The Indian IT industry, with a sizable presence in Israel through partnerships and R&D, is monitoring the situation closely and is in constant touch with its employee base to ensure safety amid the ongoing conflict in the region.
The Israel-Palestine conflict has reignited in the Gaza Strip after the Palestinian organization Hamas attacked Israel on October 6, resulting in multiple deaths. The heightened clash between both factions has so far, per reports, claimed 1,300 lives.
Industry body National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom), in a statement, said, “The industry has a limited presence in Israel largely focussed on innovation partnerships and R&D. The industry is monitoring the situation and has advised employees to stay in touch with the local consulates and follow all necessary precautions.”
IT major Wipro has about 80 employees in Israel, all Israeli nationals. The company, in a statement, said that it is monitoring the situation closely and are ready to activate business continuity plans should there be a further escalation of events.
“We are advising all employees in the country to work from home until further notice and follow the safety measures put in place by the local government,” it noted.
Tata Consultancy Services(TCS) too has a sizeable presence in Israel since it set up shop there in 2005. With about 1,100 employees based in Petah Tikvah, Jerusalem, the company works with various verticals. It is working on Israel’s Project Nimbus, which is aimed at the ministries’ cloud transformation journeys. Recently, TCS and Jaguar Land Rover(JLR) introduced an Open Innovation Program in the region.
The company is in constant touch with its employees to ensure safety measures, there is no impact on business operations due to the conflict in the region, people in the know of the matter said.
Amongst other prominent IT companies, HCL Tech has two offices in Herzliya and Netanya in Israel as part of its Middle East presence. Tech Mahindra also had recently tied up with Israel-based defense electronics ELTA Systems.