'City of Dreadful Night', 'City of
Joy' and 'Dead City' are some of the names given to this 300-year-old erstwhile capital of
British India. Calcutta never fails to leave its impression on the minds of those who
visit the city. However, the city for long has been trying to find a foothold for itself
in the IT arena. But now, with other cities clamoring for a piece of the projected
$50-billion software pie, Calcuttans are finally getting their act together to find a
place on the IT map of the country.
The Old New Horizon
"The state government (of West
Bengal) is laying special emphasis on information technology and electronics. We are in
the process of formulating policies to put the state amongst the most desired destinations
for both domestic and international companies. We are also setting up a number of new
technical institutions in the field of electronic and software training both at the basic
and advanced levels."
-Jyoti Basu, Chief Minister, West Bengal, during 'Destination West Bengal'
initiative (to revive the industry) on January 17, 1999 at Ffort Radisson, Raichak,
Calcutta.
Technology business has proved to
be elusive for this city of in-tellectuals. But now, going by the recent developments in
the city, there finally seems to be a headway in Calcutta. For one, the government is
showing keen interest in developing the IT industry in the state. The guards of the red
bastion have realized that they would have to create a niche for themselves to catch up
with those who have already had a headstart. Secondly, investments made in the last couple
of years are starting to show results-Computer Associates-TCG, Globsyn Technologies,
Research Engineers, Sema Group, Cognizant Technologies. Not to mention the successes of
older companies-consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and software exporter RS Software.
These companies have become examples of success in Calcutta, waiting to be replicated
across the state.
All this is inculcating optimism not only in the Calcuttan, but also in the outsider about
the city's place in Indian IT. And Calcutta is doing it the way it does best-by planning
and strategizing. At a time when other places are competing against each other for a
larger piece of the software exports pie, consisting mainly of Y2K and data conversion
jobs, Calcutta is looking toward creating a new class of techno-entrepreneurs-a breed
which will utilize what the city offers and enhance upon it. And hence the plan outlined
by CII in its meeting with the state government and the state government is incorporating
it in its strategy to resuscitate the industry.
And who are these techno-entrepreneurs? These techno-entrepreneurs are supposed to focus
on emerging technologies, and thus be at the cutting edge of IT. "They are also
expected to focus on outsourcing work for service and support activities for the global
market," informed Roopen Roy of PwC. Supporting him, says Bikram Dasgupta, Chairman,
Globsyn, "Bengalis by nature make very good support people. Leveraging on it, IT
companies can set up their back-end support structures in Calcutta."
The USP: Intellect
While Mumbai rose to importance and became the 'economic capital' of India and the British
crowned Delhi as the 'political capital,' Calcuttans took pride in considering their city
as the 'intellectual capital' of the country. A city of poets, painters, writers and
artists, knowledge and its pursuit has always been Calcuttans' hallmark. Three Nobel
Laureates are proof enough. And look at the number of educational institutions-both
engineering and management-in and around Calcutta. Three reputed universities and seven
reputed institutions-numbers unbeatable by any other city (see Box on page 100). With such
a portfolio, Calcutta has what is considered to be the basic raw material for a
knowledge-based industry like IT-a vast pool of intelligent and capable human resources.
This intellect base is what Calcutta offers as a unique selling proposition to pitch for
IT outfits. In fact, many of the software companies have established offices at STP at
Saltlec just to recruit the talent pool from Calcutta and send them abroad as well as to
the other cities in India. NexGen SI Inc, a US-based supply chain and customer care
solutions company, recruits and trains candidates at its STP facility, before putting them
on offshore projects in Mumbai or on onsite projects abroad. PwC's headquarters in
Calcutta recruits people for its facility at Mumbai, which is the largest in the country.
In fact, PwC has a Technology Center in Calcutta which provides back-end support to PwC
worldwide.
An added advantage of this intelligent workforce is the stability factor. Bengalis seldom
like moving out of their city. And even when forced to, they are always yearning to be
back home. Says Dasgupta, "Calcuttans are much more stable with the organization they
work for. In an industry where human resource turnover has reached ridiculous levels, this
can also act as a motivating factor to invest in the city." Venkat Subbarao, CEO,
CATS, shares Dasgupta's views, "We are a people-driven company. And Calcutta has the
pool of talent that we need. There are a large number of high quality professionals
working abroad who want to come back here. Our endeavor is to provide these professionals
with a world-class environment right in their backyard," says Venkat. The duo's views
are shared by Amrit Das, Chairman, Research Engineers Inc, which has plans to start a
multimedia studio in Saltlec. "Since I belong to the city, I am comfortable doing
business here."
