<div><em>Disruptive technologies like the Internet of Things and Big Data are also expected to continue to expand and become part of our everyday lives, says <strong>B.V.R. Mohan Reddy</strong></em></div><div> </div><div>Propelled by technology and business services, India’s economy has witnessed an unprecedented acceleration in recent years. Technology has brought a number of changes to our lives — from how we work to what we choose for recreation. The electronic age has connected everyone. Smartphones and tablets have turbocharged networking on platforms of all kinds, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. These tools have forever altered the usual concept of time and space. Thanks to the Internet, all of us today are no more than a click away from communicating with anyone whom we have ever met or known.</div><div> </div><div>In essence, all of this has radically changed the pace of our lives. Not only are we bombarded with more input — information and data — than ever before, but also expected to respond faster than ever before. The Internet has revolutionised communication. The connected world is also transforming education and learning. Universities globally are redefining distance learning by offering massive open online courses (MOOCs) reaching an unprecedented number of students. With access to the Internet, students here can access and complete the same courses online as their counterparts in the US. </div><div> </div><div>Thanks to global connectivity, Indian businesses — both startups and established ones — have access to the technology and best practices followed by their peers across the globe. Collaboration and sharing are far easier today than they were 20 years ago.</div><div> </div><div>By 2020, we are expected to have approximately 20 billion devices globally. China is projected to have 5.1 billion and India 1.5 billion. In just five years, we are looking at a world with 10 connected devices per household. What does this mean? Digital content is doubling every 18 months, and 90 per cent of all data today has been created in the last two years. However, consumers will eventually have more control over how and with whom they share personal data, such as shopping habits, health records, and online behaviour. </div><div> </div><div>Disruptive technologies like the Internet of Things and Big Data are also expected to continue to expand and become part of our everyday lives. Some experts expect everything from cars to coffee cups to be connected to the Internet by 2025. Increasingly, sophisticated algorithms will help knowledge workers — such as those in medicine, law and analytics — navigate large bundles of information. Automation will either enhance jobs or replace them outright, depending on the pace of advancement.</div><div> </div><div>These technology-driven changes present a big opportunity for entrepreneurs. Indeed, entrepreneurship carries much promise and potential in a country like India, where more than 50 per cent of the population is below the age of 25. If we want sufficient jobs to be created for everyone, entrepreneurship is the way to go. Startups in India have become a hotbed of innovation. There is a need for at least 50,000 startups every year, which could engender 5,000 mid-size firms after five years, and 50 large ones after 10 years. This scale of business creation and growth is a precondition for generating 100 million new jobs.</div><div> </div><div>Associations like NASSCOM have been working relentlessly to create a sustainable ecosystem for startups. It is running an ambitious programme named “10,000 Startups” with the aim of funding, acceleration, and incubation support to 10,000 technology startups in India over the next 10 years. NASSCOM has been partnering with the government to lead India into the digital age, enhance the skills of employable population, mobilise participation and support from businesses, and play an advisory role in transforming the Make in India dream into reality.</div><div>At Cyient, we are using technology to connect students from rural schools to the digital world. Recently, Cyient Foundation launched a digital library initiative at the Akshara Vidyalaya School in Nellore and in TSSP 8th Batallion School, Kondapur to help underprivileged students gain access to repositories of high-quality educational resources. Most of the students of these schools come from families that cannot afford to have an Internet connection, computer, or even mobile phones. In such an environment, most of these students find digital information an alien world and if they stay away from it for very long in their formative years, we will end up having a digitally illiterate generation. </div><div> </div><div>To turn the vision of Digital India into reality, it is therefore very important that we develop a generation that is familiar with the digital world and technology so that it can use the digital tools for its growth and becomes skilled to contribute to the society. </div><div> </div><div>The world is going digital. Developing countries like India can accelerate prosperity by adopting digital technologies. By creating digital libraries, we are democratising learning as we enable students to have access to a wealth of information and knowledge including courseware, general knowledge and current affairs online. </div><div> </div><div> The most awe-inspiring aspect of technology is how it continues to empower and engage with us at an individual level. No longer can one use the uncertainty of future as an excuse — technology is placing innumerable tools right in our hands, and making us increasingly aware of our personal contribution to shaping it. </div><div> </div><div><div><em>The author is the founder and executive chairman of Cyient and chairman of NASSCOM</em></div><div> </div><div>(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 05-10-2015)</div></div>
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