NASSCOM 2004: Optimistic Outlook Abounds

India is not just shining but is also very confident, optimistic and in a
leadership position. That’s the message that was sent across at the Nasscom
2004. The three-day event held at Mumbai saw the who’s who of the IT industry
making their presence and exchanging ideas and opinions over a range of topics.

NASSCOM CHIEF GOES TRENDY

Nasscom’s President Kiran Karnik gives up his formal attire while addressing the participants at one of the entertainment evenings

If there’s one word that can succinctly sum up the mood at the grand event
of Indian IT industry–Nasscom 2004–it would be ‘Optimism’, with a big O.
Setting aside fears of backlash on BPO, challenges of increasing globalization
and inevitability of technology changes, the three-day annual extravaganza
presented the picture of a confident India. As Nasscom’s Chief Kiran Karnik
chose to put, "It’s time to proudly coin the phrase ‘India Inside’ to
the world."

According to him, the Indian IT industry now needs to create a brand around
itself. "And this event is a tribute to the excellent work done by the
Indian software industry so far," remarks he.

And so for an event of this stature, it was only natural to come across the
who’s who of the Indian IT industry, analysts of leading global research
agencies, CIOs from Fortune 500 companies and leading management experts. Into
its 12th year, the event was held at Mumbai between 3rd and 5th February.

RIGHT ON TRACK

Like always, this year’s summit was also held across four different
tracks: CEO conclave, ITES-BPO conclave, technology forum and country forum. The
CEO conclave featured key presentations by global think-tanks and industry CEOs
on a range of issues including global economic landscape, security, IT services
and so on.

The ITES-BPO conclave was once again the hottest track, attracting the most
number of participants. In this, the various sessions focused on the maturity of
ITES-BPO in India and addressed key issues like process transition, quality,
delivery model and IP creation. Leading international analysts like McKinsey’s
Diana Farrell, Gartner’s Rita Terdiman and Forrester’s John McCarthy among
others were part of this conclave.

TRADITIONAL START TO A MODERN-DAY EVENT

(L-R): Stephen Timms, UK's Minister of State for Energy, e-Commerce and Postal Services, Maharashtra's CM Sushil Kumar Shinde, Nasscom's President Kiran Karnik and Chairman Som Mittal inaugurate Nasscom 2004 in a traditional manner

And significant insights they indeed had to offer. "India would need to
combine process skills with resource and cost advantage to maintain its
advantage in the ITES/BPO arena," points out Rita.

The technology forum saw leading IT buyers putting forth their concerns and
advantages in front of technology vendors. The topics discussed under this forum
included open source, business-ready networks information security and
e-governance.

This forum also attempted at dispelling many myths associated with
technologies. "Open source is not free and there is a fair cost involved.
It merely reduces the cost and complexity of IT in an organization,"
asserts Matt Thompson, Director, Technology Outreach and Open Source, Programs
Officer, Sun Mircrosystems.

THE BILLION DOLLAR CLUB

Chief Execs of India's most respected IT companies: TCS, Infosys, Wipro and Satyam share their views in a panel discussion on 'What it takes to be a billion dollar company'

The fourth track was that of country forum. Here nations like UK, Malaysia,
Canada, Taiwan, Scotland, Wales and Hong Kong made presentations in an attempt
to lure Indian businesses and individuals to their shores. As a result of these
multi-nation interactions, some significant developments took place.

These included Nasscom signing an MoU with Taiwan to establish a Joint
Council for Co-operation, Mastek expanding its base in Malaysia and Hong Kong
extending invitation to Indian content companies to start operations there.

LOOK WHO'S WALKING THE RAMP

It's none other than NACIT's Chairman Saurin Shah doing catwalk of sorts in a traditional attire. Many other IT bigwigs too walked the ramp, some dressed like Shiva, Gandhi and Vivekananda!

SETTING STANDARDS FOR SECURITY

Apart from the many insightful sessions that took place, Nasscom 2004 also
witnessed the launch of Security Forum. With this initiative, the apex
organization hopes to alter the low awareness on security issues and promote

security consciousness to enhance international competitiveness of the Indian IT
industry.

Under this forum, Nasscom will focus on five areas deemed critical to
information security. These include: consumer awareness, early warning systems,
corporate governance, technical standards and security across software
development.

While showering praises on the growth of IT exports, Kiran did not forget to
mention about the concerning state of the domestic IT business. However, he
expressed optimism that things are in for a change. "The government’s
move on giving hardware tax sops and e-governance will prove encouraging for the
growth of the domestic IT industry," remarks he.

NETWORKING OF THE HUMAN KIND

Mutual interaction was at its peak at Nasscom 2004

Though the event was more about business and money, it had its share of fun
as well. And heartening it was to see the head honchos of leading IT companies
walking the ramp a la supermodels. And it was pleasantly surprising to even see
NACIT’s Chairman Saurin Shah joining his compatriots in the catwalk.

But business or fun, one message that went out loud and clear to everyone at
Nasscom 2004 was that India is not just shining, but is also confident and
optimistic that the future in IT belongs to her.

GOLDIE