What does scrapping GCSE IT mean for the tech sector?

The government’s decision to scrap the curriculum for  ICT GCSE follows criticism that the course was irrelevant. But will giving schools the freedom to teach the subject as they see fit be enough to close the IT skills gap and re-invigorate the economy?
When Google head Eric Schmidt visited the UK last year, he was scathing about the way ICT is taught in schools. "Your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it's made,” he said. It’s a message the government has taken on board with its latest plans to remove the ICT curriculum and give teachers free rein to focus on computer science and programming. Education minister Michael Gove hopes this will make the subject better suited to the needs of industry and create greater flexibility in responding to rapidly-changing technology.

Alan Brown, head of college ICT at Thanet College, welcomed the move. “We should always look to provide what the industry is looking for. IT is so fast-moving, reinventing itself every six months and education to a certain extent lags behind the leading-edge.” David Willmot, head of faculty at Blackfen School for Girls, agreed. “There will be some people who are disillusioned by the challenge, but our view is we will rise to it.
Willmot said the move will allow him to introduce a wider range of applications to students beyond the standard Microsoft suite. “While there are some very good Microsoft products, there are better products available for certain applications. This will enable us to introduce a greater variety,” he said.
Brown said the college’s next move will be to look at the materials available, such as those being provided by trade body BCS. “The awarding bodies will need to come up with methodology to operate at the same standards. The qualifying authorities need to ensure all schools and colleges are delivering a similar level product.

Some examining bodies are already seeking to provide a new ICT curriculum for schools to follow. Exam board OCR said it has already developed a new ICT qualification, which it hopes to make available to schools by September 2012. The new programme aims to focus on practical real-life skills and will provide computer programming and coding, it said.

Nothing new

But Tom Paes, network manager at Tomlinscote School & Sixth Form College and former IT teacher, is sceptical about the announcement. “This has happened two or three times in my experience of working in IT education. With every change in government there’s a change in the way ICT is taught. Around 15-years ago loads of money was put into up-skilling all teachers in IT so they could be more confident with the basics. Computer science was floundering so they brought in ICT. Now it’s gone full-circle.
“It’s hard to get students enthused by programming as it’s such a dry area. I’m not sure why the government is trying to turn key stage 3 and 4 kids into geeks. Even universities don’t ask for qualifications in computing in order to do a degree in it, they are just looking for logical thinkers. Also, most IT teachers don’t possess the sorts of programming and computer science skill-sets the government is talking about,” he said.
One young person currently studying GSCE IT  agreed with Paes’ comments. “I have not found any dull or boring things in the work set. In fact the parts that are boring are the HTML encoding and script writing! And to add to this who's going to teach us this because all the people who are good at writing scripts are writing scripts and get paid more than teaches?”

A lot of businesses still require students to have good software skills, added Paes. “I maintain ICT has to be used as a tool. By scrapping it students will lose a lot of the skills which companies do want, such as having good Word and Excel skills, for example,” he said.

Saverio Romeo, Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan, believes it is important that IT remains part of the curriculum. “I believe it is as important as the other subjects currently on the curriculum. I don’t see it’s exclusion as a good proposal.” With these plans there is a danger that some under-resourced schools might not offer anything to students, he said.
However, Romeo said he welcomes the moves to introduce more programming. “Students should gain knowledge of ICT as a whole. Word and Excel are important, but so is gaining some knowledge of programming,” he said.

As the economy continues to stall, it seems the government is increasingly putting its faith in the technology sector to revive growth. But while an attempt to tackle the IT skills gap is a good place to start, it seems unlikely that removing the ICT syllabus will be enough in itself to give the industry the full boost it needs. However, any move to improve student engagement with IT should be welcomed as a positive long-term move for the UK’s technology sector.

by Kathleen Hall  

 

http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240113733/What-does-scrapping-GCSE-IT-mean-for-the-tech-sector

CES-Samsung CEO: Not eyeing Olympus healthcare business

Samsung's major Japanese rivals, Sony (6758.T) and Panasonic (6752.T), have already shown interest in camera and endoscope maker Olympus, now in need of capital after being swamped by a $1.7 billion accounting scandal over the past three months, sources said.
Olympus is best known for cameras, but makes most of its money in healthcare, dominating the market for gastro-intestinal endoscopes, seen as the kind of high-tech, profitable and stable business that electronics firms would covet.
"We're not interested in what others are already doing very well. Samsung will do what we can do better," Samsung chief executive Choi Gee-sung told Reuters on the sidelines of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Choi said Samsung was not interested in investing in Olympus's healthcare business, but didn't elaborate on whether Samsung was open to forging an alliance with Olympus.
Healthcare is one of the new business areas Samsung is aiming to expand.
On Wednesday, Samsung also ruled out any interest in Olympus' loss-making camera business.

