The world is not flat, hints C-Change

GOA, INDIA: The world is not round like we thought for centuries. The world is not flat either as Friedman tells us. In fact, the world is virtual.

This is the flavour that future and technology interface would show. New service delivery models, new sourcing formulas and new technology platforms will turn the world virtual all the more, prognosticated Pradeep Gupta, CMD, CyberMedia India Ltd, at the opening of C-Change 2010 here.

Change will accelerate like never before. It won't be just a constant that one has to live with but a force that will speed up at logarithmic levels. That would mean more research, innovation, application of innovation and business shifts resulting from there. Enfranchisement through technology and IT turning a utility is what tomorrow would be about, as he emphasized.

After Anil Kumar, senior vice president, CIOL, set the ball rolling today, Pradeep Gupta accelerated it in the right direction by talking on 'How will the next decade unfold'.

Tomorrow's game changers would be power and money center shifts, changes in quality of life, and connectivity in an on-demand world.

And more importantly, the future would be about 'here and now', doing things in real time. Amongst IT trends, he mapped out how SOA, new delivery models, sub contracting, multiple-sourcing, Web Services and Outsourced services would be major industry shifts.

Gupta also pointed out as to how shifts in storage, business continuity and business analytics would be defining ones in the future.

On a general note, Globalization of crime, terror and fear is emerging as much of a global trend as outsourcing, expensive energy, economic migration, rising tide of immigration, cyber crime, genome progress, flexi-timings, consumers taking greater control, shifting gender roles etc, as per an interesting trend-watch that he dished out.

Setting the compass next was a panel on 'Leadership Dilemmas in Post Recession Era', where IT captains like DLF Ltd's Upal Chakroborty, Maruti's Rajesh Uppal, TVS Motors' K Swaminathan, Jindal Drilling & Industries' B Sreekumar Valiathan were joined by other set of leaders like Dr. Sandhya, CEO, IIT Madras Research Park, and Pallab Talukdar, CEO, Fujitsu India Pvt Ltd.

In the panel, it turned out that every recession hides an opportunity in its womb, as it really pushes leaders to think out of the box when one is nudged out of a comfort zone. The theme is specially worth noting because India has been relatively unaffected, opined Dr.Shekhar. "If we play our cards right, we can really capitalise on a phenomenal opportunity," he said.

The panel talked on how long-term contracts, AMCs, licensing, in-house IT work, exit processes, resilience, applications for rigid architectures and applications would get redefined in the post-recession era. IT would have to be all the more interlinked and tuned in to business, agreed some panelists.

Leaders have to come out of comfort zone and that's a good aspect to carry forward, the panelists felt.

Challenging thoughts in an unprecedented way has always helped as Upal said. Something that is going to echo in the next two days at C-Change also. Keep watching this space for more.