Narayana Murthy sees future in cloud computing,going glocal

Our revenue during the first year of operations was $140,000. We made a profit of $30,000. Today we are a near $6 billion firm with profits of around $1.5 billion. The figures speak for itself. All I ever wanted was respect for the company,and we have always earned that.

Your vision for Infosys by 2020.

A decade is a long time. So I don’t want to predict where Infosys will be. But I can certainly tell you where I want it to be. Ten years down the line,I would like Infosys to be a truly multi-cultural organisation with local leadership and local talent. The revenue model should be shifted out completely from a linear stream to a non-linear one. It should be big global brand,enjoying instant recognition in US,UK or Japan. And most importantly,we should be a pro-active player in cloud computing. For that to happen,our mind set has to change.

Infosys needs to address the emerging markets better. Look more closely at Brazil,China and Mexico. These markets will become extremely important. We need a quicker time-to-market strategy. Also,Infosys needs to control costs. As a corporation grows,the tendency is to increase overhead costs. The company will have to make sure that margins are enhanced,and we should certainly continue to train our employees well.

You have set up a venture fund in Catamaran. But what went wrong with SKS microfinance,with which Catamaran is associated?

The Malegam committee report will be out soon. So I don’t think I should be commenting on it at this point. Catamaran will look at investing in healthcare,education and e-commerce.

There has been much talk about your successor.

The nominations committee is working on it. Before the board meeting in July,you will know the outcome. We are executing this to a plan.

Why is Infosys shy of acquisitions? The company seems so risk averse. Even Phaneesh Murthy,who was once considered your protege,has acquired a large company like Patni.

If we find an appropriate target we will not dither. We know the kind of company that we want to target. And as far as iGate and Patni are concerned,I worked with Patni during the early part of my career and Phaneesh worked for Infosys. So I’m linked to them in some way,and I would like to wish them luck. But I can assure you that Infosys is not shy and the acquisitions team of ours is continuously work on it.

What are your expectation from the upcoming Budget?

I think they should allocate sufficient funds for basic education and healthcare. The private sector should be encouraged to come up with more low cost housing projects. FDI should be driven in a big way,and somehow I feel we should take steps to put an end to the enormous wastage of food substance in the country. When millions are starving,we cannot allow food to perish.

Have you thought about your post-retirement days?

I will be busy with Catamaran. I am also on the board of many companies and universities. I will still come to Infosys though not shouldering any responsibilities,I would love to talk to the young employees and motivate them.

You once said too many people were writing books. Will you write one on Infosys?

I don’t think so. Certainly not one on Infosys. But then,I could change my mind!