| |
Marketing
PSEB promotes the image of the Pakistan IT industry in key
markets abroad, enables trade interaction with international
parties, and facilitates the entry of multi-national development
and support centres into Pakistan.
 |
Over the last
year, PSEB has sponsored participation of one hundred and twelve
member companies in fifteen international tradeshows and
delegations, sponsored eleven domestic conferences, developed
joint action plans with five foreign governments or industry
associations, participated in sixty TV interviews, nine radio
interviews, forty four magazine interviews and articles, and has
issued over ninety three press releases.
|
|
|
In
addition, eight international promotional campaigns were run. Four
international campaigns were launched this month in New Zealand, UK, UAE
and Dawn.com. Almost two hundred and ninety four leads were
directly passed on to member companies in addition to over a
thousand indirect leads. Most potential customers and investors
contact PSEB member companies directly after getting information
from the PSEB website which receives a million hits each month
with seventy percent of the hits received from overseas.
|
|
|
PSEB held the
inaugural CEO Forum on 10th of August 2007, in Karachi
during ITCN Asia. An unprecedented lineup of global corporate
leaders, investors and authors addressed this pioneering event on
the theme “Corporate Success in the Knowledge Economy.” Despite
record rainfall which deluged the city and caused city-wide power
outages, rave reviews were received from speakers, attendees,
sponsors and media. Speakers and sponsors also met with the Prime
Minister later in the evening.
|
Strategy
In conjunction with stakeholders like PASHA, the industry
association, PSEB has developed a vision and strategic roadmap
to fast track IT industry growth.
|
 |
Vice President
Gartner Consulting, Dr Tony Murphy, visited Pakistan from 8 to 16
August, 2007 to conduct follow up interviews with leading IT
companies and other stakeholders as part of the on-going PSEB
commissioned Gartner study on the Pakistan IT Industry.
|
|
|
The first
meeting of the Working Group of the IT Industry Statistics Committee
is scheduled to be held on 23rd of August 2007. The
objective of this Working Group is to develop an inter-ministerial
mechanism to measure IT revenue more accurately. |
Office Space Provision
PSEB plans to build IT Parks in different cities and
currently operates over 750,000 square feet of Software
Technology Parks (STP) in eleven buildings across the country.
|
|
On the request of several prospective investors/bidders an
extension of one month has been given for submission of
proposals for the construction of the Islamabad IT Park on BOT
basis. The new deadline, offered to and applicable only to the
prospective bidders who have already purchased RFP documents, is
13 September 2007.
|
|
|
A Project Proposal for purchase of additional 37 acres adjacent
to the current site in Islamabad has been submitted to the
Planning Commission. |
Industry HR
PSEB works with
the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to increase the influx
of quality graduates into the industry, facilitates matching
of graduates with IT companies, provides on-going trainings
and certifications to professionals, and undertakes research
to benchmark IT professionals and graduates in the country.
|
|
To date, seven hundred and ten IT professionals have
participated in PSEB-sponsored trainings and around three
thousand interns have been placed.
|
|
|
Approval for the placement of another 1600 interns for three
months at a monthly stipend of Rs 6000 has been received by
PSEB.
|
|
|
PSEB has received twenty seven applications for its
Apprenticeship Program which are being reviewed. A total of
three proposals have been forwarded to the R&D Fund for funding
following whetting and revision. The R&D Fund has approved
funding for one hundred apprentices for BearingPoint. Additional
companies are invited to submit proposals for this widely hailed
program which is designed to address human capital needs in the
short term.
|
Public Policy
PSEB
facilitates the creation of a public policy
environment including taxes, tariffs, trade, and
intellectual property protection to enable the
growth of the IT industry.
|
|
M/s Jamil and Jamil, who have been
contracted by PSEB to prepare a Data
Confidentiality Law, have consulted with
over fifty IT companies to seek their
feedback and recommendations.
|
|
|
Feedback is still awaited from the IT
Industry on the PTA Recommended
Framework for IP Telephony, which is
available at the PTA website (www.pta.gov.pk).
Considering the importance of this issue
and the considerable debate it generated
in the IT community last year, IT firms
are urged to come forward with their
feedback.
|
Industry Finance
PSEB is working with stakeholders to
create a financing and funding ecosystem
for the IT industry.
|
|
MoIT and PSEB arranged a meeting
of two leading international
Venture Capitalists with CEO of
leading banks and regulators under
the Chairmanship of the Prime
Minister on July 30 2007. The
Prime Minister was pleased to
approve the PSEB VC Strategy and
stressed the importance of
establishing a fund in Pakistan. A
follow up meeting with thirty
bankers was arranged on August 3,
2007 by Investment Advisor to
Ministry of Finance.
|
Company
Capability Development
PSEB sponsors quality and
information security certification
of IT companies in order to
enhance their international
competitiveness.
|
|
Under PSEB-sponsored
programs, Pakistan now has
over 110 ISO-certified IT
companies, over fifty ISO IT
lead auditors, and will have
over 20 CMMi rated companies
by the end of the current
year – making it a world
leader in this category.
Currently, there is one CMMi
L5 company, one CMM L5
company, three CMMi L3
companies, four CMMi L2
company, one ISO 27001
certified company, three SEI
Transition Partner companies
and two SCAMPI appraisers.
|
|
|
Si3, a Systems Integrator
and Solution provider to
Finance, Telecom, Energy,
and the Public Sector, has
achieved CMMi L2.
|
|
|
Business Beam, a CMMi
consulting and appraisal
company on the PSEB panel,
has received status of SEI
Transition Partner from US
Department of Defense and
has become eligible to
conduct CMMi appraisals
across the globe outside
USA.
|
Facilitation
PSEB facilitates IT companies
in their interaction with
various Government agencies
and also launches programs in
areas of strategic importance
where the private sector is
shy of investing. In the last
year, the Open Source Centre
has conducted twenty six
workshops, training over four
hundred and fifty people,
facilitated one migration, and
published internationally
recognizing training
toolkits..
|
|
In the current calendar
year, visa processing
has been facilitated for
over one hundred and
ninety five individuals.
Foreign currency
remittance NOCs for
purchase of software
were processed and
issued to fifty nine
companies, and corporate
advisory services have
been provided to
numerous companies and
individuals.
|
|
|
Twenty two new IT
companies were
registered with PSEB
in this reporting
period in addition to
fourteen call centres.
Forty six IT companies
and seven call centres
have renewed their
registrations.
|
|
|
Under PSEB’s OSRC
(Open Source
Resource Centre)
Project, four
training workshops
were conducted in
International
Islamic University,
Islamabad.
|
|
|
Autoplus, a PSEB
commissioned ERP
developed for the
Automotive Parts and
Accessories vertical
by Acrologix, has been
successfully
implemented at model
unit Kortech Auto
Industries.
Improvement in
business metrics as a
result of the
implementation are
being measured and
implementation is now
also being carried out
in six additional
units.Technical evaluation
of short listed
companies for the
development of
agricultural ERP has
been completed and
final selection will
be made shortly.
|
Tel: 051-9211124 |
Fax: 051 9204075 | Email:
info@pseb.org.pk | URL:
www.pseb.org.pk
Disclaimer: PSEBulletin is an assimilation of major IT business
news. It mostly contains third party content from cited
sources,
therefore, please
note that these are not the views of PSEB. Please note that the
items have been
edited for purpose of brevity.
To unsubscribe, please
send an e-mail with Subject ‘Unsubscribe from PSEBulletin’ to
info@pseb.org.pk
|
|
|
|
