MAIT to include federation of IT channel associations

Manufacturers'
Association
for Information Technology (MAIT), India's apex IT
hardware body, representing IT companies, is all set to announce its
agenda for 2012. The association has recently undergone a leadership
change and now it will be conducting its fi rst executive council
meet on December 1-3, 2011, in Goa, todiscuss the annual strategy.
In a fi rst and exclusive interview with The DQWeek, Dr Alok
Bharadwaj, president, MAIT, who took over the charge last month,
explained about the key areas which MAIT will be contemplating on and
taking final decision during the 3-day meet. He said, “We are
exploring to include three new chapters or
stakeholders into our existing membership base so that we could
double up our current size of membership from 82 and become custodian
of these stakeholders. Having said that, if we see the current
membership pattern of MAIT, it is dominated by vendors of brand
owners. However, we are recognizing this fact and are keen

on expanding
the membership base, so that all the three stakeholders in some way
get represented. We need major presence of these identified
stakeholders, so that their voice need be factored whenever we
conceive and conceptualize any direction for MAIT.” Besides vendors
as stakeholders, MAIT intends to include large IT system integrators
such as TCS, Wipro, Educom, NIIT, Spnaco, etc, as MAIT members.
Secondly, MAIT is exploring opportunities to include a federation of
channel association and lastly SMEs, who are involved into small
scale of IT manufacturing. Dr Bhardwaj added, “Towards this
direction, we are planning to create different MAIT's chapters, so
it is important, when we create these chapters all the three
stakeholders start associating in a better way and find a house
within the house. Our main objective is to give voice to all the
issues and problems which are creating hurdles on these stakeholders'
way, as they are the most important players in the demand and supply
chain of IT industry.

The Indian
SI market is worth Rs 10,000 crore,
hence, we are seriously looking at expanding this membership to
include SIs in our executive council.” When asked how MAIT will
become a federation of IT channel association, he said, “MAIT
should become a federation of IT channel associations, and there are
100 such channel associations. If they become members of MAIT, then
we will become an umbrella for such associations for raising a common
voice. We know each association has its own local state level or
issues wherein MAIT will begin to look at micro level which will be
common for the channel fraternity.”