IT Outsourcing Passes To India; Satyam Feasts On Trend; Software service exports expected to swell 400% to $50 billion by 2008.(THE IBD 100)

Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG

Forget about the typical overseas goods that enjoy bottomless demand here in the U.S. -- cars, clothes, toys and TVs. One of the fastest growing imports today is Indian software expertise, a service that's helping boost the bottom line in corporate America.

Satyam Computer Services Ltd. is one of a handful of India-based companies that's enjoying brisk demand from U.S. clients thousands of miles away. And Satyam's chairman says he's seeing a resurgence in tech spending among U.S. firms.

"Looking at the long term, revival of growth in technology spending seems to be on the cards based on early indicators," Ramalinga Raju said in an Oct. 23 news release.

"This, together with increasing adoption of offshore outsourcing by global customers . . . will ensure high growth opportunities in the coming years."

Satyam, which has its roots in Sanskrit and means "truth," symbolizes one facet of the globalizing economy.

Online collaboration and Internet bandwidth have spread. Telecom costs have dropped. Time cycles for IT spending decisions have slimmed. And big companies have transcended from short-term projects such as the millennium computer bug to longer-term, more sophisticated strategies in order to become more competitive.