'Top Indian IT cos will lead in digital business'

Amid fears that Indian IT has not kept pace with rapidly evolving technologies, executive search firm Head Hunters today expressed optimism that top firms like TCS and Infosys will lead the digital segment.

However, it will be a long-drawn battle as global players like IBM and Accenture, which had invested very early in digital capabilities, command a lion's share of the market, according to Head Hunters India Founder and MD Kris Lakshmikanth.

"Amidst fears that Indian tech companies haven t kept pace to make the shift from traditional to cutting-edge technologies to meet customer demands, I firmly believe that our top companies including TCS and Infosys, just as they made India the outsourcing global giant, will lead India in the digital business too," Lakshmikanth said in an interview here.

He added that industry captains like TCS' N Chandrasekaran, Infosys' Vishal Sikka and Tech Mahindra's C P Gurnani had clearly understood this dramatic change and the challenges of going digital more than two years back.

He also said Indian IT companies have increasingly been shifting their focus from labour-intensive projects to more hi-tech virtual needs like cloud computing, automation and artificial intelligence.

Though he pinned hope on Indian giants succeeding with their deep pockets, Lakshmikanth said it would be a long-drawn battle.

Giving reasons, Lakshmikanth, quoting from HfS Research data, said of the 371 deals of IT companies that the firm tracked in 2015, 137 were digital deals and over half were clinched by global IT service providers, including IBM (45 deals) and Accenture (16).