 

(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/01/13/ces-samsung-olympus-idINDEE80C00A20120113

Cyber Peripherals Thinks Big With Tablets

Aurangabad-based retailer has planned to set up an exclusive multi-brand tablet retail store with anticipation that tablets will soon erode the consumer PC market.

The sub-distributor and retailer have eight Lenovo and Toshiba exclusive stores, and eight more multi-brand stores. In FY2010-11 it clocked Rs 25 crore in revenue of which Rs 10.5 crore came from retail.

The motivation to start the tablet store came from an analysis of the segment. According to Prakash Pramod Dere, Director, Cyber Peripherals, “Apple and Samsung are aggressive. Smaller brands such as HCL and iBall, and mid-market brands like Lenovo and Acer, are also pushing their tablets. Aakash, priced at Rs 1,700 (for students and teachers) is getting this market extra attention. Tablets are presently eating into the netbooks market, and 2-3 years down the line they will be competing with notebooks.”

Cyber has already readied the 300 square feet store in Aurangabad, and is looking forward to launch the store officially toward February 2012. The company is targeting mobile entrepreneurs who want to substitute their laptops with a good device that is lighter in weight and long lasting in terms of battery life.
Cyber currently sells 20 Apple and Samsung tablets a month, but aims to sell much more once its tablet store starts.

“At present the tablet market is really scattered. Buyers do not know whether to approach a mobile shop, an IT retailer or an LFR. We are confident of getting more footfalls because we can offer the widest range and best advice to customers,” Dere said.

 By Sonal Desai,

http://www.crn.in/ITChannel-011Jan012-Cyber-Peripherals-Thinks-Big-With-Tablets.aspx

How It Works: Your Guide to Notebook Technology

I suspect the way most people look at their computers is the way I look at my car: confused and silently hoping that each day it will just work without any problems. The technology that goes into computers has progressed at a breakneck pace that until recently has only showed signs of slowing down; that said, the "slowdown" is roughly equivalent from reducing your speed from about 125 miles per hour to about ... we'll say 105.
Mercifully, if anything stays the same, it's the way computers are built. If you pop open the case on a desktop computer, there's an amalgam of wires, circuit boards, fans, and all kinds of crazy stuff that will likely just confuse people. But the logic and design that goes into this labyrinth of technology has actually gone relatively unchanged over the past decade. Of course, your laptop, on the other hand, won't do you the luxury of having all these interchangeable parts. In many ways a laptop can actually be MORE complex than a desktop.
Case in point: if my video card in my desktop goes on the fritz and decides it doesn't want to draw pretty pictures anymore, I can just pull it out and replace it with a new one. Not only that, but I have a wide variety (probably too wide) of cards I can put in a desktop, from $20 to even as far as $2,000 for workstation-class hardware. How did I know the video card itself went bad? I plugged my monitor into another computer and it worked just fine.
But what if your laptop stops giving a picture? It could be the cable that connects to the screen inside the shell. It could be the logic in the screen itself. It could be the graphics processor, the processor normally mounted to a removable video card in a desktop but soldered into place inside the laptop.
This long introduction boils down to a single point: laptops are complex. Even for the seasoned technology enthusiast they can be tricky; for the neophyte and the average user, they can be downright mind boggling. And that's where this guide comes in.
How It Works: Prologue
Over the next several weeks, I'm going to break down a single part of your laptop and explain what it does. This isn't going to be about recommendations, this is going to be about knowledge and understanding, dispensing information in such a way that eventually, you won't even need recommendations. You won't need someone to tell you "get this, this is good." You'll be able to know what you need and why.
This week I'll be covering the basic information you'll need to understand the stuff I'm talking about. Don't worry, it's not a huge deal, and there isn't going to be a test later.
There's one very important term and two units of measure that are vital to explaining any of these things to you.

