Power Brokers

What is power? Merriam Webster defines it as possession of control, authority
and influence with an ability to produce an effect. Well these people who you
see on this page have this very trait.

But before you think that they have made it to this list of the Most Powerful
Channel Partners because of the size of their business or their impressive YoY
turnover, then think again. They have made it here because they have broken out
of the herd mentality and decided to get into areas that others might have
merely mulled over.

They are the risk takers and not those who are happy to take whatever is
dished out to them, and try to make the best of it. These are the people vendors
want to have on their side of the table and whom other partners look up to.

In the end, all these men share one common attribute: They have the power to
call the shots in the channel community. Over time these people have faced their
business trails and have emerged wiser and stronger. And with that their
definition of power has also undergone a transformation accordingly.

Some feel that it is the power to do business on their terms. Others think it
is the ability to take their people along with them on the success route. Yet
others feel it is doing business ethically, yet successfully.

But whatever their own personal definition of success is; which we have
stated in their profile, these people have carved a niche for themselves in the
channel community. While the vendors refer to them before planning strategic
decisions, their peers look to them for guidance and inspiration.

The methodology

While coming up with the list, we had to keep in mind that a few parameters
had to be considered. The thumb rule was that we had to focus on the people and
not just the company.

So we spoke to representatives from over 25 vendor companies as well as
national distribution houses, asking them to give the names of five channel
partners who are a crucial cog in their wheel.

Revenues were not the sole criteria for selection. Instead, they were asked
to focus on how well the person has grown his company, the innovation he brings
to his business, his negotiation skills, his charisma, his ability to deal with
difficult situation and his progress over the years.

Once the names started pouring in, we selected those few names that came up
repeatedly. After culling the top 10 names, we traced the order in which they
featured on the nominations tendered by the vendors and ranked them accordingly.

Last time we had mentioned that there were some other partners who were
highly spoken of, but could not make it to the top 10 list. We had mentioned
that these are definitely people to look out for. And guess what, some of them
did make it into the list this year. The power equations have changed in some
cities and we are sure that it will keep changing as the business dynamics
change too.

But till that moment, this is the time for these 10 people to bask in the
glory of being the Most Powerful channel partners in the country.

Team DQC

A Man Of His Words

A Man Of His Words

According to Ranjan Chopra, in the absence of sincerity one cannot
demonstrate power. He believes it is this characteristic of his that has got him
the title of a powerful and significant partner for the second year running

When it came to deciding who the most powerful channel partner in the country
was, Ranjan Chopra of Team Computers was the unanimous choice of vendors and
distributors across the industry. The reasons they cited came as no big
surprise-Team has a sizable business, and Chopra comes across as a person with
good understanding and command over the business. He adheres to his commitments
and has got a professional approach. Working in tandem with his customers'
demands and ensuring effective and prompt response to them is an art that Chopra
has mastered. However, what sets him apart from others in the fray is his
ability to execute ideas.

Ranjan Chopra, Team Computers, New Delhi

Power to me means The ability to choose your path on your own terms

RANK 1

The saying 'Actions speak louder than words' has always been a mantra of Team
Computers. By applying out of the box ideas Chopra has earned himself the title
of being the most powerful and prominent player in the industry.

As Chopra put it, “You need to have the thinking skills and you also have to
outlook your competitors in addition to global crisis that has recently affected
the world to emerge as a significant player in the IT industry.”

He added that a successful entrepreneur needs to have the ability to think
quickly and outlook his competitors. This skill is all the more important in
times of global crisis, and helps one to emerge as a significant player in the
IT industry. Chopra believes in eying the future and instead of getting bogged
down with what is making Team lag behind, he lays greater emphasis on what is
making them a leader.

To Chopra, power means the ability to execute projects. He rightly stated,
“Power comes with keeping your word. If there is a huge gap between the say and
do ratio then achieving reliability becomes a herculean task. In the absence of
the same one cannot demonstrate power. Thus, sincerity has a crucial role to
play in making or breaking a partner in the industry.”

