Mumbai — Microsoft Corporation and HCL Infosystems on Friday announced a number of combined initiatives, including the launch of world’s cheapest ultra portable Windows enabled laptop computer. The companies will also create a joint Center of Excellence (CoE) which will employ over 500 professionals to create a customized solution framework for India.
The announcement was made in Mumbai on Friday, Ajai Chowdhry, chairman and CEO of HCL, said, “The laptop will be launched under HCL’s MiLeap brand and will cost Rs. 16,990.”
MiLeap brand of HCL laptops with Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system is the low cost among the MS operating system powered laptops, the company officials said.
“The MiLeap H Series runs on Windows XP Home, has a 30 GB HDD and is broadband ready.”
“There is a massive possibility in the PC market as India is selling about seven million PCs as compared to 32 million in China. Through this laptop we mean to increase the IT penetration,” Chowdhary said in a statement.
Microsoft Corp. COO Kevin Turner said that for over 22 years, Microsoft and HCL have aligned to promote the use of IT in India for over two decades. According to him, the CoE will set up a dedicated team of 500 staff to target industry verticals such as telecommunications, banking, financial services and insurance, power, defense, retail, e-Governance, media, entertainment, and railways.
“We are thrilled to strengthen this alliance and empower Indian consumers and businesses with the latest and best that technology has to offer.”
Microsoft India chairman Ravi Venkatesan said the accord between the two software groups brings about the training and subsequent certifying of 50,000 students on Microsoft technologies in a span of three years.
“The batches will be trained in 100 ‘Career Development Centers’ that will be set up by HCL. The curriculum used by the new HCL Career Development Centers will be the Microsoft Official Curriculum, a structured learning methodology designed and developed by Microsoft.”
The purpose of the training program between Microsoft and HCL is to enhance the employability of students and help the Indian IT industry retain its competitive edge, the companies said.
Microsoft has been offering training to Indians on its technologies for some time now, including a program for training teachers in government schools in India.
The latest plan with HCL will guarantee that a large number of IT staff, trained on Microsoft’s technologies, will be available to the private sector and government for its computerization programs.
Venkatesan said this education will help the Indian IT industry maintain its competitive edge, as well as supply the projected need of 2.3 million skilled computer workers that may arise due to the country’s emergence as a preferred outsourcing destination.
Citing a Nasscom Strategic Review 2008 projection, Venkatesan said local IT services spending is expected to grow at about 43 percent in 2008-09, with all signs of an increase in sophistication.
“The data indicates that CoE will become a big business enabler in the coming years,” he added.
The MS-HCL joint venture is aimed at creating a sustained supply of skilled and certified manpower to address the employability issues of the IT and ITES industry.