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DR.

SUNITHA PRABHURAM
Assistant Professor
School of Business
Manipal Academy of Higher Education – Dubai Campus
Academic City, Dubai, U.A.E.

Date: 14th June 2018

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the summer internship report entitled, ‘A REPORT ON INTERNSHP
AT FOCUS SOFTNET FZ LLC’, submitted to the MANIPAL ACADEMY OF HIGHER
EDUCATION – DUBAI CAMPUS for the award of the degree of Masters of Business
Administration, is a record of the original work done by Mr. Shabib Khan during the period of
his study in the School of Business, Manipal Academy of Higher Education- Dubai Campus,
UAE, under my supervision and guidance, and the project work has not previously formed the
basis for the award of any degree, diploma, fellowship, associateship or any other similar title,
to any candidate of any University.

Signature of the Guide

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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Shabib Ahmed Khan, a student of Master of Business Administration
(MBA), School of Business, Manipal Academy of Higher Education – Dubai Campus,
bearing Registration No 1712052 has undertaken the Internship Training at Focus Soft Net
during April 2018 to June 2018 under my supervision & guidance. He has conducted a study
& completed the Project on 15th June 2018

Signature of the Organization Guide:


Yusuf Sabir
Sales Manager:
Sharjah, U.A.E.

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that matter embodied in this report entitled ‘A REPORT ON INTERNSHP
AT Focus Soft Net is the result of the analysis of observations and interviews carried out by
me under the guidance of Dr. Sunitha. P School of Business, Manipal Academy of Higher
Education - Dubai Campus, UAE. This project work has not previously formed the basis for
the award of any degree, diploma, fellowship, associate ship or any other similar title, to any
candidate of any University.

Shabib Khan
REG. NO: 1712052

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Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Introduction To The Study .............................................................................................................. 5
Aim Of The Study ........................................................................................................................... 6
Industry profile.................................................................................................................................... 7
An Overview Of The Software Industry ......................................................................................... 7
Market Leader ................................................................................................................................. 8
Why “Application software” is important in the software industry .............................................. 11
Enterprise software ....................................................................................................................... 12
Enterprise resource planning ......................................................................................................... 13
Overview: The software Industry Landscape ............................................................................... 15
High R&D and marketing expenses impact industry’s cost structure .......................................... 17
Must-know: Why the software industry is cyclical....................................................................... 18
Software industry dependent on the economy .............................................................................. 19
Software industry shaped by mergers and acquisitions ................................................................ 21
Company Profile................................................................................................................................ 23
History........................................................................................................................................... 23
Vision, Mission, Values ................................................................................................................ 24
Types of solutions at Focus Softnet .............................................................................................. 25
Business Process Services ............................................................................................................. 35
Support Services ........................................................................................................................... 36
Focus Expertise ............................................................................................................................. 37
Development Strategy ................................................................................................................... 38
Global Presence ............................................................................................................................ 40
Learnings & Outcomes ...................................................................................................................... 41
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 42
References ........................................................................................................................................ 43

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Introduction

Introduction To The Study

All organizations have a management structure that determines relationship between the different
activities and the members, and subdivides and assigns roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out
different tasks. Organizations are open system they affect and are affected by their environment. The
study of organization is one of the most significant elements in the management sciences, as it makes
management learn from what has succeeded elsewhere. Therefore it is very important for a management
student to conduct an organizational study during their MBA program.

The internee underwent an organizational study at FOCUS SOFTNET FZ LCC to acquaint with the
business environment for a period of 6 weeks during April and May as a part of MBA curriculum under
Manipal University Dubai.
Focus Softnet’s first overseas operation continues to drive global revenues.
The UAE was Focus Softnet’s first overseas destination. Since it began its UAE operations in 1995,
the company has witnessed remarkable growth year-on-year. To respond to the overwhelming
business opportunities, the company shifted its regional headquarters to Dubai Internet City in 2001
and opened its international headquarters in 2009 in Grosvenor Business Tower in TECOM. Since
then the company has expanded its operations throughout the UAE with fully-fledged branch offices
in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The company now serves more than 6,000 customers across all business
verticals in the country.

Despite the economic downturn in 2008-2009, Focus was able to grow its business in the UAE market
because of the company’s commitment to offer cost effective solutions that meet the budgets and
demands of SMEs across the region.

To ensure service excellence, Focus Softnet UAE branch office launched a dedicated Quality Control
department which receives regular feedback from customers and offers timely corrective measures on
the quality of service.

The branch has successfully implemented high value projects in record time and performed
consistently well among all the branches, with nearly 30% of global revenues of the company coming
from the UAE operations over the last decade. This could not have been achieved without the hard
work, dedication and determination of the more than 100 professionals working across the UAE.

Today the branch is aiming to reach new heights of success under the leadership of Sunil Mathew,
Executive Vice President for UAE & Levant Region.

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“Since we began our UAE operations in 1995, Focus’ business in the UAE and the region has grown
tremendously. We connect closely with our customers, understand their requirements and design new
solutions to suit their requirements. This is a big value-add for them and one of the reasons for Focus
Softnet’s success. Our team has always put our customers’ needs first and developed solutions that
move businesses and helped them grow in a highly competitive environment. We offer them highly
customized solutions that are easy to use and simplify their day to day operations. Our best-of-breed
products and excellent customer service is what differentiates us from other vendors. We plan to
continue to offer our customers comprehensive solutions and services to ensure that we make it easier,
faster and cost-effective for them,” said Sunil Mathew.

