'India is the brain of software in the world'

Healthcare is an area that ranks amongst the issues of grave concern for India. Hence, it didn't come as a surprise that SAP Summit's esteemed chief guest - Union minister for health and family welfare Dr Anbumani Ramadoss - chose the occasion to deliver an address on the issues that concern him. Extolling IT for being the flagship industry of the country, he proceeded to elaborate on how IT could prove to be an enabler for the healthcare industry.

"Healthcare is the biggest industry in the world today. In addition to healthcare services, the industry is also made up of pharma, clinical trials, health insurance and so on. In the coming years, the dependency of healthcare on IT will increase significantly," he opined.

He predicted that the country will witness a revolution in the rural health sector in the coming days, as the extensive, mega budget plans set in motion begin to deliver results. "We have also made significant investments for creating linkages between IT and healthcare." He also forecasted a bright future for the health insurance industry and major developments in the field of telemedicine.

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Indian software exports on the rise

Indias software and services exports is estimated to be about Rs 187,478 crore in 2007 08, maintaining the countrys lead over neighbouring China, which is trying to catch up with the Indian IT sector. A Department of Information Technology in its provisional figures quoted Software Technology Park of India figures, which stated that exports from the parks is expected to grow at 32 per cent to touch Rs 1.87 lakh crore.

If this happens, it would be a big boost for the sunshine sector which is fighting a US slowdown, rising rupee and wage inflation as well as lowering of margin, slowing down of longterm high value deals which are appearing to be a dampener for large IT companies.

India remains the hot base for global IT companies in terms of outsourcing delivery model.

Software outsourcing ensures a high quality output with timely submissions and at a fraction of the cost that they would actually incur. Thus, it definitely helps to make a huge savings for the company that is outsourcing the work. Outsourcing can be carried out either personally by hiring professionals in the field or through agencies who undertake such work. Most of the developing countries like China and India have a huge pool of experienced, talented and skilled personnel that has already proved to the best. They have the capability to undertake highly complex projects and understand the significance of meeting deadlines all at very attractive rates.

India offers various services that are not restricted to the field of software outsourcing alone. Major US companies are the main clients that the Indian IT firms cater for. European Nations such as the UK, Germany, France and several other developed nations are among the countries that find India to be a very attractive destination when it comes to custom software development outsourcing. Cost factor is a major attraction that Foreign companies take into account when they choose Indian firms for outsourcing. By making a huge savings in terms of cost, the foreign companies stand to gain by having additional funds available for investing elsewhere which would be helpful in furthering their business prospects.

Before actually making the decision to make the outsourcing deal and signing on the dotted line there are several factors that must be considered and evaluated. The company outsourcing work should first take into account the expertise and experience of the software company to which the work is being outsourced. The history and performance of the company in the field and the skill that they have for taking up the assignment must be properly studied. The credibility of the company in the particular field must be considered before handing over the work. Most IT consulting companies in the field are working towards getting certifications like ISO that are accepted internationally and itself speak for their quality and competence. All aspects of the company taking the work must be considered and proper evaluation of their services, the infrastructure available, the experience and the capability of the company to actually undertake the project must be carried out before outsourcing the work.

Its software and backoffice outsourcing industry is on course to ring up sales of USD 64 billion in the fiscal year just ended, up from USD 48.1 billion, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) said.

Source : http://www.offshoringtimes.com/

Software firms must shape up or ship out

Indian companies are moving up slowly. The fact is that customers actually want you to move up the value chain and a few companies like Infosys have already made the transition. Most Indian software companies are still largely providing high quality but low end work.

Reeling under the burden of the US economy, which is seemingly headed for recession, the hassled country’s tech firms are preparing for tougher times. Dr Michael Cusumano, the Sloan Management Review Distinguished Professor at the MIT’s Sloan School of Management, throws light on the effect of the slowdown on Indian software industry and how companies must gear up for the future. Dr Cusumano, a consultant and author of several books. Ramanujam Sridhar on behalf of Deccan Herald caught up with Dr Cusumano, who was at SDM_IMD, a management institute at Mysore recently to deliver a lecture on leadership.

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