Sify allows its partners to enjoy the benefits of a recurring business model

Sify's USP is its wide range of products to its clients. Anil Pant emphasized
the importance of channel parnters in a company and shared how Sify is working
with their partners to make it a symbiotic relationship

What is the specialty in your offerings?

Sify is the only player in the market, which has such a diverse range of
products for the channel to sell. We offer different range of products as per
the requirement. We are unique in the service that we offer our customers and we
do this in order to win their confidence. Additionally, we have connectivity for
both Internet bandwidth and domestic and inter­national VPN/MPLS along with a
data center for co-hosting. We have got security products and services for our
customers and have hosted contact center and voice minutes for the BPO space.

Towards the beginning of 2008 Sify had under taken a branding initiative
whereby it has changed its logo? What implications did the change have on your
partners?

The branding initiative was done to primarily position us as a green player
and we hoped that this would also have a butterfly effect in winning us more
customers.

Tell us about your plans for thin clients and how Sify intends to
popularize it amongst the channel?

Thin clients are a large business opportunity. We believe that due to
security and cost concerns organizations are going to move towards centralized
computing. This would be a big driver for sale of thin clients in the country.

How is Sify trying to make inroads into the IT channel community, which is
new territory for the company?

We follow the motto that the channel is the most vital element in customer
relationship. Channel is very important to our business. It is the growth driver
as far as we are concerned. It is impossible to reach the breadth that one
desires without involving the channel. They have an existing sales force to
market products to customers. Currently the products and services that we have
on offer do not compete with any of their principal relationships. Any reseller
irrespective of his brand affiliation can sell any of our products and services
without violating any agreement that he may have with his principals. And last
but not the least, we allow a partner to make a recurring business model. That
is, he earns in perpetuity as soon as he lands a customer and as long as he
remains a partner.

What are the challenges you faced with regard to the channel?

The biggest challenge that we have faced concerns training, something which
we are carrying out as we speak across the country. Moreover, marketing
ourselves to 1,000 resellers over a year posed as a huge task. Churning out a
newsletters and strengthening out internal system was another challenge that we
tackled.

Anil Pant VP-Channels Sales Enterprise Solutions, Sify Technologies

What differentiates Sify from its competitors?

We were amongst the first to recognize the potential of the IT channel. As a
result of the first-come-first-serve advantage, the ball is definitely in our
court. We offer an extensive range of products and ultimately, this is what
differentiates us from other players in the market.

Lipsha das

(lipshad@cybermedia.co.in)