Aim Of The Study

 To identify the market awareness for FOCUS as a brand.


 To find out the customer perception regarding the product.
 To find out the areas of improvement.
 To find out if product quality is matching the price in the market.

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Industry profile

An Overview Of The Software Industry

What is a software?
The software industry has transformed the way organizations, businesses, and even people coordinate
and work. Its impact on the global economy and across various industries can be gauged by the
increase in innovations, technical progress, enhanced productivity, and the workforce. “Software”
refers to computer program or data (bits and bytes stored), that can be stored electronically. It’s used
by the computer processor to perform various tasks. Mobile software applications (or apps) work in
the same manner as their computer software counterparts. Apps are designed for specific tasks like
games, global positioning system (or GPS), and music.

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Market Leader

Microsoft leads the software market


The previous chart shows the revenue contribution of different players in the software
industry. According to Gartner, in 2013, worldwide software revenue stood at $407.3 billion,
compared to $388.5 billion in 2012, registering a 4.8% increase. Microsoft (MSFT) continues to be
the market leader in the segment and holds 16% market share, followed by Oracle (ORCL) and IBM
(IBM) at 7.3% and 7.1%, respectively. SAP AG (SAP) and Symantec (SYMC) are among the top ten
players in the industry.

Software is expected to be the fastest growing industry in the


IT space
According to Forrester, in 2014 and as the economy improves, the software industry is expected to be
the fastest growing industry with expected growth of 7.1%, followed by information technology (or
IT) consulting and systems integration services at 6.6% in the IT space. IT consulting refers to the
advisory services that help clients in assessing the benefits of different technologies. It helps
formulate a suitable technology strategy to align it with clients’ business strategies.

System integration refers to the process of making diverse hardware and software components work
together as a system. It’s a value addition process of linking different computing systems and software
applications so that independent applications work as one. The majority of funds allocated for IT
spending goes into software development, which clearly indicates its dominance. The emergence of
cloud, mobile computing, and applications like business intelligence and analytics are making sure
that this growth isn’t slowing down.

The software industry is involved in the development, marketing, and sales and is multifaceted. Its
scope ranges from personal computer applications, operating systems, network management tools,
enterprise software, software applications, operating systems, and customized software.

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Systems software
The global software and services industry is comprised of “internet software” and “software.”
However, “internet software” encompasses companies like Google and Yahoo that run search engines
to gather huge data like web pages. They process the data at a lightning speed to produce search
rankings. “Software” can be classified into systems software, application software, and middleware
and tools. Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL), SalesForce.com (CRM), Google (GOOG), and IBM
Corp. (IBM) are key players in the software industry.

Systems software
Systems software includes operating system and the associated programs, which enable systems and
computers to work. It provides the foundation for the infrastructure software that links and manages
hardware, networks, and software together.

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Components of Systems software
It’s comprised of operating systems, system and network management, and information management.
The operating system controls the basic functions of a computer or network. It’s a software program
that enables hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software. Microsoft (MSFT) is
a leading player in this segment with 90% of personal computers using Windows as their operating
system.

System and network management are involved in the provision, capacity, performance, and
availability of information technology (or IT) systems and networks. For example, when the workload
increases, the processing capacity must be increased to accommodate the larger workload, which is
then managed either automatically or manually. Fortinet (FTNT), Lucent (ALU), and Symantec
(SYMC) are some of the leading players in this area.

Under information management, database management systems are used for data storage and
organization. It includes:

• Business intelligence analytic software products for storing, access, and analyzing complex data
• Data warehouse mining, quality tools, and storage management for providing basic data
organization functions like file systems, volume management and physical replication.

Oracle (ORCL), Microsoft (MSFT), and SAP AG (SAP) lead the database software market.

The System software industry caters to enterprise application development markets through direct
sales and channel partners. Channel partners include value added re-sellers (companies adding value
to existing products and selling them) and system integrators. Enterprise application development
spans new and complex technologies, varied programming languages, and developer communities in
response to the changing business environment.

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Why “Application software” is important in the software industry
“Application software” or “software applications” (or apps) help the end users perform single or
multiple tasks. Application software finds its presence in enterprise as well as non-enterprise
applications. Enterprise “application software” includes enterprise resource planning (or ERP), supply
chain management, embedded software, and customer relationship management.

Non-enterprise application software includes:


• Entertainment – game applications for media, CD, and DVD—like Solitaire and Rhapsody
• Graphics – applications for image organizing, editing, and sharing—like HP (HPQ), Photosmart
Essentials, Adobe Illustrator (ADB)
• Security – applications to detect firewalls and antivirus protection—like Norton
• Mobile apps – application software meant for a mobile device, smartphone, or tablet

As shown in the previous chart, among all enterprise software, ERP application is the largest application
used worldwide followed by Office Suites and CRM. ERP is enterprise software that integrates all the
operations and functions of an organization. Office Suite refers to a collection of software programs
that can interact with each other. As a result, Office Suite programs are generally distributed together
(for example—Microsoft Office).

