What is Gemini's outlook for the Indian market?
Gemini Communication today is a group of four companies, with two of them completely focused on the Indian market. We view this market with a mix of optimism and caution. While there are sectors like telecom and infrastructure that are bound to grow well, we are cautious of IT and retail, though even these are predicted to grow exponentially till 2015. Also, we are planning to shift our focus to tier-2 and -3 cities.

After the acquisition of Veeras Infotec, how will you integrate the two companies?
Both Veeras Infotech and Gemini have identical work cultures. Veeras would continue to function as an independent entity and we do not intend to integrate the two companies together, although, we would be leveraging each other's skills and expertise for mutual benefit.

What was the driving force behind the acquisition of Veeras?
We intend to be among the top three network integration companies in India. While we are growing rapidly at a pace of over 50% y-o-y, it would still not be fast enough for us to reach where we want to, hence, strategic acquisitions are the only other route.

B Srinivasan CEO, Gemini Communication

Are there more mergers and acquisitions in the pipeline?
We are definitely looking at acquisitions but these might not necessarily be in India. Two of our product companies-Pointred Telecom and Gemini Traze RFID-both have exciting growth potential in certain countries. We would be looking at acquisitions that would help extend our geographical presence or add significant value to our technology skills.

What trends do you forsee in the network security domain?
Skill-sets are only now beginning to come up. As of now, there is shortage of a competent skill base. With the acquisition of Veeras, we are aiming to become one of the top network security companies in the country. The competition that we face is either from very large companies or from small consulting practice firms. Also, a fact to keep in mind is that security consultancy is still at its formative phase, which makes it a green-field opportunity, and we would do our best to cash-in.

What is your growth plan for the current fiscal?
We are planning to become a Rs 400 crore group by the end of this fiscal. The Veeras acquisition will also shore-up our topline significantly. We aren't witnessing any pricing pressure yet, though there is paranoia about the slowing growth percentage in India. Also, we are well prepared to tackle any sort of adverse pressures and maintain consistent growth.

Arpita Prem
arpitap@cybermedia.co.in