SPI | Media Kit | Feature Articles Archives | GROWTH OF CITY AND IT ARE MUTUAL

An insight into the Mysore-based IT Company Software Paradigms India (SPI) Ltd. and its CEO Siddhartha Mookerji, who recently received the Certificate of Excellence in IT Exports for the second consecutive year, from the Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh at Bangalore recently.

SPI's corporate office premises in Atlanta, USA.

Software Paradigms India (SPI) Ltd., the city-based offshore IT solutions provider, with its Corporate Office Software Paradigms International Ltd., at Atlanta, USA, is expanding in a big way.

SPI City, an ambitious project of the leading IT Company, is under construction in Hebbal Industrial Area and will be completed by the year end.

The SPI City, built on a two-lakh sq.ft area with employment opportunities for about 3000 people, will contribute to Mysore IT in a major way.

Incidentally, the SPI has won the Certificate of Excellence in IT Exports for the second year in a row.

Siddhartha Mookerji, CEO of SPI, who was in city after receiving the Award in Bangalore recently, stated in an interview with Star of Mysore that projecting Mysore as the second IT Capital of Karnataka would boost the city's development, infrastructure,

K.K. Mookerji, MD and his son
Siddhartha Mookerji, CEO of SPI Ltd.

commerce and other aspects. Accordingly, good infrastructure, transport and communication and other basic amenities need to be improved for the growth of IT here, he felt.

Star of Mysore(SOM) : Tell me about SPI
Sid Mookerji (SM): SPI was established in 1994 as an external service provider of global IT solutions. Today it has become a leading offshore IT solutions provider.

With offshore development capabilities in India, and onsite/onshore project management at the client's location, SPI delivers Applications Development, Maintenance and Management, Infrastructure Management, Business

Process Outsourcing, and Management, Systems Integration and IT Business Consulting.

SOM : How competent is the SPI technically?
SM : SPI is technically proficient in Enterprise Client-Server Systems, Mainframe Legacy Systems, and Web Technology Systems found in large enterprises and mid-sized organisations.

SOM : What's the company's staff strength and turnover?
SM : There are 300 employees in Mysore and 50 plus in our Corporate Office at Atlanta, Georgia. Our annual turnover is Rs. 50 crore and we aim to double it shortly.

SOM : How suitable is Mysore for IT growth?
SM : Mysore is no doubt a prospective IT hub in the making. Earlier, when we started in 1994, the connectivity was very poor. It has improved now. The State Government talks about double-track railway and an airport here. Growth of the city and the IT industry will be mutual.

SOM : What job opportunities are there for the local youth?
SM : Employing the locals is our primary lookout, since it is beneficial both for the company and the employees. Mysore is still not considered a prospective location by the IT professionals. Many prefer bigger cities like Bangalore. Depending on merit, we always prefer the locals.

SOM : How has the Government helped you?
SM : Quite a lot. We face very few hurdles. B.V. Naidu, Director of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), who is considered the father of IT in Karnataka, has been with us since day one.

Even the current IT Secretary Shankaralinge Gowda has helped us overcome the bureaucratic hurdles. We import lot of equipment from USA, for which the customs authorities have been helpful in hassle-free clearances.

SOM : Has the competition from IT giants affected SPI?
SM : Well, competition does exist, but the market is wide enough. Ours is the largest Mysore-based IT Company.

SOM : Any commitments towards Mysore in general and its society in particular?
SM : Yes, SPI provides food every month to the Bapuji Orphanage. A contribution of 50,000 dollars was made to the PM's Tsunami Relief Fund, half collected from the employees' salaries and the other half matched by the company.

SOM : Future plans of SPI?
SM : The SPI city in Hebbal speaks for itself. We envisage to increase our sales force and tie up with other countries for export.

SOM : Tell us about yourself?
SM : I had my primary education at CFTRI School, where my father K.K. Mookerji served as a scientist. He is the MD of SPI and my guiding light. I had my Electronics and Engineering degree from BITS Pilani and an MBA from Emory University USA. I am 38-year-old, happily married to Sophie Mookerji, who is also involved in the company. I have a son and a daughter.