As the industry is evolving from traditional IT to ICT, the IT landscape is changing significantly – Mr. Ketan Kothari, District Chair, BICSI India District

in an exclusive interview with ITVoice, Mr. Ketan Kothari, District Chair, BICSI India District, reveals his strategies for business in India.

ITVoice :- How is BICSI focusing to address the latest trends shaping up the Indian Networking Industry?

Mr. Ketan Kothari :- With the advent of newer cabling technologies, it is important for ICT professionals / installers to expand their knowledge of the industry and learn new skills. BICSI offers a series of programmes that include Datacenter Design, Electronic Safety & Security Design, Network Technology Systems Designs, Telecommunications Distribution Design and Project Management among others, to help ICT professionals stay updated with the constant innovations, trends and emerging technologies in cabling and installation.

BICSI focuses on training courses and credentials for ICT professionals working in the OSI physical and data link layers. These training initiatives allow both installation & design providers and ICT solution providers to work together, towards their shared goal of providing world-class technology education and solutions to the ICT industry. BICSI regularly conducts training and technical conferences in metros and Tier-II cities to edify people about upcoming standards, best practices and implementation methodologies.

BICSI has also launched its prestigious RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Designer) training programme in India.

ITVoice :- How does BICSI plan to educate Networking Professionals and System Integrators about today’s Intelligent Infrastructure?

Mr. Ketan Kothari :- BICSI provides information, education and knowledge assessment for individuals and companies in the ICT industry. BICSI serves around 25,000 ICT professionals, including designers, installers and technicians. These individuals provide the fundamental infrastructure for telecommunications, audio/video, life safety and automation systems. Through courses, conferences, publications and professional registration programs, BICSI staff and volunteers assist ICT professionals in delivering critical products and services, and offer opportunities for continual improvement and enhanced professional stature.

For SIs and OEMs, BICSI conducts training and technical conferences in major metro cities to educate them about the upcoming standards, best practices and implementation methodologies. BICSI aims to bring an organized process, in the way physical connectivity is implemented for any kind of ICT requirement. These training initiatives allow both installers and ICT solution providers to work together and provide world-class technology education & solutions to the ICT industry.

ITVoice :- BICSI RCDD Programme in India is almost 1 year old since its launch last year, how has it been progressing?

Mr. Ketan Kothari :- BICSI’s RCDD programme was launched a year back to provide high-end ICT design and certification training to industry professionals, has received a good response from the industry. Two consecutive programmes that included senior ICT professionals were conducted in Mumbai and it has resulted in an increase in RCDD certified professionals count. There are more professionals pursuing excellence, have opted for this prestigious programme, thus ensuring an increase in the elite RCDD certified professional community in India.

ITVoice :- What are the key challenges in creating an effective ecosystem for IT infrastructure in India?

Mr. Ketan Kothari :- As the industry is evolving from traditional IT to ICT, the IT landscape is changing significantly. Virtualization and Mobility are helping simplify organizations’ infrastructure and reduce costs with high-performance secure and scalable solutions. This is also helping accelerate the complex deployments of communications infrastructure with fast access and quick turnaround time.

One of the key challenges faced is access to quality standards-based education and a viable framework around it, suited for a well-designed Information and Communications Technology (ICT) system. BICSI delivers efficient and effective standard-based solutions by working closely with Educational Institutions and the ICT industry and also through its BICSI International Standards Programme.

ITVoice :- What are the trends that would dominate data centers in the next five years?

Mr. Ketan Kothari :- Modular Datacenters which can be built as required and are faster to deploy.

All Fiber Datacenters which can support high bandwidth of 40G and 100G.

DCIM (Datacenter Infrastructure Management Solution) that would treat the infrastructure as a single system and measure & control physical assets and resources.

ITVoice :- What are the latest trends shaping up the Structured Cabling space?

Mr. Ketan Kothari :- As 10Gbps defines the Category 6A, it holds the reigns in the copper cabling category. Shielded cables (S/FTP) are gaining popularity in LAN deployments. The fiber optic cabling market in India is witnessing a higher growth with strong demand from data centres and residential complexes (FTTH).

A key trend is high-density cabling solutions that can save spaces in the communication room and data centres. There is an increased need for these solutions due to increased demand from data centres and lack of space for traditional cabling. Another trend we see is emergence of cabling management solution that helps automate the administration of increasingly complex network environments.

ITVoice :- How is BICSI geared to address the existence of skill gap in the industry? How does BICSI plan to address the shortage of networking professionals?

Mr. Ketan Kothari :- As skill requirements are becoming more vertical, we are witnessing an extensive demand for specific certifications. General certifications do serve to set the base requirement in what IT managers look for in their specialists; however, organizations are looking at specific skills catering to particular verticals. BICSI will work closely with educational institutions to see that specialized training and certification programmes are integrated in the academic curriculum, so that engineers are ready to deliver and they can be absorbed immediately.

It is utmost important today that we invest in building a pool of IT professionals with the right skills and engage them to acquire knowledge, best practices and implementation methodologies. BICSI aims to bring in an organized process, in the way physical connectivity is implemented for any kind of ICT requirement. BICSI training initiatives allow both installers and ICT solutions providers to work together in providing world-class technology and solutions to the ICT industry.