Philippines has among the best animators on the planet. Amazing behavioural patterns in China and India are teaching the world how to improve the persistency of insurance policy holders.
The consistent process-oriented behaviour of the people of South-East Asia can spawn several services companies. Pushed a little, institutes of technology, design, sciences and mathematics in India can become research talent sources, particularly in designing engineering solutions. There have been hundreds of instances, in the past couple of years, where patients have flown in from developed economies for surgery in India.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that the services sector is going to be the most critical economic driver in the foreseeable future. More than 65 per cent of the $43 trillion the world created in value last year came from services — that is almost $28 trillion. That some of the best minds in large volumes are available elsewhere in the world other than where a service is being consumed is becoming increasingly apparent.
That technology and communications make virtual delivery of services a reality is also known. What is not being fathomed is that over 25 per cent of these $28 trillion can be consumed anywhere and delivered from anywhere. That is a tidy little $7 trillion in 2006 value.
Manufacturing moved from the State of New York to Oklahoma when it became cheaper. It subsequently moved to Brazil and Mexico and has been moving for years. The world is today in awe of the volume and quality game China can play.
Similarly, back in the 1950s, the telephone operators that patched calls in New York moved up the State before moving to Nebraska and today to the Philippines and India. From voice assistance to managing plant floors across the world, services is naturally much more mobile than manufacturing will ever be. As developing countries start to participate in the global trade of services, they begin by leveraging their base – cost arbitrage. From the examples above, it is clear that it is time to recognise where the best talent pools lie, where the opportunity for value creation is significantly higher and where the quality, responsiveness and productivity of the service provided will create new standards.
Most important, innovation from these quarters will change the way services get provided. Several countries in Africa, Asia, the West Asia and Latin America are landlocked and have limited opportunity for industrial growth related diversification. The services sector represents a viable alternative if invested in correctly.
Expansion in the services sector has improved job opportunities in India and China. It has helped to roll back poverty. Recent studies have consistently shown that the age, talent and attitude to serve and succeed in several developing countries surpass those in developed economies by orders of magnitude, primarily because the need to succeed is that much higher.
Infosys and Satyam have achieved top ten-value status among their peers in IT and BPO services. As they get to serve the largest and best on the planet, the level of services globalisation increasingly becomes a reality. The economic divide between the haves and the have-nots will narrow considerably in our lifetime.
(The author is Chief Strategy Officer, Satyam Computer Services.)
Shailesh F. Shah
The Hindu Business LineSome of the best minds in managing pensions can be found in Chile. The best accountants in the world are considered to be in India. Counsellors in Israel and India can help solve legal issues in Kentucky and Arkansas. The Philippines has among the best animators on the planet. Amazing behavioural patterns in China and India are teaching the world how to improve the persistency of insurance policy holders.
The consistent process-oriented behaviour of the people of South-East Asia can spawn several services companies. Pushed a little, institutes of technology, design, sciences and mathematics in India can become research talent sources, particularly in designing engineering solutions. There have been hundreds of instances, in the past couple of years, where patients have flown in from developed economies for surgery in India.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that the services sector is going to be the most critical economic driver in the foreseeable future. More than 65 per cent of the $43 trillion the world created in value last year came from services — that is almost $28 trillion. That some of the best minds in large volumes are available elsewhere in the world other than where a service is being consumed is becoming increasingly apparent.
That technology and communications make virtual delivery of services a reality is also known. What is not being fathomed is that over 25 per cent of these $28 trillion can be consumed anywhere and delivered from anywhere. That is a tidy little $7 trillion in 2006 value.
Manufacturing moved from the State of New York to Oklahoma when it became cheaper. It subsequently moved to Brazil and Mexico and has been moving for years. The world is today in awe of the volume and quality game China can play.
Similarly, back in the 1950s, the telephone operators that patched calls in New York moved up the State before moving to Nebraska and today to the Philippines and India. From voice assistance to managing plant floors across the world, services is naturally much more mobile than manufacturing will ever be. As developing countries start to participate in the global trade of services, they begin by leveraging their base – cost arbitrage. From the examples above, it is clear that it is time to recognise where the best talent pools lie, where the opportunity for value creation is significantly higher and where the quality, responsiveness and productivity of the service provided will create new standards.
