Kerala capital firm on IT radar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Logging on to an expansion mode, IT majors in Kerala are finally opening to the world a newfound industry-friendly face of the Communists-ruled state.

Till recently, a state known to push private entrepreneurship into the red, Kerala has taken a left turn towards industry-friendliness all of a sudden. The industrial scene, information technology in particular, has the government’s blessings and the companies seem to be making the most of it.

The IT policy, unveiled by the Kerala government recently, offers many a sop that has spurred the IT sector to go forward on an accelerated pace. A by-product of the promising stance taken by the government is the campus-building culture some of the big companies have resorted to, of late.

The Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, thereby has turned into a launch pad for companies to expand inside Kerala and spread wings. And, Kerala’s chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan , who incidentally holds the IT portfolio too, is impressed.

Infosys Technologies, IBS Software and UST Global are among the companies who have kick started mega growth by building exclusive campuses in and around the Thiruvananthapuram Technopark. While Infosys has initiated the process of building a Rs 306-crore campus in the Kerala capital, close to the Technopark, UST Global has laid the foundation stone for its $130 million campus adjacent to the park.

Moving a step ahead, IBS Software this week inaugurated the first of its four-phase campus being built at a cost of Rs 125 crore, inside Technopark.

Infosys expects the new campus to create as many as 8000 seats over the next few years. Infosys’s expansion in the state is seen as reaffirming the fact that Kerala is emerging as a key IT destination in south India.

Chief minister Achthanandan had observed at the time of the groundbreaking ceremony that “the magnitude of Infosys's investment in its development centre demonstrates its long-term commitment towards Kerala and speaks volumes about the world-class facilities on offer here for its employees”.

He, no doubt, is a happy man. The chief minister himself was present all the events that marked the campus building exercise of the three companies. The fact that two among the three IT majors are homegrown enterprises gives the state a sense of pride as IT grows beyond expectations.

Keala’s own global company, IBS Software Services, has already made a mark by elevating itself to a slot among the leading global providers of new-generation IT solutions to the Travel, Transportation and Logistics industry. The company inaugurated its fully owned campus at Technopark this week. The development is seen as IBS Software’s step towards being a Rs 1000 crore company by year 2010.

The facility, just inaugurated, is the first of the four blocks in the IBS campus, spread over 5.26 acres of land within Technopark. With a built-up area of approx 4,50,000 square feet, the campus will accommodate over 4,000 professionals in a spacious, self-sufficient, modern work-environment. Two multi-storey office blocks, an activity center, an open-air theater, cafeteria and parking lots are to be completed in the next phase. The campus is expected to be completely operational by 2009.

As IBS Software CMD V K Mathews points out, the company will also soon set up other campuses within Kerala in Kochi and Kozhikode, plus development centres in Bangalore and Chennai.

Meanwhile, the proposed UST Global Campus will be marked by its unique architectural style, ambient work spaces and eco-friendly operations. Spread across 36 acres of land, the campus is expected to feature ‘connected’ buildings that provide a serene information technology campus environment, complemented by landscaped courtyards and public spaces. UST Global will create a world class working environment with the use of environmentally sustainable materials and processes, says Sajan Pillai, the company’s president and COO.

UST Global will also expand to Kochi next month with a new centre there.

Significantly, as these facilities come up UST Global is expected to build on its status as Kerala’s largest IT employer. There are already 3000 IT professionals on its workforce in Technopark, said an official.

It is being seen by Technopark authorities that the expansion of the companies gives a clear picture of the take off of Technopark to the trajectory, considering the infrastructure problems and the social tensions in traditional Tier-I infotech locations.

It is expected that a number of big league IT and ITeS companies would now come down to Kerala to set up shop in Technopark and Kerala and benefit immensely from the manpower resources and excellent quality of life in the state.