Archive for the ‘IT Industry’ Category
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
Pakistan is emerging as the destination of choice for IT outsourcing in Pakistan for the following reasons:
• An IT workforce of 133,000 with good English language and people skills growing at a phenomenal rate of almost 20,000 a year.
• A hundred and ten ISO-certified IT companies, with over 25 undergoing CMMI rating.
• A reliable digital telecommunications infrastructure with backup and reliable energy and transport networks.
• An ambitious program of world-class IT Parks, with a rental rate of approx. US$1 per sq ft /month.
• A prosperous economy that offers lucrative domestic opportunities and is attracting increasing amounts of international investment.
• A steadily improving risk rating and a tightening environment for intellectual property protection.
• A streamlined government regulatory process of one of the most attractive incentive programs anywhere, which includes tax exemptions, 100% foreign equity and earnings repatriation.
• International leaders such as BearingPoint, NCR Teradata, Mentor Graphics and ZTE have chosen to locate their development and consultancy center in Pakistan.
Government Incentives
In order to promote its IT industry, the Government of Pakistan has provided several incentives to investors. The establishment of a reliable IT infrastructure and the provision of an incentives package are instrumental in the development of the local IT industry.
Other benefits provided to the IT companies are in the form of tax holidays for 15 years and 100% foreign equity ownership. Because of these incentives, an increasing number of foreign IT companies have chosen Pakistan for their outsourcing operations. Some of the areas in which the Government is facilitating the private sector companies include:
• Information Technology Parks with low rent, fiber optic connectivity, libraries and conference rooms
• Provision of funds for software companies to get ISO-9000 and CMM-level certifications
• Foreign investors allowed 100% ownership of equity in “IT/ITeS companies”
• Tax exemption for IT companies till 2016
• 100% repatriation of profits allowed to IT companies
• Seven years’ tax holiday for Venture Capital funds
• The rate of depreciation on computer equipment is 30%
• The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has allowed the opening of Internet Merchant Accounts by banks
• Instant, reliable and high-speed connectivity available
• Over 85% of telecommunications infrastructure is on fiber optic cables
• Internet access is available in over 1862 cities/towns across Pakistan
• Pakistan is the first country in this region to establish DWDM telecommunications infrastructure
• Several cellular companies are using digital transmission (GSM and TDMA)
• The cost of 2 Mbps connection has been lowered to US$ 1000/month
• Redundant backup connectivity is available through PTCL for call centers.
Posted in
Career in Pakistan, IT Industry, Outsourcing, Pakistan Job Market | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
The software industry has developed the world over. This has called for higher employment opportunities in this sector. This article analyses the factors that have contributed to the expansion in software jobs in the world and then throws light on the software jobs in India in particular.
Effect of Globalization on Software Company Jobs
With globalization, the restrictions imposed on the software companies to enter the global market have been removed. This has created an employment market for the IT sector that is purely international. The IT giants of US have expanded their services to other countries, thereby absorbing higher workforce. The skilled workforce is also eligible to apply as computer technicians in US and Canada.
Effect of Outsourcing on Software Company Jobs
Together with globalization, outsourcing has also played an important role in employment expansion in the IT industry. Outsourcing also requires expertise in IT. Again there are companies that are based in US but work with companies, which outsource and work with IT professionals working overseas. This is basically, a cost effective measure for companies that are unable to set up separate IT departments.
Software Company Jobs In India
It is estimated that the Jobs in Software Industry in India will reach the 1.5 to 2 million mark by 2008. This would imply a compound annual growth rate by 40%. This is in sync with the business expansion of the software services companies in India. The revenue growth of Wipro and Infosys by 40% and 36% along with its expansion in the workforce by 46% and 35% respectively proves this point.
It is expected that IBM and Accenture would add 15,000 more offshore India Software Company Jobs by next year-end. According to the AMR Research, the headcount requirement in the US IT sector would grow by 7 lakh workers phased out over the next five years. So, it is clear that since the IT employment in India is also booming, the new jobs created in US would be filled by India itself. Not only that, about 8 lakh jobs would be outsourced to India. Owing to this mass scale outsourcing US is predicted to suffer job losses in the IT sector.
