Computer Associates to double headcount at Hyderabad centre

CA (Computer Associates) India is planning to double headcount to 2,000 at its Hyderabad development centre, making it the biggest centre outside the US.

Pravir Arora, director marketing and head (channels), CA India and Saarc, said, the company was ramping up headcount at its Hyderabad centre and would reach 2,000 earlier than the next fiscal.

Currently, CA's largest development centre is in the US with an employee strength of 2,500. Arora said in two years' time, given the present demand in India, the Hyderabad centre would pip the US centre to become CA's largest development centre.

The company is headquartered in the US.

CA's employee strength around the world is at 16,000 of which 60 per cent is at the development centres.

Arora said 20 per cent of the company's total revenues was ploughed back in research and development and Hyderabad was gaining a major share of the pie.

Apart from the Hyderabad centre, CA India has sales and marketing offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore.

The company planned to focus on the growing small and medium businesses and was eyeing the class B cities like Pune, Lucknow, Ahmedabad.

Arora said the main drivers for growth would be products in the risk management, cost control, service improvement and alignment of information technology with businesses'space.

The company had a joint venture with the TCG group, which was being wrapped up. He said the joint venture company existed legally but the finance team of CA India was in the process of working out the modalities of closing down the company.

The growth strategy for the company in India was through partnerships with systems integrated vendors. He said 95 per cent of sales opportunities was through partnerships.

CA was expected to close the financial year with global revenues of around $3.8 billion and the company was expecting a 8-10 per cent growth, Arora added.