Kerala looks to develop IT as a brand

Kerala is looking to develop information technology as a unique brand on the lines of tourism in which it has achieved significant success.

As a precursor, a new strategy is being devised to support small and medium companies in the state in tapping the West Asian market more effectively.

The sate government and the Group of Technology Companies (GTech), the industry body of IT companies, have already held discussions in this connection.

M Sivasankar, Secretary, IT, Kerala, has been interacting with Gtech while leading a state IT delegation to GITEX Technology Week in Dubai.

“Kerala tourism owes its success not only to the industry and the government working together to market the state as an attractive destination but also the efforts the two have made within the state, leveraging each other’s strengths,” Sivasankar said.

This model needs to be replicated in the IT industry to catalyse the growth to the next level, he added.

“Kerala and most countries in the Gulf region are natural partners. We should leverage the relationship with Tecom in Dubai and Smart City-Kochi to the mutual benefit of both the United Arab Emirates and Kerala.”

Most often, small and medium companies face constraints of funds while trying to make innovative products, Sivasankar said.

Apart from the buyer and the company getting into a co-ownership model to address this gap, the government will also consider a fund to support companies create prototypes, which have market potential. The GTech on its part feels that the current economic environment in the gulf countries presents huge opportunities for SMEs in Kerala.

“Corporates are moving from expensive solutions provided by large conglomerates to cost effective ones offered by SMEs,” said Rafeek K Mohammed, treasurer, GTech, and head of its business focus group. “If our companies are able to deliver economic and scale-able solutions, there will be takers.”

The government, its agencies or the industry body acting as a guarantor to ensure timely delivery in the case of overseas e-governance projects, will boost the confidence of customers.

Twenty-eight IT companies from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode participated in the five-day GITEX, which concluded on Thursday.

The visiting delegation held meetings with delegations from various countries. Vijay Kumar P, secretary, and Renjith Ramanujam, CEO, GTech, led the discussions.

This is the 12th in a series of 20 outbound delegations planned for five years starting 2013 as a part of Global IT Connect, the flagship programme of Kerala IT.

The programme enables SME IT companies from the state market themselves in international markets.