Most important, innovation from these quarters will change the way services get provided. Several countries in Africa, Asia, the West Asia and Latin America are landlocked and have limited opportunity for industrial growth related diversification. The services sector represents a viable alternative if invested in correctly.
Expansion in the services sector has improved job opportunities in India and China. It has helped to roll back poverty. Recent studies have consistently shown that the age, talent and attitude to serve and succeed in several developing countries surpass those in developed economies by orders of magnitude, primarily because the need to succeed is that much higher.
Infosys and Satyam have achieved top ten-value status among their peers in IT and BPO services. As they get to serve the largest and best on the planet, the level of services globalisation increasingly becomes a reality. The economic divide between the haves and the have-nots will narrow considerably in our lifetime.
(The author is Chief Strategy Officer, Satyam Computer Services.)
WE ENCOURAGE INNOVATIVE THINKING - VFS Global
"Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life. " - Wayne Dyer, Self-help Author
WE ENCOURAGE INNOVATIVE THINKING
Ishani Duttagupta, February 3, 2008
The Economic TimesVFS Global Services is not just the fastest growing division within the Kuoni Travel Group in India — it has also become synonymous with visa outsourcing services globally. It serves 19 diplomatic missions in 39 countries and processes over six million visa applications annually. Last year, the company won a £195 million contract with UK visas to provide outsourcing services.
It also became the first Indian company to be awarded the contract for outsourced services by the Indian Mission. Sanjay Bhaduri, chief operations officer, spoke about what it takes to maintain high service standards and at the same time ensure high safety and security requirements.
VFS Global has a very innovative business model. In terms of performance, how are you ranked within the Kuoni group?
Ours is the fastest growing division within Kuoni India. We are also recognised by Kuoni Worldwide as an innovation centre with major contributions to both the topline and bottom line. We have been posting a revenue growth of over 100% annually and will have expanded into over 42 countries by the end of this year. We have large operations in China, the Schengen countries and the CIS bloc.
What will the next big thing be in the visa outsourcing space?
That would undoubtedly be the biometric procedure, which has already been implemented by a lot of countries. Recently, UKvisas rolled out their biometric visa procedure across 39 countries at a cost of £2 million. While India was the last region where the biometric visas were rolled out, we have worked with UKvisas in 10 regions including South Asia, Americas, South-East Asia, West Asia, 70% of North Africa, West Africa, South and East Africa, CIS and Europe. We are now working with various other EU countries in their biometric visa plans. These include France, Germany and Italy.
Considering that visa operations have become a very sensitive operation globally, what kind of inputs does VFS Global have in the area of security?
IT security is a top priority for us and we will spend $2 million over the next year to enhance our security systems. The overall investment on IT across the enterprise will go up to $3 million in the same period. We are working on a distributed server model for disaster recovery and business continuity. And even as we have become the face of customer service for various missions across the world, we have to also pay attention to the physical security issue at all our offices. Rs 14 crore has been spent to link up all offices around the world realtime.
You have expanded fast globally within a short period of time. Have you evolved any group strategy on HR?
We are an young company and as a policy we encourage young talent within the organisation. Across all global teams — everyone is encouraged to give feedback so that we can improve our HR processes. Innovative thinking is encouraged across the organisation at all levels. From a small, little known organisation, we have grown to a global company that employs over 18,000 people, within just a few years.
While on the one hand we try to tap into local talent at the various geographies that we operate in, we also move our Indian managers to global positions. We have a strong lateral recruitment programme and have also started recruiting aggressively from the top business schools in India. We are creating a global human resources pool and have also developed a induction programme for young middle-level managers. This programme is between 12 and 18 months long. Besides, we have various programmes to recognise and reward innovation within VFS Global.
Considering that yours is a new business model, what are some of the innovations within the organisation?
We are a consumer-focused organisation and continuously upgrading our services. Some of the innovative offerings include online tracking of passports after they have been submitted at our offices as well as an SMS tracking system. Our call centres offer customised services in various languages around the world. For the diplomatic missions, we often serve as their face for all customer interaction. That makes it very important for us to keep on upgrading our services.
