Today in tech: Boring IT Services; Changes in HCL Tech and Microsoft's Tablet

Does IT Services Matter I bet you have been hearing the words ‘boring’ and ‘IT’ in the same sentence a lot of late. At least, I have. Now, memory can play tricks, and it's possible that people always felt this way about the sector. So, over the weekend, I logged on to Google Insights  to check if there is any change over the last five years. I am saddened to report that the interest in top IT services companies is sliding down on a rocky slope. Have a look at these charts.

Headcount doesn’t explain the decline. All these companies have grown their revenues - and their manpower - in the last five years. Perhaps, valuation explains the lack of interest somewhat – for it reflects the growth potential. That promise seems to have shifted to new areas like social, mobile, and big data analytics. (Check out Google Insights for Apple and Facebook - it's zooming up). Now, IT Services companies are trying to do something about it, but haven’t done anything that’s exciting in this space so far.

If they have, let us know.

Changes in HCL Tech top brass? Ever since it emerged that Vineet Nayar sold his entire stake in HCL Tech, there have been rumors of a top management rejig at the company - that he will devolve his responsibilities and might even quit. Last week, Morgan Stanley published a note saying Anant Gupta of Infrastructure is likely to take a bigger role in the day-to-day operations at HCLT. Today, Times of India reports  that a few others close to Nayar might quit.

Now, it's reasonable to expect big changes in HCL Tech, not just because all its rivals have seen management transitions not long back. There are other reasons too. HCL Tech has been pursuing large deals pretty aggressively, and the personality of Nayar had a big role to play in it. But, sooner or later, the attention will have to turn to execution, and that might demand a different kind of leadership at the top.

Still, I wouldn't place too much importance to Nayar selling his stake. For one, he still has a lot of unvested options. And, two we would do well to remember Manoj Kohli of Airtel. Everyone said he is quitting after there were reports that he has sold all his stake in the company. Last I checked he was still around.

Microsoft's new tablet
Last couple of days, the buzz on the net was about a new tablet Microsoft is expected to announce later today. So far, Microsoft stuck to making software for computers, and this announcement will mark its entry into hardware. It's tempting to say that Apple's approach - of designing both hardware and software for better integration and user experience - turned out to be right. But we have to remember that a tablet is a different beast. In any case, according to some reports, it might turn out to be just an ebook reader along with Barnes & Noble. Let’s watch out.

Also read:
Take your time: Infosys will stagger the induction of freshers, stretching upto July 2013, according to Economic Times.
Tiger loves dragon: Ten years from now, if you are not in China you are dead, NV Tiger Tyagarajan, CEO of Genpact tells FE
Why they like our likes: What advertisers find out about you when you click 'Like' on Facebook: Business Insider

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.