Outsourcing : Visibility vital in international market
By Gamini Warushamana
International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) global
ambassador, Bobby Varnasi said that Sri Lankan outsourcing companies are
not visible in international markets and companies should be visible
from the buyers point of view rather than be dependent on independent
assessments. He was speaking at the launch of IAOP Sri Lanka Chapter in
Colombo last week.
Therefore global ranking alone may not help Sri Lankan outsourcing
companies to capture a reasonable share in the over $ 4 trillion annual
global outsourcing market. Most of the government-backed market
promotion programs have failed in many countries and what is essential
is identifying markets by the end users perspectives.
Government support needed by each industry varies from company to
company depending on their level of performance. The Government should
give what they need and there is no need for general support for all.
The outsourcing industry brings economic and social benefits to
countries. In countries such as India the industry has delivered
tangible benefits to rural areas by providing employment to unemployed
and vulnerable groups, he said.
Legal advisor of ICTA, Jayantha Fernando said that the Information
and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) is ready to transform the
country to a knowledge hub. However, some more work has to be done and
improving partnerships with international professional organisations
such as IAOP is vital to achieve the objectives.
ICTA has been closely working with the private sector and the local
private sector and talent accounts for over 98 percent of the e-Sri
Lanka project.
ICTA has played a pivotal role in formulating legal framework for the
ICT sector. ICTA has 30 strategies under three groups: HR development,
industry promotion and creating enabling environment.
ICTA supports training programs, vendor certification programs,
in-house learning, accreditation support including subsidies to get
international certifications and promotion programs abroad.
“There are achievements in all these efforts of ICTA, which we
implement jointly with the private sector and private sector industry
organisations such as SLASSCOM and the global ranking of Sri Lankan IT
BPO industry has improved in many aspects over the past few years”,
Fernando said.
He said that competition in the IT BPO sector is high and therefore
companies cannot survive in isolation and collaboration with
organisations such as IAOP is essential for growth of the sector and
ICTA always supports this kind of initiative. IAOP can help the industry
to set standards and enable growth of the outsourcing industry and
improve visibility of Sri Lankan outsourcing companies in international
markets, he said. IAOP is a global standard setting organisation and is
an advocate for the professionals. It has over 200,000 members and 60
chapters worldwide.
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