Infosys mulls setting up marketplace for clients, staff

Company already testing model for internal IT requirements

Infosys, India’s second-largest information technology services company, is planning to set up a marketplace of short-term internal projects that may be offered to clients.

The proposal being fleshed out could become the next step for infotech services delivery where staff can work on interesting projects and clients will not have to go through the hassles of the sales process.

Infosys CEO and MD Vishal Sikka hinted at how the company was planning to move in this direction during an address to analysts on Thursday.

“Much of sales for our kind of business can be made automatic. We can create marketplaces where at least long-standing customers can directly work with our employees on creating project teams,” he said and added the company had started work on this.

Company sources said Infosys had an internal portal, MyWorks, where it posted internal work for unbilled resources known as bench staff. Work on such projects allows staff to be evaluated. Infosys is now looking at putting up small short-term projects of clients, not just for the bench staff but for all employees.

The next step is for clients themselves putting their project requirements on the portal and choosing teams. “To come to a point when clients will be able put their requirements on the portal is the ultimate aim. We don’t have any working model as of now to do this,” senior sources in the company said.

According to sources, once the internal project marketplace is opened up for all employees, learning new technologies could become an attraction. “A person working on old technology or simple stuff will want to work on new technologies. For such people, this will be a great opportunity. What financial benefit they derive is being evaluated,” the source added.

Employees working on projects can take up new ones only in their spare time. “They can finish their client commitment and whatever extra time they have, they can work beyond that period,” the source said.

Infosys had 165,411 employees on its rolls on September 30, 2014, including those from its subsidiaries.