Dedication and constant efforts to enhance customer experience is what has
helped Chopra retain his number one in the solution provider fraternity. The
company also bagged the Dataquest Best System Integrator award in 2008 in
addition it secured the Best Metro Partner (North) award from IBM and Most
Reliable Vendor award from Reliance. These were clear indications of the trust
and value the industry placed on Team. Focusing on mid-market helped Team add
more satisfied customers to its base. So while others were busy concentrating on
the leading brands, Team chose to tap mid-market clients, which helped them
penetrate deeper into the industry and demonstrate their ability to identify
business opportunities, a quality unique to leaders like Chopra.

Moving forward, Chopra will be undertaking several measures to stay on the
top. One of them is around building its service personnel. The company will work
towards on enhancing the skillsets of individuals. In addition, Team will also
focus on 'Process' and 'Systems.'

Pooja Sharma

(poojas@cybermedia.co.in)

Bonding Over IT

Bonding Over IT

Rakesh Jain credits his success to the bonds he has formed with his
customers, vendors and partners. He believes that in order to have a flourishing
business one must keep customers happy

Rakesh Jain and Supreme Computers have been synonymous with growth and
progress. Considered to be a consistent performer in the southern market, Jain
is known for his business ethics and well-grounded ideology. He shines in every
aspect of business, whether it is sub-distribution, retail or corporate
business. Ask him, what has helped him make the list of the most powerful
partners and he attributes it to his commitment in terms of maintaining business
relationships with vendors, distributors, and most importantly customers.

Rakesh Jain, Supreme Computers, Chennai

Power to me means The ability to share success with customers

RANK 2

This committment has made him a force to reckon with in the South. “We
believe customer is king, and their purchase power is the topmost factor.
Secondly, the focus of our team members and thirdly, the role played by vendors
and distributors in providing right products at the right time. These are the
factors that have helped our company to attain consistent growth in the
industry,” said Jain.

His inquisitiveness for constant learning has earned him accolades from many
leading vendors and distributors. His knowledge on the market and the right kind
of process towards the customers has enabled Supreme Computers to forge strong
links with all major IT vendors. Started in 1994, Supreme has been holding on to
its popular position of a leading sub-distribution company in the southern
market and boasts a product portfolio that includes hardware, peripherals,
accessories, multimedia, audiovisual and telecom products.

Ask him about his path breaking decisions and he is quick to respond on two
of his important decisions. “Laptop Plus, the retail showroom exclusively
launched for laptops in 2004 was a key decision and it increased the mindshare
of the organization to a great extent. Secondly the launching of a separate
division to focus on SME in 2005 was also an important decision. Both were key
decisions in the overall development of the organization,” Jain claimed.

He mentioned the shift to the audiovisual and tele-communication business,
where Supreme has been dealing with Sony and NEC range of products in the AV
front and Reliance data cards on telecommunications end. “We are in talks with
Sharp for their LCD monitors and projectors exclusively for distribution in
Tamil Nadu. The datacards on the other hand are a futuristic product and the
market is definitely set to explode in the near future, if not today. So there
would be more focus in the AV and telecommunication front from Supreme,” he
stated.

“Primarily, we want to improve our productivity to a great extent and for
that we should work on the betterment of relationships with both the customers
and vendor-distributor partners,” quipped Jain. With a focussed and determined
approach, this improvement will be very much in place, soon.

NR Sethuraman

(sethuramannr@cybermedia.co.in)

Growing Great On Values

Growing Great On Values

Sticking to his values, ethics and inducing confidence in all his
associates, RS Shanbhag seems to have set an example in the market. It is with
these values and sheer determination that he has achieved his goals

The common sentiment about RS Shanbhag, Director, Valuepoint Systems in the
market is synonymous with the sincerity, ethics and professionalism he exhibits
in his business.

RS Shanbhag, Valuepoint Systems, Bengaluru

Power to me means Winning the confidence of all his associates

RANK 3

The growth of his company from Rs 58 crore to Rs 192 crore within four years,
comes only next to his character. In the business circle there is widespread
appreciation about his strong temperament over business ethics and sincerity. No
wonder Shanbhag has made it to the most powerful partners list of DQ Channels
again!