WE ENCOURAGE INNOVATIVE THINKING
Ishani Duttagupta, February 3, 2008
The Economic TimesVFS Global Services is not just the fastest growing division within the Kuoni Travel Group in India — it has also become synonymous with visa outsourcing services globally. It serves 19 diplomatic missions in 39 countries and processes over six million visa applications annually. Last year, the company won a £195 million contract with UK visas to provide outsourcing services.
It also became the first Indian company to be awarded the contract for outsourced services by the Indian Mission. Sanjay Bhaduri, chief operations officer, spoke about what it takes to maintain high service standards and at the same time ensure high safety and security requirements.
VFS Global has a very innovative business model. In terms of performance, how are you ranked within the Kuoni group?
Ours is the fastest growing division within Kuoni India. We are also recognised by Kuoni Worldwide as an innovation centre with major contributions to both the topline and bottom line. We have been posting a revenue growth of over 100% annually and will have expanded into over 42 countries by the end of this year. We have large operations in China, the Schengen countries and the CIS bloc.
What will the next big thing be in the visa outsourcing space?
That would undoubtedly be the biometric procedure, which has already been implemented by a lot of countries. Recently, UKvisas rolled out their biometric visa procedure across 39 countries at a cost of £2 million. While India was the last region where the biometric visas were rolled out, we have worked with UKvisas in 10 regions including South Asia, Americas, South-East Asia, West Asia, 70% of North Africa, West Africa, South and East Africa, CIS and Europe. We are now working with various other EU countries in their biometric visa plans. These include France, Germany and Italy.
Considering that visa operations have become a very sensitive operation globally, what kind of inputs does VFS Global have in the area of security?
IT security is a top priority for us and we will spend $2 million over the next year to enhance our security systems. The overall investment on IT across the enterprise will go up to $3 million in the same period. We are working on a distributed server model for disaster recovery and business continuity. And even as we have become the face of customer service for various missions across the world, we have to also pay attention to the physical security issue at all our offices. Rs 14 crore has been spent to link up all offices around the world realtime.
You have expanded fast globally within a short period of time. Have you evolved any group strategy on HR?
We are an young company and as a policy we encourage young talent within the organisation. Across all global teams — everyone is encouraged to give feedback so that we can improve our HR processes. Innovative thinking is encouraged across the organisation at all levels. From a small, little known organisation, we have grown to a global company that employs over 18,000 people, within just a few years.
While on the one hand we try to tap into local talent at the various geographies that we operate in, we also move our Indian managers to global positions. We have a strong lateral recruitment programme and have also started recruiting aggressively from the top business schools in India. We are creating a global human resources pool and have also developed a induction programme for young middle-level managers. This programme is between 12 and 18 months long. Besides, we have various programmes to recognise and reward innovation within VFS Global.
Considering that yours is a new business model, what are some of the innovations within the organisation?
We are a consumer-focused organisation and continuously upgrading our services. Some of the innovative offerings include online tracking of passports after they have been submitted at our offices as well as an SMS tracking system. Our call centres offer customised services in various languages around the world. For the diplomatic missions, we often serve as their face for all customer interaction. That makes it very important for us to keep on upgrading our services.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
OUTSOURCING HAPPENING IN NETWORKING SITES
Unlike popular social networking sites where people meet to foster new friendships or search for old ones, these are sites where businesses meet in search of work.
Customers log in to outsource jobs, while individuals and businesses (read providers) bid for the work. Outsourcing 2.0 as it’s popularly called, is being touted as the new wave of outsourcing.
It’s different from traditional outsourcing where big MNCs outsource some of their processes to well known companies in India or other parts of the world to save costs.
Outsourcing 2.0 has small and medium businesses (SMBs) offshoring their work to SMBs or individuals in India, Indonesia or other low cost destinations.
As Arun Jethmalani, CEO, ValueNotes explains, "The term ‘Outsourcing 2.0’ was coined to reflect changes in the evolution of outsourcing over the last few years. From a sub-contracting activity, outsourcing has now come to occupy an important place in the supply chain. This implies that buyers have factored in the cost and efficiency benefits and are now looking beyond all that to see how outsourced operations can grow business."
