Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, May 13, 2003 |
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Info-Tech
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Human Resources IT cos fancy `campus' culture Chitra Phadnis
BANGALORE, May 12 THE latest trend among infotech companies, at least in Bangalore, seems to be setting up "campuses". In the last 6-8 months, at least four large companies have started work on the concept, bringing together their various offices under one roof, the latest to do so being Texas instruments, with a proposed investment of Rs 250 crore. Infosys and Wipro were the first to have their own campuses. The ones currently under construction include iFlex India, which is building a 200,000-sq. ft. campus, Motorola, with a 300,000-sq. ft. campus, and SAP India's campus in the Export Promotion Zone near Whitefield. The State High-Level Committee also recently cleared Intel India's proposal to invest $41 million in a facility in Bangalore on approx 40 acres. Everyone is looking at a large tract of land, preferably in the suburbs, where real estate is a little more affordable, said Mr Shrinivas Rao, Vice-President, Equis India, which deals in corporate real estate management. A campus allows companies to have not just their IT infrastructure, but also amenities for employees such as a gym and a cafeteria. "It is a better facility at a reasonable price and therefore attractive to companies," he said. Multiple facilities also mean more investment in facilities managers, and administrative staff, he said. Commercial space in the city is a high Rs 75 per sq. ft. and even software parks such as the ITPL work out to Rs 50 per sq. ft. and additional charges for air-conditioning, "all for premises which you do not even own", pointed out the IT Secretary, Mr Vivek Kulkarni. A campus, on the other hand, give companies the freedom to make their own rules regarding visitors and security, he said. The Karnataka Government recently invited IBM to set up a campus too, a suggestion that the company has yet to take up. "We expect them to do it sooner or later," Mr Kulkarni told Business Line. A campus also offers provision for the company to expand. From the Government's point of view, it is some kind of assurance that all future expansion and investments will be made in the same place. Companies need not look out for new offices every now and then, Mr Rao pointed out. "In the last six months, software companies (including BPOs) have taken up over 1 million sq. ft. of space," Mr Rao said.
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