Technology

National policy vital for IT-BPO industry

by Gamini Warushamana

[email protected]
 

The IT-BPO industry is considered a huge sphere for Sri Lanka to regain many lost opportunities in its long history, sixty years after gaining independence. There were many bright visions in the minds of young entrepreneurs, professionals and academics for many years.

The Chairman of OpenArc Systems Management (Pvt) Ltd., Daya Hettiarachchi said that we are losing that opportunity as well due to lack of commitment and planning.

Openarc, one of the pioneer software companies in Sri Lanka has been highly successful in the local market. Hettiarachchi said that though we talk much, nothing practical is taking place to catch the vast market in front of us.

From the school level where the first step of grooming IT professionals to the (EDB) that facilitates the industry to find markets, the system works without any plan, Hettiarachchi said.

Industry issues

There is no clear government direction. The information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) spends money on an adhoc basis without a national plan. We have been talking about a National IT Policy for many years but nothing has materialised. Therefore, all efforts and money spent are wasted.

There are four ministers, who are responsible for different sections of the industry but there is no single plan aimed at solving industry issues.

The industry needs a strong political leadership, technical leadership, industry lobby and strong private public partnership instead of various government agencies who conduct adhoc programs that have no connection with the industry.

For instance, according to my observations the Nenasala rural IT centres are less productive and the program should have been implemented as a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

IT education

Speaking on IT education, Hettiarachchi said that a revolutionary change in the education system and the attitudes of society is a must to be on par with present global situation. It is vital for all sectors, not only for the IT-BPO industry.

Our education system is not flexible. For instance in the GCE Advanced Level, students cannot select a subject combination of their choice and instead they have to follow the combination decided on by the government which is half-a-century old. But the students who follow the London A/L syllabus have that opportunity while the majority of our students are at a disadvantage.

To develop the IT education in the country we should first produce good IT teachers and bring the subjects to school level. The Nenasala centres should have been attached to schools and not temples.

Today, there are two school syllabuses for IT for O/L and A/L classes. The syllabuses have been prepared by two individuals without any consultation with the industry.

The O/L syllabus is tougher compared to the A/L syllabus and both have made IT an unpleasant subject for students. We have called for a forum to discuss the syllabuses and give our opinion because finally the industry should absorb the students.

The industry itself is not organised and there are issues, Hettiarachchi said. There are many IT-BPO companies that cater mainly to the export markets. They do not handle a single project in the country and their only concern is human resources.

Moving to export markets is an extremely difficult task for local companies, he said. There should be one strong industry association and the matured companies should help the small companies technically.

Export market

Capturing the export market is an extremely difficult task for companies such as OpenArc which are truly local. OpenArc has a range of proven products and is a leading solution provider to the banking and financial industry in the country. Hettiarachchi said that the support of the EDB is not sufficient for software export.

The EDB is not supportive and don’t take it as a responsibility. There should be a proactive marketing campaign, he said.

Our policy makers and industry lobbies should emulate the Indian way. Strong support and a clear vision of the government and industry lobby is a must NASSCOM is the key factor behind India’s success.

If the IT-BPO industry has a high potential there should be different incentives to attract investments.

Today the situation has changed and the environment in the country is not conducive for the industry. Experienced professionals are leaving the country. To reverse this trend all these issues have to be solved, Hettiarachchi said.

Verizon Business and Virtusa develop innovative approach

Verizon Business and Virtusa Corporation have teamed up to develop an innovative approach to the management of information technology (IT) assets.

Verizon Business has developed specialised software that dramatically enhances the company’s ability to manage its portfolio of IT assets in line with corporate objectives.

This new software is supported by a unique scoring and analysis model developed with Virtusa Corporation.

The resulting approach gives Verizon Business the ability to assess the business value of IT applications within the company’s broad portfolio.

With improved management of Verizon Business’s IT portfolio, which grew in part from numerous acquisitions and mergers, the company is able to more efficiently grow services as well as improve the customer experience. “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” said senior vice president and chief information officer for Verizon Business, Judy Spitz.

“By continually capturing more than 100 data-points for each asset, we are able to monitor and analyse the business value and IT efficiency dimensions across our entire application portfolio.

This new level of visibility strengthens our roadmap planning for optimal investment in our strategic systems.”

The model measures IT applications in terms of their efficiency, effectiveness and revenue impact. The application scoring model supports the company’s efforts to improve its use of IT applications, hardware and software resources.

“This innovative approach will provide Verizon Business with an edge in the marketplace by enabling a much higher level of informed decision-making,” said senior vice president for Virtusa, Dan Kielar.