Shanbhag feels that the forte of Valuepoint Systems has been winning the
confidence of all its associates. Starting from employees, vendor, partners and
customers, all are made to feel completely safe in their association with the
company. “Everyone associated with the company should feel that they are
completely secure. Valuepoint has been able to achieve that significantly. Last
year we changed our company's tagline to 'Feel in safest pair of hands,' which
clearly shows where we are headed,” he claimed.

2003-04 was a strategic year for Shanbhag and Value Point, when the company
diversified itself from the traditional hardware business and moved into IT
services. As one of the directors of the company, Shanbhag boldly came out of
the day-to-day transactions and built a revenue stream for the company.
“Definitely moving into IT services business was one of the path-breaking
decisions in my life. Earlier, we were brand specific and the revenue was
completely dependent on the vendors. It was changed after the diversification
into the IT services, where we were able to generate our service revenues
without completely depending on the vendors,” he said.

And in FY '08, the company achieved what it proposed, from opening a Delhi
office to creating a new entity for Enterprise Solutions and Services, where the
company will cater to segements from IT consultancy services to domains like
healthcare, life sciences, BFSI, biotech, and discrete manufacturing to name a
few. Valuepoint is also working towards redefining its ERP solution offering and
make it more effective by coming out with own products.

Since its inception, Valuepoint is witnessing its third recession. “In fact I
welcomed the recession for various reasons,” said Shanbhag. According to him,
this slowdown helped the company to streamline its systems and internal
processes. “It helped us to identify new avenues of business, getting into other
services and to do more with less resources. We managed the previous recessions
very well and this time too we feel that we will manage,” Shanbhag said.

On the areas of growth for the company, he feels that Valuepoint needs to
identify emerging verticals and should cater solutions apart from IT to them.
Shanbhag is also considering providing end-to-end services to its customers
across all verticals.

NR Sethuraman

(sethuramannr@cybermedia.co.in)

Dream Catcher

Dream Catcher

Sitting in what was for long termed an upcountry location, Anil Mhaske
rewrote the rules of the game. Being a soft-spoken person does not deter him
from being a go-getter, instead he lets his work speak for him

Anil Mhaske, Data Care Corporation, Pune

Power to me means Being rational and upfront about attainable targets

RANK 4

2008 has been a good year for Anil Mhaske, the owner of Data Care
Corporation, Pune and one that he will remember for a long time. It was last
year that he emerged as the third biggest sub-distributor in India, clocking a
revenue of Rs 250 and notching a growth of 78 percent. Even during the
recession, he surprised everyone by registering a record turnover of Rs 26 crore
in Oct 2008. And now as 2009 dawns he has emerged as the fourth most powerful
channel partner in the country, making it back to the list after being absent
from it the last year.

The soft spoken Mhaske is a man who lets his work speak for him. When asked
how he feels about being powerful and counted among the handful of partners who
every vendor wants to associate with, he just smiled and shrugged. “It's no big
deal really. Vendors want to work with us because we are very honest about the
targets that we can take. I tell them very rationally and upfront that these are
the targets that we will be able to achieve for you and no vendor till date has
put pressure on us to take on more than that.” Now if that is not being
powerful, what is?

So who would he give credit to for the astounding leaps and bounds that the
company has made? “Our base of channel partners has helped us immensely. They
are the ones who have contributed big time to the spread and growth of the
company. What sets us apart is the strong focus that we have on providing
support to our customers. For example, in a DoA case we do not ask the customer
or channel partner to sort out the matter with the vendor, instead we
immediately replace the product from our end so that the customer is not
hassled.”

Mhaske is now banking on retail to drive his company to further heights this
year.

So how do fellow Pune channel partners view Mhaske? “He has certainly put
Pune right there on the IT map of India, and garnered a major mindshare in the
IT channel community across India whether it is with vendor or the channels,”
said a fellow Pune partner. But is it easy operating in a market where there is
such a big player already present? “You have to understand that when a player
gets the kind of marketshare that Mhaske has, it has not been done only by
building newer avenues or tapping upcountry, but also eating into the
marketshare of others who were already operating in the market. And in a market
like Pune it becomes more prominent and almost monopolistic.”

