An IT Visionary

A veteran in the Indian IT

industry and listed in the International Who's Who of Professionals, Barun Roy has been

associated with computers. Starting with Telco in 1969, he later joined the company's

sister concern Tisco in 1987. The past 10 years for this graduate from IIT and MBA from

XLRI also include a three-year stint with the UTI Bank. Currently the Vice President of IT

for Nagarjuna Group, Roy spoke to N Sailaja on the group's IT endeavors.

align="right">What are the IT

initiatives of your organization?



IT is on the highest pedestal for the Nagarjuna Group, which is a diversified

conglomerate. The group in the past lacked a concerted effort on the IT front and till as

late as 1997 there was no standardization of IT functions within the group. The scenario

is different today as we have devised an integrated IT strategy. The very fact that the

systems department was under the purview of the finance division and is now an independent

sector reporting directly to the group chairman indicates the changes brought about within

the organization. My vision is to create an image for the organization's IT activities

which will serve as a role model for other users in the region to emulate.

What is the IT platform of your

group?



Manageability in today's context is a very important issue. Hence the requirement

for a highly integrated and parameterized software and hardware. The IT platform for the

group will be based on an open systems architecture and the chosen route is Unix operating

system with standardized RDBMS. On the networking front, the intention is to avoid

overdependence on any one system. The network comprises a virtual LAN, Gigabit Ethernet

and a hybrid VSAT network. For the office automation server, we are using Lotus Notes.

Windows NT is being designed for administrative purposes in the future. A special Domino

server with firewalls is being created for Internet access to users. The whole idea is to

choose an operating system that is able to support the different hardware platforms.

Vendor support is an important issue and should offer such options as fault tolerance,

upgradability and expandability. Furthermore, all the employees are being provided with

the latest computer systems with Internet facility.

How is the IT strategy being

implemented across all the divisions of the group?



We have chosen to undertake ERP route through built-in BPR scope at NFCL. The first phase
of ERP implementation will initially focus on NFCL's activities which is the mainstay of

the group. There are also other agricultural companies in the group including Nagarjuna

Palma, Nagarjuna Haifa, Vietnam Sugars and the recently acquired Gayatri Sugars. Once

through with ERP implementation in these divisions, the attention will be shifted to

integrating the other operations through IT. Determining the BPR route and selection of an

ERP package and the best of business practices will be done based on the reorientations of

a leading international management consulting group. At a later stage, we will also

seamlessly integrate other services such as finance, corporate planning etc.

What are the major problems that

you face as a user company?



Firstly any change involves some resistance as it entails curbing freedom.

Further, lack of knowledge on the part of vendors creates problems. Price could be another

major deterrent. The Dollar-to-Rupee conversion factor creates problems. The vendors

should check their reference point and analyze if the price equation holds well in India

too. The large vendors can come down on prices and penetrate the market, they should also

check that the earnings via spending in all the markets are the same.

What is the biggest challenge to

the domestic IT industry today?



Manpower is currently the biggest problem for the domestic IT industry today. We

only have masons while architects are the need of the hour. The companies face an enormous

task of retaining their employees. Technology is changing continuously and there is an

insatiable desire in the young professionals to use the state-of-the-art technology.

Furthermore, all the hype about the best of brains is not really true. We have to cross

our heart and ask ourselves whether we are truly geared-up for the global challenges.