Delhi-based Sanjiv Bhavnani
committed the ultimate career hara-kiri by throwing up a successful corporate
job to start his own company. But this was not new to a person who always
believed in taking chances to succeed. His belief in himself and his personnel
managing kills helped him create and successfully lead Infotecnics.
Profile |
Company: Infotecnics India Limited |
Back in 1983, when Sanjiv
Bhavnani joined Blue Star immediately after his graduation, it was the only IT
company around, representing HP, Motorola, Texas Instruments and Codex. This was
the time when PCs had not hit the Indian market. His well-wishers cautioned him
against joining what was thought to be a mirage business. But Sanjiv decided to
take the risk and two years later he shifted to CMC.
Sanjiv jumped on board a
French software MNC as VP (Marketing) in 1989. In his short stint here he was
exposed to various offshore projects with clients like L’Oreal and Elf
Lubricants. But this did not quell Sanjiv's thirst for challenges and he moved
to Meera Computers as CEO where he had to set up the entire software exports.
Sanjiv put everything in place
there by mid 1991 and when he found that the business could run without his
guidance, he threw in the towel and decided to go solo. Ask him about these
frequent moves and Sanjiv shrugs it off saying, "I was never satisfied
doing something mundane. I always wanted challenges. And this, I could have
found only in my own business."
When the going gets
tough…
Sanjiv started Infotecnics
International with a software development project from HP, USA. When MTNL
floated a tender in 1993 for software and hardware commissioning, Sanjiv knew
that Infotecnics was competent enough to handle the software part. But the
hardware supply needed immediate attention. This is when he tied up with Digital
and Tata Unisys for the supply of hardware.
“It was a matter of pride
for us that we were shortlisted on all projects we bid for,” recalls Sanjiv.
But then the Sukhram fiasco took the country by storm and all the projects were
shelved. Working on the project for two years and finally realizing that the
outcome could not be controlled was the biggest setback that he faced. But the
entire process taught his an important lesson -- that hardware was an essential
component of the IT business.
The concerted effort to add
hardware to his product portfolio began. Infotecnics tied up with Holland-based
Tulip Computers for distributing their PCs in north India. But a couple of years
later, Tulip shut shop in the country. This set Infotecnics back by about Rs 40
lakh with a liability of providing three-year after-sales support on Tulip
machines.
“First they decamped with
our money and to provide support on top of that left us in the lurch,” says
Sanjiv bitterly. But despite this setback, he did not let his customers face the
brunt. He wanted his customer relationships in place and today, these very
customers have only praises for him. “Infotecnics are excellent solution
providers”, says MP Singh, GM (IT), Escorts Heart Institute and a customer for
the last three years.
Growing from strength to
strength
Putting all the setbacks
behind him, Sanjiv ensured that Infotecnics grew from strength to strength. What
started as an one-man company with an investment of Rs 5000 in a room at
Sanjiv’s home, Infotechnics today employs 50 people in five locations across
the country with a paid-up capital of Rs 2.5 crore.
The turnover for the year
1999-2000 touched Rs 16 crore and Sanjiv expects to close 2000-2001 with
approximately Rs 25 crore. Infotecnics today boasts of two software development
centers at Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. The centers are engaged in web-related
software development projects for overseas clients.
Today the company enjoys
strong relationships with Compaq, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Cisco, 3Com, Lucent,
Nortel, Novell, Microsoft, Computer Associates, Oracle, Network Associates,
among others. It has set up the India's largest ISDN network for the Delhi Stock
Exchange with Wipro as its hardware partner. Yet another feather in Infotecnics'
cap is that it has sold the only Compaq Tandem server in the country.
Focus on team effort
A thorough understanding of IT
and its applications has led Sanjiv to offer the right solutions to his clients.
This has proved to be his strength which has helped him to succeed in a highly
competitive market.
Always focussed on team
effort, Sanjiv knows that motivated employees are an essential asset of his
company. He has managed to instill a sense of ownership among all his employees.
“We all have a deep sense of belonging in the company,” says Parag Agarwal,
Manager-Marketing, Infotecnics. “Sanjiv keeps his employees very happy”,
says Vijay Ahuja, VP, Infotecnics in the same vein.
But success has come through
aggressive measures as well. “Sanjiv has been able to achieve results most of
the time,” says Ahuja of Infotecnics, which can be taxing for the employees on
occasions. On the flipside, he adds, this also helps create a tough team that
does not break down in the face of a crisis.
Even those outside the
organization acknowledge the strength of the Infotecnics team. “The team is
strong and like a small family,” says Sandeep Sehgal, Regional Manager, Onward
Novell. Incidentally the company is among the largest partners of Novell in the
world and is in the process of being appraised by Novell to implement and deploy
Novell’s e-Directory services globally.
Bigger markets, ahoy…
Looking for greener pastures
and growth, Infotecnics has entered into a joint venture with NetEdge Computing
for acquisitions abroad. The entire strategy of acquiring a company abroad is to
focus on creating a gateway for Infotecnics to tap the potential of the ASEAN
market. And the JV outfit has narrowed down on a Bangkok-based company for this.
“Though I am on board of the company, I am not in a position to reveal the
name of the company at this juncture,” says Sanjiv.
Also on the agenda is domestic
expansion plans. The company plans to have another branch operational in
Hyderabad within a month and shift to their new corporate headquarters at
Gurgaon, Haryana in another two months.
Vishesh Infosystems Ltd, a
Bangalore-based, ISO 9000 certified company, recently acquired a 33 percent
stake in Infotecnics after recognizing its strengths in the networking and
security solutions area. The acquisition of stake gives Infotecnics the
opportunity to leverage its strengths to grow faster.Â
Mohit Chabbra in New Delhi