When was the first time the President of India spoke to a gathering of businessmen through video conferencing from Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi? When was the first time the latest devices like RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) were deployed to manage a large gathering of key figures from the information technology industry in India? The answer to both is Nasscom 2005.

The event pinnacled when the President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, addressed the gathering and urged Nasscom to set a goal for capturing 15 percent of the world’s Internet technology market by 2009. President Kalam urged Nasscom to set higher targets, stating, “Low aim is a crime.”

The National Association for Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) continued with the tradition of their annual function, which began in 1990. N.R. Narayana Murthy of Infosys Technologies, Azim Premji of Wipro and Subramaniam Ramadorai of Tata Consultancy Services, shared their thoughts regarding various issues concerning the Indian IT industry with CIOs from various multinational organizations and entrepreneurs. Delegates from various countries like Malaysia, North America, UK, Europe, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia highlighted India’s stature in the global market. The Presence of Union Minister for Information Technology and Chief Minister of Maharashtra underlined its importance from the government’s point of view.

The gathering, with an “Innovation for Globalization” theme, was held from February 8 to 10 at Hotel Grand Hyatt. The program’s itinerary had many interesting discussions like “CEO conclave”, “ITES-BPO conclave”, “India CIO track” and “Nasscom Global Leadership awards”. CIOs Brad Boston (Cisco), Dennis S. Callahan (Guardian Life) and Robert Carter (FedEx) were among the panelists expressing their views. They discussed challenges they faced while implementing IT and shared the business benefits of technology investment. Analysts from various international researchers like McKinsey and Forrester provided a third party insight into benefits of technology implementation in India.

The question and answer sessions following panel discussions provided better opportunity for entrepreneurs to voice their grievances and receive an expert opinion. Serious business discussion accompanied the keynote lectures, also generating interesting debates. The valuable insights the experts provided presented an explanation of day-to-day business. This was a beneficial networking opportunity for new entrants in the IT arena. Various lunches as well as award nights were an environment where industry executives unofficially shared their experiences while developing business with startups.

Nasscom introduced the Global Leadership Awards this year. Heinrich V. Pierer, Chairman of Siemens AG, received the award for business innovation, Craig Barret, CEO of Intel Corporation, for Creativity, and Carly Fiorina, former Chairman and CEO of HP for Vision. Masamoto Yashiro, Chairman, Shinsei Bank of Japan was felicitated for IT usage and Stephen Green, Group Chief Executive, HSBC Holdings Plc similarly for business leadership.
The event’s essence can be summed with a thought of Narayana Murthy- “Our work has just begun. As ambitious people, we have high target of $80 billion by the end of this decade. This means we have to continue with a 35 percent growth in both (Software and ITeS) sectors during the next six years.”