Indian IT Industry

Arjun · Post by **Arjun** » 19 Sep 2013 08:31

Indian brands being a big part of the market is an improvement over the situation a few years back.

The three key parts of the ecosystem are the brand, the innovation system, and the manufacturing. Aim should be to have Indian entities be prominent in at least two of these. If Micromax and others maintain their strength in the brand side - that gives them room to build up capabilities in either innovation or manufacturing down the road. Only a hope..

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 19 Sep 2013 08:46

wont .. why would they do that, when everything is available off the shelf. When you a good restaurant where you get good food for cheap, would you cook ???

Arjun · Post by **Arjun** » 19 Sep 2013 09:28

krishnan wrote:wont .. why would they do that, when everything is available off the shelf. When you a good restaurant where you get good food for cheap, would you cook ???

Why be in a game (manufacturing) which is so commoditized that it is available off the shelf ? Innovation can never be commoditized - and as the Micromaxes grow bigger they will invest more in that end.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 21 Sep 2013 05:05

GoI announced a new ITIR (IT Investment Region) in Hyderabad that will involve >2Lakh crore investment and will create 14Lakh direct and 55Lakh indirect employment.

This is the sad state of affairs. On one side it is desirable to have these centers opened on other parts of Andhra Pradesh (so we don't create future hyderabad like problems) but the reality is that we may lose the investment opportunity to another state if we insist to move this ItIR to less developed regions.

Remember the story about INTEL fab that went to china when CBN asked to have that in Visakhapattanam?

It will be interesting to see what GoI does. I have a feeling that the pawns are moving towards Hyderabad as UT. This will kill all competitors of Congress in AP state including MIM.

Sriman · Post by **Sriman** » 08 Oct 2013 17:54

An excellent interview with Ravi Venkatesan on Indian IT industry:

http://www.livemint.com/Companies/7itrA ... e-com.html

Prem Kumar · Post by **Prem Kumar** » 10 Oct 2013 09:13

chanakyaa wrote:http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-1 ... arket.html

Ex-Soviet Programmers Take On India in $48 Billion Market

When Arkadiy Dobkin emigrated to the U.S. two decades ago, his first job was washing dishes. Now he employs 10,000 programmers in his native Belarus and elsewhere in eastern Europe, developing software for clients such as Barclays Plc and Expedia Inc.

Dobkin’s Epam Systems Inc. (EPAM) is among a slew of eastern European companies seeking a piece of the $48 billion global outsourcing market. The companies are building on engineering expertise grounded in the Soviet era to challenge Indian programming giants such as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS)

We outsource a lot of our product dev work to EPAM. Decent quality developers & QA folks. English skills is a problem. In a team of 10, 2 would speak English & we would need to channel our communications through them. EPAM is doing well as a company, which sometimes creates problems for us - since some of their developers who work for us move to other projects for more exposure.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 30 Oct 2013 06:55

ECIL’s switch routers for MTNL.

A modern carrier Ethernet network based on indigenous routers has been activated by the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) in Mumbai.

Through this network, MTNL will launch carrier-class Ethernet services to meet its customers bandwidth needs.

The Ethernet switch routers were developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and the Electronics Corporation of India Limited, Hyderabad.

The MTNL and Electronic Corporation entered into a strategic partnership for creating the network.

This would help MTNL customise services based on individual customer needs. This will also boost bandwidth demand and broadband infrastructure in the city of Mumbai.

The Principle Scientific Advisor to the Government of India R. Chidambaram inaugurated the network in Mumbai on Thursday.

The Carrier Ethernet Switch Routers were developed to answer the country’s needs towards providing secure and low-cost communications platform that would be beyond what is offered as state of the art by foreign vendors and other providers.

The ECIL made Routers in MTNL network will create a new network infrastructure for the telecom domain.

Given the recently expressed concerns about network security, the network based on these Routers will infuse new confidence given its complete reliance on indigenous technology, an ECIL press release claimed.

The key features of these routers are high speed and low power consumption.

They have been conceptualised, developed by IIT Bombay and manufactured by ECIL.

ECIL has taken up this technology as part of indigenizing telecom infrastructure.

The Chairman and Managing Director, ECIL P. Sudhakar and Chairman and Managing Director MTNL , A.K. Garg and officials from various government organisations such as BARC, IIT and NIC participated in the event.

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 30 Oct 2013 11:10

Infosys fined $34 million for committing visa fraud

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 31 Oct 2013 08:16

ArmenT wrote:Infosys fined $34 million for committing visa fraud

NRN caught with his chuddis down again?
I bet this goes on quite a lot. All izz well as long as everyone makes money.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 31 Oct 2013 15:09

http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-sh ... 131031.htm

A former American employee of Infosys, who had brought a whistleblower lawsuit against the IT giant, could receive between $5-8 million of the total $34 million that the Indian company will pay to settle visa fraud allegations.

