Sun, Sand, Surf @ Goa

The red carpets are being dusted. The stage is in the flurry of preparations.

The flashlights are beaming out of the attics again.

Its time for that part of the year when the Whos Who of IT shake

themselves out of the mundane, and flock together for a time capsule that whisks

them off to a time machine where relaxing, rejuvenating and reinventing are

synonyms floating around in the air.

Where future prepones its date with crystal balls and arrives, well, a little

bit early than anywhere.

CIOLs annual amalgam of CIOs and industry veterans is ready to knock Goa

this February 18-19, 2010.

This time too, C-Change would be about being radical and being avant-garde.

True to its name, C-Change is what industry honchos relate to when they want

to redefine their horizons. It is more than a ritual that everyone in the

industry looks forward to.

For the uninitiated, its a getaway that whizzes off CIOs and CXOs far away

from the boring corner rooms, equipping with some with an edge that accentuates

their acumen. The annual fiesta creates a platform to bring together the top

hundred CIOs and business leaders for a peer to peer interaction, learning and

knowledge sharing about technology from the business perspective

From Egypt (2006), Bengaluru (2008), Kathmandu (2009), this year Goa would

mark the journey for another path-breaking gathering of intellect and cocktail

of ideas and polemic that lets people hobnob like never before and make new

business breakthroughs.

Like all earlier C-Change carnivals, this time too there would be a perfect

island of radical thoughts and ideas, where people rub shoulders with the

tallest of industrys achievers and get the most opportune tenets for the

future.

The last six years have seen themes that have addressed the growing concerns

of enterprises, and help their CIOs understand the business implications and

take their enterprise to greater heights.

At CIOLs and Dataquests Seventh Business Technology Forum this year, the

much awaited three day conference would dwell on the four key pillars that help

in taking the enterprise to the next levelinnovation, leadership, strategy and

technology.

The event has been an exciting galaxy so far with speakers like Jagdish

Khattar, Som Mittal, Ajit Balakrishnan, Bobby Cameron, Douglas Weidner, Subodh

Bhargava, and Dr Bob Hoekstra illuminating this annual firmament.

This year too experts and thought leaders will put the spotlight on many

topics like how will the next decade unfold, leadership in the evolving

landscape, ideas and strategic radar, etc. It wont be a surprise then to

find veterans like MindTrees Subroto Bagchi, CyberMedias Pradeep Gupta, or IIT

Madras Dr Sandhya Shekhar whipping up another whirlpool of change at Goa.

C-Change will not only retain, but also deepen its signature features of

optimum CIO interaction, networking, debates and thought churning this time too.

From online discussion forums to face-to-face panel round-tables at the

event, many hot issues will be put on the front burner. Cloud computing

challenges, green ITs reality check, open source versus proprietary systems,

CIO and parachute snags, or bridging the R&D chasm; you name it and C-Change has

it.

The sands of Goa would surely find new footprints in February that will

welcome a new epoch of change, yet again, just like we always do. Habits, as

they say, die hard. More so, when its about being ahead always.

The fete is about to begin. The curtains are about to roll. Watch this space

for the entire lowdown soon.

Abhay A Karhade, VP, IT, Welspun Group

Has IT sufficiently evolved from a mere support function to a higher

degree?



Initially, IT used to be just a support function. It was there to run

applications. But nowadays we see it even running a business. Theres a

different need for business-IT alignment. A CIO has to be a part of the business

strategy team.

Textiles have matured on tech-quotient a lot in the recent past. How would

you rate the legacy to automation switch-over?



Yes, the transition has been challenging. Automation is relatively easy in

any other industry. But in our industry it is a little different and some kind

of definition is required. There are definitely some gaps. The nature of

processes is dynamic and unpredictable, especially in the production area, or in

machine queue management. No one for instance likes to have a data management

issue when 700 looms are running.

How can a vendor turn better and be really useful?



The biggest gap on this aspect in India is the big absence of a consultants

layer. Vendors actually push the same products from their basket to everyone.

What is required is a consultants role between the two sides. A

product-agnostic layer of this kind is highly needed in India. More so, because

there is so much happening around, and a CIO is really crunched for time. In the

US, there are experts and specialists who form this unbiased layer which helps

when CIOs are busy running the show.

Rajeev Singhania, GM, IT, Shiv-Vani Oil & Gas Exploration Services

The oil & gas sector has a different set of challenges and requisites. How

do you apply technology here?



It is a special one for our industry. We have applied technology

successfully in controlling operations in the remote areas and with some ERP

modules. We have ERP systems on an initial basis, and are exploring to take it

up to the next level with project systems.

Have you encountered any legacy transition challenges?



Presently, we are in the phase of ERP implementations. And yes, we face a

daily challenge of migrating our existing systems to new ones. But its

something we address and sort out consistently.

What importance does technology have today?



Technology, in my view, is the driver of business nowadays. All the

businesses in our industry is driven by IT, be it integration of departments or

movement of appliances. Thats why we are investing so much money in technology.

