Digital Common Sense

December 29, IDG News Service — Gunman attack unnerves Bangalore outsourcing industry. An attack by a gunman late Wednesday, December 28, at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, India has sent shockwaves through the city’s large outsourcing industry. One person was killed and four injured in the gunfire on the campus of IISc, one of India’s most prestigious educational institutes. They were part of a large group of scientists and professors that were coming out of a conference held in the auditorium of the IISc, when the gunman attacked. Bangalore police have so far said that they cannot definitely confirm that the attack was by terrorists. But the police have put the city on high alert and asked outsourcing companies to strengthen security. Earlier this year, police in India warned that the country’s software and services outsourcing industry and other high technology installations are likely new targets for a terrorist group operating in the country. On Monday, December 27, the Delhi police arrested three suspected terrorists who were planning to attack software parks in Bangalore and Hyderabad besides other targets, the police said. Documents seized from three members of the Lashkar−e−Toiba terrorist group, revealed that they planned to carry out suicide attacks on some software companies in Bangalore.
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Note: I’ve heard lots of comments, both positive and negative about outsourcing to Bangalore. I’ve got a tech sector friend who used to work in the optical networking division of Lucent Technologies who now lives and works there. Regardless of how you feel about outsourcing (the where work gets outsourced to is irrelevant), Bangalore is a key high-tech development and support center for the industry. This threat poses a real concern and could have far-reaching impact.

Filed by Ken at 12:18 pm under Technology