Traditionally, only large firms could think of outsourcing. now buyers are becoming smaller — as mid-market companies, individual businesses and professionals are taking to outsourcing.
It’s almost like a cottage industry. Firms like RentACoder.com, Elance, and Guru.com, are being used as platforms by customers and businesses to link up on Net. The jobs being outsourced too are basic, non-core tasks like website designing, software programming, payroll, HR, copy writing, PR material, marketing et al.
Elance has a list of certified IT providers (primarily SMBs) who provide a host of services. "We have 988,000 registered users, 34,000 active buyers and 40,000 active providers," says Fabio Rosati, CEO, Elance.
The next breed of entrepreneurs in India, US and Europe are using such sites to grow business.
Customers log in to outsource jobs, while individuals and businesses (read providers) bid for the work. Outsourcing 2.0 as it’s popularly called, is being touted as the new wave of outsourcing.
It’s different from traditional outsourcing where big MNCs outsource some of their processes to well known companies in India or other parts of the world to save costs.
Outsourcing 2.0 has small and medium businesses (SMBs) offshoring their work to SMBs or individuals in India, Indonesia or other low cost destinations.
As Arun Jethmalani, CEO, ValueNotes explains, "The term ‘Outsourcing 2.0’ was coined to reflect changes in the evolution of outsourcing over the last few years. From a sub-contracting activity, outsourcing has now come to occupy an important place in the supply chain. This implies that buyers have factored in the cost and efficiency benefits and are now looking beyond all that to see how outsourced operations can grow business."
Traditionally, only large firms could think of outsourcing. now buyers are becoming smaller — as mid-market companies, individual businesses and professionals are taking to outsourcing.
It’s almost like a cottage industry. Firms like RentACoder.com, Elance, and Guru.com, are being used as platforms by customers and businesses to link up on Net. The jobs being outsourced too are basic, non-core tasks like website designing, software programming, payroll, HR, copy writing, PR material, marketing et al.
Elance has a list of certified IT providers (primarily SMBs) who provide a host of services. "We have 988,000 registered users, 34,000 active buyers and 40,000 active providers," says Fabio Rosati, CEO, Elance.
The next breed of entrepreneurs in India, US and Europe are using such sites to grow business.
NEW APPLICATION TO TRACK BROWSING HISTORY
Quote for the day:"A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind. "- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi.
NEW APPLICATION TO TRACK BROWSING HISTORY
Bangalore, February 24, 2008
Business Standard
How many times you have forgotten a web page that you visited earlier to get some important information? Well, now there is a web application — Hooeey, which is claimed to be an efficient tool to access browsing history.
“Hooeey enables internet users to re-use their browsing history in a productive manner to reduce time spent in searching for previously visited web pages, to easily share interesting web pages with others and use the provided dashboard to manage their browsing time more efficiently,” said Hooeey’s managing director Rajiv Purnaiya
While providing a safe and universal platform for the entire browsing experience, Hooeey delinks the browser history from the browser.
Additionally, it adds a social networking layer, allowing one to share specific sites with others, both on Hooeey network and other social book marking services. Hooeey services can be accessed for free at www.hooeey.com.
“Our main focus is to save time and effort of the users by leveraging IT tools and adopting a different approach that combines seamless web hop recording with complete transparency and user control,” said Rajiv.
Hooeey allows users to track their browsing history from any search engine and “also has the advantage on browser’s history files as it works on both the platforms such as Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Hooeey provides facilities such as automatically recording web hops, tagging of interesting sites, while being online or offline, creating contact list and sending links to friends, besides having self-determinable folders to structure links.
NEW APPLICATION TO TRACK BROWSING HISTORY
Bangalore, February 24, 2008
Business Standard
How many times you have forgotten a web page that you visited earlier to get some important information? Well, now there is a web application — Hooeey, which is claimed to be an efficient tool to access browsing history.
“Hooeey enables internet users to re-use their browsing history in a productive manner to reduce time spent in searching for previously visited web pages, to easily share interesting web pages with others and use the provided dashboard to manage their browsing time more efficiently,” said Hooeey’s managing director Rajiv Purnaiya
While providing a safe and universal platform for the entire browsing experience, Hooeey delinks the browser history from the browser.
