A focus on India

So how does India stand to gain now that Microsoft has a sturdy base in the country?

Koppolu answers: ‘‘Microsoft has a focused mission of expanding computing penetration in India. The initiatives touch upon a variety of issues related to increasing the relevance and utilisation of computing, including but not limited to affordability, ease of use, and easy access to computing services through alternative form factors such as mobile phones and television sets.

“One of the key activities is to understand the unique characteristics and requirements of Indian consumers, and incorporate that understanding into the development of products and services for the local market. The team also looks into the utilisation of technology to expand education opportunities for a wider audience,” he adds. The team actively collaborates with educational institutions and other stakeholders in India with shared interests around these topics.

Innovation: More than just a buzzword?

An organisation that has offered many innovations to the world is the best source to find out how vital innovation is for a tech firm, and also to know exactly what innovation means to MSIDC. Koppolu emphatically explains: “Innovation could be a brand new product or a feature, improvements to an existing process or the creation of a new process leading to better efficiencies. Innovation should create and/or sustain value for the company, translate into revenue and profit, and give it a lasting competitive edge.

“Innovation is critical to the future of any business. In a world where competition is fierce, the ability of a company to not only keep pace with the industry, but to exceed its own, and its customers’ expectations is critical to success and even survival.”

Koppolu shares some factors that have made it possible for MSIDC to foster the spirit of innovation among its employees:

• An open culture that encourages employees to take on big challenges, think freely and share their ideas, collaborate across the organisation and experiment with new products, technologies or processes without the fear of failure.
• Providing employees access to all the latest technologies and ensuring that they stay in touch with their target market and customers’ needs.
• Strong and experienced leadership that is able to successfully mentor and groom the next generation of thought leaders and domain experts.
• A suitable reward and recognition system for successful innovations.

Is India actually innovating?

Analysing the innovation scenario in India, especially that which prevails in tech firms, Koppolu says that in India, a lot of innovation and breakthrough work is happening in traditional sectors such as telecom, retail and the automobile sector. He feels that there is a lot of interest in innovation and early stage activities among start-ups in the new age technology sector, but points out that innovation in the tech sector is at a nascent stage, and given the right impetus and encouragement, it will definitely have a very bright future.