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Enterprise software

Many of us vaguely know what Adobe, Norton, Symantec, or Nintendo do. How many of us understand
the software for enterprise applications? Enterprise software are applications that are designed to
address requirements of several users in an organization. Since many firms have similar procedures for
accounting, finance, inventory management, and human resource functions. Instead of
developing everything from scratch, companies usually buy a software package (enterprise resource
planning package) to support and track these functions. It differs from desktop software because
they are the applications installed on a personal or work computer (for example—Microsoft Office
suite).

The previous chart shows the global Salesforce.com (CRM) software revenue in 2013. CRM is the
largest player in customer relationship management market with 16.1% market share. It’s followed by
SAP (SAP) and Oracle (ORCL), which hold 13% and 10%, respectively.

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Enterprise resource planning

Enterprise resource planning (or ERP), is business process management software. It allows an
organization to manage its business by using a system of integrated applications. ERP is product
domain software that integrates all facets of an operation. Among its different modules, each
module is specialized to handle a defined business process of organization.

The previous chart shows the steadily increasing revenues of ERP and its segments. Among all the
segments of enterprise software, CRM is expected to see rapid growth in coming years.
Salesforce.com (CRM), SAP AG (SAP), Oracle (ORCL), IBM Corp. (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT), and SAS
Institute Inc. (SAS) are the leading players in this market.

The application refresh cycle (time usually required for updating the software) for human capital
management (HCM) and supply chain management (SCM) can be ten to 15 years. For ERP applications
(for example—financial management systems), it can go up to 15 years or longer. Among all the
business software mentioned, the application refresh cycle for customer relationship management
(CRM) is the shortest, typically five to seven years. This could be a potential reason behind the strong
growth the segment is experiencing.

Organizations implement ERP systems to incorporate best practices in their operations and gain a
sustainable competitive advantage over industry peers. This isn’t possible if your competitor is using
the same business process. For example, accounting and general ledger are overhead functions.
In general, they don’t provide a sustainable competitive advantage. As a result, organizations need to
identify which functions and modules needs to be configured to meet the specific organization’s needs.

Popularity and adoption of ERP has led organizations to bundle various enterprise software, like
customer relationship management and business intelligence, along with ERP as a single and bundled
package.

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The convergence of social, mobile, and cloud are expected to drive growth in enterprise software. SAP
AG (SAP), Salesforce.com (CRM), Oracle Corp. (ORCL), Workday (WDAY), and Netsuite (N) are
the leading players in ERP space.

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Overview: The software Industry Landscape

The software industry is highly concentrated. A small number of players dominate the industry holding
relatively high market shares. For example, Microsoft (MSFT) dominates the personal computer
market, SAP AG (SAP) is the leader in the enterprise application software segment, and Salesforce.com
(CRM) dominates customer relationship management.

The confluence of network effects, law of increasing returns, and switching costs associated within the
industry can explain its concentration.

The previous chart shows the market share enjoyed by different desktop operating systems. Windows
tops the list commanding 91% of the market.

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Standardization and customization
Every computer requires operating systems. They’re standardized across to appeal to the mass market.
Computer manufacturers are the principal customers of “operating systems,” who prefer to maintain
compatibility among various operating systems. Compatibility ensures ease of data exchange. As a
result, few operating systems dominate the landscape, which gives them a considerable pricing power.
It has limited variations to offer, which makes it unsuitable to different end users. Certain industries and
organizations cater to customers with various requirements. The more the needs of the end-users are
varied, the more likely the chances are of software being customized. Mass market products are
standardized while products catering to a niche market are customized. Standardization is most likely
to be pursued by a product organization to drive economies of scale. Customization will be preferred
by services because it helps them in the value chain. With the rapid advancement in technology, licensed
software are being customized to cater to huge organizations, which creates “mass customization.”
Customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) fall under the “mass
customization category.”

Also, because the installed base of Microsoft Windows is so large, independent software vendors chose
or are forced to develop applications compatible with Windows. That explains why we see so many
applications being developed for Windows and not Linux OS of Oracle (ORCL). In 1994, IBM released
the OS/2 warp operating system. Despite a massive investment, it failed to achieve significant traction
because of its inability to gain support from independent software vendors and third party developers.

Network effects tend to give the leading players a competitive edge and monopoly over pricing power,
which imposes a significant barrier to competition. Microsoft harnessed its success and dominance in
operating systems by selling its office software. Microsoft exploited network effects to the maximum.

However, when the differentiating feature of a product is stronger, then niche products can survive in
spite of a weaker network. Apple (AAPL) is a classic example with its sticky market share.

Symantec leads in R&D investment


The previous chart shows how much leading players have spent in marketing and R&D in 2013.
Symantec seems to make huge investments in R&D compared to its peers. In regards to
marketing spending, the company is way ahead of the market leader—Microsoft (MSFT). Compared
to its peers, IBM has low allocation for R&D as well as marketing expenditure. It’s the only company
among the leading players that spent more on R&D than marketing activities.