When asked how in one line he would describe himself, keeping in mind the
kind of mindshare and spotlight that he now has, in typical understated style he
said, “I am a simple man who is sitting across you and talking to you. Beyond
that the rest does not matter.”

Simple words from a man who one day in the near future dreams of becoming a
national disti, while still operating out of Pune. And anyone who knows Mhaske
will also know that he is a man who ensures his dreams come true sooner rather
than later.

Shivangi Yadav

(shivangiy@cybermedia.co.in)

Meticulous Planner

Meticulous Planner

Sunil Dalal is very reticent, but industry people talk highly about his
ability to efficiently plan in advance and do everything in his power to go
about working towards achieving that goal

Very few people outside the software solution provider community know Sunil
Dalal and even fewer have met him. But those who do know him agree that he has a
tight grip on the software business of the country. He is thought of as someone
who works in the background strategizing and planning, while allowing others to
be the face of Softcell Technologies.

In fact it is said that his dedication to his company is so pronounced that
he has remained a bachelor so that he can invest all his energies into making
Softcell a force to reckon with in the channel space. Like one partner commented
on condition of anonymity, “That demonstrates the height of dedication to one's
business.” With the company posting a turnover of around Rs 250 crore last year,
it looks like Dalal's sacrifice has paid off.

Rajesh Kothari of Blue Chip Computers said, “I know Dalal very well as we
both started our business around the same time. What I admire about him is that
he is very efficient at planning and very ruthless when it comes to executing
those plans.”

Dalal started Softcell Technologies in 1989 as a distributor for software
products and today it is one of the biggest in its league. Suresh Ramani of
TechGyan commented, “The general opinion is that any vendor that ties up with
Softcell can be assured of success, which is the best compliment any channel
company can get.”

Another reason why Dalal's Softcell is viewed very positively by most
distributors and vendors is because of the fact that they have not had any
issues with the company when it comes to payments, which is the best yardstick
applied to measure the credibility of an organization.

Tapas Moitra, GM-West of Redington India noted, “Softcell is the biggest name
when it comes to software business in India. We have never had any issues with
them for payments, in all these years of dealing with them.”

Last year was an eventful one for Dalal both on good terms and bad. It
acquired Mumbai-based IT Secure to get a strong foothold into the security
solutions domain. It also set up a 18-seat network service center in Mumbai with
an investment of

Rs 5 crore, and signed a two-year sub-contract agreement with an Indian telecom
giant to provide remote network and security services to the latter's clients.
On a tragic note, Dalal was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
on charges of duty evasion. Most of the channel partners and vendors were
unwilling to believe this and voiced their support for Dalal, who was later
released on bail.

So far, Dalal seems to have weathered a lot of storms. His peers are
confident that he will emerge victorious out of this one as well.

Vinita Bhatia

(vinitavs@cybermedia.co.in)

Listening Post

Listening Post

Ajay Sawant's colleagues and peers rate him as a good listener, someone who
is willing to change his opinions after a good hearing. This quality has won him
several admirers in the channel community

When you mention to Ajay Sawant of Orient Technologies that he has been voted
as one of the most powerful channel partners in the country, he is surprised. He
feels that his achievements have not been so great that he can be deemed as a
powerful personality.

Ajay Sawant, Orient Technologies, Mumbai

Power to me means Building close relations with vendors, customers

RANK 6

But apparently his peers do not think so. Anirudh Shrotriya of Pune's Shro
Systems finds it admirable that Sawant has been able to steer his company into
the solution providing arena quite, well given that Orient was a big player in
the box-pushing business till a few years ago. “Orient competes with us on some
accounts, but it is laudable the way it has emerged in the solution provider
space,” he said.

So how did Sawant get Orient to metamorphose itself from a box pusher to a
true-blue solution provider? He noted that this transition was not an overnight
phenomenon. “We were working on the sidelines to increase our revenue share from
the solutions and services business, and finally we are seeing it reflect in our
revenues.”

