Indian high-tech companies tighten security procedures
Indian high-tech and software companies, with their constant need for new employees, are easy targets for terrorist infiltration; these companies now take much tougher approach to vetting — and continuously checking — employees
High-profile Indian software companies, particularly in the south of the country, have always been seen as soft targets on the terror radar. These companies have spent the last few months making themselves more secure. IT facilities in most cities in south India are now virtual fortresses. They have every reason to do so. NDTV reports that everyday, as many as seventy new individuals arrive at the main building of Genpact’s largest facility in India at Hyderabad for an interview. Every month, at least 400 people are hired. The human resource interview, though, is no longer the last mile before landing the job. The company’s hiring practices now call for checking every applicant’s antecedents before the appointment letter is handed out.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) chief S. Ramadorai believes physical security alone is not enough to safeguard his offices across the country. An awareness program for all TCS employees at every level on how to be vigilant has become a must. The CEO of Ramadorai says, ”we are looking at a combination of physical security, awareness creation to our employees and engaging experts to conduct frequent audit at our facilities. It will also involve technology based security in premises.” With security moving up on the priority list, IT companies are in fact looking for state-of-the-art firewalls.
In cities like Hyderabad for instance, after the twin blasts in August 2007, the number of security personnel guarding offices went up by 25 to 40 percent. President of Hyderabad Software Exporters Association Anil Jampala says, ”we are sensitizing all our members. Whether security arrangements are adequate or not is assessed periodically. They have chief security officers because information security is also a big challenge for the BPOs.” Talk to people working in different facilities in the city right from day one of functioning and they have an endless list of changes in the structure, for security purposes. These days, on average, an employee flashes his identity card four times a day to reach to his workstation in his own office.
