Building an ICT Company

I.Ganguli — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:23:33 +0000

At Mahindra Satyam, our vision is to be the world’s most valued “ICT” Company. We’re working to provide Information in any form and from multiple sources; enable Communication anytime and anywhere; and develop secure and reliable Technology for any device. We feel that the best way to do this and to reach out to consumers is to live and work by the Rise philosophy: to drive positive change through innovative thinking. Here’s a look at how we’ve been trying to do this.

Mobile services

On the mobile phone front, we’ve been working with Canvas M to jointly develop a number of innovative services with a wide consumer reach.

With Saral Rozgar, one of our joint projects, employment is just a dial away: users can access a suite of utility services such as employment counselling and education through multiple mediums, including a voice portal. By seamlessly connecting blue-collared workers and job providers, we are dramatically changing the landscape of the unorganized Indian labour market. And, in recognition of our contribution to rural telecommunication services, Saral Rozgar received the “Excellence in Innovation with Rural Telecom Focus” at the 2011 National Telecom Awards conference in New Delhi. We’re confident that Saral Rozgar’s simple but innovative offerings will have a profound impact and will allow thousands of Indians to enter the official job market. (Stay tuned for an upcoming, full-length post about Saral Rozgar.)

The number of mobile phone users in India is skyrocketing, and this presents incredible opportunities to reach and service them in new and inventive ways. Mobo Money, another service developed with Canvas M, is a contactless payment platform for the Indian consumer that allows for mCommerce, mobile banking and online payments. With an intuitive design and a simplified, multilingual interface, Mobo Money is intended to reach all segments of the Indian population – including the under-privileged, who may not have access to traditional banking services. The service has the potential to enfranchise an enormous segment of the Indian population and to revolutionize on-the-go personal finance management.

Smart Grid Appliances

With the help of multiple experts and solution architects, we’ve developed a Smart Grid-connected appliance system to offer consumers new choices in self-sufficiency and to modernize the usage of electricity in the household.

With its built-in intelligence capabilities, our smart grid monitors and automatically adjusts different appliances according to the need of the owner: they can shift to a low-power mode when overall grid power consumption is up and return to normal power when consumption is down. By interacting with a smart meter that constantly monitors the Smart Grid, we can determine when it will cost the least to run an appliance – we have effectively implemented this demand response system for digital meters, washers, dryers, and ovens, helping consumers save costs.

We’re excited about the way forward, and as our vision of becoming the most valued ICT company becomes a reality, we remain firm in our commitment to developing products and services that not only push the envelope but that also have a positive social impact. As we rise, so will our customers.

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Stay tuned for more articles from other tech experts on Gen C and other IT trends in our E-volution Series.

About the author:

Indraneel Ganguli is the Head of Marketing and Internal Communications, Asia, for Mahindra Satyam. His portfolio includes 10 years in advertising, 4 years in telecom, and 4 years in IT, and he has ample experience in communicating and working with Gen C. He can be reached at indraneel_ganguli@mahindrasatyam.com.

The views expressed above are those of the author, and not necessarily representative of the views of the Mahindra Group

Business today: Are we ready for Gen C?

I.Ganguli — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:49:45 +0000

Much has been made of Generation Connected: It demands this; buys that; aspires for those. For a company like Mahindra Satyam, understanding the needs and aspirations of this generation is the key to success in a rapidly changing IT industry. Although diverse and complex, Gen C’s behaviour exhibits three common traits: it is Continuous, Changing, and always Converging.

Gen C is continuous and growing. Consider these facts: average annual Internet-user growth rates have exceeded 20 percent over the past decade. And online shopping is edging out stores in the developed world—while total U.S. consumer sales grew by 6.8 percent in 2004, online consumer sales grew by 26 percent. Are we ready to do business the Gen C way?

It is driving change and creating a new social order. The recent surge in tweets and traffic through social media is dramatically changing the way we consume and spread information. The “Arab Spring,” for example, was catalyzed and sustained by Twitter and other social media platforms. On the home front, social media is helping drive India’s movement against corruption.

It is fast-forwarding convergence. Online social platforms are quickly converging to provide multiple social tools. By launching Google+, for example, Google now provides a fully comprehensive online social experience. The addition of Google’s new, much-hyped social platform to the company’s traditional offerings – email, voice calling, and gchat – threatens to further blur the distinction between the social and professional spheres. The consequences are enormous. As this convergence spreads to the workplace, organizations – in order to be truly collaborative, effective and efficient – must integrate and embrace the online platforms that Gen C so enthusiastically utilizes.

Corporations should also be ready to harness Enterprise Mobility and make business applications accessible on the go. Devices such as the iPhone have impacted the business world through new technology and services and by improving productivity and communication. Access to information is now uninterrupted – a dramatic development for traveling sales and marketing teams.

The improved mobile productivity that results from mobile access to company software and information can mean a greater ROI for businesses investing in mobile communications, as well as improvements in sales and communication. For a sales team that often works in the field, access to Mobile Express CRM (Customer Relationship Management) – a tool that allows teams to capture, track, and store information on the go – is bound to improve sales and B2C communications.

Mobile devices can also integrate with cloud-hosted services such as Exchange Online (an email provider), which allows users to respond to schedule changes and new e-mails on the fly. The result? Decision makers can quickly communicate approvals to employees, regardless of location, and tasks can be done efficiently.

Companies and businesses that understand and embrace Gen C ahead of competitors hold the keys to the future. This new paradigm will change everything: the way we work, the way we think, and the way we rise.

So where is Mahindra Satyam within this vortex of change? Find out next week in our E-volution Series.

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Stay tuned for more articles from Indraneel Ganguli and other tech experts on Gen C and other IT trends in our E-volution Series.

About the author:

The views expressed above are those of the author, and not necessarily representative of the views of the Mahindra Group

Mahindra Rise Blog» I.Ganguli

Building an ICT Company

Business today: Are we ready for Gen C?