"The slowdown has definitely affected purchase decisions. Since prices really haven't been slashed down by manufacturers, companies are going for refurbished products instead."

On current market and technology trends in the networking space

MPLS (MPBGP, TE, QoS), NAC, EAP-TLS, GET VPN, are the optimum solutions to overcome all network limitations and will be highly embraced by the BPOs in years to come. Open source solutions will be much in demand.

On major networking products and solutions' vendors that you are aligned with?

We are aligned with Cisco and Juniper for networking products. We have expectations in terms of upgrade, hassle free replacements, and a 24x7 support.

What are the challenges faced in terms of procurement, after-sales services, and other service areas?

There are two broad challenges—it takes too much time for delivery and after sales services expectaions aren't being met!

How far has the slow-down affected the purchase decisions?

Yes, the slow down has definitely affected the purchase decisions. Since prices really haven't been slashed down by the manufacturers, companies are going for refurbished products instead.

How deeply does the environment-friendliness of the solution impact the purchase decisions? Kindly comment on some green initiatives

BPOs typically have huge infrastructures and a fairly large employee base. An air conditioner (2.5 tonne) emits 3 kilograms of carbon dioxide per hour; a car that gives a mileage of 10 kilometers per liter of petrol leaves 232 grams of carbon emissions per kilometer. The daily commute for these employees accounts to a considerably high carbon footprint. It is therefore imperative that these companies embrace green practices to make for a greener tomorrow.

vCustomer is very committed toward the green drive. We have made some large investments in the last couple of years to ensure that we contribute to the betterment of the environment as much as possible.

Few of our initiatives towards this objective are:

• Encouraging employees to work from home, thus reducing carbon emissions
• Paperless environment across all our centers
• Maximum usage of recyclable material
• Integrated water management

We already have a model and framework for work at home agents at vCustomer. Around 10 percent of the employees in vCustomer are already working from home.