Nationwide software dealers' association launched

It was at a vendor conference earlier this year that various software dealers from across the country came together and consulted on creating a common platform for various traders in the community. A platform that will address all the issues that have have dampened the growth of software trader community. The result was the Indian Software Dealers Association

(ISODA).

To start off, nearly 20 top resellers around the country have become members. Among these are Softmart and Trifin from Delhi, Dynamic from

Chennai, Head Start and Tricom Multimedia from Mumbai, SP Software from Hyderabad and Integral Solutions from

Trivandrum.

The initiative for this venture came from Alok Gupta, CEO, Softmart Solutions. According to him, the software industry is a very sensitive market, which involves growing beyond the usual box-pushing mentality. But in a trading community, various issues have to be addressed time to time. Thus, the creation of a body which could address these issues, either to the community or to the principals, was definitely welcome. 

"The idea of creating a governing body for the traders has been raised several times these past four to five years," Alok says. "This time the efforts were more concrete and the final formulation of the body should take place in one month's time."



Various issues that are in the agenda include, principal alignment, software obsolescence protection, curtail wrong players in the market and return of excess stocks back to the vendor.

In the first phase of registration, ISODA will have around 40 to 50 traders as exclusive members in the association with total turnover exceeding Rs 1

crore. In the second phase, it will also include members with lesser turnovers. The executive body will have a meeting soon and will go ahead with elections for the post of President, Secretary and Treasurer at the end of the month.

According to Gupta, the software body will be formalized in 45 days. "ISODA will provide traders a much required sense of security." (CNS)