Iris Global is renowned as one of India’s ‘Most Trusted’ IT Distributors, with a robust presence in 21 locations nationwide. Their offices and warehouses are fully equipped to handle online transactions, serving the needs of over 10,000 channel partners. Iris Global’s extensive expertise spans IT distribution, technology solutions, IT support services, and financial services.
Mr. Sanjiv Krishen, Chairman & Founder of Iris Group, is a BITS Pilani graduate of 1971 who worked with the leading IT firms in India and abroad, before he launched Iris. His keen eye for detail and commercial insight enabled him to close large and complex deals nationwide. In an interview with NCN, Mr. Sanjiv Krishen shares his journey, vision, and mission for the company.
Please give us a brief history of how you started and your journey so far.
We founded Iris in 1996. In our first year, we achieved a modest turnover of Rs. 5 Cr and in the latter years we grew exponentially. Last year, we clocked a turnover of Rs 2700 Cr. As an electronics engineer, I began my career with IBM India, then spent seven years in the Middle East before returning to India to start Iris. Today, we are the distributors for all the leading MNC brands of IT products like HP, ACER, and DELL, and we have offices in 26 locations in the country.
What opportunities and challenges do you see in the current ICT and distribution scenario?
The opportunities are immense as the government invests heavily in infrastructure. However, we face challenges with increasingly large order sizes. Previously, a Rs. 1 Cr order was considered substantial, but we have recently handled orders as large as Rs. 70 Cr. The main challenge is extending credit to partners for such significant amounts. Despite this, we are managing well, providing our partners with the support they need to grow and succeed in their journey.
To what extent adopting new technologies & AI can help ICT distributors and how?
We are focusing on artificial intelligence, a rapidly growing field, with NVIDIA now being the world’s top company by market cap, presenting huge opportunities for India. Additionally, we see significant growth potential in EV batteries, including electric vehicles, batteries, and charging stations. We are also exploring the rapidly advancing drone technology, which is being utilized in agriculture, medical support, and hard-to-reach areas. With India poised to become the world’s third-largest economy, this is an excellent time for growth. We are committed to supporting PM Modi’s vision and contributing to India’s journey towards achieving this goal.
What helped you to get continuous projects in the government sector?
Our business model involves purchasing directly from all our OEMs and selling through over 10,000 resellers nationwide. As a distribution company, we are renowned for our reliability and accessibility, which are the key reasons for our success. Our reputation as highly responsible distributors has been widely acknowledged, contributing significantly to our growth and strong market presence.
How do you motivate your partners, what is the secret behind your success and what are your future plans?
My success mantra is in striving to be a highly responsive and responsible distributor. We prioritize our partners by staying open from 9 am to 9 pm every day, including holidays, and offering deliveries at any time, even at midnight. By strategically maintaining inventories, we ensure swift deliveries to support our partners efficiently. We collaborate closely with our partners to understand and help them achieve their objectives, thereby enhancing their bottom-line alongside ours. Our commitment to loyalty and mutual growth forms the foundation of our success, as we continuously strive to foster the growth of our partners’ businesses. We have been focusing on sectors such as education, government, and corporations nationwide. Significant growth is occurring in education, with many schools seeking to computerize. Opportunities abound in supplying hardware, curriculum, software, and support systems to these institutions.
What is your message to the medium and small distributors?
The crucial message for our distributors is to prioritize the security of their finances. Today, regional distributors purchasing from us often extend credit to other dealers, facing significant financial exposure. They must exercise caution while extending credit, focus on securing payments and creating value-added partnerships that extend beyond mere monetary transactions. This approach ensures stability and sustainability in their business relationships.
Covered By: NCN MAGAZINE / Iris Global
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