Additionally, it adds a social networking layer, allowing one to share specific sites with others, both on Hooeey network and other social book marking services. Hooeey services can be accessed for free at www.hooeey.com.
“Our main focus is to save time and effort of the users by leveraging IT tools and adopting a different approach that combines seamless web hop recording with complete transparency and user control,” said Rajiv.
Hooeey allows users to track their browsing history from any search engine and “also has the advantage on browser’s history files as it works on both the platforms such as Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Hooeey provides facilities such as automatically recording web hops, tagging of interesting sites, while being online or offline, creating contact list and sending links to friends, besides having self-determinable folders to structure links.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
NEW BUSINESS MODELS FOR IT
Quote for the day: "Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well. " - Mahatma Gandhi
NEW BUSINESS MODELS FOR IT
Arvind Thakur
MintThe Indian IT industry has witnessed an exceptional growth over the last two decades, led by the 1990s, when companies were notching up 50-100 percent growth rates. Such was the momentum that even the dot-com bust of the early 2000 and the global economic slowdown only marginally impacted growth, keeping it above the 30 percent mark. The excellent performance was in large part due to the vast talent pool harnessed by industry leaders and their investments in process capability.
The global delivery model, created as a result, was a disruptive innovation enabling the industry to comfortably ride the economic downturn of the early 2000. The model is now being universally adopted, leading to commoditization of traditional IT services around vanilla technologies. Companies are differentiating their services by moving up the value chain and acquiring domain capabilities.
Seeing the rapid acceptance of the lower-cost offshoring model, global multinational consulting firms have dramatically scaled up their presence in India. From less than 10,000 people in 2002, the top six global consulting firms now account for a headcount of more than 150,000. This rapid growth and our own success in scaling business have put huge pressure on sourcing and retaining quality talent. As a result, wages are increasing, adding to the overall cost of doing business.
The twin challenges of the appreciating rupee and rising cost structures are accelerating the search for non-linear business models, where revenue expansion does not imply a proportionate headcount increase. The industry is exploring new services for exploiting the offshore potential, building Internet Protocol (IP)-based software assets that can be customized to rapidly deliver solutions, or simply creating innovative commercial models that shift the terms of engagement away from headcount. As I had mentioned at a recent Nasscom meet, three non-linear business options are promising.
Managed services: Services around applications, development and maintenance (ADM) were the first to be offshored. According to a 2006 Nasscom-McKinsey study, this is a $35 billion opportunity. It indicates that offshore services around IT operations represent a $75-$80 billion market. While more than 30 percent of the ADM offshoring opportunity has been penetrated, the field of IT operations is wide open for Indian IT services players.
IT infrastructure has traditionally not been offshored largely because of inadequate communications infrastructure, high perceived risks and limited automation tools. These notions are beginning to disappear.
The remote infrastructure management services segment is growing rapidly, with large organizations providing a complete end-to-end solutions portfolio. This market, incidentally, is not just for big players. Mid-sized organizations, too, have established their presence in it. Global research body Forrester in its report, Smaller India-Based Infrastructure Providers Can Be The Right Size For The Right Clients, has showcased a clutch of smaller organizations building successful models in this space.
IP asset-based services: Delivering solutions around IP assets (frameworks, reusable components, and productized services) is a powerful service differentiator and a significant margin lever. Implementing such solutions requires significant customization—a strength of Indian services providers. Contracts can include both licensing and services components, with support revenue streams, making it another good non-linear option.
Compared with the pure-play products business, IP asset-based solutions will be easier for the industry to adopt. Large players are investing in this capability although revenue streams currently are a small part of their business. Smaller players are taking the inorganic route to acquire such IP assets.
Software as a service (Saas): The philosophy behind Saas rests on the concept of positioning an application as a set of services as opposed to a licence. The customer is charged for usage rather than outright ownership. Recently, enterprise solutions?giant SAP?announced its “Business by Design”?programme in the US, where it will offer its applications at a charge per user per month, which is a path-breaking development in the packaged software world. Saas by its very definition is non-linear, since revenues are linked to usage and the transactions performed. Being a relatively new concept, it’s too early for market sizing but it remains one of the most promising disruptive approaches to delivering IT solutions.
