Satyam opens development centre in Egypt

Dubai, Feb 10 (UNI) India's software major Satyam Computer Services has announced the launch of its Global Development Centre (GDC) in Smart Village in Giza, becoming the first Indian IT firm to set up presence in Egypt.

The initiative follows a visit to the company's Hyderabad headquarters by Egyptian government officials and the foray marks another milestone for Satyam's 'globalisation' plans.

The company now aims to leverage the current boom in the region, which saw the total IT spend for the MEA region touch 35 billion in 2007.

The move is also a testament to the emergence of Egypt as an IT hub with the IT services market in the country projected to reach 163 million in 07-08.

The GDC in Egypt will train and deploy about 300 personnel, majority of which are locals, to handle customer engagements and serve as a major technological development and software support group for Satyam's customers in the Middle East.

''We recognise Egypt as one among the countries in the region that is steadily moving towards the global IT market spotlight in terms of the maturity of its software offshoring industry,'' said Satyam Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa Director and Sr Vice President Virender Aggarwal in a statement.

With the success of this venture, we are looking forward to adding value due to the proximity to our customers and contributing to the growth of the outsourcing industry in the region, he added.

Satyam has pioneered the virtually integrated delivery model 2.0 (VIGDM), which renders services from multiple locations across the globe in real time.

Further, the company's strategy to leverage the local advantage that each region provides in terms of a resource-base and business opportunities, has been evident in its global delivery campuses in China and Malaysia and now in Egypt, along with the opening of its regional offices in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, KSA and Jordan.

The Global Development Center in Egypt is the first phase of expansion planned by Satyam in the West Asia, with the company also looking at Saudi Arabia as a viable market for a second GDC in the region.

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