Posted in
IT Industry, Jobs in India, Software Companies, Software Companies in India, Software Consulting Firms, Software Industry, World Software Jobs | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
The India Software Industry has brought about a tremendous success for the emerging economy. The software industry is the main component of the Information technology in India. India’s pool of young aged manpower is the key behind this success story. Presently there are more than 500 software firms in the country which shows the monumental advancement that the India Software Industry has experienced.
The Indian Software Industry has grown from a mere US $ 150 million in 1991-92 to a staggering US $ 5.7 billion in 1999-2000. No other Indian industry has performed so well against the global competition. According to statistics, India’s software exports reached total revenues of Rs. 46100 crores. The total share of India’s exports in the global market rose form 4.9 per cent in 1997 to 20.4 percent in 2002-03.
It is expected that the India Software Industry will generate a total employment of around four million people, which accounts for 7 per cent of India’s total GDP, in the year 2008. Today, the Software Industry in India exports software and services to nearly 95 countries around the world. The share of North America (U.S. & Canada) in India’s software exports is about 61 per cent. In 1999-2000, more than one third of Fortune 500 companies outsourced their software requirements to India.
The Government has also played a vital role in the development of the India Software Industry. In 1986, the Indian government announced a new software policy which was designed to serve as a catalyst for the software industry. This was followed in 1988 with the World Market Policy and the establishment of the Software Technology Parks of India (STP) scheme. In addition, to attract foreign direct investment, the Indian Government permitted foreign equity of up to 100 percent and duty free import on all inputs and products.
The software industry being the main component of the IT Industry in India has also helped the IT sector in India to grow at a good pace. As per the proceedings taking place in the software industry the future of the India Software Industry looks promising.
Posted in
IT Industry, Jobs in India, Software Companies, Software Companies in India, Software Consulting Firms, Software Industry | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
In the present scenario most of the countries over the world have relied upon Indian software company and firms or Software Companies for the software development activities, as the country possesses a global competency in the IT sector.
The Software development company India comprises of businesses related to the production and maintenance of computer software. The roots of the Software Industry India lies in the IT phenomenon. Services regarding software such as training, consulting and maintenance are a part of this ever-growing industry. The Software companies is witnessing a rapid growth and offers lucrative job opportunities making IT a premium career option for the youth. Infact it is one of the fastest growing sector of Indian industry.
India is emerging as a Global IT superpower. The success can be attributed to factor advantage of high quality of software human resources. The Software Industry has succeeded in converting this comparative advantage to increasing exports. More and more companies are receiving the ISO 9000 certification and the day is not far when India will have the highest number of ISO 9000 companies in the world.
Indian Software Industry is estimated to be worth USD 1.2 billion. Unfortunately the growth has been limited to a few cities around Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Noida.
One problem that software companies in India are facing is that of outflow of IT professionals. This can be looked into by ensuring the conditions for investment and growth in the industry are safeguarded by political stability.
Wipro, HCL, Tata Consultancy Services, Satyam computer Services, CMC, IBM etc are some of the major Software development and software consulting firms or companies in India.
Posted in
IT Industry, IT Jobs, Software Companies, Software Companies in India, Software Consulting Firms | No Comments »
Friday, July 25th, 2008
A vibrant, expanding economic contributor, Pakistan’s IT Industry generates over 2 billion dollars each year for the country. Rapid investment is being fuelled by the mushrooming growth of exports along with the support of government organizations and policies. A global service provider, Pakistan offers multiple benefits for outsourced services including value addition, processing and back end support. With smooth regulatory procedures to ensure efficiency and on-time delivery, Pakistan has established as the world Leader in quality with over 125 ISO and CMM certified companies.
Over 100,000 trained IT professionals in country and an ever increasing number of specialized educational institutes are adding ever better trained resources to an already vibrant job market. This ensures a talent pool of exceptional skills is constantly available to the industry, while specialized low cost facilities available and friendly policies ensure IT organizations a hassle free set up and work environment. These facilities are available in the shape of IT parks, already and being established around the country. Offering state of the art IT Enabled Office Space and facilities, these parks offer ready to furnish office space to IT organizations with the aim of providing a one stop solution to set up or expand IT enterprises.
