Ness technolgoies to expand agressively

Bangalore, Nov 28: Global IT Services and solutions provider, Ness Technologies today announced an aggressive expansion plan of its Indian operations aiming to double its staff count of 2700 within the next 18 months.

Operating from five cities across the country, predominantly on the area of offshore software development and product engineering in the verticals of Financial Services, ISV and High Tech and Life Sciences, internal security and Defence besides egovernance projects, the Company would consolidate in its existing centres, Ness Technologies India President and MD Bharat Kalyanram told news persons here today.

The Indian operations contribute to almost one fifth of the worldwide revenue of Ness Technologies expected to touch 555 million US dollars in 2007.

The growing market in the US was Health Management Outsourcing (HMO) and India was expected to gain a major share of the outsourcing, Ness Technologies CEO and President Sachi Gerlitz said. Ness was currently operating in 18 countries with over 7800 staff, he added.

He said Ness had the largest private label R and D hub in India and was serving 40 labs with more than 2400 engineers innovating across India, Slovakia and Israel. The Company's strong point was outsourced product development and Ness was first in the world to offer commercially viable Outsourced Product Development.

Mr Gerlitz said that even as the IT majors were complaining about the shrinking IT budgets of companies across the globe, Ness was confident of growing ahead of the market as it aimed to cash in on the R and D expenditure of Companies looking at product development engineering. The Company was infusing more than 30 billion dollars worth of innovation with product companies, he added.

He said though the company aimed to grow organically in India, it was definitely in the market looking for acquisitions. Since inception the company had made 18 acquisitions across the world.

UNI