Date:28/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/09/28/stories/2006092802570400.htm

Back `Time BPO sector focussed on domestic markets'

Our Bureau

Pune , Sept. 27

Against the backdrop of the increased interest in the domestic IT services market by major IT vendors, IDC has estimated that domestic ITES/BPO market is expected to cross Rs 6,600 crore this year. And it is time companies started looking towards the domestic industry, Mr Kiran Karnik, President of Nasscom, has pointed out.

He was here for the two-day seminar on `Emerging trends in defence communication and IT'.

He said this industry is growing at about 22 per cent and has the potential to grow much more. The study found that though IT services form 27 per cent of the total domestic IT spending, its share is significantly higher in segments such as telecom, automotive and manufacturing.

Mr Karnik said dialogues have been initiated between the defence and the IT sector, as there are points of convergence and involved mission-critical areas.

He added that dialogues had also been initiated with the automobile sector, textiles, engineering services, manufacturing and leather and handloom industry.

Lt. Gen Aditya Singh, AVSM, ADC, GOC-in-C, HQ Southern Command, pointed out that threats from conventional and nuclear weapons are now passe. It is the asymmetric powers, the power of IT and computers which have become the watchwords as attacks can be carried out from remote locations. He added that the since legacy systems are prevalent, it was necessary to have the latest in IT to combat the attacks as otherwise they would leave any country crippled with their asymmetric powers.