University of Memphis Licenses Systems Testing Excellence Program’s   Research-Based Industry Certification for Indian Market

The University of Memphis, through its Office of Technology Transfer at the FedEx Institute of Technology, announces a licensing agreement involving the Systems Testing Excellence Program (STEP), a collaborative partnership between the Fogelman College of Business and Economics (FCBE) and the FedEx Institute of Technology.  The University of Memphis has executed a license with IStep Training to deliver its STEP research-based certification offerings to the Indian corporate market.  IStep Training is a U.S.-based company that will work with its partner company, Intellisys Technology, LLC, a global IT services firm with U.S. headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois.  IStep Training was established specifically to partner with the University of Memphis to deliver STEP certification in India and was selected based on its strong network within the Indian IT market.  IStep Training is committed to establishing the University of Memphis’ STEP brand as the premier source of research-based software testing education, auditing and process compliance in India.

The license agreement between IStep Training and the University of Memphis provides IStep Training with exclusive rights to market and execute the STEP certification program within India.  In exchange, the University of Memphis will receive from IStep Training an undisclosed license execution fee, royalties on net income, and a guaranteed minimum annual royalty.  IStep Training will deliver STEP’s Foundational (10 Modules) and Advanced Certification (20 Modules) to software development corporations and students in India.

The Indian IT market currently consists of approximately 1 million professionals, with approximately 150,000 new professionals entering the market annually.  Software testing represents approximately 40% of the market.  With almost 500,000 professionals engaged in testing in India and nearly 40,000 of those attending training on an annual basis, India represents a high growth market for the University of Memphis’ STEP offerings.

According to Dean Rajiv Grover of the Fogelman College of Business & Economics, “This agreement demonstrates how the college’s world class research expertise and competencies can help open up export markets for our region. I am pleased that our research group in management information systems is making great strides in building interdisciplinary linkages across the campus to generate new sources of revenue for the university at a time when its base budgets are under tremendous pressure.”  Vishi K. Viswanath, CEO and President of IStep Training and Managing Partner of Intellisys Technology, stated, “This a great beginning for IStep Training, and it intends to deliver the STEP courses throughout India and elevate the Indian software professionals’ testing capability to new heights.”  Kothandaraman Sridharan, the former CEO of BFL Software and an advisor to the University of Memphis on this project, noted, “Through the efforts of seasoned entrepreneurs Vishi K. Viswanath and Raju Iyer (a promoter of IStep Training and a Managing Partner of Intellisys), IStep has embarked on a new and promising journey.”

Dr. Kevin Boggs, Director of Technology Transfer and Research Development at the University of Memphis added, “We are delighted that a company with a deep understanding of the Indian software industry has seen the large potential market for STEP in that country.”  Shaye Mandle, Executive Director of the FedEx Institute of Technology, stated, “This represents a significant milestone in the advancement of the research-based economic development agenda of the University of Memphis and the FedEx Institute of Technology. The FedEx Institute supplied the seed capital to assist the Fogelman College of Business & Economics with the launch of STEP in response to a need articulated by STEP’s founding industry partners - FedEx and Cook Systems International.  The FedEx Institute has a tremendous partnership with Dean Grover and the FCBE and Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal has provided the leadership that has made STEP the world’s largest university-based software testing research organization.  The leadership of Dr. Kevin Boggs and our Office of Technology Transfer has brought this investment full circle, giving the University of Memphis an international platform for our world-class software testing offerings.”

The Systems Testing Excellence Program is a major interdisciplinary research initiative under the umbrella of the FedEx Institute of Technology with academic program support from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics.  The Program defines systems testing as a strategic and interdisciplinary area of interest encompassing all aspects of the testing of business systems including hardware testing, software testing, requirements testing and the testing of business rules. At a theoretical level it encompasses all forms of validation and verification of business applications using a systems thinking approach to ensure the successful development and application of technology in business. STEP has been featured in Computerworld, InfoWorld and the Memphis Business Journal.  It has secured more than $1.5 million in external resources from industry over the past years, serving as an international focal point for cutting edge research and discourse for advancing the science of testing.  For more information on STEP, the FedEx Institute of Technology and the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Memphis, please visit http://www.memphis.edu/fedex/index.php.  For more information on the Fogelman College of Business & Economics, please visit http://www.memphis.edu/fcbe/.