3G will help us make work-from-home solutions a reality

3G has finally been launched in India. Which are the 3G solutions that will help BPOs like yours to cater better to customer requirements?

I think there is still a gap between the launch and true availability of this service. However, 3G will help us make work-from-home solutions a reality. It will aid the video-enabled devices to move forward. Many verticals including retail and banking, among others, have plans to roll out and augment the service through 3G. This in turn will help the BPO sector.

Which is the one emerging technology that you think will be the turning point for enterprise CIOs?

Cloud is no more a buzzword; this will have significant impact of creating positive synergy from the BPO perspective. Taking a non-security specific initiative to cloud has already initiated an offshoot of sorts. This offshoot is known as SaaS and PaaS which will eventually change the IT landscape. Also another critical element over here is the social media, this is rapidly moving and becoming an indispensible phenomenon.

What are some of the key green initiatives that you have pledged to invest in this fiscal?

This includes many initiatives; however it started with devising a centralized printing solution which was an in-house developed solution to monitor user level printing. Apart from generating huge savings, this initiative has created significant awareness to cut cost and paper usage. Deployment of thin client is an ongoing journey. Replacement of old hardware as it moves to the end of life with power efficient devices is also helping us to drive the virtualization initiative.
As a part of this initiative, many processes are converted to an IT workflow, thereby eliminating the need to print paper. An automated tool to switch off desktops during idle time is rolled out. Consolidation of servers with virtualization also helps us reduce the carbon footprint.

Which are the key telecom initiatives that have been useful to your company from an enterprise point of view?

Pay-as-you-use and hosted model for variable demand have been explored and used.

What changes in IT and telecom would you like to see for enterprises implemented by the government?

Rollout of 3G will boost video usage and a policy of 'working from anywhere'. True mobility and creating a variable need of manpower will need more clarity for BPOs, in order to create home user agents to deal with domestic and international deployment.

Security is a major area of concern in today's age-what security solutions have you implemented for your enterprise that would be beneficial to other enterprises as well?

Managing security with the highest level of awareness is an integral part of the BPO culture. As a part of the security requirement, we have implemented different solutions by studying the data and voice flow for the given business process from the customer to advisors. Controlling the credit card information flow to USB blocking at user level is in place. DLP and tools for alerting unauthorized change management control are also in place. Endpoints are protected through many ways, however, primarily through use of group policy. Setting up a security operating center to understand the correlation of events in order to undertake proactive steps is also a part of the implementation procedure.

Do you believe that wireless will take over wireline for enterprises, especially with new technologies? What cabling solutions would you switch to keep up with the latest trend for your BPO needs?

The BPO sector definitely kept them away from wireless technology due to a huge focus on security. However we are seeing smaller implementation to explore the non-security focus area which involve tactical implantation with faster rollout with more and more maturity of wireless technology, it can been seen as alternative to Ethernet cables.

Do you believe that BWA will help in catering to the connectivity needs of your BPO?

This has already started knocking our doors through the smart devices that senior management uses. Sales folks and mobile users also will start using this soon. This is at exploration stage from the BPO-use perspective. We see a vast opportunity to use this in training rooms for new candidates. Use of last-mile loop using BWA and site-to-site VPN will also be helpful.

Beryl M
berylm@cybermedia.co.in