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We
have asked Kiran Karnik, President of NASSCOM,
India's National Association of Software
and Service Companies or NASSCOM to kindly
answer a few questions.
How would you define your Association
(History, Mission, Members, Services)?
NASSCOM is the apex body and umbrella organization
of IT software and service organizations
in India. It was formed in 1988 with the
primary objective of being a catalyst for
the growth of the software-driven IT industry
in India. NASSCOM, a non-profit organization
registered under the Societies Act, has
currently has over 870 member companies
who collectively contribute to more than
95% of revenues of the software industry
in India.
NASSCOM provides various value-added services
to its members to assist them in making
business decisions. It conducts seminars
and conferences, provides regular updates
on various issues including Government policy;
provides information on opportunities in
the domestic and export market, and on global
and local seminars/conferences, and visa
issues. It hosts foreign business delegations
and organizes their interaction with the
Indian IT Industry, and also leads Indian
IT delegations.
NASSCOM's, mission is to make the Indian
IT software service sector a pre-eminent
global player. To facilitate this, NASSCOM
works on advocacy to ensure industry-friendly
government policies and seeks to create
and promote the "India Inc." brand
abroad.
What best describe, in general
terms, the multimedia domains of activity
your members belong?
The Software and Service industry has been
one of the catalysts in promoting multimedia
and related services in India. Indian software
companies have a comprehensive pool of varied
skills for multimedia development. The initiatives
range from products and services to establishing
multimedia infrastructure. The expertise
ranges from multimedia authoring; animation;
multimedia databases; digital content; user
interfaces to new media publishing. The
segments include business systems, education,
computer based training, research &
development and very recently E-learning.
Some Indian IT companies are also focused
towards developing applications for 3D animation
and games.
What are, at the national level,
the Multimedia areas of activity your Association
has identified and is currently working
on?
In order to give a strong boost to the multimedia
industry, NASSCOM has recommended certain
steps to the government of India. These
include promoting multimedia content development
both for local as well as export markets,
creating a 'National Internet Strategy &
Backbone' to increase Internet penetration
and delivery of quality converged digital
services across the country, working towards
creating localized multimedia applications.
If your Association is currently
developing business relationships with other
Associations abroad, can you specify the
reasons and the strategies?
Nasscom plays an active role in the international
software community. We are a member of the
Asian Oceania Computing Industry Organization
(ASOCIO). We are also a founding member
of the World Information Technology and
Services Alliances (WITSA). NASSCOM has
signed Memorandum of understandings with
numerous IT organizations, among which :
the Australian Information Industry Association
(AIIA), Irish Software Association (ISA),
Ente Gestione Mostre Comufficio (SMAU),
Federation of Korean Information Industries
(FKII), Asociacion Mexicana de la Industria
de Tecnologias de Informacion (AMITI), L'Association
des Professionnels de L'Informatique de
la Bureautique met de la Telematique (APEBI),
Myanmar Computer Federation (MCF), Camara
Peruana de Software (CPS), , Information
Technology Association of America (ITAA),
Computing Services and Software Association
(CSSA), Welsh Development Agency (WDA),
BITKOM (German Association for Information
Technology, Telecommunications and New Media).
Does your government play an important
role in developing the multimedia industry
in your country?
Recognizing the need for Convergence of
the IT, Telecommunications and Broadcasting
made possible by developments in digital
technologies, the Government of India has
drafted the Convergence Bill, which will
soon be passed by Parliament. The Bill lays
down the regulatory framework, which will
help companies emerge stronger in this new
area and conduct business seamlessly. The
government has also been active in ensuring
a robust telecommunications network across
the country to enable growth of new media.
The government is moving towards allowing
Internet Telephony from April 2002 and increasing
broadband penetration by encouraging private
players to set-up high-speed, high-bandwidth
data networks.
How is your Association responding
to the rapidly changing digital environment?
NASSCOM
works actively with the government and industry
to boost digital and multimedia penetration
across the country. NASSCOM on an ongoing
basis conducts events and seminars on new
technologies and trends and identifying
opportunities that emerge from the new media.
NASSCOM has established a special forum
on IT Enabled Services that has identified
growth areas in the areas of content development
and animation. NASSCOM has also conducted
a specific study with Boston Consulting
Group to identify the e-commerce potential
in India also specifically across the top
5 verticals. NASSCOM closely works with
the government to boost IT adoption through
E-governance and E-procurement.
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