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Linux key to growth plans -- IBM India CEO
Our eFE Bureau
Bangalore: IBM India is all set to pursue a Linux strategy and enable all its products and platforms to operate on this fast growing operating system, according to company's managing director and CEO Abraham Thomas. Addressing the media for the first time after assuming office as the head of IBM India, Mr Thomas said out of the $100 million investment announced earlier for India (towards development centers in Gurgaon, Pune and Bangalore) a large part would go towards Linux-oriented activities. "Linux is expected to be the main operating system for mission critical applications over the next few years. The idea is to offer our customers the best technology that will serve their requirements in a fast growing industry. All IBM products and platforms (except the AS/400) are currently enabled for Linux, including our mainframes," he said. IBM has also set up a Linux development center in Bangalore which is one among seven such facilities of the company worldwide. The company is also planning a rapid manpower scale-up for its India operations. In line with this, IBM is looking at inducting 1700 more software professionals this year which would take the total number of employees up to 4500. This figure is expected to scale up to 10,000 in the next few years. While the company's software group will focus on developing and enabling business partners to address the Indian market, the focus for the domestic services will be strategic outsourcing, network integration services, IT consulting and learning services. Mr Thomas also announced the commencement of manufacture of IBM Netfinity Intel-based servers in the company's Pondicherry facility. As part of its thrust on supporting education, the company is introducing a Post Graduate Course in IT at the Indian Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad and a community initiative for children in the age group of 3 to 7 years called KidSmart. IBM India posted revenues of $258 million in fiscal 2000, a growth of 26 per cent over the corresponding year. Of the total revenues, close to $98 million came in from software exports and the company is expecting to maintain/overshoot the average industry growth rate this year. Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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