Sutherland would join the team of leading technology companies in defining best practices criteria for the newly created certification programme.

Sutherland would be part of the team responsible for creating the best practices criteria for the recently-announced J D Power Certified Technology Service and Support Program, which will recognise excellence in technology support, a company statement said.

"Our breadth and range of customer support delivery experience in the technology industry will provide J D Power Certified Technology Service and Support Program with a truly unique perspective," Ashok Jain, chief operating officer said.

The criteria established by the Standards Board will ensure that all infrastructure and quality assurance processes meet the highest industry standards and should, over time, yield consistently high quality service and support.

Led by senior executives from J D Power and Associates, the Standards Board comprises a cross-section of technology companies that include IBM, HP, ADP, Oracle, VERITAS, BEA Systems, EMC, McKesson, Novell, Canon, McAfee, VeriSign and Hitachi Data Systems, among others.

The certification programme will be administered jointly by J D Power and Associates and the Service Support Professionals Association.

Sutherland's customer management operation centres are located in US, Canada, India and the Philippines. It employs over 10,000 people globally.