Aithent to focus on Indian software market

Sudarshana Banerjee

NEW DELHI: Aithent Technologies is

planning to enter the Indian market in a big way. The company has announced that

it would be adding 15 to 20 percent to its existing employee base of 700 in the

short term. "There is tremendous scope as far as the software services and

innovative products are concerned, which is where we operate," informed N.

Venu Gopal, CEO, Aithent Technologies. 

Although the company is based in Gurgaon, Aithent had so far focussed only on the global market. So why this sudden change in game-plan? Gopal answered that the focus of Aithent had never been India-specific, but the times are changing. "India was lagging behind as far as the infrastructural backbone was concerned. It is only recently that we are thinking in terms of say an optical fiber network", he added.

"The financial and banking or the insurance sectors are opening up. Government spending is increasing vis-a- vis IT. In fact, we are focusing on the Indian government as one of our most potential customers. Whatever we have been doing in the US can be easily replicated in India, and it will similarly benefit the country. Concepts like Investigative Case Management are very relevant here given the current socio-political context. We also have to understand that e-government initiatives are really catching up," Gopal said.

"Bio-informatics is another area we would definitely want to focus in," Gopal elucidated. "Healthcare vendors are existing or potential IT-spenders. Organizations are also looking at clinical research related applications", he said. What exactly is going to be Aithent’s corporate strategy for market penetration? "Over the next six months, we are taking a two-pronged initiative — software developments and solutions, as also building a dedicated business development team focusing on the market. Secondly, we would also leverage some of the global relationships, here in India," concluded Gopal.