Arrival of 21st century was marked with sprouting of new technologies overhauling the way information was stored and managed. The digital revolution nudged organizations to make information available anywhere, anytime and on any device. The transformation threw new challenges to CIOs as customer infrastructure was getting complex, demanding implementation of new solutions to manage and address various statutory requirements. There was a Go-To-Market gap between Technology Vendors (OEMs) and Channel Partners. Byju Pillai, CEO of Inflow Technologies, saw this as an opportunity and decided to equip the vendors with knowledge of market dynamics and at the same time enable partners to access new technologies. Pillai and his team found themselves in a unique position to bridge the gap and thus 'Inflow Technologies' was born in 2005. In a time when industry was witnessing an IT metamorphosis, the CEO of the company devised a 'Technology Enabler' model to ensure consistency amidst transformation.

As a technology enabler, his focus was on enabling the partners to deliver new technologies to their customers and enable end customers to adopt new technologies. In the initial stages he focused on adding new technologies and solution to the portfolio at regular intervals with an emphasis on Information Security and Networking. Over time, the team also traversed areas like AIDC & POS, Electronic Security, Storage and Software.

Battling the Challenges

An electronics and communication engineer by profession, a member of the TIE and Director of Technology Distribution Association of India (TDAI), Pillai has been an advisory for his industry friends. Working for start-ups, he honed his entrepreneurial skills. While at Select Technologies, he faced the challenges boldly and chauffeured the organization out of the danger of being annihilated. The predicaments however gave birth to quite a few innovations within the organization. "We bled but we survived. The key take away for me from this was the need to have all loose ends tied, have disaster management systems in place and the comprehension that moments like these can be enough to actually get you out of business. As an entrepreneur one tends to be more business focused however equally important is to focus on the eco-system and build good processes that help you to sustain." says Pillai.

He helped Select position itself as a distribution company and diversify its offerings to become a distributor for Information Security Product lines. Pillai also showed his mettle while working for PowerTel BOCA Limited as GM, Sales & Marketing. The joint venture between BOCA and an Indian entrepreneur, needed to grow and scale the business through channel sales. Pillai conceptualized a sales strategy for the organization and built a team that could execute the strategy and help the organization scale the business through a partner network. The company went on to establish itself as the number one modem company in the country ahead of Motorola and US Robotics; and was subsequently acquired by Citrix.

Pathway to Success

In his entrepreneurial journey, Pillai accomplished daunting tasks with limited resources. He tackled the initial challenges including bridging working capital gap, negotiations with banks and getting credit limit from vendors and evolving the right processes to support the business. His endeavors paved the way for Inflow Technologies. He had a core team in place within a few months of the organization’s inception. The team members came with diversified experience within the IT Distribution industry. This proved to be a great strength for the organization. The DNA of the core team and hence the organization was being "Technology Enabler – Value Add Distribution". Accordingly, the company has two-tier business model wherein 100 percent business is done through a channel partner/system integrator. Though Inflow started with a smaller base of partners, currently it transacts with 700+ partners across India and South Asia. The 'Technology Enabler' business model is an indirect model and as a technology enabler, the company is an extension of the technology vendors (OEMs) and act as their link to a system integrator and the end customer. As part of channel enablement activities, with support from Technology vendors, the organization headed by Pillai provides trainings, Pre-sales technical support, Commercial support and Professional services.

Pillai's immense success can be attributed to his vision and his belief in people. "People are the biggest asset for an organization." adds Pillai. He inspires the organization to believe in giving the employees 'Learn and build from your failure' option. This freedom gives employees the confidence to take risks and helps the organization get high level of commitment from individuals. Pillai as a true mentor has nurtured his employees by allowing them to contribute their ideas and take the organization on a path of growth. Under the leadership of Pillai, Inflow continues to increase its market share in the niche segment of IT Infrastructure Distribution and Services.