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High R&D and marketing expenses impact industry’s cost structure

Let’s understand how this all fits in the cost structure of “software companies,” whose major operating
expenses include R&D costs, sales and marketing activities, and support costs.

R&D costs typically form 10%–20% of the revenues for software companies. However, not all of this
goes into innovation. A large portion of it’s spent in testing various configurations of operating systems
(or OS) instead of developing new functionality. Industry experts think that even less than 5% of R&D
budget is spent on innovation. This expenditure gives an insight into the revenues expected in future. It
hints at the company’s market share and profitability.

Sales and marketing costs


Due to increased competition, companies have huge marketing expenditure, which even surpasses R&D
spending most of the time. This expense category contributes the most to operating expenditure of
software companies. It varies depending on the product or services that a company is engaged in. On
average, companies spend 15%–25% of their revenues in sales and marketing activities. However, there
are exceptions like Symantec (SYMC) which has consistently spent ~40% of its revenues in sales and
marketing.

Support costs include the costs associated with the help desk and customer support. They’re responsible
for handling customer queries and directing them in how to set up and operate the application.

By investing more in R&D and marketing, companies aim to differentiate their products that are hard
to replicate or protected by intellectual property rights or patents. Patents serves as armor for the
software companies. Small companies and start-ups find the patents hard to penetrate.

Establishing a strong customer base makes switching costs very high and adds to the challenges of start-
ups. Also, because the market is highly concentrated, it contributes significantly to creating strong
barriers to entry. As a result, patents, high switching costs, and the concentration of the software market
create significant barriers.

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Must-know: Why the software industry is cyclical

Technology, spending budgets, and growth in emerging markets are the key growth drivers of the
software industry. Due to fierce competition in the industry, companies invest heavily in research and
development (or R&D), which leads to revolutionary ideas, differentiated offerings, innovations, and
consequently “patents.” The software industry is highly concentrated with few players contributing to
the overall revenue of the industry. Technology is the most important external factor. When it’s
combined with the competition, it pushes industry to change constantly. The emergence and adoption
of disruptive technologies (social, mobile, application, and cloud computing) proves this constant
change.

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Software industry dependent on the economy

The previous chart shows that the entire information technology (or IT) sector fell during the 2007–
2008 economic crisis. The financial crisis had a huge impact on the global economy. It led to shrinking
consumption, lower consumer confidence, growing unemployment, and falling gross domestic product
(or GDP). Leading players in the industry follow the S&P 500 (SPX) very closely. They track the stock
markets’ and business cycles’ up and down swings because their software licensing caters to
organizations. As a result, it shows the “cyclical” nature of the industry. The investment decisions of
organizations are largely dependent on the state of the economy. During recessionary times,
organizations cut back on their technology spending. Lower consumer confidence affects the sale of
personal computers (or PCs) that in turn impacts the software sales, consequently impacting the
industry.

Cloud and “Internet of Things” gaining traction


Although leading players like Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL) and IBM (IBM) account for a major
share of enterprise software revenues, it’s the “cloud,” that’s substantially impacting the industry.
The leading players either buy or build the technology to support the client’s cloud and the “Internet of
Things” projects.

The “Internet of Things” is the network of physical objects that connects them to the internet. It can be
controlled from anywhere. It’s a concept where day-to-day physical objects will have an online presence
because of their connection to the internet. It includes sensor and wireless technologies. It excludes
PCs, tablets, and smartphones. According to Gartner, the Internet of Things installed base is expected
to grow to 26 billion units by 2020. Leading software players like Microsoft (MSFT), CISCO (CSCO),
and IBM Corp. (IBM) announced plans to increase their Internet of Things capabilities. This indicates
its growing presence. It’s a threat to the software security industry. Industry experts think that current
anti-spam, anti-virus and anti-malware infrastructures won’t be sufficient enough to protect their
organizations from the new endpoints created by the Internet of Things.

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Why the software industry commands high margins
The software industry has long been associated with high margins. Even during the slowing down of
economy, this industry has managed to stay afloat. The high margin gives it a competitive advantage to
survive in hard times.

Oracle commands the highest margins in the industry


The previous graph shows the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (or
EBITDA) margins of leading players. Microsoft is the market leader in the industry on revenue basis.
However, when it comes to the “margin” front, Oracle seems to have taken the title. For the past three
years, its margins have shown continuous improvement.

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Software industry shaped by mergers and acquisitions

The global software industry has seen phenomenal growth in past few decades. It has undergone
tremendous changes in its structure. Over time, it has matured into a market where price and not features
dominate buying decisions. Most of the companies use standard software packages with little scope of
differentiation. Low growth rate, consolidation of leading players, and emergence of alternatives, like
cloud computing and open source software to the conventional software products, indicates that the
industry is maturing.

In 2013, the total number of acquisitions (transactions volume) increased to 1598, compared to 1526 in
2011, registering a 4.7 % increase. The deal size of acquisitions also increased in 2013 to $88 billion,
compared to $82 billion in 2011.

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Acquisitions leading to consolidation
Consolidation is happening as leading players command a huge market share. To become leaders,
they’re following the acquisitions route. Acquisitions are playing a major role in shaping the industry.
Small companies are targeted and acquired by large players to fill the gaps in emerging technologies.
Lately, there have been numerous acquisitions by leading players like IBM (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT),
Cisco Systems (CSCO), SAP AG (SAP), and Oracle (ORCL) to maintain their competitiveness and
increase their presence in emerging technologies.

