Do you know that infrastructure management services (IMS) is the world’s fastest growing multi-billion dollar IT services sector? What’s more, IMS is considered the third (and probably the biggest) wave of outsourcing after software services and business processes. Yet according to NASSCOM estimates, there is a shortage of two million IMS professionals in India today. That’s because in the sphere of information technology, the booming IMS sector remains relatively lesser known. As a result, there are not enough IT professionals who are specially trained in IMS-related skills.

IMS deals with the monitoring and management of IT infrastructure. From desktop applications to managing servers and networks, IMS professionals handle the entire IT ecosystem of an organisation. “IMS professionals operate, monitor and optimise IT resources and resolve problems related to desktops, servers, wireless, etc. Basically, they are responsible for maintaining the IT infrastructure of organisations,” says N. Keshava Raju, co-founder, Indian Institute of Hardware Technology Ltd (IIHT), Bangalore.

So an IMS professional would work in the sphere of desktop support services management, server and back-up management, network management, database management, security services management and storage management. “Remote monitoring is the basic level activity in IMS. It involves monitoring clients’ networks, servers, applications and databases,” says Sanjay Savla, senior vice-president and head, IMS, Patni Computers, Bangalore.

At Patni, according to Savla, after remote monitoring, IMS professionals can move on to technical activities such as system administration (for example Unix, Wintel), network administration, database administration (DBA) and advanced database application.

At IBM India, freshers work in server administration, call centre, networking and security management. “Those with practical IT experience find opportunities as senior server or network administrators or join IBM and receive comprehensive training on storage fundamentals or advanced middleware products (Oracle, DB2, SAP Basis, PeopleSoft and more),” says Peter Lorenzen, vice-president, Global Delivery Center, IBM India.

IMS professionals can also perform in leadership roles. At Patni, team leaders are in charge of four to five technical architects. Over the years, they are promoted to the posts of business delivery owners or service delivery managers who head multiple accounts, multiple projects and manage multiple clients.

IMS professionals can also work with different vertical industries such as manufacturing, transportation, retail and engineering services. “From the banking sector to the insurance industry, IMS professionals are required in every organisation,” says G. Raghavan, president, Global India Learning Solutions, NIIT.

Outsourcing is another big wave in IMS. Large IT organisations and IT consumers from Europe and the US outsource IMS work to India.

An IMS professional needs to be infrastructure savvy. “They should have knowledge of various hardware, systems software and applications. Since the team is required to support customers across the world, proficiency in a language also plays an important role,” points out Lorenzen. Starting salaries for an IMS professional range between Rs 2 and Rs 3 lakh per annum.

Several academic routes can lead to a career in IMS. Traditional computer science or engineering graduates are equipped to enter the field of IMS. Institutes like IIHT and NIIT offer specialised IMS courses. IIHT in collaboration with Sikkim Manipal University has recently launched India’s first graduation course in IMS. Targeted at students as well as working professionals, the degree course is a comprehensive one. IIHT also offers courses in server management and network management. The institute’s strategic alliance with blue-chip firms such as Apple, Microsoft, HP, Oracle, IBM and Sun means that many of its students find work soon after the completion of the study programme.

NIIT NetworkLABS also offers short-term as well as one-year IMS courses. The range of programmes offered cover emerging technologies such as information security, messaging infrastructure, storage management and wireless networking, among others.