Processing .....please wait.. 
The article has been forwarded.... 
Satyam opens facility in Egypt, to focus on Middle East
Saturday, 08 March 2008, 03:12 IST
Hyderabad: Satyam Computer Services, India's fourth largest software exporter, on Wednesday launched its Global Solutions Centre (GSC) in Egypt.
With about 300 professionals, the GSC will serve as a major technological development and software support for Satyam's customers in the Middle East, North Africa and European region, said B. Rama Raju, co-founder and CEO of Satyam, during a teleconference from Egypt.
The centre, which has come up in Smart Village, Giza, is Satyam's 28th GSC globally and forms part of the company's globalisation spree.
With the boom in the Middle East region despite recession in the world market, Satyam is planning to leverage on the rising IT spend in the region. Raju listed the rising oil prices, surplus budgets of the countries in the region, their e-government initiatives and growing demand from banking and financial sector as the positive factors for the company in the region.
The IT spend of Egypt alone has been projected to grow by 12.4 percent over the coming years and reach $120 million by 2010, company officials said.
Since Egypt offers good IT skills and the talent, Satyam decided to locate its GSC to cater to Arabic-speaking Middle East, African countries and French-speaking European market. The company already has a GSD in Hungary to cater to European market.
Spanning over 2,100 square meters, the GSC is equipped with two training labs, video conferencing, high-speed networks and 24/7 connectivity to all other global locations. It will mainly house locals.
Raju pointed out that Satyam's revenues from Middle East and Africa doubled during last one year. The revenues from the region account for 2.4 percent of the company's global revenues.
While Middle East accounts for 1.5 percent, the African market accounts for 0.7 to 0.8 percent. "We see a good potential in the region," he said.
Following the inauguration of its GSC in Egypt, Satyam is looking at Saudi Arabia as a viable market for a second GSC in the region.
Satyam, which is the first Indian company to set up GSC in Egypt, is also hiring people at different locations like Australia, Malaysia, China, South Africa and Egypt, to cater to different markets.
Raju said 21 to 25 percent of Satyam's revenues come from Europe - 55 to 60 percent from Britain and 40 percent from continental Europe. The company expects this number to go up to 30 percent in two to three years.
Source: IANS
Source: IANS