Infrastructure: Cost-effective
One of the major factors that tilts the scales in favor of Calcutta is its infrastructure.
The first and foremost is cheap real estate. With land prices sky-rocketing in most
metros, Calcutta offers a comparatively cheaper alternative to the software entrepreneur.
For example "Though we have an office in Mumbai, we could not have built a Technology
Center covering 55,000 sqft in Nariman Point. Also, when you are in the technology
business, it does not matter where you are located-as long as you have excellent
communication facilities", says Roy.
The other important factor is electricity. At a time when most major cities in the country
are facing power crisis, Calcutta can boast of a stable power situation. The city today
has sufficient amount of power to serve the needs of the industry as well as its domestic
consumers. Further plans are afoot to augment the power for the state as a whole (see
box).
Two ports-Calcutta and Haldia-and a network of railways and roads add to its advantage.
Dasgupta supports the city's claim to providing cost-effective facilities. "Calcutta
has an international airport. This makes access to countries overseas easier. It is also
relatively cheaper to do business in Calcutta."
I-WIN, a joint venture between ICICI and West Bengal Infrastructure Development
Corporation Ltd (WBIDC), is studying the feasibility of setting up a 3,000 km long
state-wide optical fiber cable-based information superhighway using transmission and
distribution network of power utilities in the state. The Chief Minister in his speech
during Destination West Bengal, informed about encouraging private initiatives in new
projects like River Front Development Project in Calcutta, a permanent exhibition ground,
the World Trade Center, a new Stock Exchange, flyovers, etc. In addition, there are plans
to construct express highways from Calcutta to Haldia and Siliguri, for which the Asian
Development Bank has sanctioned $1 million.
Selling Calcutta
The biggest hurdle faced by the city till recently has been the absence of sufficient
public relations activity. This can be clearly made out from the fact that despite being
one of the four major metros in the country, when National IT Task Force initially
identified five major centers for hi-tech habitats, Calcutta found no mention in it. It
was only after the Task Force members visited the place that the city was included in the
list. (The cities originally mentioned were Pune, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Delhi and
Bangalore.)
And then you had a nodal government agency for electronics industry, Webel, playing the
part of a 'realtor', as JP Mathew, COO, AstralSys Software India Pvt Ltd, felt when
applying for land acquisition at Saltlec.
In fact, looking at the long-winding delays one faces in land deals, Mathew started
thinking of moving to Hyderabad, the current hotspot. These factors not only did inhibit
fresh investors, but demoralized the existing set-ups as well.
Hopefully, with the government pulling up its socks and looking into the matter seriously,
all this has become a matter of past now. As part of its recommendations to the state
government, the CII suggested restructuring of Webel so that it can become a facilitator
for the industry. Also recommended was the pulling out of the government from the IT
business. Taking a cue from Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, the state
government is now taking up the job of selling of the city and the state.
And with most industries facing troubles like, employee unrest (Bata), companies shifting
base (Philips) or closure due to severe mismanagement (Dunlop), IT can be one field which
can resuscitate the city. Whether it is employment or industrial growth. Now that things
seem poised to take off, Calcutta can hope to regain the lost glory it once had.
Says Basu, reiterating his government's commitment to the industry, "We appreciate
that investments will continue to flow on their own, based on the strengths pertaining to
the geographical location of West Bengal, its agricultural and other resources and the
vast market which is available in the state and other neighboring countries like
Bangladesh and Myanmar. And our government is determined to do whatever is necessary to
make West Bengal once again a premier state for industrial investments in the
country."
Aspiration Statement West Bengal will be among the top two states in leading-edge knowledge-based industries measured by revenue generated headcount of IT professionals and real direct investments within the next three years. STRATEGY OUTLINED Focus on * Emerging technologies (not-techno-coolies doing Y2K work). * Outsourcing work from overseas market to generate employment. * Multimedia, internet and e-business related work. Recommendations of CII * Tap Venture Capital. * Attract Foreign and Private Investments. * Create an IT Ministry. * Distance Learning through virtual universities (Project Eklavya). * Restructuring West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation (Webel) to become a facilitator. * Government and Webel should pull out of the IT business. Source: Excerpts from the presentation of the CII to the government of West Bengal. |
Alokananda Ghosh
and Sivakumar V
in Calcutta.
