Microsoft, HCL strengthen partnership

Microsoft and HCL Infosystems announced a set of initiatives to strengthen their existing alliance, at an event held in Mumbai.

The companies have unveiled plans for the creation of a joint Center of Excellence (CoE) for the development of vertical-specific customized solution frameworks for India; the launch of a Windows OS laptop at Rs.16,990 under the MiLeap brand of HCL leaptops; and generating an industry-ready workforce certified in Microsoft technologies at the HCL Career Development Centers, which will offer a unique learning experience.
The announcement was made at an event attended by Kevin Turner, COO, Microsoft, Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman, Microsoft India, and Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman and CEO, HCL.

Speaking at the event, Kevin Turner, said, “For over 22 years, Microsoft and HCL have partnered with each other to promote the use of information technology in India. We are delighted to reinforce this association and empower Indian consumers and businesses with the latest and best that technology has to offer.”

HCL, which launched the MiLeap series of laptops earlier this year, even announced the roll out of the Windows OS enabled MiLeap. Available at Rs 16,990, it is the lowest priced Microsoft Windows XP powered laptop in the market. The MiLeap H Series runs on Windows XP Home, has a 30 GB HDD and is broadband ready.

Microsoft and HCL Infosystems have also established a new Center of Excellence (CoE) with over 500 software professionals to create, design and deploy Microsoft technologies-based solution frameworks across various industry verticals. The CoE will leverage the System Integration capabilities of HCL and Microsoft’s innovative suite of products in the area of IT requirement of customers across different verticals, including Telecom, Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Power, Defense, Retail, eGovernance, Media & Entertainment, and Microsoft technology-based horizontal solutions in Health, Railways and Airports.

The third part of the strategic alliance includes an agreement by Microsoft and HCL to train and certify 50,000 students on Microsoft technologies, in three years, across 100 training centers; the HCL Career Development Centers have been set up by HCL. The curriculum used will be the Microsoft Official Curriculum, a comprehensive and structured learning methodology designed and developed by Microsoft. The goal of the Microsoft-HCL training initiative is to enhance the employability of students and help the Indian IT industry retain its competitive edge. The training will also provide a targeted framework for IT Managers to validate core technical, professional and architectural skills. The Microsoft-HCL partnership is targeted at creating a sustained supply of skilled and certified manpower to address the employability issues of the IT and ITES industry.

Commenting on the various initiatives announced, Ajai Chowdhry, said, “Both HCL and Microsoft are key players in the Indian market, and this alliance has brought value to the Indian customer with over three decades of innovation, passion and defining of markets. I am sure that this alliance will further enable overall development in our country with IT as the key enabler.”
Adding to this, Ravi Venkatesan, said, “All three initiatives announced today are very significant to our continual efforts at partnering the Indian industry in its quest for success by leveraging the power of IT and enabling the uptake of IT across India”.