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S E V E N T E E N
B
ehind every successful man, the joke goes,
stands a tired wife and a surprised mother-in-law. In the context of the software
industry, we may say, a surprised bureaucracy. Ten years ago it was unimaginable
for our Government functionaries to believe that Indian software might spell success.
Most bureaucrats (with the notable exception of Mr. N. Vittal) pooh-poohed the
concept of an India Inc. in the software space.
In fact, the nascent industry (worth Rs. 250 crore then) was dismissed as one that
would be no bigger than the Indian plastic bucket industry in Faridabad! Today,
ministers, bureaucrats, policy makers
et al
form the frontline that’s supporting this
industry. It has been growing at a consistently high rate of over 50 percent annually,
has grossed over Rs. 24,500 crore in 1999-2000 ($5.7 billion) and as per NASSCOM
projections, the software and services industry will earn revenues of more that
Rs. 37,000 crore during 2000-01.
The first reason for this software boom is the superior logical and mathematical
ability of Indians. The software industry is also wooing its global counterparts
with its high quality products and solutions, skill sets on state-of-the art technologies
and platforms and its cost-competitive edge.
Indian software expertise is being sought by virtually every industry segment today.
From airlines, banks, engineering and manufacturing to areas such as aerospace,
entertainment and automation. In fact, each time Swiss Air or British Airways or
Singapore Airlines flights take off and land on time, one needs to pay a small
compliment to Indian programming talent that’s providing the software engine for
these organizations. Numbers indicate that over 185 of
Fortune 500
companies
outsourced their software requirements to India in 1999-2000.
The highest yardstick of quality in the software industry is the Software Engineering
Institute (SEI)-CMM Level 5 certification. Today, of the 23 SEI Level 5-certified
companies spanning the globe, an amazing 14 are in India. Of the top 300
The Hindustan Times July 10, 2000
Hard Selling Our Software
