HYDERABAD: Identifying business potential in the emerging cloud-based technology, two techno-enthusiasts, Jay Sappidi and Ravi Kumar Sastry, had joined hands almost a decade ago to set up Plumsoft Solutions with an initial investment of Rs 1 crore. Both have decades of experience in the IT sector and worked with companies in India and abroad.
“In a simple analogy, cloud technology is like mobile-landline telephony. With the advent of mobile phones, landlines faded and a similar activity is happening with cloud and your traditional IT infrastructure,” says Sappidi, who started his entrepreneurial journey with Wissen Inc and BarterIndia.com, the country’s fist bartering portal.
According to him, currently, Indian companies are not technology-intensive but moving forward. Emerging technologies like cloud will help them manage their IT infrastructure better. “We make products suitable for individual companies as per their requirements. Our cloud platform is like an Apple iOS (operating system), where people can easily develop applications,” he explains.
What Plumsoft offers is nothing but a simple enterprise framework for businesses to manage their several activities like financial management, procurement, human resource, production and planning besides others. Importantly, cloud-based solutions are about five times cheaper than the traditional technology.
“In a conventional model, companies incur a standard cost for technology, implementation cost, operational and administration costs running into several lakhs,” Sappidi says. What Plumsoft does is that it allows companies to either use the platform and build their own solutions or will manage their applications on client’s behalf. “In either of the cases, costs are much lower than the regular model,” he claims. Plumsoft lists companies like Wipro, Krishnapatnam Port, Etisalat as some of its customers.
Claiming that Plumsoft is the only company in the country offering integrated cloud-based solutions, he says that there are several players offering custom-made solutions. “But if a company needs all elements like HR, procurement, management, identifying cloud service providers for each of these separately could be challenging. We offer a one-stop solution and none of the other providers has such an integrated offering,” he explains.
So far, the promoters have infused about Rs 7 crore and are now in an expansion mode.
“We are in touch with some smart investors (venture capitalists) for funding who can bring not just capital but also expertise and guidance for us to scale up operations, which is our major challenge right now,” says Sappidi.
The city-based IT company is also embarking on an aggressive global expansion ramping up its sales, marketing and support team. “Currently, we have limited presence overseas, but we will actively expand our presence in the US, UK, Australia and even the Middle East,” he says.
An avid photography enthusiast and marathon runner, Sappidi also believes that the thrust from the central government encouraging entrepreneurs will give a fillip to the start-up ecosystem in the country. However, the sector will flourish only if there is a pick-up in the economy and grows at 8 to 9 per cent as projected.