Networking: Not Working In India?
For those of my dear friends knowing little or absolutely nothing about my business, there are three divisions in my company of which, one happens to be ‘networking’ (the one that I take care of). Again, for those not having sufficient knowledge of my professional background, I happen to have post-graduated from Networking field and I have worked with a security software company as a software engineer for some time.
And now the work I’m doing is completely into core-networking (hardware). So what should be the motive behind this paradigm shift? Trust me, money isn’t first reason here (for a change). Just to relate this to one of my earlier articles (Of all, why Bhopal?), there are reasons to address the need of Networking-business, and that too in Bhopal. It hasn’t been the easiest thing to do so far. And the path ahead isn’t easy either. But then, as far as there's work, it’s always great! Over-work is never a problem - no-work can be the issue!
Recently there was an article on ‘Network’ related market scenario, in The Economic Times (New Delhi, Feb 6 2006, by Ranjoy Punja). Although it had most of it in the form of statistics, but it said everything for itself. Here’s the abstract:
Networked and In Demand
The advent of globalisation, India’s prowess in information technology and a strong educational system are bringing about an information communications technology (ICT) revolution. The signs are everywhere: the phenomenal rate of mobile adoption, increased ICT investments by enterprises to compete effectively, small- and medium-sized businesses investing in ICT to become suppliers to multi-national companies and state governments looking to bridge socio-economic disparities and provide effective citizens-centric services are some examples. All of these are having an unprecedented impact on the country’s economic development. Interestingly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Looking ahead, Gartner predicts that Indian ICT spends will surpass $54.8bn by ‘08, and achieve a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 19%. With this growth comes the increase in demand for networking professionals in the country.
Networking forms the backbone of the ICT revolution. While there has been a growth in the number of IT professionals in India, there is an increasing shortfall of networking professionals, which makes it a lucrative career option. Let’s take a look at the opportunities that exist and the certifications that are available for professionals considering a career in networking.
Demand-Supply Gap
A recent report by Evalueserve suggests that the current demand for networking professionals in India stands over two lacs. However, only 140,000 are currently available, indicating a deficit of more than 50,000 professionals. This deficit is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.64% till ‘10. In short, this current demand-supply gap is expected to widen further, posing serious concerns for the growth of BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), telecom and BPO/ITeS verticals in the country. BFSI, which currently accounts for 20% of total demand for networking professionals, is expected to witness an additional demand of over 41,000 networking professionals during ‘05-‘10, driven by regulatory compliance. The telecom sector, which currently accounts for around 16% of the total demand of networking professionals, is expected to witness an increasing adoption of disruptive technologies creating an additional demand for over 75,000 professionals during ‘05-‘10. BPO/ITeS is the segment that will witness the highest growth in demand for networking professionals, growing at a CAGR of 35% during the period ‘05-‘10. Due to an increase in technology adoption, the demand for networking professionals in the governance and retail sectors is also expected to increase considerably.
Take:2 Soon I’m moving back into the world of network-security (this time as a consultant). So, check your security-gears... I'm coming!!