Remote Infrastructure Management (RIM) is touted to be the service offering for the future. India, in particular, is emerging as a leading offshore destination for this business.
As per a study conducted by Nasscom and McKinsey, titled: "The Rising Remote Infrastructure Management Opportunity: Establishing Indias Leadership", the global RIM industry has grown at more than 80 percent CAGR, from $2 billion in 2006 to $6 billion in 2007 to $7 billion in 2008.
Anindo Sengupta, Head Services-Marketing, Microland, a leading specialist in offshore IT infrastructure services and tech support services provider, shares his views with CIOL.
About Comparison Between, IT/BPO or ADM (application development and maintenance) & RIM Services.
Most ADM based operations are project based. However, RIM services predominantly function on real-time mission critical responses. The approach for real-time, quick and efficient solutions drive organisations in RIM service space to follow a high level of standardization. Organisations in RIMs adopt an SLA-based approach of operations rather than an FTE based service model, which is adopted in BPO/ADM services.
RIM services require a high level of security while operating on business critical networks, working alongside other vendors and IT asset managers for prompt response and closure of any issues. This is completely different than a BPO/ADM service which functions as independent executive bodies.
About evolution of RIM Industry past half decade.
In the past half-a-decade, barriers to RIM industry have reduced. There have been substantial improvements in third party and proprietary tools for managing infrastructure remotely. Improved performance and stability of international data telecom services have ensured continuous access to customer IT infrastructure.
The talent pool for RIM industry has significantly increased over the last five years. There have also been several success stories for RIMS, which have encouraged companies to start investing in this space.
About the technology used to connect various centres.
Access to the labs from various global centres is predominantly over the Internet. Users make use of the SSL VPN connection to access the gateway server. Once connected, they can access any of the provision servers in the Virtual Lab.
For local users, access is through an RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) sessions to the gateway server. There is a dedicated network and link for virtual labs to ensure continuous connectivity.
About Security which is the biggest concern in offshore IMS (Infrastructure Management Services). How are they tackled?
Generally a three-tier approach is adopted. The first and most fundamental level of security for us is to be in compliance with established industry norms and best practices. This would involve getting certificates like the ISO27000-1 certification, which Microland has. Once a foundation has been established, it becomes important to meet the security needs of the customer. Every customer would have various best practices and requirements as far as handling data is concerned.
The final level of security is to ensure all enhancements made to ensure complete security is in compliance with local government rules and at the same time suits the operational needs of the customer.
About the reason that there are not many players in this industry? What is the scenario now?
RIMS is a niche industry that has come into prominence only over the last few years. The reason for having few players in the industry is due to the challenges in terms of managing diverse technology infrastructure and managing multiple vendors. Other challenges include customer concerns over security and data privacy.
Managing diverse technology infrastructure directly impacts the operational costs. However, as the industry is maturing, the IT infrastructure management tools available in the market have simplified over time with well-defined functions. These tools are integrated with governance features, which address management of multiple vendors.
As a result of the mentioned developments, an increasing number of organisations are focusing on RIMS space. The increasing availability of talent pool for the RIMS space is also facilitating the growth of RIMS focused organisations.
About reverse outsourcing.
How much reverse outsourcing will affect the RIMS is still not clear! This is a phenomenon that is still very new and can’t be completely judged to the potential it would truly grow upto. Speculation really does not help.
Since RIM in itself is a new concept and the majority of infra outsourcing is done by the global majors like IBM, EDS, Atos, etc., the trend that we see more is the emergence of the RIMS model.
About the major concerns on the road ahead?
There is still a considerable skill gap in the industry. This needs to be addressed through improved curriculum and training. There are some regulatory constraints, in security laws and telecom policies, which need to be addressed by central and state governments.
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