Creating New Waves

Starting his own business was what Vasudevan Subramaniam always dreamed of
but it was not an easy task when he finally decided to do it. Nonetheless, his
never-say-die attitude and ability to seize every opportunity that came his way
helped him to form New Wave Computing, which today is a Rs 80 crore company

An adage that Vasudevan Subramaniam has built his life on is, 'Success is the
ability to go from failure to failure, and behind every failure there is
success.'

Coming from a humble middle class family, his journey-from a small district
(Salem) in Tamil Nadu, to Bengaluru, where today he has created a lasting
impression on IT infrastructure sector, was not an easy one. It was his strong
willpower and determination that kept him moving ahead to create one of the well
known IT infrastructure companies in South India-New Wave Computing.

How it all began

Born and schooled in Salem, known as the steel city of Tamil Nadu,
Subramaniam decided to pursue his engineering course in Trichy. He soon realized
that if he wanted to succeed in life, he also had to accentuate and develop his
all-round skills and become a complete professional, rather than just an
engineer.

Soon after completing his graduation in Electronic & Communications from
Bharathidasan University in 1989, he joined HCL's computer division in Chennai.
Looking back now, he feels that this stint provided him great opportu­nities to
experiment in his division.

The thing he cherishes most about the company was its work culture. People
there were constantly challenged and forced to think like a CEO in every aspect
of their job. Multi-tasking and taking complete ownership and accountability for
every transaction and customer engagement was the only way to succeed in such an
environment. This is also where Subramaniam learnt the art of influencing
others-be it the team, other departments within the organization or customers
outside. This was the only way to meet a desired objective which brought a
win-win situation for all concerned.

From HCL he later worked with HCL HP, a joint venture between HCL Infosystems
and HP, from 1989-1994. He was initially posted at Chennai and later at
Bengaluru.

“I was fortunate to have worked with some outstanding managers and leaders in
HCL HP. Working with such passionate, committed and experienced people changed
my outlook towards my profession and career,” recalled Vasudavan.

PROFILE

Name: Vasudevan Subramaniam Company: New Wave Computing Education: BE from Bharathidasan University Year of start-up: 1999 Address: A2, Casa Lavelle #6, 12/7 Laveele Road, Bengaluru Tel: 22291501

It was in 1999 that Subramaniam founded his own company, New Wave Computing
with the support of his colleague Anand, who is currently one of its directors.
The company focuses on providing IT infrastructure products, solu­tions and
services to its clients through its strategic alliances with key technology
vendors in India.

This Rs 80 crore company has become one of the leading systems integrators
and IT infrastructure solution providers in South India, with its operations
across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. New Wave Computing was
recently adjudged as the best IBM Business Partner for the year 2007 in South
India.

Other collaborative partner­­ships for the company include Lenovo, Dell, HP,
Microsoft, Cisco, American Power Corporation, F5 Networks, Proofpoint, Fortinet
and Packeteer.

When quizzed what makes New Wave Computing distinct from its peers,
Subrmaniam points out that it's simply the unrelenting passion and focus of the
team to meet client expectations. The company today focuses on building a
relationship with its client and moving up the value chain by identifying and
providing technology products and solutions that can address tactical challenges
of their client's business.

“Continuous focus on building people, partnerships, strong systems and
processes, policies and infrastructure has been a key element of our success,”
said Subramaniam. Besides hitting the Rs 100 crore mark in the near term, he
aspires to grow the company nation­wide and strengthen its ability to offer
solutions and services to deepen their partnership with clients.



Turning point

It was an exciting time in 1994, when Subramaniam and his colleague ventured
out to start a business of their own. The entire IT industry was going through a
transition phase, where the channel model was evolving and becoming the de facto
way for the multinationals to reach out to customers in the country. Several
multinational companies were establishing themselves in the country through
alliances with strong channels in India.

It was around this time when IBM was building a strong channel model in the
country as well. Subramaniam knew that this was the opportunity of the lifetime
if he wanted to establish himself in the IT business and immediately signed up a
channel partnership with IBM.

Since then, there was no looking back because the alliance with IBM helped
the duo to scale their business and establish New Wave Computing as a strong
organization. This journey was a great learning experience and it not only gave
him great confidence and inspiration but the experience taught him the art of
creating, building and growing manpower and an organization.

“I would like to attribute this experience as one of the finest in my life,
as it taught me not just how to run a successful business but also how to make
the journey exciting for us,” opined Subramaniam.

His biggest learning during those years was managing a business and leading a
team, where his stint at HCL paid off. He learnt the multi-dimensional aspects
of a job and responsi­bility. Within a couple of years, Subramaniam was able to
double his profits and garner huge accolades.



Challenge matters

Subramaniam believes that challenges vary in different phases of growth.
From the early formative years to the building of a credible establishment that
is driven through policies, systems, values, processes and having to constantly
redefine the organization in order to meet the new and constantly changing
market dynamics, is a huge challenge. “I was fortunate to have great colleagues
in my team. Their commitment and belief made meeting my challenges easy,” stated
Subramaniam.

It is said that behind every successful man is a woman. This holds true for
Subramaniam as well. His wife has been a great believer in his abilities. He
also gives credit for his success to his parents, close friends, his mentors,
his team, his partner­ships and his customers, all of who have played a
significant and important role in his journey.

LIPSHA DAS

(lipshad@cybermedia.co.in)