Nationwide software dealers' association is born

This January, in a vendor conference, various software dealers from across
the country came and consulted together to make a common platform for various
traders in the community. A platform which will address all their issues that
have been making growth of the software trader community bleaker. This will be
called Indian Software Dealers Association (ISODA).

More than 20 top resellers around the country will be associated with this
association, which is in the making. Among them are Softmart and Trifin from
Delhi, Dynamic from Chennai, Head Start and Tricom from Mumbai, SP Software from
Hyderabad and Integral Solutions from Trivandrum.

The head start for such an association came from Alok Gupta, CEO, Softmart
Solutions. As per Gupta, software industry is a very sensitive market, which
involves growing beyond the usual box pushing mentality. But being a trader's
community, various issues have to be addressed time to time. Thus, making a body
which could address these issues, either to the community or to the principals
will act for their betterment. "Such an idea of creating a governing body
for the traders have been reoccurring for last four to five years. This time the
efforts made were more concrete and would be able to get the final formulation
of the body in one month's time."

Various issues which leads their list of priorities, are the principal
alignment, software obsolescence protection, curtail wrong players in the market
and to return the excess stocks back to the vendor.

To start with, ISODA will have around 40 to 50 traders as exclusive members
in the association during the first phase, with total turnover exceeding Rs 1
crore. In the later phase, it will also include members with lesser turnovers.
The executive body will have a meeting soon and will go ahead with elections for
the post of President, Secretary and Treasurer.

These activities are already streamlined and will be undergoing election by
the end of this month. According to Gupta, the software body will be in formal
action in 45 days time. "Thus ISODA will be providing the traders a much
required sense of security."