IDS Softwares to expand despite slowdown

Jhunjhunwala-backed company to up focus on Asian, African markets.

IDS Softwares, the Bangalore-based software product firm focused on hospitality sector, is set to expand its operations despite the ongoing global recession. The company, backed by investment from Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s investment arm Alchemy Capital, is sharpening its focus on geographies where the hospitality industry is not affected to a major extent as the developed world.

Suresh John, MD, IDS Softwares said there is still a lot of potential in pockets of West Asia, Africa and South East Asia where the hospitality sector is relatively unaffected and where there is demand for bringing in efficiencies which software products can deliver.

IDS is a two-decade old software products firm and offers solutions right from managing standalone restaurants to a chain of globally-distributed hospitality brand.

“Our product is an ERP for the hospitality sector and addresses property management system, restaurant management system, web-based central reservation system and, business and service enhancement. We are launching an update where the software will be more intuitive for a hotel executive to actively up-sell and cross-sell their products,” noted John. IDS also offers managed services for its clients which stands around 1,700 installations across the globe including Royal Orchid, Holiday Inn and Ramada brands.

The company is also understood to be working on software as a service business model which will enable hospitality chains to reduce their capital expenditure for deploying this software product.

IDS Software employs around 300 people and is looking at sharpening its marketing and alliances base and is also looking to enter the Chinese market shortly.

“We are engaging with a local partner and trying to understand how to take the effort forward. There are enough and more opportunities in that market and by end of the year we should be finalising our strategy for China,” John added.

John also added that IDS is scouting acquisition opportunities in the global market not to gain scale but to access clients in the developed markets.