By Dustin Sklavos,

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4485

The iPhone's Untapped Potential

Apple is known for its innovative gadget design, and with the release of the iPhone, it continues to live up to its hype. But while people are fawning over features like the smart, multitouch screen and the advanced Web browser, there is important technology under the hood that will likely go underappreciated. The iPhone has tiny, powerful sensors--an accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, and an infrared sensor--that are able to pick up cues from the environment and adjust the phone's functions accordingly. Apple has decided to use these sensors for detecting when to convert the screen view from portrait to landscape, for adjusting the brightness of the screen based on the brightness of the environment, and for disabling the touch screen when a person holds the phone to her ear.

Of course, Apple isn't the first to put sensors such as accelerometers in phones. Nokia, for example, has a sports phone (called the 5500) that uses an accelerometer as a pedometer. When a person takes the phone jogging, the accelerometer logs the rate of vibrations and sends that data to software that determines speed and distance. The 5500 also offers an accelerometer-based game in which a user tilts the device to navigate a ball through a maze. In addition, Nokia offers a developers' kit so that people can make their own accelerometer-based games, potentially mimicking the style of those played with Nintendo's popular Wii controller. (See "Hack: The Nintendo Wii.")

These functions, while useful and entertaining, are still pretty mundane, says Nathan Eagle, a research scientist at MIT. "These are trivial uses for what has the potential to provide a whole slew of new features and functionality," he says. Separate research taking place at MIT, Intel, and other companies suggests that, with the right software, built-in hardware such as accelerometers, light sensors, a GPS, and the phone's own microphone could provide contextual clues about people's activities and behaviors. A sensor-enabled phone could feasibly help monitor your exercise habits, keep track of an elderly relative's activities, and let your friends and family know if you're available for a call or instant-messaging conversation. It could even provide insight into social networks.

"If you get access to [a phone's] accelerometer data, you can get a variety of contextual clues about how the user is living their life," Eagle says--for instance, whether or not a user is riding a bike, taking the subway, walking up stairs, or sitting for a long period of time. The data can be used to let workers know if they need to take a break or if a person is meeting exercise goals, he says. Eagle and Sandy Pentland, professor of media arts and sciences at MIT, have used Nokia phones equipped with sensors to study the behavior of people in groups and even predict their actions to a certain extent. (See "Gadgets That Know Your Next Move.")

To explore other possibilities, researchers at Intel use a small gadget, about the size of a pager, that amasses data from seven sensors: an accelerometer, a barometer, a humidity sensor, a thermometer, a light sensor, a digital compass, and a microphone, says Tanzeem Choudhury, a researcher at Intel Labs Seattle. Most of the sensors are used to determine location and activity, but the microphone can provide interesting insight into social networks, she says, such as whether a person is having a business conversation or a social chat. Aware of privacy concerns, the researchers designed the microphone data to be immediately processed so that all words are removed, and only information about tone, pitch, and volume is recorded. Recently, Intel researchers equipped a first-year class of University of Washington graduate students with these sorts of sensors and, based on their interactions, were able to watch social networks develop over time.

To churn through all the data the Intel sensors collect, the researchers designed software to process it in stages, explains Choudhury. "You can do some simple processing on the mobile device," she says, such as averaging similar data points over time and throwing out data from a sensor that's below a threshold. Most mobile phones have the processing capabilities to do this and extract actions such as walking and sitting.
In the next stage of processing, researchers plug these actions into machine-learning models that infer more-complex behaviors. For instance, making a meal will require short walking bursts, standing, and picking things up. The Intel researchers developed models that look for certain actions occurring in succession. These models can also adjust to the basic quirks of the user, accounting for variation in cooking behavior; some meals may require more walking than others, and some people may sit more during meal preparation than others. This sort of information could be useful, Choudhury says, in determining if an elderly person is eating regularly. She notes that currently, some of the modeling is too computationally intensive to do entirely on a cell phone, and some of the data must be uploaded to a computer or a server. However, she says, the algorithms are becoming more efficient, and the processing power in phones continues to increase.

At this point, says MIT's Eagle, it wouldn't be too difficult to write consumer software that could infer a person's basic activities. These activities could then be used to update the status listed in an instant-messenger program or on a blog. Eagle notes, however, that manufacturers might be hesitant because it's likely that all the required data processing could cut battery life.

