Infosys had bet on transformational value of tech, services

        New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) India's second-largest software
services exporter Infosys had placed strong emphasis on
technology becoming ubiquitous and globalisation of the
services industry when it started operations more than three
decades ago, co-founder S D Shibulal said today.
        The over USD 8 billion IT services firm was founded by NR
Narayana Murthy, along with Shibulal, S Gopalakrishnan, Nandan
Nilekani and three other engineers from a flat in Pune with an
initial capital of USD 250.
        Technology has been an enabler and has aided in making
processes more streamlined and helped to reduce operational
costs and time, said Shibulal, who is CEO and Managing
Director of the Bangalore-headquartered firm.
        "When we started Infosys way back in 1981, we had placed
two major bets. One was on technology becoming ubiquitous in
the next 30 years and the other was on services industry
becoming globalised in 30 years," he said at a CII event here.
        Shibulal, who is set to retire in January two months
ahead of his superannuation, added that Infosys manages about
6,000 programmes across the globe and this operation has been
possible due to technology.
        "For technology to flourish, there are some requirements
like the need for innovation and a mindset for technology
adoption," he said.
        Expressing similar views, Microsoft India Chairman
Bhaskar Pramanik said technology can help enterprises reduce
costs and enhance user productivity.
        Infosys Head India Business Unit C N Raghupathi said for
the manufacturing sector, the key areas to focus on include
new product innovation and faster time-to-market and
optimisation of costs.
        A joint CII-PwC report on unlocking the transformational
value of Indian industry with technology was also released.
        The report says Indian CEOs are counting on domestic
demand as well as their ability to deliver profitable growth
in India and abroad.
        They are also aware of the huge market potential that
India's middle class and the 'emerging middle' that lies just
below are creating for them, it added.
        "About 80 per cent of Indian CEOs are saying that
technology will be a key driver for business transformation in
five years," PwC Executive Director/Partner and Technology
Consulting Leader Debdas Sen said.
        Apart from Social, Mobility, Cloud and Analytics (SMAC)
technologies, cyber security will play a crucial role in this
direction, he added.