Sitting in his swanky office in Mumbai, Subrat Mohanty, CEO, Hurix Systems, is busy strategizing for the future. E-learning industry is quite fluid at the moment, a lot of domestic players fighting for the big dollars and euros. Hurix is sitting pretty; it has carved a niche for itself and is counted as one of the e-learning majors in India.

Mohanty is an e-learning veteran with close to nine years of industry experience. He also has an enviable academic profile; bachelors from IIT, Kharagpur and MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad.

He spoke to Shashwat Chaturvedi of CyberMedia News on how the industry is shaping up, and what Hurix is doing to stay ahead of the pack. Excerpts:

What exactly is e-learning?
E-learning can be defined as learning through the use of technological advances. Though the letter 'e' is quite synonymous with the Internet, e-learning is quite independent from that bondage. It could be learning over the Internet, intranet, CD ROM, or even instructor-led training (ILT).

There are two basic markets that e-learning caters to: corporate training and education market. The current world is very fluid and dynamic and everything is rapidly changing. Companies need to constantly train their employees to maintain a competitive edge. In such a scenario, the traditional method of training (workshops, classrooms) is quite taxing and tedious. Herein e-learning is the effective method to impart training. While computer based training (CBT) has always been here, the term e-learning was coined sometime in 1995.

How does e-learning score over traditional methods of learning?
On a basic level, traditional methods can be quite effective but as the learner progresses to a higher advanced level, the learning curve becomes complex. E-learning helps learner in advanced level by the use of technology, be it interactive courses or animated ones. The learner can be engaged using simulations or scenarios, thus e-learning is quite helpful in advanced level of learning.

That said, there are certain things that can never be replaced by technology, like human interaction and human learning. E-learning will never replace instructor training, but it will certainly complement it in the form of ILT.

How large is the e-learning services market?
That is what one calls the billion-dollar question. Not many people seem to know the answer. I can give a wide range; according to my guesstimate it could be anywhere between $200 million to a couple of billions annually, depending on how you define the market.

What are your views on Brand India in the e-learning domain?
Times have changed drastically, when I started off selling the e-learning concept abroad in 1996-97, the companies were a bit vary of our capabilities and unsure about outsourcing their work. The global success of Indian IT services has changed all that, clients across the globe associate positive things with India. We in the e-learning industry have also proven our worth in the international market, and now 'India' tag can be quite favorable during a sales pitch.

What are the compelling reasons for clients to outsource their work to India?
There are a couple of factors that can be termed as compelling, namely: quality, cost benefits, etc. Companies also look at India for project development, when a great deal of work needs to be accomplished in a short time frame. Finally, the expertise, India has a proven track record in the e-learning industry and has many highly qualified developers working in this space.

What are the emerging trends in the e-learning space?
Macromedia Flash is the platform of choice for the industry due to its rich user experience. Flash Lite for mobiles is going to open new vistas for learning. Some of the technology that is going to play an important role in the future is multi-role synchronous learning, like gaming or multiplayer interactive simulations. And the next frontier is obviously mobile handheld devices.

What are your views on learning management systems or LMS?
There are over a 1000 LMS in the market; Saba and Docent are quite popular on the enterprise level.

What are your views on the standards in e-learning industry?
AICC (Aviation Industry CBT Committee) is old, and SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is continuously evolving. Currently SCORM 1.2 is taken as a base. I believe SCORM has steadily become the de facto standard for the industry.

Views on mobile-based learning or m-learning?
As I mentioned earlier, mobile is the future. At Hurix, we are working on some pilot projects. M-learning will be a big market opportunity in the future.

What are the kinds of projects undertaken by Hurix?
We are active in a number of verticals. We have also evolved from a stage of content migration to custom content development and deployment. Let me share an incident, in 2004, Texas (U.S.) made a proclamation, the DEA, according to which electronic deliverables (for learning) were made mandatory. Hurix ideated with a big publishing group to find a solution for this; consulted the DEA, involved students and came up with a solution. That was one of the most exciting times for me.

We have worked on numerous projects, a couple of clients that we have worked with are: Cathay and Emirates (in the airline sector); Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson (in the pharmaceutical sector); HSBC and Amex (in the financial sector), etc.

How strategic is e-learning to Hurix? What are the company's revenues?
Hurix is in the business of content. We are a service organization and e-learning is an integral part of portfolio. Since, Hurix is privately held, I will be unable to share the revenues, but let me add that for the past three years we are the fastest growing company in India according to a Deloitte consultancy report. We are the in the Deloitte India's Fast 50 list, it has all the Who's Who of technology companies.

Hurix has two development centers in India, reasons?
Disaster recovery is one of the main reason. For instance, when Mumbai was shut down in the 26/7 deluge, our work was not affected as it was routed through our Chennai center. Similarly when Chennai was shut due to rains, the work was handled seamlessly out of Mumbai.

Views on attrition rate in the industry?
Currently, the attrition rate is fairly high. As most e-learning companies have more opportunities in lieu with resources, poaching is quite rampant. But, poaching is a short term method and bad for the industry too, as the same set of people will move around, the cost of per employee is going up. To overcome this situation, we at Hurix recruit a big percent of fresh employees, we have an extensive on-boarding program, and have also tied-up with an educational institute to provide specific training to freshers.

What needs to be done to promote e-learning in India?
The industry currently lacks visibility, not too much is talked about this market. It is due to the fact that there are not many publicly listed companies or a corporate figurehead, who goes about talking for and about the industry and becomes the spokesperson for the industry. As most of the clients are based overseas and lot of companies spend their advertising money in the foreign market and not in domestic market. Previously getting business was a challenge; now getting the right people is a challenge. I am pushing for an industry forum, a place where members can share concerns and learning. The e-learning companies could have a forum under the NASSCOM (National Association of Software & Service Companies) umbrella.

What are your views on opportunities in domestic market?
It is a mind-boggling proposition. I get goose bumps when I think what technology can achieve in the Indian market, and it will happen in the years to come. The traditional learning method is not an option, as we do not have that kind of infrastructure, e-learning will democraticize education in India. Millions of people in India who have the right base are waiting for the enabling layer to make them efficient, and that can happen through technology based learning alone. We are in talk with different parties. Personally, I feel India requires someone to own this vision and drive it.

Consolidation in the e-learning market?
There will definitely be acquisitions in the future but it can be in either ways, foreign firms acquiring domestic companies and vice-versa. There is a huge opportunity for Indian firms to acquire firms abroad. Indian industry in the next 2-3 years will be an industry of acquisitions and consolidations. It all comes down to, who is more ambitious, aggressive, and competitive. It is a great time to be a part of the e-learning tide.

CyberMedia News

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