Sensor Technology in INFOSYS

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The new, new thing, Infosys Technologies Ltd believes, is sensor technologies, and it, along with cloud computing and the mobile Internet will drive growth in its business. Sensor technologies integrated with IT networks, cloud computing, and the mobile Internet “will drive investment, and change how companies automate business processes in the future”, he adds.Sensor technologies essentially relates to the use of sensors to measure and react to events as they happen. Cloud computing refers to the use of software over the Internet and the storage of information in a virtual “cloud”. Integrated sensor technologies can recognize a customer walking into a store and offer her new products and customized discounts based on her previous buying behaviour. Such technologies form an “Internet of things”, says Gopalakrishnan, adding that these would be used in everything from healthcare and retail to smarter buildings and utilities. “All this is already happening. GPS (global positioning system) services, for example, can sense volume of traffic ahead and reroute you. Sensors placed or embedded in the body can monitor sugar and blood pressure and alert the doctor automatically,” he says. Gopalakrishnan expects the use of such technology to grow exponentially. “We are just creating point applications, just getting started. There is no reason why this cannot be a global phenomenon where everything is interconnected.” Industry studies, he says, show the potential market is worth billions of dollars. “We don’t need to capture the market—just a small percentage to start with will make a significant difference,” he adds. Some of these technologies are already being used in Infosys offices. “Motion sensors in a room, for example, can turn off the lights when there is nobody there,” adds Gopalakrishnan.