Srinivasan S. Founder, VIVA Communications Pvt. Ltd : IP based communication

“IP based communication”

Technology empowers us to do more than the ordinary and those who can use technology in novel ways will always be at the front of the pack. Srinivasan S is the young entrepreneur whose foray into IP based communication solutions is changing the game for several SMEs and consumers in the IP space. From India, UK, Australia to the U.S. his venture “VIVA Communications” has been steadily creating a body of work testifying to their skill and dedication.

Yourstory learnt more about IP based communication and Srinivasan’s creation VIVA from the entrepreneur himself…

What kind of communication is VIVA Communications specialized in?

VIVA Communications is an emerging provider of converged communication serving voice, video and next generation communication needs of enterprises, particularly SMEs and consumers in the IP space. In other words, VIVA Communications provides various IP based communication solutions such as VoIP, video / audio conferencing, unified communication, Centrex etc. and besides communication solutions we also have IP based surveillance solution. We have a service footprint spanning India, UK, Australia and US and have serviced over 400 businesses across the globe since inception and service customers across diverse sectors encompassing over 25 verticals. VIVA Communications provides a flexible combination of services to enterprises/SMEs, with a strong value proposition of keeping communication costs predictable and manageable, while improving the efficiency of communication. We provide IP-based solutions with the aim of removing the barriers of distance through telepresence, voice, video and content sharing and help organizations reduce their carbon footprint through effective collaboration and meetings without the need for travel.

How is IP based communication better than the traditional modes? Can you explain the business model?

• VIVA Communications provides various IP based communication solutions to enterprises to improve the efficiency of communication. Though the arena of communication technology is highly competitive, VIVA Communications has made strong in roads right from the beginning owing to the few factors:Complying with the DoT regulations and legal requirements – VIVA Communications complies with all the DoT regulations and legal requirements to provide the IP based communications in India, particularly VoIP services.
• Providing and maintaining high QoS – At VIVA Communications, we ensure that the services provided are of high quality to avoid disturbances including jitter, MOS, R-Factor, gap density, burst density, QoS prioritization, and compression techniques. We don’t only deliver quality but also sustain it so as to help organizations effectively use their communication architecture and gain most out of it.
• Local service providers – Unlike other service providers, we are local service providers, hence, we are able to provide quick and better customer service at all times.

Our business model is highly unique and straddles the gap between large telcos and smaller service providers. We provide end to end and integrated IP driven voice, video and surveillance solutions for enterprises that are not large enough to work with the big telcos, but at the same time need a reliable, sizeable partner who can provide end to end solutions. We provide the hardware, connectivity and the solutions under one roof, which is our biggest strength. We see a great potential as Indian economy grows and mid-size companies across segments wake up to the potential of IP driven voice, video and integrated solutions.

Is there a specific reason for taking up entrepreneurship?

I did so because there was nothing else I could think of doing. I like challenges, learning new things and building a large company and creating wealth. The whole process of managing and seeing my company grow provides me with immense satisfaction and motivation to continue moving forward and pushing harder. Only entrepreneurship allows you to do that. I chose to be in the telecom sector as my initial learning and interest was in this area. All the thrills and frills along with the pressure and challenges, that come with being an entrepreneur cannot be had in a 9-to-5 job.

How would you describe the entrepreneurs journey to a novice?

There are no short cuts for achieving success in one’s life. There will be immense pressure, struggle and fair amount of failures in the beginning of one’s career. The crucial thing is not to lose focus, look and move only forward - “The buck stops with you”. Learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them again, every failure is learning in disguise.

What do you think is the key challenge for an (Indian) entrepreneur?

I personally feel that the key challenge for an Indian entrepreneur is managing the cultural mindset and people. We have a massive pool of human resources available, but the majority has poor attitude and little drive to achieve. Their growth strategy is through jumping jobs and not being accountable to results they are supposed to deliver. It is a challenge to acquire and retain good people in order to make your company grow in the right direction. On cultural mindset, once a VP of a large company would not speak to me over the phone because he did not want to spend his time on a small entrepreneur like myself. I told myself that one day I would grow big enough to hire him as a VP in my company

How did you raise the seed capital for your company?

We have been around as a profitable company in UK, initially. Hence, investment is primarily from internal accruals and what we plough back into the company from net profits on sales.

What kind of growth has your company made? Is there a secret behind your success?

The growth trajectory for us has been exponential because the need and the potential of our service and solutions are immense. Another factor is that we are in a unique position - the big players don’t want to come to our level and the smaller players are unable to reach our level by delivering what we can.

What hopes do you have from entrepreneurship?

As an entrepreneur, I ventured out on my own to make a mark for myself and to fulfill my desire of venturing out on my own. The potential and the contours of what can potentially be achieved drive me on this path. Besides that, creating employment, seeing my colleagues work hard towards making VIVA a success and seeing my company grow renews my passion for work.

What do you see coming your way in the next 2 years?

Voice is getting highly competitive and we feel voice solutions are the way forward. We would like to hit critical mass in revenues next year, get adequately funded and invest heavily in services and branding besides marketing to fuel the growth. We would also focus on getting into some big partnerships. We could be the next big thing in this space if the above mentioned three elements fall in place.

Do you have any projects in line for expanding your business?

At VIVA Communications, we plan to scale up our business, both organically and through partnerships. We are currently working on a project where we are integrating with a large enterprise software player’s product. Post this project, we will definitely push for partnership. We are also looking at another big enterprise player for partnership and at system integrators to fill in their requirement in this area. Other than projects and partnerships, external funding is in the pipeline as well, which requires more focused efforts and should probably get materialized by next year.

Yourstory wishes Srinivasan and VIVA Communications good fortune with their plans for expansion and hope to see them grow to their full potential.