S Sekar, CIO and assistant general manager, Karur Vysya Bank

How significant would be IT in your recent approach to BCG for

restructuring, for turning at par with private and foreign banks in tech-savvy

quotient, and for the banks ambitious business expansion roadmap?



IT is a differentiator and a business enabler, it is highly significant in

terms of increasing productivity, providing quality service to customers and

above all extending 24x7 service to them.

Our approach will be adding more and more customer convenience through

alternate delivery channels, in addition to exploring the improvement in

productivity in the branches with the necessary technology solutions.

Any application of IT in the impressive 0.22 pc of NPA area?



The entire NPA management, monitoring and control are completely system

driven. Necessary technology and systems are in place to effectively monitor the

assets closely to avoid any asset slipping to NPA.

Has IT turned more strategic in the last few years? Is there a change in

the equation between business and IT departments?



Earlier, it was the prime responsibility of the IT department to innovate IT

products and services. Having experienced the power of IT, the business

departments have started demanding new innovative initiatives. This has

strategically turned the equation as IT became a business enabler. Business

departments are taking part in the IT initiatives implementation very actively

in my organization.

How easy or tough is it to spread IT across a companys depth and breadth,

specially in India (geographically)?



Yes. It is really a tough job even today. Any initiative unless it reaches

the end users (branches) or the customers directly, the benefit cannot be

realized. Hence, it is very important to train all the business users on the new

initiative. We conduct regular workshops to train the users at their places and

to clarify their doubts. We spend nearly 30% of our efforts to train users. We

also use technology to provide online learning systems in this regard.

What have been your challenges as the man at the helm of IT?



The challenges include rapid technology obsolescence, information security

threats, data quality, bringing down operational costs, searching for innovative

initiatives so as to be the first in the industry, and change management.

And the best lessons?



The first lesson would be to not implement any initiative without taking

users into confidence, listen to complaints and ideas irrespective of cadre,

open to continuous learning on new concepts, etc. Also, disaster does not happen

suddenly, and it will always start smaller and explode rapidly. Hence, always be

vigilant and aware about the technology loopholes. Plus, technology cannot work

in isolation, and it has to meet the requirements of the business users.

SS Sharma, CGM, IT, JK Tyre & Industries

How tightly interlinked are technology, innovation and business today?



Innovation is no doubt a key to become cost competitive, and for that

technology is very important. With technology, innovation can be channelized and

used in better ways. It is also useful to improve productivity of both passive

as well as active resources, read machines and men. The implementation of IT

tools becomes all the more high-key in a business environment where volumes and

business complexity are very high.

What does IT mean for your industry?



At JK, IT is the lifeline, and if it goes missing even for some time, it can

lead to huge losses. That makes it all the more indispensable in a business

environment where the customer is no more loyal. For example, make him wait a

few more minutes if your billing systems are not working, and he will switch

over to the next company in no time. ITs role and impact is great.

Whats your practical take on all the hype around green IT?



I wont call it hype. Its realistic, and a big need of the hour. We have

just consolidated many servers across various plants and we are witnessing big

savings on power, cooling, etc. From sprawled across 160 locations to

consolidated to a mere 900 sq ft, in fact, 250 sq ft when we talk about the main

servers, the consolidation has generated tangible benefits.

Have you worked out the next level of IT in your company?



Plant maintenance is one area that would be worth exploring. If

manufacturing systems are linked well to processes, I can see which machine is

down and where immediately. Linking shop floor to the top floor is clearly the

next step.

PA Kalyanasundar, GM, IT, Bank of India

Do you think 2010 will be a sea change from 2009 in terms of IT spends and

adoption?



On a general note, yes, the industry is on an upbeat note now. The mood has

changed and positive signs of recovery are in sight. Last year, many companies

tried to cut down on costs, which I think will change as companies with

postponed investments, etc would bring a change. As far as my organization is

concerned, we did not undergo any major hold-on. An enterprise-wide core banking

project was already in progress, and that went as per schedule last year, we did

not stop it or held it as a cutback. In fact, in March 2009, it was completed.

So would 2010 bring in any fresh areas for IT?



Whatever is required in context to the current investments will be

completed. But no major implementation plans as of now. Unified computing, cloud

services look interesting; but we havent formed any plans to jump into

something cutting-edge or enterprise-wide this year.

Anything that is particularly exciting?



I guess its time when the industry and its ecosystem will make a

full-fledged move to the fourth screen. After cinema, TV, computers, it is time

for the mobile to take over. Be it banking or financial services, I see mobile

emerging in every area, and everything will converge around this device. Then

you have the unique identity project. I feel that will bring a huge change in

the way everyone can use it for providing services as well as consuming them, be

it banking or more.

Has the connection between technology and business gone deeper?



I will just say that IT has evolved in a big way from being just a support

function to an enabler today. Businesses now looks at IT in a more initial

discussion way, or a proactive way when it comes to planning new strategies or

any other business decision.

Team CIOL



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