Apple has made no announcements about whether it might include such software in future versions of the iPhone. And it's unlikely that outside developers will be able to take advantage of the sensors at this point: Apple is limiting third-party development to applications that run within the Web browser--essentially, specialized Web pages. But as more phones become equipped with sensors, and phones' processing power continues to increase, Eagle suspects that sensor-based applications will become more popular.

By Kate Greene

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/18990/

KOREA: Korea emerges as information technology leader

It was 120 years ago today at Seoul's Deoksu Palace that King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty announced the establishment of "Ujeongchongguk," the country's first modern postal administration. But the post office was forced to halt services just 18 days after launching operations after its building was burned down during a coup attempt. It was another 10 years before the country printed stamps again.
Despite such an unfortunate beginning, Korea has now developed into one of the most connected countries in the world, carried by the rapid growth of its online and telecommunication sectors. Just nine years after the government announced a 15-year plan to simulate growth for communication and information technology, Korea is setting international standards in related industries backed by a vast domestic market of 29 million Internet subscribers and 35 million cellular phone users.
The rapid expansion of the Internet population has been the drive behind the IT industry's development as among the most technically advanced in the world. Under the 15-year scheme, called "Cyber Korea 21," the government focused its plan on building a solid IT infrastructure by expanding the coverage of broadband Internet access. The government was able to achieve the goal by 2000, with the broadband network extending to 144 regions that cover most of the country. Korea currently has 11 million Internet users with broadband access, representing a household penetration rate of 73 percent that is the highest in the world. KT Corp., the country's largest fixed-line and broadband carrier, earned more than 11 trillion won in revenue last year.
The IT industry has been growing at an annual rate of 16 percent over the past five years, producing an output of 209 trillion won and sending out $57 billion in exports last year. The sector now accounts for 15 percent of GDP and 30 percent of total exports, an impressive growth from 1997 when the sector accounted for just 7.2 percent of GDP.
The Ministry of Information and Communication will focus on promoting next-generation high-tech items to spur exports and implement state-funded IT projects, projecting the information technology sector to achieve 240 trillion won in output and $70 billion in exports for this year. The ministry has earmarked 246.1 billion won for its designated nine growth items including 2.3GHz mobile Internet, digital televisions and home networking, extending support to key software and hardware developers. The ministry projects the nine technology sectors to generate 31 trillion won in output and $12.4 billion in exports this year.
The government also plans to lay down the world's fasted broadband Internet network, a technology called broadband convergence network, that provides connection speeds of 50-100 Mbps, by 2012. The planned network, which runs 50 times faster than the currently used 1.5-2 Mbps connections, is part of government plans to build an environment fit for the industry trend heading toward the convergence age, when the wireless and fixed-line sectors connect over the medium of the Internet.
The telecommunication sector has developed into one of the most profitable and technically advanced industries of the world, thanks to a domestic market where around 75 percent of the population are cell phone users. SK Telecom, which controls 53 percent of all cell phone users, earned 9.5 trillion won in revenue last year.
Korea was the first to commercialize the use of CDMA chipsets in wireless receivers and eventually developed the technology as a world standard. The country was also the first to have an effective third-generation wireless platform, when it started the cdma2000-1x services in 2000 and followed up with cdma2000-1x EV-DO services in 2002, adding another dimension beyond voice communications where cell phone users are provided with image data and Internet connections, among other multimedia features.
With the local wireless market reaching saturation and the fixed-line sector experiencing flat growth, the government plans to develop a new revenue source through convergence concepts. The most notable efforts come in the form of satellite-based mobile broadcasting, or satellite DMB, which is planned to start commercial services in July. The satellite DMB system embodies one of the most advanced receiver technologies of today, with a satellite beaming video and audio signals to handheld receiver devices in vehicles moving at speeds up to 150 kilometers an hour. If the DMB services start out as scheduled, industry insiders believe that the services will garner 6 million subscribers by 2009.


By Kim Tong-hyung

http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-eastasia.asp?parentid=10476

Development of a Compact Indoor Wireless base Station by Fujitsu (Japan)

Fujitsu has released a new compact indoor base station capable of high-bandwidth, high-quality indoor wireless communications. The newly developed BroadOne LTE Femtocell utilizes a unique interference control technology capable of reducing signal interference between outdoor macrocell base stations and the femtocell. The device is easy to install without any needs for initial configuration, for the connection of up to eight handsets.
Furthermore, the device allows for seamless switching between LTE and Wi-Fi. Fujitsu will showcase the new BroadOne LTE Femtocell during the International CES and Mobile World Congress.










