Big Blue to step up Indian investments
Kalyan Parbat
CALCUTTA 15 JUNE
US-BASED computer giant IBM Corporation is stepping up investments in India. Over the next five years, Big Blue will route a substantial portion of its $300-million (around Rs 1,300 crore) corpus earmarked for its global software developer marketing (SDM) program to India.
SDM is a separate division of IBM World Trade Corporation that lends financial support to independent solution vendors (ISVs) using IBM technologies worldwide.
The decision to increase financial exposure is seen as a reflection of IBM's commitment to offer value-added opportunities to the ISV community in India.
“Though specific investment numbers are being worked out at IBM headquarters, India is being viewed as a key destination for future capital infusions, given the wealth of premium IT resources available in the country,” Mr Vish Padmanabhan, vice-president (software & solution developer marketing) at Tata-IBM, told The Economic Times.
For starters, IBM will bear 50 per cent of the total marketing cost-burden of ISVs, which could be as high as 18 per cent of its aggregate projected sales revenue in a 12-month calendar year, he said.
Notably, SDM forms the core of IBM's thrust in providing end-to-end solutions to clients worldwide. And more importantly, for keeping close contact with independent commercial application developers deploying IBM technology.
An integral part of IBM's global SDM operations is the 'solution developer program' (SDP), which has been designed to help ISVs across the globe generate leading-edge software solutions around IBM technology.
Notably, commercial application developers can participate in SDP scheme free of cost. Members enrolling for SDP will be given individual proprietary identification numbers, direct tie-ups with IBM's formidable global marketing network, technical support and testing and validation facilities on IBM technology solutions.
They will also enjoy ready access to IBM's 'Software Mall', an online ordering system that allows commercial SDP members to procure new IBM software products at throwaway prices.
For instance, commercial members under the SDP can order the first copy of any IBM software product at cost-plus shipping. Thereafter, they will enjoy 50 per cent discount on additional copies. However, such software may only be used for evaluation, development, testing or demonstration.
Importantly, ISVs in India opting for SDP can also use the facilities at IBM's state-of-the-art 'solution partnership centre' (SPC) in Bangalore. The SPCs were created as tangible IBM resource centres to buttress Big Blue's international solution developer program. At present, there are 10 such IBM centres worldwide, of which four are in the Asia-Pacific in Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai and Bangalore.
(Source:Economic Times) |
