Certification - June 2008 - (Page 30)

INTERFACE Hexaware Technologies: The Other Side of Offshoring BRIAN SUMMERFIELD The offshore outsourcing we’ve seen in the IT industry since the beginning of this decade is a trend that’s at once encouraging and disconcerting. It’s heartening because it brings the benefits of free markets and economic globalization to places that previously have been marked by poverty and strife. However, it’s also alarming because it causes qualified technology professionals in developed countries to lose their jobs due to purely bottom-line considerations, which can have ripple effects in the larger political and business spheres. In a few ways, Hexaware Technologies, a global provider of IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) services, is emblematic of this trend. The company, which was founded in 1990, trades on the Mumbai and London stock exchanges. It operates six development centers — four in India and one apiece in Germany and Mexico — along with offices in North America, Europe and the Pacific Rim of Asia. Hexaware’s stated mission is “to build value for customers through innovative use of technology and talent.” To that end, the organization is focused on delivering business results from technology solutions, and it specializes in business intelligence, business analyt- ics, enterprise applications, transportation, IT in human resources and modernization of legacy systems. Hexaware has about 175 active clients, 60 of which are Fortune 500 or Global 500 companies. Talent has played a large role in accomplishing all this in less than two decades. Today, Hexaware employs 7,000 workers globally, many of which are technology professionals based in India. No matter what their background may be, they can all expect a standard hiring and training experience. To begin with, the company looks for certain qualifications in candidates for employment, said Deependra L. Chumble, Hexaware’s chief people officer. “Education and background help us in short-listing people depending on the job requirements,” he said, adding that the ratio of hiring recent college graduates to experienced professionals is about 7-to-3. “We look for both recent college graduates and already established IT professionals,” Chumble said. “While we hire many new grads from engineering schools and management institutes to bring in fresh knowledge, we also hire experienced people to bring more expertise to the company.” In particular, the company looks for experience with certain technologies and solutions, including but not limited to .Net, C++, Cobol, J2EE, Oracle DBA, MySQL, Sybase and HTML/Java Script. Additionally, Hexaware considers industry-specific experience in areas such as banking and finance, CRM, airlines, insurance, hospitality and logistics, along with technology-specific certification. “Certifications help us in identifying the right people having the right skill sets and expertise,” Chumble said. “Certification and experience also help in showcasing to us and the clients that the expertise possessed by an individual is confirmed by a recog- 30 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE June 2008

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Certification - June 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Data Stream Tech Careers Academic Connection Dear Techie Virtual Village Online Degrees: Are They Right for You? Inside Certification New Opportunities and Challenges: Are Application Developers Ready? Interface Where Have All the Help Desks Gone? Ad Index Endtag

Certification - June 2008

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