“This program can enable IT organisations to intelligently rationalise and evolve their IT assets into agile platforms that result in faster time-to-market, greater efficiency and better customer service.

We are pleased that our approach aligned so well with Verizon Business’ objectives.”

New ICTA grant schemes to build ICT capacity

A comprehensive update on the developments in the ICT Capacity Building Program (ICBP), implemented by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) which is a US$ 5.2 million initiative to provide a short-term boost to private sector ICT firms will be released next month.

The ICTA together with the ICT industry is making strides towards increasing the ICT workforce that will feed this fast growing industry in the form of a ‘National ICT Capacity Building Strategy’.

Under the ICTA’s Industry Capacity Building program many initiatives have been taken to increase HR capacity and quality of the existing ICT Industry that would assist Sri Lankan Companies to compete effectively in the International ICT environment.

“Assistance has been given to over 60 Companies to get internationally accredited certifications which will enhance the Company quality and recognition”, said Reshan Dewapura, COO/Director of ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, functioning under the Presidential Secretariat.

“Scholarships are awarded to aspiring ICT professionals to follow recognised foreign and local courses to gain more knowledge and experience,” he said.

The ‘Train the Trainer’ program, incentives for in-house training for ICT companies and the ‘Training Voucher’ scheme where an incentive is given to individuals who at present are not in the ICT Industry to gain a basic ICT education are also carried out under ICBP.

Seminars and workshops have also been organised at regular intervals in response to the industry requirement.

Encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship in the ICT industry, part subsiders are given for innovative ICT projects including projects related to improving processes related to Sri Lanka’s thrust industries such as the tourism industry, apparel industry and the gem and jewellery industry.

A special program to assist computerisation of accounting processes for the small and medium enterprises is also under way in collaboration with reputed banks in the country. Business matchmaking for Sri Lankan companies who want to enter the outsource market or widen their existing foreign client-base to assist them to sell their products and services to the UK is another unique project carried under ICBP.

iSmart Timex entrusts Softlogic Trading with total IT solution

The Timex Fergasam Group, the fourth largest apparel exporter in Sri Lanka with 8000 manpower and 40 years experience in the business launched a strategic alliance and a joint venture early this year with iSmart Global, a leading Business Process Outsource (BPO) company with 7000 manpower and 13 years, experience to float “iSmart Timex (Pvt) Ltd.”

iSmart Timex BPO offers a host of business solutions all related to back office outsourcing requirements/services, including Customer care, Contact centre, Financial and Insurance facilities.

It has a state-of-the-art infrastructure and superior level of expertise in areas such as Human Resource, Training and Quality Assurance that would make the company a most sought after BPOs in the country. iSmart Timex (Pvt) Ltd, set a new benchmark in the industry recently when they were awarded a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for training from ICCSP (International Call Centre Skills Professional).

iSmart Timex hopes to make a positive impact in the employment sector and the economy expecting to recruit 700 people before the end of this year.

They will cater to local as well as international clients. Their latest contract with the largest GSM Telephone operator in South Asia is a fine example.

iSmart Timex will be providing all customer management related services to this giant operation - that is set to launch in the near future.

iSmart Timex has selected Softlogic Trading (Pvt) Ltd., to be the total IT provider supplying DELL computers, servers and tape back-up systems.

Established in 1992, Softlogic Trading (Pvt) Ltd. is the sole authorised distributor and service provider for DELL, Microsoft Gold Partner and Cisco Premier Partner.

Based on import statistics Softlogic Trading is among the Top three Information Technology companies in Sri Lanka today.

The organisation structure defines to two strategic business units, the PC Business Unit and the Enterprise Business Systems Unit.

New trend in DNA technology

A seminar organised by the Medical Research Institute (MRI) for microbiologists in Sri Lanka was conducted by Eppendorf AG, Germany and supported by the Mackwoods Research Foundation of the Mackwoods Group.

Eppendorf AG is a leading biotech company involved in developing, manufacturing and distributing systems comprising instruments, consumables and reagents for use in life science research and clinical diagnostics.

Founded in 1945 at Hamburg in northern Germany, the company has made innovative and progressive contributions to the field of biological research.

The Eppendorf brand among the research community is synonymous with micro-centrifuge tubes, micropipettes, centrifuges and detection systems.

The portfolio extends to high end systems such as real-time PCR, micro-array and sophisticated cell manipulators to meet the rising needs of global biotech industries.

Over 12 PCR systems have already been placed in some of the leading universities in Sri Lanka for training in molecular biology which is the new trend in DNA technology.

