Wednesday, December 01, 2004

NCR: First big-time hire by a tech MNC

NCR, represented in Pakistan by Teradata, have established the first "global consulting" center by a tech multinational. This means that the company no longer just sells software [as most big companies do]. It now supports services for its CRM setup for clients in Middle East, Europe and Africa through skilled techies based in its Islamabad office. 75 locals have been hired and the target is set to reach 150 by next year at the Center of Expertise and Teradata Professional Services. The company also became the first software house to reach CMM Level 5 certification. Sigh. I hope certification speeds up for some players in the industry.

Entries are also invited for the 6th NCR Awards. Deadline: December 22nd. Some categories allow 'self-nomination'. Hurry ;~)

2 comments:

Zunaira said...

NCR Pakistan became CMM Level 5 certified in November. It was all over the press and you can read about it on the company website.

Of course its a pricey process and no one expects ALL software houses and SMEs to jump the gun on it [they can't]. That stamp certainly makes those that can stand out from the crowd when they show off a portfolio to buyers outside Pakistan. And yes, I know, that alone isn't enough to nab a deal but what kind of QA standards prevail in the industry currently that match this 'bumper sticker'?

Zunaira said...

I completely agree: ref. the need for baseline maturity before landing ANY 'stamp'. What signifies this baseline maturity, in your opinion? [Yep, I don't think you've said enough on this ;~)].

Are we looking at the scale of an organization depending on:
- Number of projects in hand
- Number of employees
- How a company outlines its business strategy including QA, R&D
- Marketing strength
- Names associated with the organization

It sounds too idealistic a list to me. Your thoughts M? Basically, I'm trying to find out what you consider are benchmarks for a 'good' firm. In the light of that, I can understand where this argument is headed. Perhaps, we can discuss the possibility of an article for Spider? :~D