SoftPro to focus on EAI arena

HYDERABAD: SoftPro Systems Limited is foraying into the Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) arena with its XML-based product for the emerging web services space.

"We are currently developing re-usable frameworks in XML for data transformation that are commonly needed for EAI. The framework has a potential to be developed like a web service after sometime. It is under the beta testing stage and we are planning to release it next month," said, Softpro President and CEO Venkata Rao Mallineni.

"Today enterprises globally are looking for service providers who can bring value to the relationship in terms of innovation, creativity, commitment to deliver quality within schedules, budget and having business models supporting the fast change in global economic scenarios. To achieve this, the service providers should be passionate about their own business, highly creative, customer centric and innovative. With our XML-based product we are trying to achieve that," he explained.

The company is also building a product called AssetPro, an enterprise management system to cover general asset as well as IT asset management targeted towards the medium and large sized customers. "We are actively engaged with five beta customers in different verticals like healthcare, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, IT services for this product and it will be formally released within the next 15 days," he added.

The company has recently shifted to its new 90,000 sq. ft facility. "We have spent more than Rs 12 crore over a period of two years for the construction of this facility which is capable of accommodating more than 900 software professionals. As of now, we are about 60 people working in the company but this figure will increase as we move forward," Rao informed.

Realizing the growing importance of ITES sector, the company has acquired 26 percent equity stake for Rs two crore in Hyderabad-based Call World Technologies Limited, an IT enabled services company running a call center which renders services to MNCs such as AT&T and MasterCard. "As part of the deal, Call World Technologies will use our facility for their operations starting from next month," he informed. The company generated revenues of Rs one crore for the last year and it is targeting to garner Rs 2.5 crore for the year 2003.