Mackwoods Limited has represented Eppendorf in Sri Lanka for the past five years.

Italian Aethra video conferencing equipment from AV Corporation

AV Corporation (AVC), a SBU of the well-diversified PCH Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd., recently entered into a strategic partnership with Aethra Inc. Italy, an industry giant of the audio-video conference equipment category.

This partnership came in the wake of the appointment of Anuruddha Gunasekera as the Country Manager for Aethra Audio and Video conferencing and Networking products in Sri Lanka, who is a pioneer in the audiovisual and video Conferencing equipment market with nearly a decade of industry experience.

Aethra Inc. in business for 35 years is considered as the advisor and global provider for the development of integrated solutions for innovative audio and video conferencing systems.

Aethra has committed itself to lead the communication era of the third millennium by becoming synonymous with its distinctive and dynamic language and imagery.

S.H.M Rishan, Chairman of PCH Holdings said, “This partnership has transpired at the ideal moment. The recent past has seen Sri Lanka expanding its technological horizons and moving towards high-tech communication platforms.

The decision taken by the Sri Lankan judiciary to accommodate satellite conferencing to hear case evidence is a dynamic move towards adopting high-tech solutions and methodologies in different governing disciplines.

As a result of the commercial sector growning fast and furious, where vast amounts of information are sort after in the least possible time span, we as an industry trend setter in the IT and Automation categories thought it is our responsibility to introduce a high performing brand that has global recognition to support the growing communications demands of the corporate and public sector. This resulted in our partnership with Aethra.”

Microsoft to sponsors INFOTEL 2008 exhibition

Microsoft Sri Lanka will sponsor the ninth Infotel Lanka Exhibition on October 30 at the BMICH.

Infotel is one of Sri Lanka’s premier information communication technology events in the local IT calendar and is a part of the ICT week that commences on October 27.

The biggest ICT showcase will bring together the entire IT community in Sri Lanka on one single platform.

The tenth International IT Conference - IITC 2008 is another key event scheduled alongside the national ICT week.

It will provide opportunities for participants to acquaint themselves with the current global technological developments through presentations by eminent specialists in the field.

Marketing Leader of Microsoft Sri Lanka Manoji Samararatne said, “Microsoft Sri Lanka is pleased to support the Infotel Lanka Exhibition and the IITC 2008 Conference as a sponsor.

Infotel Lanka Exhibition, over its nine-year history has elevated itself to be a much looked forward to event by the local ICT community.

We see this as an opportunity to reach a wide audience who aspire to make Information and Communications Technology an integral part of their lives.

It also provides us a platform to make the public aware of the great impact ICT has created in the development process of our country.

Many of our projects focused on capacity building aims to provide the general public with opportunities wherever possible to familiarise themselves and experience the benefits of IT.

Our commitment to uplifting the industry is yet another one of our efforts to bridge the digital divide and stands proof of Microsoft’s commitment towards making “Your Potential, Our Passion”.

Microsoft anticipates this exhibition to provide yet another stepping stone towards achieving this overarching vision and take this opportunity to wish this event all success.”

The theme for this year’s exhibition is “The future is already here” which hopes to draw attention to the infrastructure and offerings in the local ICT field.

It also aims to provide a forum to promote ICT products and services and an effective meeting place for service providers and potential local and foreign clientele.

In addition to the software, hardware and communications categories at this year’s exhibition, a special “career section” has also been introduced.

This aims to provide career seekers, students and visitors with information on how to match career and job opportunities in the field of ICT.

It will also showcase the strengths in the market in terms of academic and professional courses available. “As a sponsor, we will also be involved in these sessions which will provide career guidance, counselling and educate the participants on the various career opportunities available worldwide.

Strong laptop sales boosts Intel

Analysts had feared that the demand for PCs was on the wane.

Intel, the world’s biggest maker of microchips, has reported a 25% jump in profits for the three months to the end of June.

Record sales of laptop chips boosted the firm’s net income to $1.6bn up from $1.28bn a year ago.

The results pleased analysts, who feared that demand for computers was being hit by the tougher economic climate worldwide. Intel was positive about further growth opportunities in the year.

“As we enter the second half, demand remains strong for our microprocessor and chipset products in all segments and parts of the globe,” said Paul Otellini, Intel president and chief executive.

Soaring demand for laptops and cut-down versions called notebooks has helped Intel continue to prosper.

But lower prices for some of the best-selling models drove down Intel’s prices, which cut into profit margins over the quarter.

Analysts took heart from the figures.

Intel is the first major technology firm to report its second-quarter earnings figures.

Courtesy BBC news