Standardization paving way for innovation


In the software industry, organizations strive to deliver powerful and innovative software, which leads
to standardization of the product (software). In this standardization process, the value of the software
decreases as time passes, which makes the industry players look for new ways to add value through
innovation.

Business model transition


A significant shift is observed as the revenue generation from traditional software products and license
fees has moved to services. Reduction in technology spending has led many organizations to explore
current options rather than paying high price and fees for standardized software product. As a result,
new business and pricing models are coming into the industry. “Software as a service,” “cloud
computing,” and “free and open source software” are clear evidence of this. Open source software is so
widespread now that there isn’t a software product category, particularly in the enterprise computing
area, which isn’t being challenged by them.

The introduction of new business models—web-based (cloud computing) to free software models—has
opened the market for new entrepreneurial activities. The software industry has seen an increasing
number of start-ups. The emergence of new players and new technologies is contributing to the
dynamics and flexibility of software industry. The nature of the information technology (or IT) industry
creates a competitive landscape, which is constantly evolving as firms are acquired, emerge, and
expand.

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Company Profile

History

Established in 1992, Focus Softnet emerged as a multinational IT solutions provider. With its array of
products and services and strong emphasis on R&D, Focus has expanded its operations in 18 countries
around the globe.
Since its inception, Focus has ensured that its ERP products not only use state-of-the-art technology, but are
also feature-rich. With solutions for all major industries like real estate & construction, manufacturing,
warehousing & logistics, retail and hospitality, Focus has earned partnerships and business associates from
all around the world from major business organizations and has emerged as the top ERP Company in several
countries.
With over 25 years of existence, Focus has come to be known for re-engineering business processes and
deploying user-friendly, cost-effective industry specific solutions. Apart from covering all aspects of
business, including financial management, sales management and human capital management, its solutions
are also cloud enabled and equipped with robust BI tools.

All solutions of Focus Softnet are known to comply with the tax regulations in the countries where they are
used. In the GCC countries, Focus Softnet was one of the first ERP providers to put its users live with VAT
compliant features. In India, it is a prominent GST Suvidha Provider, an officially accredited vendor of GST
compliant business solutions.
Focus Softnet’s VAT compliance in its solutions enables users to automate tax-code documents based on
jurisdiction, place of supply and goods or service category. Users can also generate FTA approved VAT files
to upload and file audit reports and print or mail custom-based tax invoice with all the basic requirements.

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Vision, Mission, Values

Vision
To increase market reach via global expansions and to deliver the best business management application
and integration expertise with faster return on investment to businesses world-wide.

Mission
Focus Softnet strives consistently to provide solutions and products using emerging technologies with high
quality standards and zero errors. With a strong emphasis on research and development, Focus Softnet is
constantly innovating with the development of new technologies and new products.

Focus Softnet aims to be the best IT solutions provider for enterprises in terms of growth, quality, and
innovation. At Focus Softnet, there is focus in how the company sees and approaches business. A focus on
developing products best suited for client needs present and future, a focus on how to help client businesses
grow, a focus on providing solutions that move business.

Value Proposition
Focus Softnet integrates people and technologies to deliver quality products and innovative solutions to
business challenges across the world. Customers are guaranteed:

 High return on investment with low total cost of ownership


 Solutions to strengthen core functions for greater impact
 On-time, on-budget project delivery
 100% total maintenance support
 Customizable solutions

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Types of solutions at Focus Softnet

Focus 8 is flagship solution of Focus Softnet, an accredited ERP software vendor in the GCC region with
over 30,000 customers in the Middle East and over 1 million users around the globe.

A cloud based VAT compliant ERP solution, Focus 8 is equipped with a robust Business Intelligence tool
that employs ‘slice and dice’ methodology for analyzing data, defines KPIs and presents timely reports with
accurate data. The reports present actionable information to the users, eliminating presumptions and
empowering them to monitor key metrics with ease.
Unlike on premise ERP solutions that involve huge costs on infrastructure, Focus 8 is a cloud enabled
solution which provides optimum mobility. It combines all the traits and SOPs of well-defined workflows,
authorizations, escalations and reporting in a way that their execution is not just visualized on the screen but
also adhered to in operations. With its modular structure, business owners can devise their own ERP roll-out
strategy and create workflows to define and evolve their company’s SOPs.

Financial Management
This ERP software is an ideal solution for finance management. Apart from its ability to automate the filing
of VAT returns, the module has comprehensive features for core financial management, expenses and
analytics, and works as a user-driven finance software.

Sales Management
With unmatched capabilities as sales ERP software, Focus 8 is a revolutionary solution for sales
management. Apart from delivering powerfully integrated sales features, the module also helps users in
putting all resources to work while synchronizing the sales operations with the supply. Users can manage
and track credit sales, cash or retail sales and monitor vertical specific sales processes along with promotions
and schemes.