The global delivery model that emerged from India has changed the way IT services are delivered. The industry, in essence, redefined software development by converting the art form of programming into an engineering discipline. The industry has benefited from the early-mover advantage of adopting this innovative process. However, with increased global presence offshore and a challenging environment, Indian IT services providers will need to transform with newer services.
Arvind Thakur is CEO, NIIT Technologies Ltd.
NEW BUSINESS MODELS FOR IT
Arvind Thakur
MintThe Indian IT industry has witnessed an exceptional growth over the last two decades, led by the 1990s, when companies were notching up 50-100 percent growth rates. Such was the momentum that even the dot-com bust of the early 2000 and the global economic slowdown only marginally impacted growth, keeping it above the 30 percent mark. The excellent performance was in large part due to the vast talent pool harnessed by industry leaders and their investments in process capability.
The global delivery model, created as a result, was a disruptive innovation enabling the industry to comfortably ride the economic downturn of the early 2000. The model is now being universally adopted, leading to commoditization of traditional IT services around vanilla technologies. Companies are differentiating their services by moving up the value chain and acquiring domain capabilities.
Seeing the rapid acceptance of the lower-cost offshoring model, global multinational consulting firms have dramatically scaled up their presence in India. From less than 10,000 people in 2002, the top six global consulting firms now account for a headcount of more than 150,000. This rapid growth and our own success in scaling business have put huge pressure on sourcing and retaining quality talent. As a result, wages are increasing, adding to the overall cost of doing business.
The twin challenges of the appreciating rupee and rising cost structures are accelerating the search for non-linear business models, where revenue expansion does not imply a proportionate headcount increase. The industry is exploring new services for exploiting the offshore potential, building Internet Protocol (IP)-based software assets that can be customized to rapidly deliver solutions, or simply creating innovative commercial models that shift the terms of engagement away from headcount. As I had mentioned at a recent Nasscom meet, three non-linear business options are promising.
Managed services: Services around applications, development and maintenance (ADM) were the first to be offshored. According to a 2006 Nasscom-McKinsey study, this is a $35 billion opportunity. It indicates that offshore services around IT operations represent a $75-$80 billion market. While more than 30 percent of the ADM offshoring opportunity has been penetrated, the field of IT operations is wide open for Indian IT services players.
IT infrastructure has traditionally not been offshored largely because of inadequate communications infrastructure, high perceived risks and limited automation tools. These notions are beginning to disappear.
The remote infrastructure management services segment is growing rapidly, with large organizations providing a complete end-to-end solutions portfolio. This market, incidentally, is not just for big players. Mid-sized organizations, too, have established their presence in it. Global research body Forrester in its report, Smaller India-Based Infrastructure Providers Can Be The Right Size For The Right Clients, has showcased a clutch of smaller organizations building successful models in this space.
IP asset-based services: Delivering solutions around IP assets (frameworks, reusable components, and productized services) is a powerful service differentiator and a significant margin lever. Implementing such solutions requires significant customization—a strength of Indian services providers. Contracts can include both licensing and services components, with support revenue streams, making it another good non-linear option.
Compared with the pure-play products business, IP asset-based solutions will be easier for the industry to adopt. Large players are investing in this capability although revenue streams currently are a small part of their business. Smaller players are taking the inorganic route to acquire such IP assets.
Software as a service (Saas): The philosophy behind Saas rests on the concept of positioning an application as a set of services as opposed to a licence. The customer is charged for usage rather than outright ownership. Recently, enterprise solutions?giant SAP?announced its “Business by Design”?programme in the US, where it will offer its applications at a charge per user per month, which is a path-breaking development in the packaged software world. Saas by its very definition is non-linear, since revenues are linked to usage and the transactions performed. Being a relatively new concept, it’s too early for market sizing but it remains one of the most promising disruptive approaches to delivering IT solutions.
The global delivery model that emerged from India has changed the way IT services are delivered. The industry, in essence, redefined software development by converting the art form of programming into an engineering discipline. The industry has benefited from the early-mover advantage of adopting this innovative process. However, with increased global presence offshore and a challenging environment, Indian IT services providers will need to transform with newer services.
Arvind Thakur is CEO, NIIT Technologies Ltd.
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