Is the absence of adequate office space with plug-and-play facilities one of the reason for Information Technology (IT) companies to stay away from Mysuru?
Long reckoned to be an ideal investment destination, Mysuru had limited appeal for IT companies concentrated in Bengaluru. But, of late, the demand for ready-to-use office space by companies looking to shift to Mysuru has spurred fresh hopes. A couple of IT companies in Bengaluru including Cognizant Technology Solutions, a multinational, were looking for office space in Mysuru to set up a 3,000-strong unit.
Sources in the IT industry said Cognizant has already started its operations on a small scale from a rented space in Kuvempunagar in the city after talks with STPI, Mysuru, for a suitable office space did not fructify. Cognizant has now taken over Software Paradigms Infotech (SPI), a home-grown IT company of Mysuru.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mysuru Zone, has made out a case for the State government to ensure that adequate ready to use office space with required infrastructure was made available to the IT industry looking to move to Mysuru from Bengaluru.
CII’s Mysuru Zone Vice-President Pavan Ranga, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rangsons Technologies, Mysuru, took up the issue with Minister for Large and Medium Industries Jagadish Shettar during his recent visit to Mysuru.
Mysuru has about 45 major IT companies, employing about 21,000 professionals, according to sources in Software Technology Parks of India (STPI). “There may be more, but there are 45 major ones with a minimum workforce of 50 in Mysuru”, the sources added. IT exports from Mysuru accounted for a total of ₹4,200 crore during 2018-19. However, large IT companies such as Infosys and L&T accounted for as much as ₹2,200 crore out of that sum.
In view of the pressure on land and real estate in Bengaluru, a number of IT companies will consider Mysuru for their future expansion or relocation if infrastructure including ready-to-use office space with Internet and other plug-and-play facilities were offered.
Though the STPI is setting up a 40,000 sq. ft IT infrastructure and incubation centre in the city with all amenities, sources in CII said the requirement for major IT companies will be different and in larger volumes.
The STPI’s centre, which is in the final stages of completion, is part of the efforts of the government to create an ecosystem to enable the IT industry to start new businesses and expand their operations. The incubation centre will basically enable start-ups to launch their operations. The incubation centre is likely to be formally inaugurated by June this year with work on interiors of the facility in full swing.
Though co-working spaces are available in Mysuru for companies who did not wish to invest in real estate, sources in the IT sector said co-working spaces will be used by start-ups or smaller companies that did not have security issues. Some companies do not wish to compromise with the security while working from co-working spaces.
