How `Make in India’ Cloud Player ESDS is Navigating its IPO Plans

As the company prepares for an IPO, Komal Somani, Whole Time Director and Piyush Somani, MD and Chairman, ESDS Software Solutions speak to All Things Talent about sustainable culture, employee health management plan and the future of cloud computing technology in recruitment

Could you give an overview of your growth in market presence since incorporation? 

Piyush Somani: In 2005, I started a web hosting support business from a row house at Nashik with few employees. But after that, there has been an increase in the number of employees, driven by factors like expansion in ESDS’ data center at Na

shik and data centers at Bengaluru and Navi Mumbai. As of June 30, 2021, the total number of employees at ESDS across all locations was 946.

How did the firm, founded in 2005, at a time when cloud and datacenters were not popular in the country, manage to get going initially? 

Piyush Somani: During one of my trips to the UK, I saw how the data center business was flourishing, and witnessing the growth there, I decided to replicate the same here in India. In 2010, ESDS Internet Services Private Limited, engaged in the business of providing internet services, began its operations. However, during its initial days, there were certain challenges since Indian businesses typically weren’t online. Upon realising this, I travelled extensively across the country and visited numerous banking & government customers. Investments in the domestic markets demanded costs, research & development, software, and hardware. By encashing this opportunity, we developed eNlight Cloud in 2011, an in-house developed intelligent cloud computing platform, making ESDS the first company to offer a true ‘Make in India’ Cloud in the nation.

Also read: Cloud and Beyond: The Rise of Data Centers In India

In the run-up to the IPO plans, what are the important aspects of fresh hiring and how do you maintain the ethos for the existing talent? 

Komal Somani: We believe that one of the most important aspects of making a culture sustainable is finding the right fit for the organization, which results in wanting to hire more meticulously. We usually look for candidates who are the right fit with our cultural values, mission, and vision along with a unique skill set.

It also remains our attempt to keep up and continue imbuing Indian culture with our organizational culture, as we believe that staying in touch with our roots contributes towards success.

We think of the employees at ESDS as family and treat their achievements as our achievements, and endeavour to make our employees feel special and recognize their efforts. Each ESDSian is judged on their performance and nothing else. For performance enhancement, we believe that it is important to keep the line of communication clear, open, and direct; and at ESDS suggestions are awarded opportunities. We have termed this as Green Door, with this initiative, we attempt to give a person with an innovative idea a chance to turn it into reality.

What are the key parameters to keep in mind while going public in terms of employee well being? 

Komal Somani: We believe that employee health, directly and indirectly, affects their work behaviour, job performance, and attendance. Consequently, we want our employees to be content while working at ESDS. To enhance well being, we believe that it is needed to understand what they want. We endeavour to facilitate an environment wherein one can immediately let us know if they had a bad or great day, to enable us to immediately work on it. We also attempt to periodically have wellbeing sessions such as counselling, meditation, and ergonomics. As we grow, we may also develop a health management plan for our employees.

How newfound wealth among employees can lead to attrition and how to tackle it? 

Komal Somani: As the company grows, so do the employees. Benefits, increments, and appraisals are given based on performance, these achievements may lead to some attrition among the employees. Sudden changes in team and development may also result in some negative thought processes, but a comprehensive policy and dedicated performance management system will likely reduce this. A Performance Management System (PMS) that provides the purpose and drives motivation could possibly help us tackle attrition.

Is there a need for new hires to manage the IPO or the existing talent is upskilled?

Komal Somani: We attempt to give opportunities to those who want to evolve, and attempt to do so in a manner without bias, such that a person is given a chance to climb up the ladder. We believe that such enthusiasm comes from hard work and perseverance, and aim to enhance such skills by encouraging consistency.

What has been ESDS’ experience of going through the process of modernizing the employee processes – challenges and learnings?

Komal Somani: It’s the era of crowdsourcing — we consider that for our key HR process and strategy.

We would minimize owning all “fun at work” events and let other functions take turns anchoring these events and activities. We don’t want to be known just for fun events, parties, and outbounds but would rather prefer to focus on tangible ways of balancing employee advocacy with productivity, building a talent brand, and driving business sustainability through performance differentiation.

We believe that it is about time one integrates tech into HR seamlessly and ensure all HR talent is tech-savvy. Time to ideate on WebEx and learn through webinars and podcasts. It is our belief that it is time to review engagement through online surveys, connect and co-create by leveraging a blend of online and personal connect modes.

Also read: IPO Can Do Wonders in Attracting Talent: EaseMyTrip’s Himank Tripathi

What are your thoughts on the tech talent requirements and the current market demand? 

Komal Somani: One of the key takeaways from the pandemic was the demand for digitisation of business operations. We saw industries across industries taking a strategic approach for solving their problems and enhancing process efficiencies. The Government of India is embracing Cloud Computing technology for expanding its e-governance initiatives throughout the country. Hence, to modernise the operations, companies are looking for candidates that are agile, creative, and well-versed with technological capabilities. Skills such as Big Data analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Cybersecurity are certain key priorities for recruiters from the technology industry.