An ultimate ERP solution for Manufacturing, Warehousing and supply chain establishments
The Middle Eastern region since long has established itself as an ideal location for international warehousing
companies and storage facilities. With its comprehensive modules for Manufacturing, Warehousing and
Supply Chain establishments, Focus 8 has garnered much attention from major organizations operating in
the GCC region.

The Manufacturing module enables users to make detailed batch wise analysis, standard cost versus actual
consumption analysis, man, machine & material analysis, production planning and scheduling (based on
orders or forecast) among many other capabilities. Similarly, the warehouse management module covers all
major aspects of managing storage facilities and logistical operations.
The solution also features a robust module for procurement which assists users in automating the
procurement processes and saving costs. With Focus 8’s procurement module, users can streamline sourcing
and contract management and can proactively ensure compliance. Invoices can be fine-tuned and data can
be extracted automatically, eliminating the possibility of duplications and data entry errors. Users can also

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manage consignment purchases, material returns & rejections, pricing and master data. The solution also
enables users to make supplier quotation comparative analysis, track shipment notifications and a
procurement flow which users themselves can define.

This ERP solution has also emerged as effective ERP software for supply chain management, assisting
manufacturing units through its proficient module for purchase and inventory management. It also aids users
in managing standard vertical specific processes, inventory utilities and bin management.
With Focus 8’s Inventory Management module, businesses can ensure that their inventory investment is
based on customer service goals rather than mere estimations. The solution helps users in improving their
demand-planning to ensure that they don’t have to face out-of-stock situations.

The module includes tools to manage inventory reservations, tracking & transfers, batches, expiry dates and
product profiling through serialized inventory controls.

Focus 8’s Quality Control module equips manufacturers and business owners to convert product designs into
production realities. It is armed with critical functions such as rule definition for testing, quantity breakups
for sampling, test approvals and test definitions which can be defined by users. The solution also has
dedicated modules for fixed assets management and retail management.

Human Capital Management


The Human Capital Management module of Focus 8 is a powerful tool that can transform the human resource
of any organization into a strategic force. The module allows business owners to align the human resource
processes to their business goals. With comprehensive features to streamline recruitment management and
automate payroll, Focus 8 enables organizations to centralize employee data at a single platform, track all
activities and provide them with a HR-free ESS.

Although Focus 8 has been known for its comprehensive modules since its launch, it has emerged as the
answer for all VAT related concerns from a business management perspective right since the VAT got
implemented in the GCC countries from January 2018. With Focus 8, users can automate tax-code in
documents based on jurisdiction, place of supply and goods or service category. They can also generate FTA
approved VAT files to upload and file audit reports, print or mail custom-based tax Invoice with all the basic
requirements and group companies with a single TRN.

The robust nature of Focus 8 allows it to adapt to any organization’s size and depth while blending in with
its hierarchy and structure.

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ERP Reimagined with Business Intelligence

Strengthen your business with a flawless Business Intelligence embedded in a strong ERP that enables
seamless integration, effortless customization and reliable/flawless automation.
Gain total control over your business. Customize with ease, integrate without trouble and automate with
confidence
A revolutionary product, Focus i combines the sharpness of Business Intelligence with the depth of a
traditional ERP. It enables users to run statistical models, analyse data, extract, and generate business
intelligence reports on the go.

Features:

 Multiple options for access on the move


 Integrated Business Intelligence
 Accessibility of dashboard on mobile device
 Enhanced reporting capabilities
 Dashboard interface for each user
 User definable reports
 KPI (Key Performance Indicator) definition
 Alerts - customized as per user’s requirements
 Views & Advanced Security
 Work Flow Designer

Benefits:

Empowers Executives

 Monitor business activities to ensure best performance


 Cost effective tool to help decision-making in real time
 Improve responsiveness to activities that impact your business

Increased Flexibility

 Combine multiple reports from different Modules


 Get quick view of your business even on the move on Executive Dashboard

Better Return on Investment

 No need for separate installation of Business Intelligence tools


 Reporting capabilities eliminate the need for a separate reporting tool

Modules

 Financial Management
 Sales & Distribution Management
 Procurement & Purchase Planning

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 Inventory & Warehouse Management
 Manufacturing Resource Planning
 Human Resource Management & Payroll
 Focus Advantage
 Desktop
 Dashboard
 BI
 Bins
 Focus I
 Graph
 KPI
 MRP
 RMA
 Batch

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Quick Data. Quicker Decisions.

A multi-tier application with the capability to work seamlessly over Local Area Network and the internet.
It removes the dependence of being in the office in front of a desktop and enables you to monitor your
business and take decisions wherever you are. It includes specific modules for Financial Management,
Sales and Marketing, Procurement and Purchase, Inventory/Warehouse Management, Manufacturing and
Human Resource Management.