Besides this, Sawant has also been engaging closely with vendors to see how
they can improve their solutions stack. He has delegated the operational duties
to his team of people, while he focuses on relationship building with vendors
and customers. And this is one reason why he has got good recall amongst most
vendors.

Tapas Moitra, GM-West, Redington India said, “Orient has got very strong
relationship with the top-bill vendors, which is why the latter prefers to route
structured orders to them, because of the technological capabilities they have
built in their company over time.”

His colleague Divya Jain, Director-Enterprise Solutions of the company would
rather call him an important person than a powerful one. She calls him the
sutradaar of the company, the one who holds together all the threads in his
hands and knits them together in a seamless fashion to ensure that each of them
move in an orchestrated fashion.

“Sawant is also a large hearted person, who is willing to listen and change
his opinion like a true democrat,” she stated. Giving one example of his
consideration and largess she said that at a time when all organizations were
cutting the fat from their manpower strength, Sawant ensured that none of the
grassroot workers, like peons and office boys were retrenched.

Simplistic, thoughtful and generous were some of the adjectives that other
people used to sum up Sawant. But ask him what he thinks his redeeming qualities
are and he would put it down to his ability to build relationships with people.
“I believe in investing in people, be it internally or externally. Most of my
relationships are not bound by the benefits I might garner from it, but from the
sheer pleasure of knowing that person and understanding their thought process,”
he simply stated.

Vinita Bhatia

(vinitavs@cybermedia.co.in)

Integrity Pays

Integrity Pays

With a firm belief that integrity is the key to success and hard work is the
best way to grow, Balakrishnan is on his way to sucess with Avnet. His vision
and quick thinking have held him in good stead

An industry veteran in the channel community, G Balakrishnan, is also known
for his honesty and soft spoken mannerism. His ability to drive anything, be it
reselling hardware or offering solutions or distribution, his vision in driving
that and most importantly the tidiness in his business has fetched Balakrishnan
a spot in the most powerful partner listing.

G Balakrishnan, Avnet India, Mumbai

Power to me means Partnering with the best

RANK 7

Known as a visionary Balakrishnan has been following what is on his mind and
has progressed keeping hard work, knowledge, experience and honesty as his base.
Another important aspect of Balakrishnan is said to be his reaction time. He has
been quick as far as taking decisions is concerned, be starting Ontrack
Technologies or getting it acquired, considering the welfare of both the company
and its employees.

Ask him, why he has been the voted as a powerful partner, and he respond,
“Nothing succeeds like success.” According to him, he has been rated as the
powerful partner in country because he has been a successful partner. Starting
the company with his colleague Naresh Desai in 1993 remains a path breaking
decision for Balakrishnan. “Naresh and I left our jobs at a leading IT company
and started Ontrack in 1993. Everything happened all of a sudden and there were
no apprehensions in taking the decision. We tasted success through our technical
knowledge and with the good wishes of the people and we grew as a leading SP
with good expertise in technology,” said Balakrishnan.

Similarly he considers selling Ontrack to Avnet as also one of the most
important decisions in his career. “It was a very strategic decisions for us. We
realized the weakness that was preventing the growth of our company. We didn't
want to try out other options like IPO, so we decided to go for an acquisition
and sold the company to Avnet. We were not only considering this for our own
interest but for the sake of Ontrack's employees” he claimed.

The idea behind the acquisition of Ontrack for Avnet was to gain stronghold
in the value added solutions that would solve the business challenges of its
customers with the expertise of Ontrack.The one and most prime aspect that
Balakrishnan wants to improve is to network. “I want to do more networking, as I
haven't spent time on that very important aspect. But I look forward to do more
networking and explore more things,” he said.

Balakrishnan pointed out that whatever Ontrack achieved was due to the
quality of integrity that it possessed. “I would like to suggest the partners
that if they practice the quality of integrity in their business definitely they
can overcome any problems including the current slowdown,” Balakrishnan averred.

