Tough times call for tough decisions, but looking ahead and creating advantages is more proactive. And this has been the theme at Wipro, which has been continuously looking at creating new advantages for itself and its customers over the six decades of its existence. It was thought that the end of Y2K would see technology companies, especially those in India wind up. However financial services customers had begun to see tremendous value that technology could provide and expanded their footprint. And then the slowdown of the early 2000s saw companies look at outsourcing in a major manner. Wipro, in many ways, has been providing thought leadership in this space.

Speaking about the crisis, Azim Premji, chairman Wipro mentioned, ?The world, at lightning speed, continues to globalise and become interdependent. For those among us who had not quite appreciated the depth of this change, the 2008 global economic crisis drove home this message forcefully.?

Despite this unprecedented and challenging environment, Wipro for the year 2008-09, saw a 28% growth in revenues, over the previous year, at Rs 25,500 crore. and a 25% growth in profit before interest and taxes at Rs 4,400 crore.

?We have performed better than our guidance in every quarter, which further reinforces the strength and diversity of our business model and our ability to grasp customer needs,? says Premji.

The management has been building a business portfolio that is expected to deliver in both good and bad times and not just in one environment. Apart from the technology business which contributes to more than 75% of the revenues and 90% of the PBIT, other businesses, like consumer care and infrastructure engineering are also being developed and the management claims that they have been leading growth and gaining market share across various segments.

?Our ability to grow aggressively during these years, has demonstrated our ability to re-invent ourselves and invest for the future, while continuing to serve the immediate concerns of our customers. In a similar way, the current phase, too, requires us to reinvent and address the new and immediate challenges that these tough times pose to our customers, as we judiciously invest for better times ahead,? says Premji.

For the quarter ended December 20099, the IT services business reported revenues of Rs 5,164 crore a growth of 2% over the same quarter of the previous year and a PBIT of Rs 1,227 crore, a growth of 17%. Operating income to revenue for the quarter was 23.8%.

The IT Services business added 31 new clients during the quarter. The company had 102,746 employees as of December 31, 2009, an increase of 4,855 people.

Premji and team have now articulated a three pronged strategy to take on adverse conditions and grow. The strategy encapsulates, enhancing customer value, enhancing operational efficiencies and three?embracing green.

In the first area, the intention would be to offer a strong value proposition to customers rather than cutting corners and compromising on the solution. ?It is in this context, that we have made the choice to provide customers with ?more for more?. We will provide them with more value and in return, place favorably for a bigger share of their wallet,? says Premji. Today, as global service providers adopt ?offshore led outsourcing?; the leaders would need to constantly innovate. In the areas of creating operational efficiencies, the management claims that their innovations in flex-delivery and shared services delivery models for software maintenance and support, puts it ahead in this effort.

Premji mentions, ?For us, green IT and IT for green are not mere service lines providing financial returns, it is also our contribution to the survival of our planet.? The company would be looking at solutions that would enable companies use their resources better and thereby reduce the burden on the environment.