Some 30 Indian software firms have reportedly broken ranks with industry association Nasscom to form their own community, tagged iSpirit (Indian Software Product Industry Round Table). The implied reason is that Nasscom’s focus has, not surprisingly, tended to be more on the top India-based offshore IT and business process services firms – rather than software firms – on account of the fact that they are significant contributors to India’s export sector (and indeed GDP).
While the likes of TCS, Infosys, Wipro et at have become global players in their own right, you’d be left scratching your head to come up with any Indian software firms on the world stage (banking software form iFlex was one such till it was acquired by Oracle back in 2007). Indeed, many of the India-based IT services firms write software for the US and European majors (and some ‘minors’ too).
Clearly the Indian software industry feels it should be better able to ‘do it for itself’ rather than do it for others. The ‘spirit’ may be willing, but is the body able?