Sri Lanka's IT Industry Needs Training, Growth

Sri Lanka is experiencing some growing pains in its burgeoning IT industry. Since 1962 when the country passed a special act inviting IBM to establish a local branch to increase its data processing power in its government-run Insurance Corporation. Since then, many leading government companies have widely adopted IBM IT solutions, including Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, the Department of Census and Statistics, and the Department of Examinations.

There have been some problems, however, that accompany fast growth. There are questions surrounding whether the IT tools have been used well for management, whether they fit into a robust Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) strategy, and whether they are being well implemented by well-trained IT professionals. This last concern has trumped many, since without properly-trained IT staff, expanding computing and networking power lays fallow.

The Sri Lankans liken themselves to the Indians, who also entered late into the IT field. India has become a center of business process outsourcing, including call-center operations and computer support networks. Sri Lankans are aware of a need to expand its IT operations in order to keep pace in the global economy. The Daily News proposes a few steps to stay in the game.

• IT education and training institutions must understand the country’s needs and develop professionals to meet market challenges.
• Our institutions must formulate prudent IT visions follow-up with IT strategies of practical nature.
• The commitment of senior management and the involvement of operational staff are essential in IT investments.
• IT investment should not be merely a profitable business for the vendor, but also, it should give the required competitive edge to the user’s business.
• Integrated software connecting different databases/ a centralized database of government institutions will improve the efficiency of public sector decisions.

Clearly, IT training and technological development needs to continue for Sri Lanka to stay competitive. It is important to maintain an emphasis on IT training and infrastructure development with an eye toward improving the country as a whole and not simply as a for-profit enterprise.