New Opportunities to Meet Challenges for the SIs

What are the challenges that SIs are facing nowadays and how are the initiatives of ASIRT helping to resolve those challenges?

The most challenges are reducing margins and changing technological environment.

In the last ten years, things have changed dramatically in terms of number of products. It’s very difficult to keep pace with the evolving technologies. We have introduced many activities to upgrade the SIs, but we feel we are still falling short and need to introduce more activities to keep pace with the constantly evolving technologies.

What programmes do you have to upskill the SIs to update themselves with the evolving techs such as AI and Cloud?

We have Tech Edge for upskilling not only our members but also their staff and employees. It’s an online programme where the members and their employees can get training with the OEMs. This in turn also benefits their clients.

How much have the MSMEs adopted these technologies, so that the SIs can also work with them?

This is always a challenge. In terms of buying IT products, they’re willing to purchase them. But when it comes to integrating emerging techs, they are a little slow. When it comes to the cutting edge techs such as AI, their adoption is not very large in volume. Just as we are facing challenges in keeping pace with the emerging techs, in the same way, they are also facing challenges. But I am very positive that in coming years, this will change and MSMEs will also adopt these emerging techs in large numbers.

What are your hopes about Make in India? Do you think the Indian companies are going to join the manufacturing pool of India, or is it going to be largely the MNCs that are going to manufacture in India and make use of the Make in India benefits?

In short term, this is right. It is mostly the MNCs that are opening manufacturing units in India. But in long term, more and more Indian companies will come forward to open their manufacturing units.

How are the resources of the SIs? Are you facing challenges in this area?

Especially after COVID, many SIs dropped out and didn’t come back to this business. But it is changing now. With the new opportunities, new avenues are opening up. We are positive that many SIs will join the workforce of this business domain.

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