Features

 Track events across business locations


 Significantly increase operational efficiencies
 Scale up with ease
 Quick deployment
 High return on investment

Benefits
Customization

 Cherry-pick from the package of modular solutions to best suite your company’s needs
today
 Increase functionality of the implementation by adding modules at a date
Fast Access to Data
 Access and update information in real time
 Employees can access relevant information in minutes
 Facilitates data sharing across any number of offices, from a central location
High Return on Investment

 Reasonably priced solution that is guaranteed to get you the best return on investment
 You do not have to wait, with the deployment time spanning just 2 months you can
experience the benefits almost immediately
Modules
 Financial Management
 Sales and Marketing
 Procurement and Purchase
 Inventory Warehousing
 Manufacturing
 Human Resource Management

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Move Seamlessly from Sale to Service

Features
Marketing Campaign Management
 Campaign generation
 Campaign response
 Prospect feedback form
 Prospect history
Pre-Sales
 Appointment alerts
 Visits and pending calls on login
 User defined sales stages
 Sales funnel – prospect at sales stages
 Sales forecast and trends
 Sales stage analysis
 Visit analysis

Support Tracking
 Online support request form
 Auto allocation of calls
 User defined task templates
 Escalation of calls on delays
 Auto job escalation
 Completion notifications
 Most frequently serviced products/ customers
 Shared activities and calendars for appointment booking and alert generation

Benefits
 Enables you to deliver an outstanding customer experience
 Generate insight on customer behavior for your sales team
 Track effectiveness of activities and campaigns
 Facilitates collaboration between team members
 Comprehensive reports help you make informed decisions

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Smart Planner for Process Efficiency

Features
 Define calendars for multiple locations with work hours
 Skill based identification and planning of man or machine for work centers
 Scheduling of output based on plant-wise capacity
 Prepare bill of material for required output
 Achieve standard output with pre-defined route in production line
 On-time material requirement analysis and procurement reminders
 Generate forecast, completion or process based reports
Benefits
 Minimize production bottlenecks
 Achieve greater transparency and operational control
 Reduce cost and increase resource utilization
 Better customer satisfaction with on-time delivery

Rise High with High Rises

Features
 Web access to upright purchase prospects and expected lease renewals
 Payment reminders via e-mail or text message
 Customized dashboard
 Generate Sales Agreement
 Seamless integration with Focus ERP for enhanced features
 Dashboard alerts on rental expiries
 Image Gallery of properties
 View updated enquiries and status report
 User defined follow up reminders
 Get quick overview on:
 Reservation of property
 Booking of Property
 Sale or resale of property
 Transfer of ownership of properties

Benefits
 Gain customer referrals and repeat customers with service efficiency
 Expand your business horizon from a single location
 Get complete overview of your business on a single screen

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Enriching In-store Experience

Features
Facilitates Dynamic Sales Operations

Supports transactions in multiple currency and multi-lingual interface options

Synchronizes and assimilates sales data from multiple outlets

Users can specify various modes of order placements

Easily define barcodes for products

Quickly configurable and scalable solution that integrates with a variety of
ERP applications
Manage Loyalty and Promotion Programs
 Accommodates various programs like dynamic membership program, point
redemption model etc.
 Facility to extend discounts on products and services with ease
Customizable Display
 Faster transactions with POS display that can integrate with a keyboard or a
touch screen
 Customize buttons, screens and panels
Benefits

 Increase profitability by raising performance and productivity


 Manage multiple outlets with pricing advantage
 Increase customer satisfaction by quick accurate and secure transactions
 Customize and synchronize with ease, be it for a super market or a provision store
Modules

 Dashboard
 Sales
 Pre Order
 Customer Tracking
 Kitting / De-Kitting
 Discount Management
 Schemes & Loyalty Programs
 Membership & Rewards
 Multiple Security levels

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Minimise Cost with Efficient Distribution

Features

 Provides real-time information over a network


 RFID enabled
 Automatic restocking based on maximum and minimum levels
 Ability to manage multiple locations
 Enables task sequencing and task interleaving
 Improved management control and reporting
 Comprehensive security model
 Easy to deploy add-on functionalities
 Helps plan and track labor resource
 User configurable parameters
Modules

 Warehouse Setup
 Inwards Process
 Move
 Outward Process
 Inventory Management
 Billing
 Web
 Reports
 Security

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Efficient Solution for Uninterrupted Education

Features

Manage Online


Initiate web based registration

Sort online applications for admissions automatically

Web based attendance data entry and reporting

Provide customized schedules to students and teachers and allocate resources
accordingly
Automate operations

 Manage the alumni database with ease


 Generates library cards, record book details and manage book issuance
 Automate administrative operations like Admission process, Registration, Semester
Results, Attendance, Fee Management etc.

Modules

 Application and Admission


 Scheduling
 Registration
 Attendance
 Examination
 Hostel & Transportation
 Library Management
 Alumni Management
 Financial Accounting

Benefits

 Promote efficiency in management and operations


 Ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines
 Access information anytime and anywhere
 Safeguard vital information
 Control all administrative processes centrally

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Business Process Services

Focus consultants have extensive experience in helping businesses streamline various processes and
operations with customized planning tools.
Focus offers 3 distinct Business Services to fit the exact need of growing enterprises.
 Business Process Management (BPM)
Involves rationalizing manual business processes to ensure readiness for ERP and automating the
business processes
 Business Process Automation (BPA)
Involves the use of computers to make day-to-day business processes run effectively and efficiently.
Focus consultants assist in analysis of existing business process and help choose the solution or part-
solution that is best suited
 Project Management Consultancy (PMC)
is offers businesses the edge of choosing the right software, computer infrastructure and implementing
it correctly to intensify the processes

Solutions Integration
With the linking of your existing ERP solution to smaller applications across locations or branches, a
full-fledged integrated system can be achieved at a considerably reduced cost.
Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) is a unique Focus offering that helps you achieve proprietary
interface to number of other packages thus providing a solution for many of the standard applications
available in the market.