"The interest and
enthusiasm of the people will help West Bengal be marked as the destination for IT in the
country."
-Bidyut Ganguly, Minister for Industries and Commerce, Government of West Bengal.
The state of West Bengal
is gearing up to face the next millennium with a complete turnaround of the industry. On
the head of this initiative, tabled 'Destination West Bengal', is the development of IT in
the state. Spearheading this initiative is Bidyut Ganguly, Minister for Industries and
Commerce, Government of West Bengal. In an interview with DATAQUEST, just after the
Raichak meet, Ganguly outlined the advantages of West Bengal and the government's plans to
uplift the IT situation there. Excerpts:
Why has Calcutta not been able to compete with other cities like Hyderabad where IT
development is concerned?
We are not looking at Calcutta as the only development center in West Bengal. We
prefer taking into consideration the state as a whole. We are certainly in a better
economic condition when compared to Andhra Pradesh. In fact, I think we should move away
from Calcutta and lessen its burden.
I realize the importance of IT. But if you tell me that it can eliminate poverty, then I
will tell you that that is just a myth. We need the right implementation of IT. The
applications of this industry related to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are very different from
those in Europe and America.
What are the Calcutta's
strengths to attract IT investments in the city?
Calcutta has a wealth of qualified human resource. The graduates from our universities and
engineering colleges are serving in other states and overseas in some of the reputed
organizations. This is mainly due to the lack of opportunities available in the state.
These people are in key positions in electronics, IT and other allied fields of service.
After being outside the state for a long time, they are now eager to come back. We have
been able to establish direct communication with them. They are also equally interested in
investing in the state. We want to take full advantage of this tremendously powerful human
resource and its experience.
Why has the state government
been late in taking an initiative?
The Left Front government wanted to establish an electronics complex in the early
eighties. We had asked the Government of India to set up the Bharat Electronics Ltd unit
in Calcutta. We had committed 100 acres of land for the purpose. Water and power were to
be made available free of cost for a period of five years. But the project did not
take-off because of defence reasons.
We set aside the land at Salt Lake for the electronics and other related industries.
Today, there are a lot of companies who have set up their operations at Salt Lake. In
fact, there is a shortage of land. I have directed Webel not to be prejudiced in
allocating land. I don't think location is of prime importance if we can meet the
requirements of the workforce. An institution like Shanti Niketan would otherwise have
remained a dream otherwise.
The best way to build these complexes is to combine both industrial and residential
facilities. These will include infrastructure facilities like schools, colleges, hospitals
and means of entertainment.
What are the state government's
plans for the development of the IT industry?
We have positioned the right people in the right place without any vacuum for the
development of IT and multimedia in West Bengal. We are continuously interfering and
communicating with the concerned persons throughout the world. The results are
encouraging.
All this against a scenario where the capital market has been shattered and public issues
are not coming up. Financial institutions are also not supporting projects as in the past.
It is very difficult for the state to bypass this acute national phenomenon.
In spite of all this, the state government, in collaboration with several promotional
organizations, all universities in the state and private sectors are trying to chalk out
the right plan. The field work has also started in a significant way. The interest and
enthusiasm thus created among all concerned and the personal initiative of the Chief
Minister will help the state to emerge as an obvious destination for IT in the country.
Why do you say that you are
interfering?
I think you can interfere only when you are seriously involved with whatever you are
doing. In that sense, the government is very much interested in keeping tab on the
progress made.
Your comments on the
presentation made by CII.
The presentation was very well defined. The aspirations were clearly stated. There were
many suggestions, which included setting up of a separate ministry for IT. I can only say
that we are considering the proposals and will take the right step at the right time.
Alokananda Ghosh
in Calcutta.
Calcutta: An Ideal
Software Hub
This first capital of British India,
has all the makings to become the software capital of the country, all it requires is a
small push from the government.
The emergence of the knowledge
industry brings yet another opportunity for Calcutta to take up its deserving position in
the intellect-based industry globally. What the British facilitated as an academic
infrastructure here, can now be used to gain economic leadership, more than adequate to
compensate for the negative investment climate prevalent for the past many decades.
The state government of West Bengal recognizes the potential of the software industry and
is thereby quickly trying to shun its tag of being a 'non-friendly investor zone.'
However, like anywhere else there are pros and cons of being in the business here also and
as pioneers in the industry we have experiences like anybody else would have.
