IT directors should think twice before sending staff out
to India over the next few weeks, following the attacks yesterday
on UK and US citizens in Mumbai, the National Outsourcing
Association (NoA) has warned.
According to news reports today the death toll in the Mumbai
terror attacks has reached around 100.
India is the most popular destination for offshore outsourcing.
High-tech companies including Microsoft, Accenture and Cisco have
labs in India and many UK companies use Indian outsourcers like
Tata Consulting Services, for offshore software development.
Mark Kobayashi-Hillary, a board director at the NoA, said,
"There is a period of unrest in India due to the build up to the
next general election, which takes place in a few months. India is
a safe place, but there has always been violence in places like
Kashmir. I would think twice about travelling to India at the
moment."
The attack probably has not damaged India's reputation as a
destination for outsourcing.
Sridhar Vedala, the lead from Global Sourcing Practice at
Equaterra, said, "While Mumbai is still tense I don't see that this
[attack] will have serious impact on outsourcing in terms of
business continuity, although the perception of India as a sourcing
destination overall might have been affected in the longer
term."
The
Foreign Office said, "There is a high threat of terrorism
throughout India. Attacks have targeted public places. They have
also targeted places frequented by expatriates and foreign
travellers, most recently in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Bangalore."
For the latest travel advice go to the
Foreign
Office website.