While so much is written and read about the IT industry in India, two areas stand out and are conspicuous by their absence in all these discussions. And it is not surprising that these are two areas which otherwise in other parts of the world are in many ways the essence of IT industry. These are:
- The hardware industry
- The software product industry
While it may be incorrect to say that these two sub categories do not exist, fact is that these are hardly mentioned, known or existing the form to be reckoned with globally.
While India has made great strides in the space of IT services, the IT product area has not been something that can be written much about. While there have been hardware products designed to some extent, and there is ample cheap labor ( which can be seen in non IT manufacturing growth), core product design has not progressed much. It requires a different kind of rigor which the IT industry is yet to imbibe. Curiously the same IT services companies are working with leading global IT product companies to help in their IT.
Maturity and leadership in IT technologies will get a big boost when IT products are designed, planned and manufactured in India. This is true of several other economies where this can be seen and India should surely be on this track.