Calcutta, most certainly, has a work environment which can help maximize the probability
of success for an entrepreneur in this industry segment and can do a lot more to ensure
the success of the individual. The foremost issue that the state government needs to deal
with is to conduct a promotional campaign that clearly emphasizes its changed attitude
toward investments in Calcutta.
Our experience demonstrates that the state government is interested to provide full
infrastructure support to successful entrepreneurs and do for them all it can to help them
climb up the ladder. The space, power and telecommunication infrastructure in Saltlec
electronic complex is comparable to the best in the country. This is supported by the
local community that it gets a challenging career in Bengal, would prefer to rather work
in the state than moving elsewhere in the country.
While other 'known allured places' are saturated, Calcutta is still a virgin territory for
software investments. For the cost of living index, it's the most favorable city in India,
and from the intellectual capital index context too, it has the potential to be the most
progressive city from this region. The software industry needs creative ingenuity and
mathematical precision, and it is in the former arena that the local population has its
core capability. Calcutta, in my opinion, is an ideal destination for software investment,
and the recent increase in IT investments bear a testimony to this.
RAJ JAIN,
Chairman, NASSCOM, and CEO, RS Software.
(The author is one of the
earliest entrepreneurs of the IT industry in the state. With over a decade of experience
in running a software export house in Calcutta, Jain can be easily depended upon to know
about the intricacies of doing business in the city. On request, he took sometime off from
his busy schedule of managing two offices, to pen his thoughts for this special section on
Calcutta for DATAQUEST.)
Righting Its Wrongs
face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
The business fundamentals of
the state are strong. All it needs is a right strategy and then its right implementation.
West Bengal has received excellent
professional advice from Arthur D Little, PricewaterhouseCoopers and now, Mckinsey. All
these global consulting companies have identified knowledge-based industries as a thrust
area for the state. The focus should now be on implementation and a clear action plan
needs to be drawn with a definite timeframe. The first step, I believe, should be a taking
out a clearly articulated Aspiration Statement.
Aspiration statement
In the next three years, West Bengal will be among the top two states in leading-edge
knowledge-based industries, in terms of the revenue generated, headcount of IT
professionals and direct investments.
In achieving the Aspiration Statement, the state should pursue a differentiated strategy.
While the rest of the software industry is focused on solving Y2K and Euro problems and in
tweaking legacy code, West Bengal does not carry this legacy baggage as it entered the
game late. Instead of learning to play the old games, the state should focus on games
which belong to the next decade.
My recommendation is that West Bengal should focus on emerging technologies, outsourcing
work (which is already a $40-billion worldwide business) and on e-business. There is no
way that it can sprint ahead of the pack by doing the same things differently. It must
elect to do altogether different things.
Major challenges
Talent alone is not enough for building a thriving software or knowledge industry. The
road is beset with major challenges:
* Creating a new class of techno-entrepreneurs:
Professionals and technologists in the state are somewhat risk-averse and this adds to the
problem of creating a pool of techno-entrepreneurs.
* Training facilities: Training facilities that stand up to world standards are few and
many of the learning institutions teach outdated technology.
* Branding and marketing: There is an inadequate opportunity for building brands and
insufficient expertise and resources in marketing. There is also a need for a healthy
network of entrepreneurs, venture capital funds and academia in order that knowledge-based
industries can flourish and proliferate in an environment that nurtures the growth of
intellectual capital.
However, the role of venture capital funds (VCFs) is not well understood in India. The
greatest asset that VCFs bring the world over is their expertise in choosing the winning
horses and their nose for smelling success even at the conceptual stage. VCFs also can
bring connections and networks to the table to make a fledgling organization more
successful. The government and its organizations, which are not particularly apt at
valuing intangible assets like IPR and brands and are generally risk-averse, should stay
away from 'promoting' VCFs.
Action Plan
Therefore what is required is a careful action plan:
* Invite successful VCFs to set up JVs in the private sector focused on knowledge
industries. Focus should be more on their expertise than on their money.
* Consider setting up an IT ministry in the state. This would be a 'cold' statement of the
West Bengal Government about its initiatives for knowledge industries.
* Leverage available infrastructure at learning institutions to impart world-class
training in IT by calling for industry participation and collaboration and encourage the
creation of new infrastructure.
* Encourage 'Distance Learning' through creation of virtual universities by leveraging the
power of technology-based training thorough the internet and intranets.