Three IT parks have been developed so far, in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi. The need for IT parks has arisen given that land was required to meet tremendous unfulfilled demand for the expansion of IT companies. The existing buildings, like other retail space, do not address IT Enabled Office Space requirements such as uninterrupted year around operations, quality bandwidth, reliable power and security, accessibility, expandability and parking space.
IT Parks in Islamabad:
The first IT park was developed in Islamabad. Scenic land was purchased close to over a dozen HEC recognized universities and several world class hotels, nestled serenely just of. Islamabad has excellent quality of life including hills, green belts, parks, and superior city administrative services- the ideal location of choice for multinationals and expatriates. Islamabad has a population of 2 million with literacy rate of over 80% growing at over 3% a year. Islamabad and the sister city of Rawalpindi are emerging as the “Silicon Plateau” of Pakistan.
IT Parks in Lahore:
Lahore, the cultural and academic hub of the sub continent, is known as the “Boston of Pakistan”. It was the top choice for location by 65% of target companies as per the Lahore IT Survey. The IT Park in Lahore has 6 acres within premises of Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport. Lahore’s metropolitan area has population of over 8 million, largest concentration of software export firms, and dozens of HEC-recognized Universities and IT Departments.
IT Parks in Karachi:
Karachi, the “New York of Pakistan”, was chosen as the location for the second IT Park. Spread out on 6 acres of prime, highly secure land was purchased within Karachi city. Based on proximity to residential and commercial areas and educational institutes, availability of infrastructure, and legal status, it was unanimously chosen as the best possible location by companies in the region according to the Karachi IT Survey. Karachi’s metropolitan area has a population of over 15 million, the largest concentration of IT firms, and dozens of HEC-recognized Universities and IT Departments. Karachi is an international financial and travel hub, famous for its air and sea port, and as the economic heart beat of the country.
Posted in
Career in Pakistan, IT Industry, IT Jobs, Pakistan Job Market, Software Companies | No Comments »
Friday, July 18th, 2008
Today the software industry has become the backbone of companies around the world. With technology advancing in leaps and bounds, there is no stopping IT professionals from around the world to bridge the gap between huge untapped markets and its customers, as well as creating an opportunity for innovation.
1. Tata Consultancy Services
Founded in 1968, TCS is one of India’s largest corporate houses. It is also India’s largest IT employer with a staff strength of 111,000 employees. TCS is IDC-Dataquest IT best employer in IT services in 2007. TCS also topped DataQuest DQTop 20 list of IT service providers in 2007.
2. Wipro
Wipro is today is a $5 billion revenue generating IT, BPO and R&D services organisation with presence in over 50 countries. The company has over 72,000 employees. Wipro was the only Indian company to be ranked among the top 10 global outsourcing providers in IAOP’s 2006 Global Outsourcing 100 listing. Wipro has also won the International Institute for Software Testing’s Software Testing Best Practice Award.
3. Infosys Technologies Ltd
Infosys Technologies Ltd was started in 1981 by seven people with $250. Today, the company boasts of revenues of over $4 billion and 94,379 employees. Forbes magazine named Infosys in its list of Global High Performers. Waters magazine rated Infosys as the Best Outsourcing Partner. The Banker magazine conferred two Banker Technology Awards on Infosys to acclaim its work in wholesale and capital markets in two categories – Payments and Treasury Services, and Offshoring and Outsourcing. The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) ranked Infosys at No. 3 in its ‘2008 Global Outsourcing 100′.
4. Satyam Computer Services
Established in 1987 by Ramalinga Raju, Satyam has a staff strength of 51,000 employees. In 2008, the company’s revenues crossed the $ 2-billion mark. Satyam is among the youngest IT service companies to reach $1 billion in annual revenues. It is ranked No. 1 in the ASTD (American Society for Training and Development) BEST Award, 2007.
