Mr. Diwakar Nigam, the Managing Director of Newgen Software Technologies founded Newgen in 1992. Mr. Nigam has been an active player at the national software industry as a founding member of NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies). He is also a member of the Anti Piracy Task Group formed by NASSCOM.
Mr. Nigam has been pursuing the goal of building a world-class Product Development Company ever since his graduation and Newgen is the fulfillment of that goal. Newgen is involved in the development of Enterprise Content Management and Business Process Management Software and has made an impact in India and Internationally. Today, Newgen’s client list consists of some of India’s and the world’s largest Banks, Insurance Companies, BPOs, MNCs and big corporate houses. Under Mr. Nigam’s dynamic leadership, a team of highly qualified software professionals develop software, which is totally indigenous.
Prior to forming Newgen, Mr. Nigam, along with a few colleagues, had incorporated (in 1978) Softek Limited, a product development company specializing in Compilers, Operating System, Office Productivity tools, etc. He also had a short stint working in the Software R&D of HCL during the years 1976-78.
Mr. Nigam is a Masters in Technology in Computers Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, of the 1976 batch.
Here are a few excerpts from an interview with Mr. Diwakar Nigam.
Q1. Please share your thoughts on the Make in India program? Do you think it is time for the software industry to be Vocal for Local?
The IT industry has been a key enabler in helping businesses across industries navigate through the COVID pandemic. With the Make in India initiative, the government should actively encourage local companies to embrace and support Indian software products. Furthermore, companies operating in India that are already using built-in-India software should advocate Vocal for Local. With India at the cusp of a digital revolution, the future of the country’s software industry looks promising.
Q2. Do you think large organizations operating in India are adopting home-grown software? Is there a fear factor in the quality and service? Please elaborate.
Indian-grown software product companies are at par with their global counterparts in terms of product quality, implementation and support services, cost-competitiveness, and have been getting consistently recognised by leading global analyst firms.
Today, Indian software companies are investing heavily in R&D, setting up local excellence teams, and facilitating remote operations to ensure they deliver quality products and services. Perhaps, it is a good time for large organizations in India, who have been relying more on global brands for their IT needs, to start trusting Indian companies for their software requirements.
Q3. How will Make in India software help the Indian economy?
The Make in India initiative encourages businesses to invest in built-in-India software products to boost the IT industry as well as the entire economy. The initiative will encourage Indian product companies to invest more in R&D, thereby positioning India as a global brand in the software product space, beyond today’s leadership position in the IT services space.
Furthermore, such IT products on low code cloud environment would be leveraged to boost productivity, enhance efficiency, and enable business continuity. Organizations can be more data-driven and improve their business outcomes, thereby fostering growth across industries. In addition, more employment opportunities will be created and help strengthen the Indian economy.
Q4. What kind of measures do you think are required under the Make in India initiative for supporting the Indian software industry?
Campaigns and initiatives supporting Vocal for Local can be introduced, whereby companies operating in India are encouraged to adopt Indian software products. Indian software product companies should be empowered and encouraged to innovate by incentivizing more on patent approvals and product adoption. The government should provide leading-edge IT infrastructure around cloud, secure access, and mobility to let Indian software companies compete in a level-playing field with its global competitors. Government and public sector companies should be encouraged to invest in Indian software products.