We plan to open branches in 3 more metros simultaneously: Mega Networks

Amrish Kumar, CEO of Mega Networks in an interaction with DQ Channels talks about the dynamics of value added distribution in India and how his company is cracking the code

How was the company set up?
When the company was started 17 years before, there was less experience and scarcity of technology partners and solution integrators in this industry, specifically for servers and storage solutions, we realized there was good demand for server and storage solutions and this is the major reason for inception of Mega Networks. And, we still believe that this market has a lot of scope-there are many horizons to explore and things to experiment with.

Kindly brief us about the solution offerings.
We provide high performance servers, storage, workstation and high-end switching technology to our customers along with services and maintenance contracts. We make sure we provide high-class features at aggressive rates to our customers. We have acquired a position in the market. We are associated with good names and brands, and are providing best to our customers. Until now, it has been challenging and profitable at the same time. We have achieved most of our objectives till date and we have got right people in place to achieve new heights in coming days.

Explain about the channel model or a distribution model in place for your solutions to grow your business.
We are directly associated with major partners across all location. We have partners like Supermicro, FusionStor, LSI, Nexan, Atto, Chelsio with us for whom customer satisfaction is a priority. In channel marketing it is very important to have partners who believe in delivering quality. We are glad we have such names associated with us.

What is the role of a channel partner in the business ecosystem?
They are our core strength in our ecosystems. They make our network strong and productive. Good partners means you get cooperation, quality, support to make your work go smooth. Doing a business like VAD you would want people who understand the need of market and then deliver. And this is the prime need in for our business. Over the period of time we have been able to associate with such channel partners and that is the reason why we stand strong today.

What were the business strategies and marketing strategies employed?
Our ‘go to customer' strategy to present complete solutions to customers has proved profitable. That's how we have increased our customer base until now.

What edge do your products offer to the customers?
We offer customized solutions and work as per customer's requirements. We have options where we deliver solution as per customers demand. With this customer gets same software with customised hardware that suits his pocket and meets the requirements at the same time. We believe in flexibility while delivering the requirements. This helps you widen your market in the present competitive industry.

What are the key focus verticals? Any intention to expand your presence into other verticals.
BFSI, Research, Data Analytics firms, Data centres, Government, Media and Entertainment, ITES, BPO, KPO and many more are our present verticals. We do intend to expand, it depends on what comes our way.

Which companies do you consider as your competition in the Indian market?
Our main competitors are- all leading brands in server and storage segment As already told we offer what is required by our customer. We have direct presence in some enterprise customers and also engaged with most channel partners for their customers across all verticals. Currently, we are authorised distributor for Supermicro, Fusionstor, LSi, ATTO, Open-e, Chelsio, Qlogic, Nexsan and Dot Hill.

Earlier this year, we entered into an OEM agreement with Dot Hill Systems, a provider of SAN storage solutions with a primary focus on marketing Dot Hill's smart AssuredSAN Pro 5000 Series real-time tiering solution for midrange environments. Also, we will offer Dot Hill's portfolio of AssuredSAN solutions for small and medium-sized organizations throughout India.

What are the future plans or roadmap of the company for this year?
We have currently 6 branches in India and 2 overseas. As distribution company we are working closely with all channel partners with different schemes at all locations. We are planning to rollout many events and roadshows across all branches with partners driven program soon.

Any tie-ups in the pipeline to be announced in near future?
Many more products are under consideration such as servers mainly for Cloud solutions, ARM base Servers, Enterprise range of Storage, High Performance computing, Cluster solutions and more.

Do you have any plans to increase the no. of employees or any expansion plans into other cities?
We have recently started full fledged operations in Delhi and Bengaluru. We are in process of opening 3 other branches in metros simultaneously. Furthermore, we are planning to increase workforce in sales and support both, and also in all our branches we will be jointly working with major channel partners.