Sumeet Kaul

Mumbai , Feb. 14

DATA security could become a crucial issue for companies outsourcing their operations to India, said Mr Ian Marriott, Vice-President and Research Director, Gartner. He warned that data security was a sensitive issue in the West, and could become as volatile as the anti BPO backlash in the run-up to the US elections, in the future.

Mr Marriot, however, added, "India is pretty good in data security." He, said, India's leadership in business process outsourcing was clear and will continue in the foreseeable future.

Mr Marriott was speaking in a panel discussion at the Nasscom conference, in Mumbai.

Sounding an optimistic note about the industry's future he said, "Most countries, like the Philippines, won't have the scale or scalability, which India offers," he said, commenting on the industry's future.

Also commenting on technological changes in the industry he said, "Technology will strip away the need to train 90 per cent people."

Mr Rohit Kapoor, President and CFO of ExlService, an integrated BPO service provider, said India offered advantages as an outsourcing centre for financial management, such as an experienced and stable BPO industry and demonstrated ability to manage complex processes.

Speaking at another panel discussion, Mr Akshaya Bhargava, Managing Director and CEO of Progeon, said that one of the reasons call centres were not spreading to small towns was because mid-level managers not finding it easy to adjust to a small-town lifestyle.

Mr Raman Roy, CEO Of Wipro Spectramind, suggested that the supply of workforce in the industry was a bigger concern than demand. "Only 9 to 10 per cent people get employed (out of the total job applicants to Wipro Spectramind). We have to increase the supply pool," he said.

Later, speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Mr Roy, said, the Indian educational system was not geared to create international quality resources for call centres.

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