Tags: BroadOne LTE Femtocell, Compact Indoor Wireless base Station, Fujitsu, high-quality indoor wireless communications, seamless switching between LTE and Wi-Fi


http://japantechniche.com/2012/01/09/development-of-a-compact-indoor-wireless-base-station-by-fujitsu/

Gadget Watch: ATM turns your old phone into cash (LAS VEGAS)

LAS VEGAS—The International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is all about the latest smartphones, tablet computers and other devices. But what about the old gadgets? Don't they get any love?

Actually, one machine at the show is designed to help recycle gadgets, giving old phones a fitting end, or a better home.

Drop your phone into the EcoATM, and the machine will pay you what it believes the handset is worth. The cupboard-sized machine has a large touch screen and a big metal "mouth" where you can place your old phone or MP3 player. It takes pictures of the device to figure out what kind of shape it's in. Then, you choose one of the machine's many cables to connect your device. The machine will figure out if the device's internals are working.

When its analysis is complete, it gives you a quote on the spot, based on what a network of hundreds of electronics-recycling companies are willing to pay for it. If you accept, it spits out cash. In a demonstration by EcoATM founder Bill Bowles, it said a Verizon iPhone 4 was worth $221.

An older phone might not be worth reselling, but the machine will take it anyway, and give you a dollar. The company will melt down the phone in an environmentally friendly fashion to extract the precious metals from it.

WHY IT'S HOT: It's tough to recycle old electronics. Collection bins are few and far between, though some electronics stores accept items for recycling. You can sell newer phones on eBay, but it's a bit of a hassle.

THE UPSHOT: A fast way to deal with old electronics that keeps your conscience clean and might give you a bit of extra money.

THE DOWNSIDE: The EcoATM's quote probably won't match what you can get for your item on eBay. On the other hand, you avoid eBay's seller fees. You have to physically go to the ATM. It's a big machine, about twice the size of a regular drugstore ATM. It has a lot of complicated moving parts, and could be prone to breakage.

AVAILABILITY: There are about fifty of them deployed right now, mostly in grocery stores and malls in California. The San Diego-based company behind the machine says it plans to have about 500 out at the end of this year, spreading eastward.

 


















By Peter Svensson 

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2012/01/12/gadget_watch_atm_turns_your_old_phone_into_cash/

Information About the ITAA

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) is a well-respected high-tech industry association that works to represent and enhance the competitive interests of the U.S. information technology and electronics industries. The Association provides leadership in business development, public policy advocacy, market forecasting and standards development to more than 350 corporate members. Its members range from very small start-ups to industry leaders offering services, system integration, Internet, telecommunications, software, electronics and hardware solutions to the public and commercial sector markets.
ITAA offers the industry’s only grassroots to global network, carrying the voice of IT to companies, markets and governments at the local, state, national and international levels to facilitate growth and advocacy.
The Association has offices in the Washington, DC area and Silicon Valley and unique affiliations with regional and national technology groups across America and around the world. It maintains a formal alliance with more than 40 regional associations in the U.S. and Canada, representing 16,000 technology-related companies, through the Council of Regional Information Technology Associations (CRITA). ITAA also serves as secretariat for the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), a network of 69 industry associations in countries around the world. These special partnerships, combined with ITAA’s advocacy efforts and initiatives on the state, local, federal, and global levels, make for an unrivaled network that provides broad impact on policy matters and market access in the US and around the world.

Also Known As: Information Technology Association of America

 

 

 

From Laura Schneider

http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/historyoftechindustry/g/ITAA.htm

Information Technology & India - A Closer Look At What We Can Learn From This Rapidly Expanding IT Hotspot

Headlines touting India’s burgeoning IT market are almost a daily occurrence in today’s tech media, and for good reason. Outsourcing continues to draw hordes of overseas customers, domestic computing is on the rise, and multinational giants are pouring billions into Indian-based development.

According to Gartner, enterprise IT spending will reach $25 billion in 2006, up from $20.3 billion in 2005, and business spending on computer hardware, software, and communications products will grow at a rate of 20.8% over the next four years. Along with China, India is poised to make a huge impact in the worldwide IT realm in coming years. Gartner reports that “the rapid maturing of information development in China and India will see trade between the two explode and result in firms gaining competencies that can be applied across emerging markets globally.”