The state can consider Project Eklavya to reach students who are not privileged enough to
study in the best institutions for reasons of cost, accessibility or distance. At the same
time, some kind of regulatory regime can be introduced to rate and regulate 'fly-by-night'
training institutions which focus only on the unemployed youth.
* The concept of co-branding with established MNCs should be explored as also new models
of revenue earning other than man-month payments, for example equity, royalty.
* Government-run institutions like Webel have promoted many industries themselves. Sadly,
but not unpredictably, many of these industries are either not performing satisfactorily
or are sick. The state government should take a hard look at pulling Webel out of actively
engaging in business ventures. It should be transformed into a facilitator of industries
and should step up its role of inviting investments, improving infrastructure and
performing long-range planning for building the ecology of a thriving knowledge-based
industry in the state. It may also set up shelf-companies with all clearances which can be
'sold' to entrepreneurs, thus dramatically reducing the start-up time.
* Another must for the state government is to undertake some flagship projects to promote
e-government applications and put in place, as a basic step, an electronic messaging
system.
* Taxes and duties levied should be at par with other competing states such as
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
* Land should be made available to young software professionals who can form cooperative
societies and build their own flats. It can act as an important measure to retain them in
the state.
* While telecom and power are reasonably good in comparison to other competing states, it
needs to should focus on improving infrastructure like roads within an electronic complex,
transportation and other support services.
* The state should place equal emphasis on inviting Indian investments since they are as
important as global investments. In outsourcing business, the bulk of companies are likely
to be global.
* The West Bengal government should itself use electronic media to promote itself. Webel
could have a world-class web site to begin with.
* Finally, there should be some measurement to see what progress is being made. Here Webel
can track its progress along three simple metrics: incremental turnover, incremental
investment and incremental headcount on a year-to-year basis. It should also benchmark
itself against a set of simple measures taken by other states, like Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Noida.
Lastly, I believe that West Bengal should begin to market itself to a target group of
software companies aggressively and with tailored plans and packages with a mindset of
flexibility within broad parameters.
ROOPEN ROY,
Leader, Management Consulting Services (MCS)
Pricewaterhouse Coopers Ltd.
Saltlec: Calcutta's Silicon Valley
size="-1">
Situated near Calcutta, the Salt
lake Electronics Complex (Saltlec) covers around 81 hectares of land. The city has a fully
integrated infrastructure and facilities including uninterrupted power supply. The
companies who have set up operations in Saltlec are mainly into microprocessor based
systems, telecommunications, computer software and hardware and software development.
Webel's Standard Design Factory (SDF), a six-story building, is situated in the heart of
the complex and also houses the Software Technology Park (STP). An Intelligent Building -
Infinity - is also under construction and is expected to be operational from March 31,
1999. The complex also enjoys excellent communication facilities with VSNL being located
right next to the SDF building.
The Eastern Brigade
RS Software India Pvt Ltd
One of the first IT companies to set up base in Calcutta, RS Software also enjoys the
distinction of being the first company to bring the IBM S/390 architecture technology to
India. The company's core competence lies in areas of legacy code management and is also
focused on conversions, maintenance and new development work in IBM mainframe technologies
from an off-shore point of view. RS Software has a well-defined methodology relating to
software development, project management and quality assurance. It was awarded the ISO
9001 certificate by KPMG in 1994. The company provides services in the area of Y2K
conversions and testing, euro currency conversions, software development, software support
and maintenance and computer center management and systems support. All its workstations
are connected through a LAN to the host, an ES-9211, via high-speed 64 kbps communication
links to the company's office in the US.
Raj Jain, Chairman
RS Software
A-2, 234/3A, A.J.C. Bose Road
Calcutta - 700 020
Tel: 247 5746, 240 6254/55
Globsyn Technologies Limited
The company defines its area of business as PIPS-People, Infrastructure, Projects and
Skills. And accordingly, it has four different business streams-TechnoSource, an advisory
and contracting service; Infinity, a 40-acre, multi-tower "Intelligent City";
TechnoWare, a powerful mainframe and emerging technology-based development center; and
TechnoCampus, a high-end software education institute.
