NASSCOM is India's National Association of Software and Service Companies, the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT software and services industry in India. NASSCOM is a global trade body with over 1100 members, of which over 250 are global companies from the US, UK, EU, Japan and China. NASSCOM's member companies are in the business of software development, software services, software products, IT-enabled/BPO services and e-commerce.
NASSCOM was set up to facilitate business and trade in software and services and to encourage advancement of research in software technology. It is a not-for-profit organization, registered under the Societies Act, 1860.
NASSCOM has been the strongest proponent of global free trade in India. NASSCOM is committed to work proactively to encourage its members to adopt world class management practices, build and uphold highest quality standards and become globally competitive.
In India and around the world, NASSCOM members are participants in the new global economy and are reputed for their cutting-edge business practices and social initiatives.
NASSCOM's Vision
NASSCOM's vision is to establish India as the 21st century's software powerhouse and position the country as the global sourcing hub for software and services.
NASSCOM Membership
NASSCOM welcomes as members, companies and firms that are incorporated and/or are registered in India, which have made and will make positive contributions to the IT industry in India and globally. Member companies are expected to comply with the Association’s code of conduct.
Aims and Objectives
The primary objective of NASSCOM is to act as a catalyst for the growth of the software driven IT industry in India. Other goals include facilitation of trade and business in software and services, encouragement and advancement of research, propagation of education and employment, enabling the growth of the Indian economy and provide compelling business benefits to global economies by global sourcing.
NASSCOM also endeavors to leverage IT and narrow the digital divide in India and enable her citizens to enjoy the benefits of IT. It also boosts the process of Innovation; IT workforce development and enhance cyber security.
NASSCOM is achieving its objectives by following a seven fold strategy:
- Partner with Government of India and State Governments in formulating IT policies and legislation. Partner with global stakeholders for promoting the industry in global markets.
- Strive for a thought leadership position and deliver world-class research and strategic inputs for the industry and its stakeholders.
- Encourage members to uphold world class quality standards.
- Strive to uphold Intellectual Property Rights of its members.
- Strengthen the brand equity of India as a premier global sourcing destination.
- Expand the quantity and quality of the talent pool in India.
- Continuous engagement with all member companies and stakeholders to devise strategies to achieve shared aspirations for the industry and the country.
NASSCOM acts as an advisor, consultant and coordinating body for the software and services industry in India.
NASSCOM has representatives in various committees in the Government of India including the Ministry of Information Technology, Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Finance, Department of Telecommunication, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of External Affairs. NASSCOM also acts as a consulting body for various State Governments in India.
NASSCOM has played a key role in enabling the government in India to develop industry friendly policies. NASSCOM has been a proponent of free trade, arguing for zero tariff protection, strong intellectual property and data protection laws, deregulation of the telecom market and the creation of software technology parks and private sector participation in the education system - measures which have resulted in significant growth of the industry.
NASSCOM has also been engaged with various governments overseas, to promote a win-win partnership via global sourcing. NASSCOM also plays a role in engaging with global alliances on software quality standards, immigration policies, WTO and free trade in services, and next-generation best practices in global sourcing of services.
Global Partnerships
NASSCOM plays an active role in the international software community. NASSCOM is a member of the Asian Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO). ASOCIO is a group of computing industry associations from the Asian Oceanian Region and comprises representatives from 20 countries encompassing over 10,000 companies of the region. NASSCOM is also a founder member of the World Information Technology and Services Alliances (WITSA). This forum comprises of ICT associations from around 70 countries.
Research and Thought Leadership
NASSCOM undertakes research on the ICT industry in India and the world in order to continuously educate its members of new business opportunities, business practices in global markets, potential threats to industry growth and attract additional investments in India. NASSCOM research is currently the most credible in the country and is increasingly respected in global markets. It is backed by strong methodology, proprietary analytical tools and processes, and partnerships with best-of-breed companies in various areas of business, technology and strategic research and consulting.
Quality of Products and Services
NASSCOM encourages high standards of conduct to develop public confidence and respect for its members and the industry. All the members maintain this by abiding by the formulated code of conduct.
NASSCOM strongly believes in encouraging its members to provide global quality products and services. The association provides assistance to its members in achieving international quality certifications by organizing seminars and related programs on quality standards and disseminating relevant information.
Intellectual Property Rights
NASSCOM is an ardent supporter of strong intellectual property laws in India. In 1990, NASSCOM began an active public awareness campaign to educate users about the lawful use of software. NASSCOM also launched the country's first anti-piracy hotline and India's first anti-piracy toll-free hotline. NASSCOM has also successfully facilitated enforcement laws against software piracy in India and helped introduce Cyber Laws. NASSCOM continuously engages with the Government of India for required changes in the IPR laws, keeping in line with WIPO and other International Laws and treaties. NASSCOM also works closely with the Business Software Alliance (BSA) to enforce copyright laws.
Partnership with Members
NASSCOM provides value-added services to its members to grow their business and create an ecosystem which promotes growth and profitability.
These include:
- Forums for making business connections and sharing best practices
- Participation in seminars and conferences (in India and abroad) with customer delegations
- Access to world-class research and market intelligence services; and counsel from leading analysts and think tanks and consultants
- Access to knowledge of global business practices (taxation, legislation, immigration policies, recruitment and branding)
- Opportunity to "give back" to the society by participation in NASSCOM Foundation, IT Workforce development initiative and other digital divide initiatives
- Contribute in development of global standards and thought leadership in areas of IP creation, security, data protection, and next-generation software quality standards
- ITES-BPO Forum: The forum aims to build a sustainable ITES-BPO advantage in India through research, events and manpower development initiatives.
- Emerging Companies Forum: The forum provides a platform for the emerging companies segment to share experiences, ally on critical projects and even focuses on partnerships to cater to customer demands.
- Product &Innovation Forum: The forum work towards encouraging product development and catalyzing innovation by providing relevant industry information, facilitate exchange of ideas, identify issues related to marketing, branding, investments and IP (Intellectual Property) creation and protection. Also showcases the innovative companies of India.
- Quality Forum: The key objective of the forum is to provide India with next generation leadership in the Quality space.
- Security Forum: NASSCOM actively promotes India as a Trusted Sourcing destination. Through its 4E initiative: Engagement, Education, Enactment and Enforcement, Forum aims to create an enabling environment in the country for information security and compliance.
- IT Workforce Development Program: The IT Workforce Development program aims to catalyse IT industry interface with the Academia to ensure availability of globally employable quality IT professionals.
- IT Domestic Market Forum: IT Domestic Market Forum serves as the platform for a link of the non IT sector with the IT industry and is strategizing to develop a vision for sustainable growth of the domestic IT market.
Membership Strength
The membership of NASSCOM has been steadily increasing. In 1988, NASSCOM had 38 members, who together contributed close to 65 percent of the revenue of the software industry. Since then, membership of NASSCOM has grown multifold to reach over 1100 members. These members currently account for over 95 percent of the revenues of the software industry in India.