That potential isn't being ignored on U.S. soil. India's prospects look so enticing to Microsoft that the company plans to invest $1.7 billion in India over the next four years, with half of the investment being pumped into the expansion of Microsoft’s research and development centers.

“Our business has grown in India as a result of the strong technical and skilled resources available in the state,” said Chairman Bill Gates at a recent Microsoft event in Bangalore, inaugurating the company’s new seven-story India facility. “This new building signals our confidence in the future of this relationship and our intent to provide our employees with the best possible environment and resources. Our partners and we have 4,000 professionals in India today. We will increase it to 7,000 over the next three to four years.”

Also onboard the Indian train is Intel, which unveiled a multiyear plan to invest more than $1 billion in India, including $800 million over the next five years to expand business operations there. The microprocessor behemoth is targeting expansion of its research and development center in Bangalore, as well as marketing, education, and community programs.

Intel chairman Craig Barrett also took the wraps off plans for a $250 million Intel Capital India Technology Fund to help stimulate local technology innovation and growth. A similar-sized investment was announced in October by Cisco President and CEO John Chambers, who says his company will invest $1.1 billion in India over the next three years, including $750 million for the expansion of its R&D operations there.

Methods For Success

This increased focus on India and its massive potential for IT expansion and innovation comes as no surprise to many within the industry, as India has long been an outsourcing hotbed and should continue to be one for years to come. A recent report from Nasscom-McKinsey estimates that the country’s combined BPO and IT outsourcing market will grow at a rate of 25% per year to reach $60 billion by 2010.

“They strive to have a much bigger workforce that has a much higher level of expertise over there than here,” says Sanjeev Aggarwal, senior analyst for Small & Medium Business Strategies at Yankee Group. He says that areas such as network development are particularly rich with talent, resulting in Indian data centers that run smoothly and efficiently.

Indian outsourcing companies are placed in well-built office parks that have all the infrastructure and connectivity required to reach the outside world. “These types of companies are very progressive because they are servicing outside companies,” explains Aggarwal. “They need to have top-notch infrastructure and top-notch IT servers and desktops and storage and connectivity. Those data centers would compare with anything here or may even [rank] one notch above them, in terms of redundancies and [other areas].”

Smaller businesses in India, especially those that service the Indian market, tend to have much older technical infrastructures than companies that make their money outside of India. However, older equipment in India doesn’t tend to affect companies there as much as it does in the United States because Indian personnel are able to stretch the lifetime of their equipment beyond the limits of what we might consider useful.

According to Aggarwal, another difference is that data center employees in India tend to be more adept in varied technologies than employees here. “You’ll see more Linux there because they have people who can toil around with the Linux code and open source and make it work.”

Some might explain this tendency toward broader expertise as a requirement to compete in a country teeming with technical talent. Yet recent research from Duke University reveals inaccuracies in statistics that claim the United States produces 70,000 engineers every year while India produces 350,000 every year. Duke found that the United States is graduating about 222,000 engineers per year, compared to India’s 215,000. And according to a McKinsey partner, only 25% of technical graduates in India are “suitable” for working in the offshore IT industry.

Aggarwal notes that although there is plenty of emphasis placed on certifications for job applicants, experience is similarly valued. However, for smaller companies, balanced applicants are becoming more difficult to snag. “The dilemma that one faces is the people who are more experienced and more certified want to work for the multinational companies and outsourcing companies [instead of] the Indian companies that are servicing Indian clients. They have a harder time getting more talent.”

Ditch The Meetings?

Although India’s data centers increasingly mirror their U.S. counterparts in terms of technology and processes, subtle variations in the way personnel conduct their business can equate to timesaving. Sumit Gupta, who has worked in IT in both the U.S. and Bangalore, says that cultural informalities in India let workers cut to the chase when dealing with particular IT-related issues.

“What could take a meeting of 10 to 12 people here could be done [there] by two or three people just talking in a cubicle,” Gupta says. “Here you call a meeting, you cc: a whole bunch of people who have nothing to do with the topic. People who have little to contribute to the topic end up showing up at the meetings, asking irrelevant questions and taking off on tangents that could have otherwise been avoided.”

by Christian Perry

http://processor.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/P2801/20p01/20p01.asp&guid=