Bikram Dasgupta, Chairman
Globsyn House, FD-404
Sector III, Salt Lake
Calcutta - 700 091
Tel: 334 9467, 357 3688, 359 7103
PricewaterhouseCoopers
The merger of Price Waterhouse Associates and Coopers & Lybrand resulted in the
largest professional organization of consultants. The Management Consulting Services (MCS)
of PricewaterhouseCoopers helps global and national clients maximize their business
performance through seamless integration of strategic change, process improvement and
technology solutions. PwC's Technology Center at Saltlec covers 55,000 sq ft of space and
functions as a one-stop center for multi-vendor solutions. The Center provides solutions
in areas of web-technology, multimedia, ERP, datawarehousing, GroupWare, Workflow,
Customized and Leveraged solutions for Indian and overseas clients.
The Oracle Center of Excellence (COE) at the Technology Center serves as a hub for the
development of industry specific solutions. PwC has already announced the launch of
"Empower"-an ERP solution for the power industry and "Oracle CPG" for
the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. COE also provides education and training to
clients and staff of PwC.
Roopen Roy, MCS Leader
PricewaterhouseCoopers
2/5, Sarat Bose Road
Calcutta - 700 020
Tel: 475 2910, 474 8523, 476 0420
Research Engineers Pvt Ltd
With a spate of takeovers, the central hub of the US-based Research Engineers Inc (REI)
for the Asia-Pacific region, located at Calcutta's Saltlec is buzzing with activity. The
company has already bagged orders for its multimedia division from leading studios like
Disney, Hanna Barbara, Fox and Warner Brothers for animation films. REI plans to build a
world-class entertainment software unit at Saltlec. Presently, the Indian subsidiary is
working on an animation project for King Kong and Rocky Rabbit. A core management team has
been formed after the acquisition of the assets of Techna Consultancy Pvt Ltd (TCPL). This
team is working on overseas projects related to supply chain management (SCM) and
promotional orders for the animation software division.
Amrit Das, Chairman
E2-4, Block GP, Sector V
Saltlec
Calcutta - 700 091
Tel: 357 3575
Astralsys Software (India) Pvt Ltd
The company is a subsidiary of US-based Astral Systems Inc. The company's offshore
facilities in Calcutta offer a wide range of development and maintenance services which
include software development, Y2K solutions, software migration solutions and professional
consulting services. The company has already announced its product-PC2K-a Y2K tool for
impact analysis and remediation in desktop applications. Astralsys does development work
on the AS/400 and SunSparc workstations in the areas of mainframe, client/server and
Internet. The company's unit in Saltlec (it is waiting for land allotment from Webel) will
include a training center and also free Internet services to be provided to students.
Dave Mukherjee, CEO
GC-190, Salt Lake City
Sector III
Calcutta - 700 091
Tel: 334 8655 / 8671 / 8986
Cognizant Technology Solutions
Based in New York, Cognizant Technology Solutions has development centers in Chennai,
Calcutta and Pune. The company delivers high quality, cost-effective full-life cycle
solutions to complex software development and maintenance problems. These solutions
include application development and maintenance, Y2K and euro currency compliance, testing
and quality assurance and re-engineering and re-hosting. The range of technologies include
mainframe, client/server, data warehousing, Internet, object-oriented development and
legacy platforms. Cognizant's experience covers a wide range of industries including
insurance, healthcare, media, financial services, executive information systems (EIS),
retail management, sales analysis and human resources. The company's clientele include
many Fortune 500 companies like Gartner Group, Manugistics, AC Nielsen and others.
Siddhartha Mukherjee, Director
SDF Building & Webel Bhavan
Block EP & GP, Sector V
Saltlec
Calcutta - 700 091
Tel: 357 3211 / 3212 / 3213
Computer Associates-TCG Software (CATS)
This joint venture between the $4.7-billion Computer Associates and The Chatterjee Group
was founded a year ago. The company follows a three dimensional strategy for its Indian
arm-retailing software solutions, developing business software to meet diverse
infrastructure requirements of clients and launching CA's professional consultancy
services which will aim at facilitating implementation of software on diverse platforms in
the client-server arena. The center has already developed software to manage web servers
that are marketed as options with CA's Unicenter TNG. The center is now working on
important components of the next crop of Unicenter products. CATS has also introduced the
Incubator Program which will identify individuals working on interesting software
technologies that can either be synergistically linked with CA's product range or by
themselves have the potential to be developed as successful solutions.
Venkat Subbarao, CEO
Computer Associates-TCG Software Pvt Ltd
Development Center
Block GP, Plot G, Sector V
Saltlec, Calcutta - 700 091
Name
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paging, e-mail system
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