Currently acting as the MD, Partner Solutions, Avnet India, Balakrishnan
proposes to place the company among the leading distribution companies through
hard work and integrity.

NS sethuraman

(sethuramannr@cybermedia.co.in)

One Day At A Time

One Day At A Time

Devendra Taneja follows a simple mantra in life-tackle challenges head-on
and always adhere to honesty and transparency. This stance has helped him steer
his company away from hardships

Looking back at the course his life has taken, Taneja recalls that it has
been a relatively smooth road throughout with no dramatic turns in between. He
believes that by the grace of God, things have gone according to plan and he has
not had any major setbacks in the business arena.

Devendra Taneja, PC Solutions, New Delhi

Power to me means A straight forward and sincere attitude

RANK 8

According to Taneja, the qualities that helped him to attain a powerful
status in the industry were truth and sincerity. He admits that there were times
when people considered him arrogant for his straight forwardness but in the
long-run, this attitude has helped him to maintain and enjoy a healthy and
transparent relationship with his fellow solution providers, vendors and
customers. These qualities have been the mantra for his success.

One of the difficult decisions of his life was to venture out with a new
business as he did not come from a business background. Taking the decision to
start a new business single-handedly was a shock for his family members.
However, Taneja was confident about his decision though he had no concrete plans
even after he resigned from Wipro, the organization for which he was working.

Taneja was the first employee of his company, PC Solutions and he received
wholehearted support from his wife, Puneeta. “After starting my own company, I
was working lesser than I did at Wipro though I was new to the ecosystem of
running a self-owned business,” he mentioned.

Acknowledging the success of Taneja in IT industry as a powerful channel
partner and the factors that attribute to his success, Ajay Verma,
Director-Channel and Alliances, Symantec, shared, “Taneja displays a business
maturity which befits his position and experience in the industry and he very
clearly was the early visionary who foresaw the needs of the customer, vendors
and business partners. That to me is the key attribute of his success.”

Verma further remarked that Taneja clearly epitomizes the value of sound
business judgment and acumen, solid business planning and sharp execution.

“It has been a pleasure to have been associated with Taneja and I look
forward to his and his organization's continued success,” he added.

Taneja gives the credibility of his company to his customers and employees.
He revealed that most customers and employees he deals with today are the ones
that were with him at the start of his business. He further elaborated that
these alliances with employees customers were not pre planned but that they
happened naturally. His relationship with his employees go well beyond the
business environment and this is reflected in the congenial environment in his
working space.

The level of honesty that Taneja holds in his business can be judged by an
incident where he once got a call from the sales tax department. Initially, he
was a bit apprehensive about the call but then he was pleasantly amused when he
was informed that the tax department was recognizing Taneja as the highest tax
payer and has decided to award him for this!

Amrita Tejasvi

(amritat@cybermedia.co.in)

Doing IT The Right Way

Doing IT The Right Way

Ensuring quality work and smooth business operations has helped Garg garner
appreciation from vendors and distributors across the industry

The 'Silent Attacker is how Prateek Garg is referred to by many in the IT
industry. So while Garg is considered to have good knowledge and hold of the
market, he is also known to be observant and taking calculative decisions that
lead to greater business advantages in the long run. Yet others in the industry
are of the viewpoint that Garg knows how to maintain a balance between the
vendors and the customers demands thereby ensuring smooth business operations
with every passing transaction. Garg however has a different take on power and
when asked how it felt being considered as one of the powerful players in the
industry, he stated, “Powerful is an arrogant word, we are just happy that we
are relevant in the market to our customers and vendors. Something we have
achieved by delivering consistent value and customer experience.”

Prateek Garg, Progressive Infotech, Noida

Power to me means A pan-India presence coupled with high quality service

RANK 9

Garg has laid great thrust on building strong relationships apart from
competencies in his technology partnerships besides creating a transparent
engagement model. “At Progressive we have been able to scale across the country
creating a strong footprint for market coverage and service delivery. In
addition our investment in integrated quality management system has helped us
create our own space in the industry.”