5. HCL Technologies
Founded in 1976, HCL is one of ‘India’s original IT garage start ups’. The HCL team comprises 53,000 professionals of diverse nationalities, operating across 18 countries. At a time when India had a total of 250 computers, Shiv Nadar led a young team which passionately believed in the growth of the IT industry. The company has reported consolidated revenue of Rs 3017.5 crore (Rs 30.17 billion) during the quarter ended March 31, 2008. The profit after tax stood at Rs. 81.5 crore (Rs 815 million).
6. Tech Mahindra
Tech Mahindra is a global systems integrator and business transformation consulting firm focused on the communications industry. At the helm of the fast expanding organisation is Vineet Nayyar. In a career spanning over 40 years, he has worked with the government, international multilateral agencies and the corporate sector. Tech Mahindra’s net profit rose 8.57 per cent to Rs 196.4 crore (Rs 1.96 billion) on 6.09 per cent growth in net sale to Rs 911.6 crore (Rs 9.11 billion) in Q3 December 2007 over Q2 September 2007.
7. Patni Computer Systems
Patni Computer Systems Ltd one of the leading global providers of information technology services and business solutions. The company has clients across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific locations. The company headed founded by Narendra K Patni by has a staff strength of over 14,000 professionals. The revenues for the quarter ended March 2008 stood at $ 176.4 million (Rs. 7,061.2 million) up 13.1% YoY from $ 156.0 million (Rs. 6,724.1 million). The net income for the quarter at US$ 18.1 million (Rs. 724.6 million) down 35.0 per cent YoY from $ 27.8 million (Rs. 1,200.3 million).Frost & Sullivan ranked Patni 1st among ‘Top 5 Engineering Service Providers’.
8. i-flex Solutions
iflex started as a division of Citicorp (now Citigroup), wholly owned subsidiary called Citicorp Overseas Software Ltd. (COSL) in 1991. Later, a separate company Citicorp Information Technologies Industries Ltd. (CITIL) was formed and Rajesh Hukku was appointed as its head. The revenue for the full year ended March 31, 2008 stood at Rs 2,380 crore (Rs 23.80 billion), up 15 per cent as compared to the previous year.
9. MphasiS
MphasiS Limited was formed in June 2000 after the merger of the US-based IT consulting company MphasiS Corporation (founded in 1998) and the Indian IT services company BFL Software Limited (founded in 1993). Jeya Kumar is CEO of MphasiS, which has a staff strength of 27,000 people. For the year ended 31 March 2008, the MphasiS Group recorded revenues of Rs 2,423 crore (Rs 24.23 billion), a growth of Rs 662 crore, which is 38 per cent over the previous year. The net profit increased by 42 per cent from Rs 180 crore (Rs 1.8 billion) to Rs 255 crore (Rs 2.55 billion) during the year ended 31 March 2008. MphasiS was named among amongst the Top 100 Companies in Global Outsourcing.
10. L&T Infotech
L&T Infotech is a global IT services and solutions provider. It is a subsidiary company of is Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T), an engineering, manufacturing and construction conglomerate, with global operations. A M Naik is the chairman of the company. Originally founded as L&T Information Technology Ltd (LTITL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T), the company changed its name to L&T Infotech on 1st April, 1997. In 2004, it tied up with Fidelity Information Services, a division of Fidelity National Financial to provide banking solutions for the Indian banking industry. In 2007-08, L&T had recorded revenues of Rs 29,600 crore (Rs 296 billion).
Posted in
IT Industry, IT Jobs, Software Companies, Software Companies in India, Software Engineer Jobs | No Comments »
Friday, July 11th, 2008
The rapid spread of Information Technology (IT) has generated a need for highly trained workers to design and develop new hardware and software systems. Information Technology Jobs in the job market is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations as organizations continue to adopt and integrate increasingly sophisticated technologies. The phenomenal growth, which the Information Technology industry is witnessing, has lead to it being recognized as one of the highly paid industry. www.bayrozgar.com is a job portal provides a vast range of Information Technology Jobs all in Dubai and Pakistan.
Career Opportunities
following are the career areas in the industry of Information Technology.
