ITC Infotech India Ltd, a subsidiary of ITC Ltd, has entered into an alliance with Interwoven, the fastest growing Silicon Valley content infrastructure systems and enterprise web services provider.

“The agreement was recently concluded in Singapore. ITC Infotech will be the implementation and development partner for Interwoven’s content and knowledge management suites,” said managing director Sanjay Verma.

ITC Infotech has alliances with Compaq, Sun, Lotus, Microsoft and Computer Associates.

ITC Infotech, which plans to develop customised software on these suites, would initially take up project in the Asia-Pacific and Europe, to be followed by the US, Verma said.

The company has already appointed a 15-member team for the initial module which would be stepped up to a 50 member team. The billing rate for the project has been estimated between $600 and $800 per person per day.

The alliance would help ITC Infotech expand its operations at a time when most software companies are facing a slowdown.

ITC Infotech has already consolidated its operations in the UK, US and India into a single entity, ITC Infotech India Ltd, and is also looking at expanding its operations despite the downturn, added Verma.

In the last six months, ITC Infotech has recruited more than 300 people and plans to recruit 400 more in the next three quarters.

“Although the slowdown is expected to continue for some time, for us this is the year of capacity building through tie-ups,” Verma said.

ITC has recently hived off its information systems division into a wholly-owned subsidiary. According to analysts, ITC Infotech has expertise in the FMCG, hotel, packaging, and international trading domains due to its association with its parent.

The company has also launched a USD one million training centre — Epicentre, a dedicated learning centre that houses latest means of learning and experimentation.