Hence, offering the customer a pan-India experience while maintaining high
quality and standard at the same time is what has helped Garg emerge as one of
the most powerful solution providers. Progressive won the Frost & Sullivan Award
for Growth Strategy Leadership for Best RIM Services in India for 2007-08. While
the award is a testimony of the fact that the vendors and distributors across
the country consider him as a significant partner, there are numerous other
decisions executed by Garg that ensured him the title. One of them is ensuring
quality work, an agenda that has always been on Garg's mind. Thus in 2008, Garg
ensured implementation of Integrated Quality Management Program encompassing ISO
9001:2000, ISO 20000-1:2005 and ISO 27001:2005 to improve performance within
Progressive itself. This move by Garg re-defined the way IT Infrastructure
Management was practiced and delivered to the customers.

Moving forward, Garg is now looking at enriching his global experiences and
hence the coming year will witness Progressive set up a subsidiary in
Middle-East to address the fast growing IT market. A decision that will further
strengthen Progressive's international business that was close to five percent
this fiscal. Garg is also actively seeking partnerships in US and Europe with
managed services players. “We have a lot of work ahead of us in improving our
marketshare in managed services across the country besides strengthening our
depth and breadth in South India,” elaborated Garg. Last fiscal Progressive
opened new offices in Hyderabad and Chennai expanding its foothold in southern
region.

Pooja Sharma

(poojas@cybermedia.co.in)

North Star Of The East

North Star Of The East

Leading the pack from the eastern channel space, Eastern Group has been the
undisputed choice of vendors and distributors. JK Baid believes that one needs
to think beyond limits and back their words with actions

Making its mark in the channel sphere as one of the most dominant and
powerful players across India, Kolkata-based Eastern IT Group retained its
status as the top choice for national distributors and large-scale vendors
across the country. The company marked its entry into the top 10 solution
providers listing this year. Its strong links with national distributors helped
the company to cross the Rs 130 crore barrier last fiscal as it continued its
loyalty with D-Link. The company has fared remarkably in the distribution and
retail space.

JK Baid, Eastern IT, Kolkata

Power to me means Proper execution of tasks as well as planning

RANK 10

Led by JK Baid, Eastern IT Group comprises of three segments: Eastern Comnet-distributors
for D-Link and regional distributor for Cyberoam and Valrack; Epitome Networks,
featuring as a network integrator and Eastern Logica, a leading IT retail in the
eastern market. The pioneer of the three, Eastern Comnet, started its operation
as a distribution unit a decade ago. The company mainly started its business
with an aim to provide all types of networking and communication solutions to
corporates, SOHO, SME, as well as public and private sector companies.

“The IT market in Eastern India used to be highly competitive when we entered
the IT business about 10 years back. However, for the last couple of years, we
are witnessing a stagnation in the IT retail space,” commented JK Baid, CEO,
Eastern Comnet.

Meeting customer demands and ensuring effective and prompt response in the
assigned timeline has always featured as a priority for Baid, which has always
kept him in the frontline of the channel space. However, Baid is of the view
that careful planning backed by market study is the backbone for any company's
success. He is also very firm when it comes to execution. Eastern Group is
supported by a strong personnel with an ability to execute ideas rather than
just planning.

While discussing the company's strategy, he said “You need to think laterally
and beyond limits. Crossing the hurdles and accepting challenges have always
been my prerogative and today, I look forward to taking the Eastern Group to a
new high.”

Taking a positive stance of the global slowdown and the recent scams in the
IT market, Baid believes that the year 2009 is going to be profitable. He
forsees better days ahead for the channel retail and distribution space, while
the ill effects of the slowdown will be overcome.

Over the years, Eastern IT has emerged as a leading distribution, networking
and communication company with full range of networking products like switches,
hubs, routers, lease line modems, wireless bridges, VoIP gateways, IP camera,
digital home products, copper and fiber cabling range, along with various other
products as a regional distributor. With its strong distribution base and
extensive pre and post-sales support, the company is here to stay.

Avishek Rakshit

(avishekr@cybermedia.co.in)