Software
Offers vast range of employment opportunities in fields starting from computer operations, programming, system engineering and operation management,
system analysis to system designing.
Hardware
The key areas, which can be taken up as career, include hardware designing, assembling, research and development, manufacturing and maintenance of computer components.
Telecom
The various fields, which can be pursued as career in Information Technology Jobs, include voice processing units, telephone technology, wireless technology, cellular technology and satellite communication systems.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing in IT industry are a specialist tasks and require a thorough study of products and their competitions in the growing market. A Marketing job covers selling of both hardware and software products.
E-Commerce and Web Development
The job will include consumer/buyer information and services, developing and managing Web-portals; creation of Internet market, consulting, customer management etc.
Enterprise Resource Planning
ERP is developing and planning the resources of entire network of an enterprise. Various fields like purchase, production, marketing, sales, distribution, service, inventory, finance, accounts, and human resource are integrated on single software through ERP, to facilitate better coordination.
Computer Operator
A computer operator’s job is to run both the computer software and its peripheral equipment. The job may vary depending upon size of the organizations and its exposure to computers.
Data Entry
Data entry is transferring data and information into the computer and is the most basic purpose for which computers are used. Data entry operators are needed in almost every IT based organization.
Eligibility
Individuals with an advanced degree in computer science or computer engineering or with an MBA with a concentration in information systems should enjoy highly favorable Information Technology Jobs. College graduates with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information science, computer engineering or MIS also should enjoy favorable prospects for employment, particularly if they have supplemented their formal education with practical experience.
Posted in
Career Planning, Dubai Job Market, IT Industry, IT Jobs, Pakistan Job Market, Telecom Jobs | No Comments »
Friday, June 20th, 2008
Information communications technology – or technologies (ICT) is an umbrella term that includes all technologies for the communication of information. It encompasses: any medium to record information (whether paper, pen, magnetic disk/ tape, optical disks – CD/DVD, flash memory etc. etc.); and also technology for broadcasting information – radio, television,; any technology for communicating through voice and sound or images- microphone, camera, loudspeaker, telephone to cellular phones. At present, it is apparently culminating to information communication with the help of personal computers (PCs) networked through the Internet through information technology that can transfer information using satellite systems or intercontinental cables. Indeed, information technology (IT) has become a kind of a hub for communicating information, most often using computers. But, with an expanding fraction of human population getting empowered to share information it may not continue to be so.
Future of Information Communication Technology (ICT)
The ICT may not survive in its present form for long. Sooner than later developing countries would get over the PC mania prevalent now in the developed world, unless there is a remarkable change in the economy of owning a PC. Any technology that requires the masses to own a PC, in its present form, to access information is unlikely to be successful in the foreseeable future. Possibilities appear to exist, however, in the mobile phone technology, which is fast becoming very affordable by the masses, is voice based and can be integrated with the Information Technology at the server end of a computer network. For example, in the field of education people can ask question through a mobile phone, a database of answers to such questions can be generated using the technologies used currently in call centers and the text in these databases could be converted into voice, by developing text to voice technologies in the various Indian languages. The person seeking information can be informed when the answer is available and better answers sought based on his/her feedback. The emerging 3G and 4G mobile phone technologies can indeed facilitate such developments. An alternative technology could be to integrate the mobile phone with the television screen, so that visual information can be viewed easily. Similarly, there is a possibility for developing interactive radio, on the lines of interactive TV.
Posted in
IT Industry | No Comments »
Friday, June 20th, 2008
The scarcity of IT professionals in our homeland, Pakistan is an issue of much discussion these days. The reasons attributed to this are, primarily the “brain drain” whereby IT professionals have left the country for greener pastures and that Pakistan has not produced enough IT professionals to provide for the current requirements in various segments of industry and commercial and government organizations.
Let us now examine the IT Professionals that exist in Pakistan today. There are basically four following types.
Degree Holders: These are the professionals who have earned a graduate, post-graduate degree or doctorate in an IT or IT-related discipline or field either locally or from abroad. Local colleges and universities have only started offering IT degree courses in the past decade or two. Further, many of these institutions not only lack a curriculum that is up-to-date with current technology, but also the modern equipment and infrastructure that lends itself to turning out professionals who can compete with foreign qualified graduates, who therefore have a clear advantage in comparison.
