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8 Perspectives on Software Vendors to Watch in 2013

SandHill’s questions on predictions as to how the software vendor landscape will change in 2013 found agreement among industry observers about the changes facing legacy software powerhouses. The questions also sparked tirades about Microsoft. Dive into their perspectives on the difficult challenges and necessary “rebooting” ahead. Q: Which three to five software vendors will face the most...

You May Not Like Your Payslip, but We…Love It

SAP acquired Success Factors and Oracle acquired Taleo in billion dollar transactions. Workday recently listed at a billion dollar valuation. The boring enterprise HR software market is suddenly hot – red hot. This excitement is also rubbing off onto a decade old HR Software Product company from Bangalore that aspires to be the first choice provider of HR and Payroll Software to businesses in...

The Challenge of "Reverse Innovation"

MNC Structures can impede innovation flows…. In the mid-1970s, the Xerox Corporation faced the first real threat to its domination of the photocopying industry. This threat did not come from IBM or Kodak, the large American companies that had entered the industry. Instead it came from Canon and Ricoh, at that time relatively small Japanese companies. Xerox had fortified the technological lead it...

Q&A with Software Startup Druva

Editor’s note: Druva’s inSync is a cloud-based unified solution for managing endpoint data in a mobile world. In this interview, Jaspreet Singh, founder and CEO, explains how the product differentiates in its market and how it provides value for enterprises. He also discusses an important attribute for startup CEOs. This article is brought to SandHill readers in partnership with ProductNation...

10 Advantages in Thinking Big for Product Startups!

Sometime ago I wrote two posts in this forum: Expect a Microsoft, Google or facebook out of India? Won’t happen unless we THINK BIG! and How to Think Big in Software Products? . This post is a continuation of this thought process. What are the advantages for me in Thinking Big if I am a product startup? Again, thinking big does not mean abandoning what you are doing currently for something...

Product Conclave: Why I Love It

I really loved being there because: You meet and get to know some really cool people (Sharad, Avinash, Mukund, MR were just a few cool people I met at these events first). There is a bigger list but this will give you some idea of what I am talking about) The quality of conversations is one of the best in the industry. I have been to several conferences in US and India. This one beats them all...

5 speaker quotes @NPC12 & what they mean

5 phrases I heard and overheard at NPC12 and what they mean. I’m open to a thrash-out on this. 1. “Initially I was skeptical about coming to NPC. Now I want to come here every year.” – First time at NPC + US based speaker with 100% audience feedback.  Achievers in America are looking towards India. There’s a reason. The PULSE that ignited so many industries in the...

Day 2 of NPC: Attempting to Steer in the Right Direction

As NASSCOM Product Conclave 2012 drew to a close, Sharad Sharma reiterated that product technology will eliminate poverty in India. The social consciousness and import of this statement, usually reemphasized as electoral slogans of gharibi hatao by politicians, points to envisioning a future in which the role of product technology encompasses not only growth of global companies, impacting the...

Product LaunchPAD: Putting the spotlight on 9 quality tech products

On day two of the NASSCOM Product Conclave, nine ‘Product LaunchPAD’ companies were announced. These companies were recognized for their high-quality, emerging products.  The gathering, which took place in the ‘Agenda’ hall at the Vivanta by Taj, comprised representatives of the selected companies, industry veterans, the co-hosts of the event (Sharad Sharma and MR Rangaswami) as well as members...

First Day of NPC 2012 a Roller Coaster between Hope and Reality

A broad sweep of the first day of the NASSCOM Product Conclave gives rise to emotions of a day that rose in energy, stayed sober at the reality picture, and then gave a reason for cheer as the day drew to a close. On the shore of Big Blue ocean breakfast session opened up the world of possibilities for Indian product technology. IBM-mers Peter Coldicott (Chief Product Architect), Robert High (IBM...