In one of the largest settlements in an immigration fraud case, Bangalore-based Infosys has agreed to pay the amount to resolve claims made by federal prosecutors in Texas.

The payment by Infosys would be made within the next 30 days and include $5 million to Homeland Security Investigations for civil or administrative forfeiture, a similar amount to the Department of State and $24 million to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 01 Nov 2013 07:48

Dirty deeds of our "most respected IT company" out.

So this is how INFY invaded the US. Time to check out TCS practices. These people have enriched themselves by flooding the US job market with low cost (and lower quality) workers and have ruined the work culture and artificially lowered salaries.

http://profit.ndtv.com/news/corporates/ ... mer-371036

Mr Palmer, whose friends call him Jay, was a project manager at Infosys when he filed the case against the outsourcer in 2011. He was the first to allege that Infosys was writing false invitation letters for B-1 visas for Indian employees. Mr Palmer claimed that he was asked to write one and he refused.

The short-term B-1 visa is meant for employees who are travelling to consult with associates, attend training or a convention and not for full-time jobs.

The 45-year-old Jack Palmer was hired by Infosys in 2008.

A New York Times report has quoted Mr. Palmer as saying that his differences with the Infosys management began after he was summoned to Bangalore in India for a meeting in March 2010.

At that meeting, he alleged, top executives discussed ways to "creatively" get around H-1B visa limitations "to fulfill the high demand for its customers at lower cost."

Mr Palmer later told US news broadcaster CBS that he first got curious when he noticed that an Infosys employee had been in the US from India several times. Mr Palmer said he then began digging into how and why Infosys seemed to be bringing in a large numbers of workers from its corporate headquarters in Bangalore into the US.

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 01 Nov 2013 21:20

Personally, I think the $34 million fine is too little, considering that it is a drop in the bucket compared to their profits last year. I think those Infosys top execs must have evaluated the risk of getting caught and decided that the profit margin to be made was worth it. What the US government should additionally do is slap Infosys with no new visas for 2+ years, now that will teach 'em a lesson.

negi · Post by **negi** » 02 Nov 2013 06:42

This was coming , but personally I am not sure how many in ITVTY can find a higher moral ground and bash Infosys on this matter, mind you by definition no one can WORK on a B1 visa which means anyone out there in ITVTY if he/she has visited States on a B1 and billed a customer for even an hour they have broken the law. Same is with folks who go there to study on F1s and have to spend time on OPT it's another grey area, how many actually work in their relevant fields versus just deciding to move to ITVTY on H1b by padding their resumes with non existent experience , oh by the way H1b is for specialized skill what so called specialized skill can a person claim to have after doing some 2 month course or just having a degree from college ? Every time a GC , L1, H1 or B1 petition is filed by an employer for a candidate is everything on that petition true ?

Infosys got caught and is being penalized because someone inside the system blew a whistle nothing more nothing less.

This Infosys episode should be an eye opener for all of us in IT I am not going to laugh at their misery because as a matter of fact whatever IT companies I am in know of including the Big 4 all flout VISA laws at least on B1 all do and I write this here because I can prove it

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 05 Nov 2013 17:41

negi wrote:This Infosys episode should be an eye opener for all of us in IT I am not going to laugh at their misery because as a matter of fact whatever IT companies I am in know of including the Big 4 all flout VISA laws at least on B1 all do and I write this here because I can prove it

I remember reading a blog by a frustrated IT worker* who was caught by the Immigration folks at a US Airport. He was arrested, locked up for the night and deported. He would now NOT be eligible for entering US for quite some time. Since this is endorsed in his passport countries like United Queendom etc. would also deny him VISA.

The company I work for (would not name it for obvious reasons) have now started sensitizing people on when NOT to apply for B1 VISA. Yet there are idiots at the managerial level who just say "Use the B1 route..yaar", fully knowing that he directly would not land up in trouble. Trouble is only for the poor fellow who would get kicked out, and perhaps the company if the mess becomes too much.

* Link to the blog http://deportedprofessional.blogspot.in ... ience.html .

Came back to say: Boston Immigration folks seems to be much more tougher on these laws. My previous co. started sending people thorough other airports other than Boston

.

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 05 Nov 2013 17:57

ArmenT wrote:Personally, I think the $34 million fine is too little, considering that it is a drop in the bucket compared to their profits last year. I think those Infosys top execs must have evaluated the risk of getting caught and decided that the profit margin to be made was worth it. What the US government should additionally do is slap Infosys with no new visas for 2+ years, now that will teach 'em a lesson.

I agree. They got away lightly. They deserved a 5 year ban on visas. But the US Govt is in the pockets of industry who want INFY types for cheap labor. The fine is just for name to satisfy Everyday Eddie.

