Melbourne is fast becoming the information technology hub of Australia and the latest entrant is Satyam Computer Services Limited which has opened its largest global development centre outside India.
Nasdaq-listed Indian software and services giant Infosys already has a multi-million dollar worth global development centre in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, which is to Australia what Silicon Valley is to the United States or Bangalore is to India.
The 300-seat state-of-the-art centre would position Victoria as a hub for Satyam's Asia-Pacific projects, Victoria's Minister for Information and Communication Technology Marsha Thomson said.
The global development centre will perform software development work for local and international Satyam customers and plans are already underway to undertake work for clients in the Asia-Pacific including Japan here in Australia.
"Companies like Satyam Computer Services are choosing Victoria over other international locations because of our key strengths in ICT skills development. We are Australia's leading producer of IT and computing graduates and in cutting edge ICT research and development," she added.
Thomson said investments like the one by Satyam play an important part in internationalising the local ICT industry and providing access to cutting-edge technologies.
Trade between the state of Victoria and India accounts for around AU$480 million each year and three of the four largest ICT companies Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Technologies Ltd, Satyam Computer Services Ltd have invested in the Victorian ICT industry.
Over the last decade Indian companies like Satyam Computer Services have become leaders in software and other IT services and the success of Indian ICT companies was partly due to their leading the world in CMMI software accreditation, Thomson said.
"The Victorian Government recognises the importance of software accreditation and is leading the rest of Australia through our $1 million assistance programme to help Victoria's small and medium-sized software developers attain CMMI accreditation," she informed.
According to a Satyam spokesperson quoted in the local media, approximately 34 per cent of Satyam's existing 300 Australian staff is composed of Australian citizens or permanent residents and there are plans to grow this number.
The Development Centre will focus on areas related to specialisation in SAP, data warehousing and business intelligence.
Satyam, which first launched its Australian operations in 2001, has a software development centre in Sydney. Satyam and Infosys are among the several top Indian software firms that have entered Australia in the past few years.
To showcase Victoria state's ICT capabilities and develop trade links with an expanding export market at Asia's largest ICT trade fair in Bangalore, Thomson will lead a delegation of Victorian firms to India later this year.
The high-level delegation will visit Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and New Delhi from October 24 to November 3.
Thomson said, "This mission will build on the successful Premier Steve Bracks Government's Trade Fairs and Missions Programme."
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