Following gruesome murder of Nayna Pujari, Pune's IT industry debateseffectiveness of technology-based solutions to protect female employees

The Nayana Pujari murder on October 14 has kick-started a debate in the IT sector about the limits and appropriateness of the use of technology-based security solutions for protecting employees.



Simple solutions
Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agricultural Association IT Committee head, Dr Deepak Shikarpur said few IT companies were paying adequate attention to security procedures.

"Something as simple as the installation of a Siren software, which just costs Rs 10 per month, per employee would go a long way in protecting employees. All anyone trapped in a hazardous situation has to do is press a button. The siren immediately sends alarm calls to contacts that have been fed into the Siren software installed in the employees mobile phone," explained Shikarpur.

Vinay Limaye of Softspin Services Pvt Ltd, the creators of the Siren software, said, "We had contacted three IT companies around June. As the industry was experiencing slowdown at that point, they chose to postpone the decision to buy the software.

Not everyone, however, feels that softwares like Siren are the answer. Anil Chouhan, the ex-MD of Synygy, India, observed, "Security is a problem that has to be dealt with education and prevention. Most drivers have not studied beyond Class XII. Moreover, if a driver steers the car 10 kms from the city on a deserted highway, and the alert happens, what difference will it make? While it may have preventive value but may not be a complete solution."

Emergency number
Deepak Nathani, COO and executive director of Cybage Pune, took a macro view of the security situation as he commented, "There should be a common emergency number like there is 911 in the US. While Siren may help, ideally cops should come up with some solution with IT cos sooner or later."