As negi said, they ALL do it. Even Accenture, I know this through someone.

negi · Post by **negi** » 05 Nov 2013 18:56

^ Technically speaking it is like this they want to have their cake and eat it too; I mean someone who represents India specially the idiots at FICCI should highlight this simple fact at the WTO i.e. if US and India recognize IT exports as a legitimate business model and wish to structure or reform it they need to make provisions for eventualities when people will need to travel on demand and short notice for a week or two to other countries including the US for WORK. As things stand today there is simply no VISA which caters to the above scenario most of the mid to senior level folks in all companies get a B1 for all their travels to the US irrespective of the nature of work this is a FACT. No one is going to file for a 5000 $ H1b (it's not even about the money it will take at least a month) for a week long trip for a Engg. from R&D who has to step in because support cannot resolve issues with the product.

It's not that Indian IT companies are not pushing the envelope but if you see situation on the ground they are going to loose a lot of business if they follow the rules in B&W . Fact is rules are set by the US to safeguard it's own interests but the business is a two way street somebody who has a pair in our trade and industry circle has to stand up and raise this as a genuine concern .

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 05 Nov 2013 20:02

Message in OT thread. http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 9#p1537799

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 05 Nov 2013 20:30

Rules being illogical does not mean they can be broken willy nilly. The US has these rules for self protection. INFY broke them and essentially stole billions from US residents. The punishment should be more severe.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 05 Nov 2013 20:41

Sorry but monies are earned and must disagree that it is something else.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 05 Nov 2013 21:15

negi wrote:This was coming , but personally I am not sure how many in ITVTY can find a higher moral ground and bash Infosys on this matter, mind you by definition no one can WORK on a B1 visa which means anyone out there in ITVTY if he/she has visited States on a B1 and billed a customer for even an hour they have broken the law. Same is with folks who go there to study on F1s and have to spend time on OPT it's another grey area, how many actually work in their relevant fields versus just deciding to move to ITVTY on H1b by padding their resumes with non existent experience , oh by the way H1b is for specialized skill what so called specialized skill can a person claim to have after doing some 2 month course or just having a degree from college ? Every time a GC , L1, H1 or B1 petition is filed by an employer for a candidate is everything on that petition true ?

Infosys got caught and is being penalized because someone inside the system blew a whistle nothing more nothing less.

This Infosys episode should be an eye opener for all of us in IT I am not going to laugh at their misery because as a matter of fact whatever IT companies I am in know of including the Big 4 all flout VISA laws at least on B1 all do and I write this here because I can prove it

There is a marked difference on how Indian cos approach these rules and how mass based companies do this. Of course, I only know of a couple of massa companies intimately..so I could be wrong in how the rest operate.

I did B1 in the UK for a while waiting for the work permit to come through...my company was very diligent in explaining me the rules and I made sure I was only conducting meetings and talking, while somebody else was documenting and preparing spec sheets etc. We were losing time in this....and it just had to be done that way..

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 05 Nov 2013 21:17

negi wrote:It's not that Indian IT companies are not pushing the envelope but if you see situation on the ground they are going to loose a lot of business if they follow the rules in B&W . Fact is rules are set by the US to safeguard it's own interests but the business is a two way street somebody who has a pair in our trade and industry circle has to stand up and raise this as a genuine concern .

with the current monkeys in US house and senate..fat chance of any legislation getting through..

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 06 Nov 2013 09:45

I notice that almost ALL IT employees in India walk around with company badges dangling from their necks. Is this some kind of way to get some free scope? Impress the ladies? "I am from INFY", "I am from Chacha onlee"? During my last visit to BLR, we went to malls, and I would see "IT professionals"

walk around proudly displaying their badges so much that I could read their names from it.

Is it some kind of status symbol? Or is it mandatory?

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 06 Nov 2013 13:01

Marten wrote:Perhaps also a "show of strength" (you'd say show-offs). It seems to be a status symbol amongst youngsters .....

Agree with you. When the IT band wagon had just started rolling on (late 1990s and early 2000s) this I feel was much more prevalent. Folks who managed to get into good companies (mainly "Most Reputed Co","Veg Oil.Co" etc.) used to strut around wearing their ID Cards. But for most of them it was the coloured tags (necklace) which was important. The actual "name badge" would be inside their pockets. I had a friend who managed to get a coloured tag (similar to one used by an IT Major) and he used to wear it, but cleverly hiding the "paper ID card, placed inside a plastic cover" inside his pocket

.

Perhaps I am from the old-school. I do not wear any ID tag in any place where it is of no value. For me private company's ID Card still ranks way below the ones given by Central & State Govts, or PSUs.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 06 Nov 2013 15:57

KJoishy wrote:Is it some kind of status symbol? Or is it mandatory?

