Netlink to focus on facility management and SI services

Netlink Business Systems Pvt Ltd, a leading reseller of Compaq, plans to focus more on providing IT solutions with the launch of the two new business modules--the Total IT Infrastructure Management Services (TIIMS) and IT Equipment Management Services (ITEMS).

TIIMS offers customers a range of services including facility management services (FMS), networking, system integration, system implementation, data mining, data warehousing, end-to-end solutions for call centers and hotels.

"Our aim is to focus more on the FMS segment for large and medium corporates, for which we have earmarked Rs 2 crore for the coming year," elaborated Rajesh Bakshi, MD, Netlink. He informed that Netlink has been handling the AMC of GE for the last two and a half years. He added that Netlink would be emphasizing on vendor management where all the complaints on facility management services would be handled directly by them.

The thrust of ITEMS would be to undertake the total responsibility and accountability of the performance the IT equipment that is deployed in the customer's organization, ensuring maximum possible machine uptime, be it for desktops, servers, notebooks, workstations, networking, connectivity, or office automation.

The Netlink Group is largely focusing on IT-enabled services such as call centers as well as CRM applications, areas which Bakshi describes as from where the rapid growth will come--both in terms of topline as well as bottomline. This focus is being spearheaded through Netlink Ranve Infotech Ltd, the software development arm of the Group.

On its part, Netlink Business Systems is also venturing into the training market where it would be offering training in software management to big corporates. In addition, rather than concentrate more on pushing Compaq boxes, Netlink intends to focus more on providing comprehensive solutions. And to achieve that, it has tied up with companies like Sun, and EMC.

The alliance with EMC will come in handy as far as offering very high-end storage solutions is concerned. And with the Sun tie-up, Bakshi intends to sell solutions to IT-enabled businesses. Another tie-up, this time with IBM is also on the cards, details of which he refused to divulge.

According to Bakshi, with the commencing on the front-end applications for the call centers, focus from the low-end boxes would go down gradually in the next two years. At the same time, he informed that Netlink is targeting to do business of Rs 15 crore in selling boxes in the current year. "Netlink has registered a revenue of Rs 37 crore this year which has actually come down from Rs 42 crore last year. But the gross profitability of the company this year stands at 19 percent as against 11 percent last year."

The company is looking at a target of doing a business worth Rs 45 crore in the just commenced fiscal. In addition, Bakshi claimed that the call center initiatives would single-handedly earn an estimated revenue of Rs 35 crore in the next three years.

Netlink would soon open sales office at Mumbai in the third quarter of the year, which is apart from the support offices already existing at Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Netlink also has service locations in Chennai and Kolkata.

Meanwhile, the ASP initiative that Netlink had with US-based Cincom Systems has been put on hold till May this year.