150 clients, 30 countries, Bangalore start-up 42Gears on building a global benchmark enterprise

With 150 paying customers across 30 countries (including Arcelor Mittal Mines Canada, 3M Cogent Systems, AirBaltic) 42Gears Mobility Systems is a startup to watch out for. Headquartered in Bangalore, what sets them apart is the clear cut value they have been able to deliver consistently to their clients in complete mobile device management.

I have known Onkar and Prakash for sometime now and can clearly see the commitment they bring to the table, be it in the form of mobile solutions or just providing a global level of customer support. As the finalist of TechSparks of 2011 and one of the Tech 30 ventures, we at YourStory bet big on 42Gears team, they have shown what Indian startups can silently build and achieve in a short span of time. Here we speak to entrepreneurs Onkar Singh and Prakash Gupta to tell you what the 42Gears story is all about.

Tell us about 42Gears - business idea and the reasons that led you to start it?

Mobile devices are causing biggest changes to the corporate IT landscape since the personal computer. Unlike laptops, mobile devices are always connected, always in users' hands, and are being used to perform wide variety of business functions.

42Gears Mobility Systems brings order to the chaotic use and management of mobile devices in the enterprise. SureMDM, our multi-platform mobile device management (MDM) product is a versatile solution that helps companies with software deployment, security, location tracking and real-time support of enterprise mobile devices. SureMDM gives complete visibility to companies about how the corporate phones are being used, their health status and capability to remotely resolve issues on the devices even when they are in user’s hands.

In case a device is lost or stolen, IT can remotely lock and wipe the device to protect the sensitive business data from falling into wrong hands. If a user is having some issue with the device, IT can remotely take control of the device and assist the user. Corporate password policies can be enforced on thousands of phones from a central console with just a few clicks.

There are already existing platforms in the mobile security domain. What do you see as the differentiator of 42Gears?

SureMDM is a complete mobile device lifecycle management solution with many unique features such as Device Repair and Service module, Two-way messaging and Mobile asset tracking. The solution is available both in SaaS and On-premise versions.

Another advantage of SureMDM is its ease of use. This reduces the training time for the support staff and enables them to do their jobs faster, better, and more efficiently than ever before.

What do you perceive as the critical challenge in starting a venture like this?

Bringing together individuals to build a great team with shared vision and tenacity is a challenge for every venture.

Please tell us your one big challenge as a venture?

Mobile platforms are evolving very fast and it’s a challenge to keep the products supported on as many platform types and versions as possible.

If you had to tell your audience one thing about your platform, what would it be?

SureMDM is an advanced mobile device management solution built with latest technologies. Just give it a try and you will see how easy it is to setup and use. If you have used any MDM solution in the past you will appreciate what 42Gears has to offer.

Do you see your background (founders background) helping you start up/ in starting up?

Core team members at 42Gears Mobility Systems have got extensive experience in the business mobility domain, especially in building industrial handheld devices and enterprise mobile solutions.

What do you like most about what you do?

Interaction with customers is always exciting. Our customers really define our strategy for the future.

What all can we expect in coming months from 42Gears Mobility Systems?

With 150 customers in 30 countries so far, 42Gears is poised for explosive growth in the next year. We are working on establishing

channel partner and OEM relationships as part of our sales strategy. We believe our customers and partners can benefit a lot from our product offerings.We are also growing the team by bringing onboard technical and business development professionals. If anyone is interested drop us an email.

Also adding support for new platforms is on our To-do list.

What motivates you as an entrepreneur/ individual?

To be able to create something valuable for others (customers) is very motivating. Also we love to stretch ourselves and explore new ideas.

Anything else that you think we should know?

We are glad to be in the position we are in right now. It feels great when we hear how customers are using our products to effectively manage their mobile devices enabling their workforce to do more productive work.

Reiterating my earlier point again, Onkar and Prakash compliment each other as Co-founders. Together they bring a considerable industry experience, having worked at Motorola in critical roles, the traction which they have been able to show in a short time speaks of the execution and precision they bring to the table.

Check out their website www.42Gears.com for more information.

YourStory wishes them the best and its time we start celebrating the understated stars among us.

In conversation with Shradha Sharma