Expert View

November 21, 2003
BI allows planning, control and optimising resources: Bersoft

Geetanjali Wadhwa & Pradeep Chakraborty

NEW DELHI -- In 2001, the Apeejay Stya Group initiated feasibility studies for the implementation of enterprise applications for a number of its businesses. It found that several applications were unavailable in the market and many others failed to provide adequate return on investment (RoI) -- an apprehension now well articulated globally. The group realised that the development of these solutions would lead to a considerable market, and further that there existed three clear strategic opportunities that eventually led to Bersoft's mandate. To ensure a steady growth and enhance the visibility of a school in these fast-changing times, one needs to address these challenges. A collaborative network of key stakeholders – students, alumni, teachers, administrators, parents, back office staff and vendors holds great promise.

Nishant Berlia, CEO, Bersoft Infotech Pvt. Ltd.

To develop applications for the education vertical, Bersoft has been working closely with the Apeejay Education Society since 2001 on state-of-the-art methodologies under the MIRÁ banner. MIRÁ SKOOL is the application toward schools. Convergence plus spoke with Nishant Berlia, CEO, Bersoft Infotech Pvt. Ltd., regarding the activities at Bersoft and Mira Skool, and the current trends in ERP. Excerpts from an interview:

Convergence plus: What are Bersoft's current activities and what are your future plans?

Nishant Berlia: At Bersoft, we have been trying to achieve the best cross-functional product, technology and delivery skills across the industry to ensure that our clients receive an individualised total solution and expect clear tangible and intangible RoI. We have been working in that direction for over a year and a half. Now, with several of our applications in education, FMCG, pharmaceuticals and retail being launched within this financial year as our references bases mature, we are looking forward to the results of our hard work and dedication.

Within the education vertical itself, we are looking forward to the Mira Skool Enterprise for societies or chains of schools, the Mira Varsity for colleges and the Mira Varsity Enterprise for universities, all of whom are in the pipeline after the launch of Mira Skool, our ERP for schools. We intend to concentrate on these verticals and emerge as a market leader.

CP: Why do we need an ERP for the education vertical? What can it do?

NB: Why now? That's simple: There is no such solution so far. The Apeejay Education Society, one of the most respected education societies in the country and a charitable commitment of the Apeejay Stya Group, has always been in the forefront in the adoption of IT. They had been looking for similar solutions for quite a while, and there were really none available except very primitive ones. We have been working closely with them ever since.

I would break down the advantages into two groups -- the education process itself and the operational aspect of the school. Within education, Mira Skool, apart from automation, which frees the time for the faculty, allows a more child-centered holistic approach to education by tracking and providing complete information of a student's academic, behavioral and co-curricular activities throughout his history by allowing effective nurturing and involving all stakeholders. From an operational perspective, apart from the benefits of automation, the business intelligence generated allows more effective planning, control and optimisation of resources. All of this facilitates imparting a higher quality of education and the growth of an institution over time.

CP: What sort of warehouse is the HyperMatrix?

NB: We are now in an age very conversant with n-tier applications and have a very modular, component approach to constructing applications. Essentially, Bersoft has segregated this business logic within its architecture and has, from early on, encapsulated the components of our applications. By indexing these components through business logic, we have built a repository of components - the HyperMatrix. It can be quickly assembled to find a best fit for our clients. Further, we can easily undertake additional software development as we are working with business logic. All of this enables us to provide a very mature approach and individualised solutions for the unique vision and processes of our clients.

CP: How do you see the ERP segment developing in India?

NB: Customers worldwide demand very individual, customised software that will provide sufficient returns on investment. There is far more scope for niche ERP solutions that can be individualised to a high degree. Mature firms work closely with clients in long-term partnerships toward their success -- something far more possible with today's technologies.

From an emerging market viewpoint, most of the global players are most concerned with their markets in North America and Europe where they face highly disgruntled clients -- a legacy from the IT boom and crash. In India, as in the other emerging markets, this represents a unique opportunity for more focused players to establish themselves. In particular, in India, consumer markets will see a lot of action as households in India get richer and spend more. In a very complex market such as India, apart from ensuring efficient flows of good and services, and cash flow (automation), there is a great need for information flow -- business intelligence. Unique applications that can address these challenges are very much the order of the day. In fact, you will notice that in many of the verticals where we are present, there is a significant emphasis on consumer markets.

CP: When do you propose to enter the other verticals?

NB: Significant changes are taking place in the Indian economy, which has a very large, dispersed consumer market that is spending more and is growing. To effectively serve this segment, apart from automation to ensure efficient flow of goods, services and cash flows in a highly complex and dynamic environment, there is a tremendous need for business intelligence. This involves managing and processing the information flows for all aspects of the organization -- to better understand, attract and service customers and to streamline operations, working capital, among other challenges.

Bersoft intends to launch several applications in HyperMatrix that assemble to form applications in retail, pharmaceuticals and FMCG for India firms over the next three quarters. Over time, we plan to develop product lines further and take them to emerging markets.