Mostly a Fad in Hyderabad and Bangalore but not much in Mumbai.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 06 Nov 2013 19:56

Girls do it more than boys. Shows they have arrived.

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 06 Nov 2013 21:21

Girls in Indian attire don't have pockets unlike the guys.

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 06 Nov 2013 22:25

vera_k wrote:Girls in Indian attire don't have pockets unlike the guys.

They have purses/bags, don't they?
My badge is in my wallet and I use my wallet to scan myself in. It never leaves my wallet.

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 06 Nov 2013 22:27

Singha wrote:Girls do it more than boys. Shows they have arrived.

I agree with this. It think it also makes a statement of "I am not like my mom who sat at home, raised kids and did little else".

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 06 Nov 2013 22:35

you guys are reading too much into this..

it is part laziness of putting it away and retrieving it or losing it (i am guilty of this on weekdays whenever i was visiting our bangalore office..) and part wanting to gang with co-workers etc (i did that at shared canteen floors)

nobody puts on a badge thinking that they want to be a dominatrix feminazi

negi · Post by **negi** » 06 Nov 2013 22:49

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2013 07:27

like it or not a intel badge is a subtle statement of higher status vs say a local co badge.

girls watch other girls/boys and play this status game ALL the time. they are wired for it, where men would be totally oblivious to such cues which girls pickup instantly.

would you be bothered if someone showed up at a gathering in the same shirt as you? if you knew him would go over and mention it and joke over it. for girls its a huge disaster if that happens.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 07 Nov 2013 07:39

Yeah. I was in a lift (an elevator) with an AfAm and I looked at his hand. He had the same watch as mine - we joked about it and that was that. When I related to my SHQ (she bought the watch for my b'day), she was aghast.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2013 07:44

even seeing their man ill-dressed or under-dressed in public function is a huge personal honour hit for them, esp when other cats are prowling to pounce on this incident later.
their concept of well dressed == over dressed for us.

I wish they were so hyper and diligent about actually giving men what they really want

gakakkad · Post by **gakakkad** » 07 Nov 2013 08:14

KJoishy wrote:
vera_k wrote:Girls in Indian attire don't have pockets unlike the guys.
They have purses/bags, don't they?
My badge is in my wallet and I use my wallet to scan myself in. It never leaves my wallet.

rfid badges may not be that common in yindian firms...they may still be old fashioned paper badges..

negi · Post by **negi** » 07 Nov 2013 08:26

There are cos where badges need to be always on display and not this is not just Indian ITVTY cos go to electric boat GD facility in Groton, CT they have a nice 1/2" ribbon around their necks with badge dangling over their chest.

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 07 Nov 2013 08:36

The issue is not badges being displayed at work, you may have to do it in some places, it is how munnas wear their badges EVERYWHERE. I saw many at malls after hours, sometimes in weekends. And they tug on it as if to draw attention to passersby that they work for so and so "MNC".

Badges are nothing but a sign of corporate slavery. We cannot do without it because of paapi pet, but why wear it on one's sleeve, that was the surprising part.

negi · Post by **negi** » 07 Nov 2013 08:43

^ You are reading too much into it people in India usually work like 10-8 instead of say 8-5 or 9-6 it's more to do with work culture and traffic snarls. At 8pm when one leaves his cube to hang out with friends (thanks to long commute we do not have luxury of driving back to home, changing and then going out as malls close by 9-9:30) one may just go to a nearby mall we are not blessed with open spaces like those in the US. Also a high percentage of the 20-40 crowd in SI metros is in ITVTY so you see more tags/badges as against the US. The kind of manpower we employ in places like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune it is but natural to see a lot of badges in malls and other places where ITVTY hangs out.

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 07 Nov 2013 08:49

Yaar, what's all that got to do with badges? All you need to do is card in, put in wallet/pocket, work, and leave when you have to leave. The tendency of putting it around one's neck like some sort of necklace and drawing attention to it is very obvious. This was probably more common during the India Shining days during the first flush of a new career post college. I remember doing similar things in the first few months on the job many years ago. Until it hit me, wtf was I doing?

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 07 Nov 2013 09:01

There are people who wear T-shirts with their office logos proudly displayed on them here in massa. Every University has its own branded apparel. What are you talking about Joishy. Maybe they take pride in their jobs and do not just look at it as a 9-5 affair that pays one's bills.

Chandragupta · Post by **Chandragupta** » 07 Nov 2013 21:20

During my stint at the most admired company, I never wore the tag. To me it was like a dog chain/leash. The ID card would always be in my hand with my wallet 99% of the time. I was used to having showdowns with the gate security every single morning to the point that they just gave up on me. They used to hand me those suspenders/cords (?) and I used to throw them into the dustbin a few steps away and carry on.