Author Archives: Basab Pradhan

Password Strength and Security

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Basab Pradhan

xkcd has a cartoon that beautifully explains why strict password rules have brought us to a pass where it remains relatively easy for a computer to hack the password. But very difficult for people to remember them. My company, like … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 7 Comments

End of an Era at Infosys

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Basab Pradhan

Yesterday, N R Narayana Murthy retired from Infosys. In a touching farewell in Bangalore, friends and colleagues, present and past, bade him goodbye. There were breaking voices amongst the speakers and moist eyes in the audience. It was a great … Continue reading →

Posted in India, Personal Updates | 17 Comments

Can You Write a Full Sentence of More Than 140 Characters Anymore?

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Basab Pradhan

In the IT Services industry you have to be able to write code. And English. In fact, not being able to write code may be alright. But without English you just can’t function. And yet, it is surprising how little … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Education, India | 14 Comments

In Which Basab Gets UIDed

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Basab Pradhan

A couple of weeks back, I was in the Infosys Bhubaneswar offices. On Friday, which was my last day at work before my vacation, UID enrollment was going on on campus. SBI, one of the agencies entrusted to enroll people … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, India | 10 Comments

The Two State World View and BYOC

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Basab Pradhan

I rejoined Infosys on June 1 as Head of Global Sales. It’s been quite easy slipping back into the saddle on most fronts. The one that took a bit of adjusting to, was on my gear. Startups don’t have IT … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Technology | 19 Comments

Bollywood Digital Music and the Galapagos Effect

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Basab Pradhan

Today was Mother’s Day. My gift for my wife was a compilation of Bollywood songs on a CD that she can play during her commute. I spent a good bit of time on Saavn and iTunes to put the compilation … Continue reading →

Posted in India, Information Products | 10 Comments

When Does a Services Company Need Products?

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Basab Pradhan

Never. That is, according to Mark Suster who has a superb post on TechCrunch They [a services startup] have created two internal technology “products” and wanted to figure out how they could turn their services business into a product business … Continue reading →

Posted in Offshore Services | 17 Comments

Genpact Acquires Headstrong

Posted on April 10, 2011 by Basab Pradhan

Genpact acquired Headstrong for $550 million in cash. Headstrong revenues for 2010 were $217 million. Genpact’s were $1.26 B. So unlike iGate’s acquisition of Patni, this isn’t remarkable in the minnow-swallowing-whale fashion. Nevertheless, the acquisition is a sensible one. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Offshore Services | 4 Comments

Week’s Tweets 2011-03-27

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Basab Pradhan

Ghalib quoted in Lok Sabha, pulling the quality of discourse several levels higher http://t.co/Wda2ucc # Apparently, my watching an India match does not always adversely affect the outcome. Will need to collect more data… # Stunning! US corporate taxes fell … Continue reading →

Posted in Tweet Posts | Comments Off

Week’s Tweets 2011-03-20

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Basab Pradhan

Which Traits Predict Success? (The Importance of Grit) | Wired Science | Wired.com – http://t.co/syOZX9n # Beware! Speak Asia Online Pays Money For Filling Surveys – Legit or Scam? | Amit Agarwal – http://t.co/oo51qxf # Donate to Red Cross or MSF … Continue reading →

Posted in Tweet Posts | 1 Comment