Locus ties-up with channels

Chennai-based educational institutions' ERP solution provider Locus
Technologies is taking the channel route to expand the reach of the product. The
company is looking to partner with SIs (system integrators), predominantly those
focusing on the education vertical to take forward the ERP software-Edumanage.

“We would like to have partners, mainly SIs, who can be a part of the company
starting form identification of colleges to after-sales to spread our wings. We
would also look forward for association with hardware vendors and system
builders for bundling the software along with the products,” said R
Kothandaraman, MD, Locus Technologies.

The company already enjoys the partnership with Wipro Infotech for the past
two years, whose enterprise service division is currently acting as the SI for
the product on a non- exclusive basis. Edumanage is the ERP solution that helps
the educational institutions to e-govern the total administration. Claiming that
only three to five percent of the educational institutions are auto-

mated in the country, Kothandaraman said that there is strong demand for such
solutions, which could bring complete trans-parency and governance in the
administration of the educational institution.

The ERP solution has more than 18 modules including the basic modules of
educational institutions such as campus management, department management,
admission management, student management and staff management. Locus provides
five basic modules to the institutions and the other modules are being provided
on their requirements.

The ERP also has a subsystem called Exam Care, which has been developed on
the open source front.

Locus is planning to tie-up with five business partners before the end of
this FY and would increase the numbers considerably according to the success of
the partnerships. On looking for partnerships at this point of time, where the
economic scenario is bad, Kothandaraman said that the prime idea of the company
to venture into this solution was to ensure that the product doesn't get
affected due to any reasons like recession.

“The education segment is one that doesn't get affected due to any reasons.
The company has done installations in many leading universities and educational
institutions across the country,” said

B Ramachandran, Senior Consultant-Business and Projects, Locus Technologies.

Locus Technologies will handhold the partners, train the customers and
business partners in terms of installations and after-sales support for an
indefinite period according to the need of the business partners.