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Support Services

It’s a gratifying experience for us to see our clients grow and each time when they commend us for
the assistance we provide.
There are 3 types of support provided by Focus Soft Net.
Online Support
We have Online Chat feature manned by expert personnel for Technical Support
Offline Support
Both e-mail and snail mail services are available for you get prompt response from our experts
Onsite Support
We value your request for onsite visit and send personnel with technical experts for analysis of you
requirement.

Centralized Quality Control


To keep a check on efficiency of our support services, we have a Quality Control Team in place that
pro-actively works to ensure your satisfaction.
Any complain can be logged in for immediate redress by the centralized QC Team at
feedback@focussoftnet.com

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Focus Expertise

• Facilitating companywide integrated information systems covering all functional areas


• Performing core corporate activities and increasing customer service augmenting corporate
image
• State Of Art Technical Base for handling big and long term projects
• Deploying Online, Integrated and Web Based solutions
• Implementation & Project experience on multiple business verticals
• Experienced in Delivering Solutions On time and thereby decreasing the lead time for ROI

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Development Strategy

Application Development Strategy

Discovery

Definition

Design

Continuous Innovation & Improvements


Development

Testing

Application Management Deployment

Continuous Refinement

Project Management
Requirements & Scope Change Management
Configuration Management
Reviews

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Domain Strengths
Abu-Dhabi

Technology

JAVA VC++ ERP


.NET

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Global Presence

Middle East India

Dubai Hyderabad

Sharjah Mumbai

Abu Dhabi Chennai

Jeddah Kolkatta

Al Khobar New Delhi

Riyadh Bangalore

Kuwait Far East


Bahrain Malaysia

Yemen Singapore

Qatar Philippines

Oman Africa

Australia - Sydney Kenya

Canada - Toronto South Africa

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Learnings & Outcomes

1. I was able to learn how to pitch sales to different clients.


2. The target market of Focus Softnet is the small and large scale industry.
3. Their pricing is scalable as per the requirements of the client and the size of the industry.
They are very well in competition with companies like Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, and
SAP.
4. Their pricing is as competitive as per the industry norms and they provide good quality
solutions.
5. I was able to get the insight of how a software industry caters its customers and how exactly a
software like ERP & CRM can help a business grow.
6. Since it is a service industry I got an opportunity to work with the support staff, when VAT
was implemented and as the need of the hour, entire work force of FOCUS was needed to
implement VAT as the clientele in UAE is massive.
7. Learnt to understand the requirement of the customer and pitch him a solution accordingly.
8. I was also able to learn some valuable management skills which are just as important, if not
more important than the academic skills- the importance of soft skills which are an important
pillar along with technical skills to help get work done on time.
9. Although I am not from an IT background I learned to understand and cope up with the
technical aspects as well.
10. This is industry is a very diverse industry, one has to be updated with the various upcoming
technologies and have to be very flexible with the pricing of the offered solutions.
11. I was able to understand how various industries function and how their work flow is designed.
12. Being in sales, one has to understand the nature of the client beforehand, I developed the skill
of understanding various kind of attitudes of different type of people and also understood that
the mood of a person may not be the same all the time, and varies from situation to situation.
13. I was also able to apply a lot of the learning’s from MBA at various stages of the internship
while also learning many new skills.
14. Developed negotiation skills with both client and my company management.
15. Since the clients of Focus Softnet are widespread in different part of the country I learnt how
to manage my time, from reaching to the clients place for meeting in Abu Dhabi and coming
to the University for internal tests, on time.
16. While this study the only area of improvement I found was in the marketing and the support
department.
 They need to have more marketing exercises to expose their brand to upcoming
companies, and they need to have more support staff recruited as they cater to about
more than 4000 clients in UAE. For such huge client base, Focus has only about 20-
30 support staff, which according to me is not sufficient.

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Conclusion

The study conducted at Focus Softnet which one of the leading brand of Software for ERP & CRM
Software’s, it helped to a great extent in getting wider outlook about the business environment and
how management functions in an organization. It is a pleasure to work in such professional
environment with employee strength of 150 plus. It was a general study regarding the sales
department of the organization. It was found that the company has a good working environment and
cordial relationship is maintained between all departments for the smooth functioning and the focus in
achieving organizational goals and to maintain the brand image.
Established as an accounting package in 1992 Focus Softnet has become a globally recognised
software industry with its operation in 17 countries in a span of 25 years.

One could learn how difficult it is to run a store though it may seem simple to many which is my
biggest take away from this internship.

There is still a have a lot to learn which we are looking forward to in the coming semester. It was
great to see myself as a natural fit in the stream and the organization.

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References

 https://marketrealist.com/2014/07/overview-understanding-software-
industry
 http://www.focussoftnet.com/
 https://www.linkedin.com/company/focussoftnet/
 http://managementhelp.org

 http://www.businessdictionary.com

 www.wikipedia.com

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