Source: www.business-standard.com

With the ‘Changing of Guards’, there’s a new wind blowing through India’s IT industry, as Old Chief Kiran Karnik is replaced by Lakshmi Narayan, as the New Chief of India’s IT body NASSCOM. So too, is there a shift in focus on other aspects of the off-shoring / outsourcing industry. No doubt, this is due to Narayan’s fascination with the animation industry, quite evident in his announcement that there will be a strong focus on animation and engineering services in the future.

“There will be no shift in priorities, but the area I want to emphasise is leveraging the existing strength of the industry,” Narayan, the recently appointed Chairman of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) for the year 2007-08, is quoted as saying after his appointment.

In an interview with IANS, Narayan confirms: “The future areas are going to be engineering services and the animation industry. “As we go toward greater convergence, I would like to focus on new and emerging technologies,” adding: “Companies from India can provide support services in design, drawing, architectural services, auto component designing, aircraft component designing…we have to look at new opportunities.”

NASSCOM confirms Warren brothers and MGM are looking at outsourcing some of their technology to India, even as, Narayan, Vice Chairman, Board of Directors of Cognizant Technologies Solutions confesses: “I am fascinated by animation technology.”

And, what Narayan says holds great value, as not only does he hold a BSc, an MSc and an MBA degree from the Indian Institute of Science, beginning his career with Tata Consultancy Services and going on to become its regional head, he has worked in the IT sector for 25-years, not only in Europe, but US and India, as well, joining Cognizant in 1994. And recently, he has also been appointed to its Board of Directors by the U.S. - India Business Council. Admitting his interest in cars and films, perhaps, this explains Narayan’s fascination for the animation industry and a new direction for NASSCOM into a hitherto, little exploited industry segment.

With more than 1,000 Indian IT firms members of NASSCOM, as several multinationals operating in India, Narayan when he states: “What NASSCOM can do is make India’s nascent animation industry aware of investment in quality, software and innovation so that we can compete on a global stage.”

He goes on to hit the nail bang on the head with his next statement: “This industry is creating the new middle class. It has behaved in a responsible manner, being the highest taxpayer. It has been transparent. The NASSCOM Foundation has helped many bright young people from the weaker sections of society to ladders of success.”

NASSCOM, a chamber of commerce set up in 1988 to serve as an interface for India’s software and outsourcing industry with the state and union government playing advisor, consultant and co-ordinating body for the ITES / BPO industry, has done just that, as it nurtured, supported and raised the bar of success, so that India’s fledgling IT off-shoring / outsourcing industry could scale ever greater heights. As well, NASSCOM offers help in research, complete with a social responsibility wing, it is a non-profit organisation that is funded solely by its members.

“NASSCOM has built a great reputation for itself, lobbying successfully with the state to make the IT industry truly global,” Narayan says, adding: “Now its job is to see that India manages to retain the competitive advantage it has.”

Narayan promises, NASSCOM’s focus “will continue to be data protection”, as he recalls earlier years, when creating data theft, software and content piracy awareness was one of the objectives of NASSCOM.

As well, NASSCOM has also played a key role in impressing the extreme necessity for innovation in India’s IT industry, if it wishes to retain its current momentum of off-shoring / outsourcing. It is NASSCOM’S stress on innovation in Indian IT industry that has seen the Indian Prime Minister hand out six innovation awards to IT / ITES firms, notes Narayan, adding: “NASSCOM has moved from being an organisation in the context of the License Raj into a world-class promoter of innovation.”

Far-sighted leadership at the helm of India’s IT industry ensures that by the year 2008, the Indian IT sector can expect to employ over 1.5-million people in customer care, financial services, HR services, payment services, administration and content development.

“We are still not a dominant player in the IT / BPO segment. The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have to be roped in…many of our SMEs have the capacity to turn into another Infosys…we have to tell them how.”

With NASSCOM members also promoting social development through the application of information and communication technology (ICT), Narayan believes success has been easy due to India’s strong focus on education. However, Narayan believes with East Europe, China, Malaysia, Singapore also taking national stands to get ahead in the IT sector, India will have to work out a stronger strategy to retain its off-shoring / outsourcing edge, a fact that has led him to voice his strong opposition to the Indian Government’s call for reservation in the private sector.

“I would like to see India’s IT software and services exports grow to $60-billion in the next three years and for that we have to maintain our lead in education,” he concludes.