Experience Based: Under this category are those professionals, who have no formal IT-related degree or certification, but have been working in the IT or related fields for a considerable period of time so as to justify their qualifications as IT professionals. However unless such professionals are exposed to standards, by virtue of their being implemented in the organization with which they are associated with or work for, or adopt them through self-learning, the quality of work produced by such professionals, in many cases, tend to leave much room for improvement. The question therefore often arises as to whether such professionals have the ability to apply IT standards, and to deliver quality output.
Certified Professionals: Many international professional organizations and bodies, recognizing the need for people with considerable experience to gain recognition, now offer professional certification based on a number of criteria, including the passing of a stringent exam. Apart from requiring candidates to acquire or prove that they have the requisite expertise and proficiency via the exam, these bodies also specify a minimum experience level, adherence to a set of standards as well as code of ethics, and also maintain currency of knowledge via continuing education programs.
Technically Certified: Technical certifications are differentiated from the above as they are more product or vendor specific, and follow a specified or limited course outline. Also there are specified requirement for any minimum experience level, adherence to code of ethics, and continuing education programmers. Examples are certifications offered by Microsoft, Oracle, Novell, Cisco, etc.
In addition to these four categories, there are also many people who have obtained diplomas and certificates from the several hundreds of proliferating institutes here and abroad, many of them unrecognized. These people also lack sufficient experience in the field and it is therefore debatable whether these persons can be called IT professionals.
In many advanced countries, apart from government bodies, professional associations and societies — for instance, the Computer Society — take on the role to establish standards that are accepted worldwide as benchmarks to determine professional accreditation.
It is unfortunate that in Pakistan no association or society has fulfilled this role. While selecting and dealing with IT professionals, organizations need to keep in mind not only the various categories as defined above, but also determine the standards adhered to by these professionals. However more importantly, organizations need to ensure that relevant IT standards are implemented within.
In the papers we are very strong IT professionals but we are just producing degree holders. Only few universities of Pakistan meet international standards. A survey shows that out of 100 thousand IT professionals trained in Pakistan only 600 to 700 are real Professionals. It means we are not producing a single person as professional in Pakistan main reason is that we lack the sly bus. In the end I can say that the IT word seems too good for hearing but in actual it’s a dream come true.
Posted in
IT Industry, IT Jobs, Pakistan Job Market, Software Engineer Jobs | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
MBA grades are desirable in any job market; an MBA will give you the opportunities you need to advance in business world. Today’s marketplace evolves and becomes increasingly complex; many employers are choosing to balance their need to retain good employees with their need to fill managerial positions with candidates possessing advanced-level knowledge and skills. In the United State alone, there are close to 300,000 MBA aspirants pursuing the MBA degree, in any given year.
While information technology (IT) may have made the world global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one. The Technology changing trend may cause the employee’s downsizing. Internet has made job security a main issue as since technology keeps on changing with each day. This means that one has to be in a constant learning mode, if employees wish for their job to be secure.
Here are some reasons that “Why MBA betters then IT?”:
Business Knowledge
The MBA program gives you valuable knowledge about business and all its related aspects .You learn about business strategies and concepts, not on paper, but the training and internship required in an MBA course, teaches you how to use these skills in practical life and in day to day business operations.
Leadership Abilities
MBA degree involves rigorous training, reports, assignments, presentations and group projects; all of which give you the necessary abilities t o handle real-life business situations. This helps you to set you apart from those who do not have such kind of expertise and can make you a leader in your chosen field.
Networking
The network that you form with your classmates and the alliances that you create is deemed as one of the most important and valuable things that an MBA program can give you.
Career prospects
An MBA degree provides you with fabulous career opportunities in various fields. It is especially beneficial to get jobs in high level positions such as executive and managerial level jobs.
Posted in
Career Development, Career Planning, IT Industry, IT Jobs, Pakistan Job Market | No Comments »
|
|
|
