Iomega Corporation manufactures world-class storage solutions. Sanjeev Gupta, spokesperson of Iomega Pacific PTE Ltd. Discusses with Amrita Ghosh of IT@TT the specifics of information storage. Some excerpts are given below.

IT@TT: Tell us a little about Iomega?

SG: Iomega Corporation was established in 1980. We are a leading manufacturer of smart, portable storage solutions, including drives and disks which help people manage their important information -- anywhere. All our products are award-winning products and are preferred by millions of computer users for sharing, transporting, sorting and backing-up their critical information.

SG: With increasing file sizes, the floppy can no longer serve the need of computer users when they want to back up, transport or share data. With information becoming more and more critical to our lives, we need a reliable removable storage solution. In addition, there are elements of mobility and security. All Iomega products are built on these basic principals. We offer personal storage solution i.e. Zip, Jaz, PocketZip drives and disks, and internal and external CD-RW drives that allow customers, both corporate and consumer, to confidently create, manage and protect their digital life.

Recently, we foraged into the consumer electronic space and introduced HipZip, an MP3 player and FotoShow to give digital enthusiasts easy-to-use options for managing and sharing digital audio files and digital images. Apart from the products we also offer software like LifeWorks Photo Album, software for digital cameras and QuikSync 2 software for protecting and backing up valuable data.

However, Zip drives continue to be our core business. We have an installed base of 42 Million Zip drives worldwide, and these users have bought over 300 Million zip disks.

SG: Selling software in India is a challenge where piracy rates are still very high. For Iomega, there is a further challenge that our Software caters to specific segments. As of date, we have very limited success.

SG: All our products are popular in the respective segments they serve. But if we gauge popularity from the statistics available, Iomega Zip drives and disks are the most popular products, closely followed by Jaz, Pocket Zip drives and disks, internal and external Iomega CD-RW. Our recently launched product HipZip, an MP3 Player has also received positive response in India.

SG: We sell our products through distributors - Neoteric Infomatique, Ingram Micro, and Tech Pacific. Recently we appointed a sales and marketing team that ensures exploration of new markets and realize opportunities that the market offers. The team closely works with our distributors for all the sales and marketing initiatives for our products.

SG: We have done well in Asia Pacific, and this is identified as having major growth potential by our corporate. The PC market is growing very rapidly, and we still have room to increase our attach rates.

SG: In January 2001 we announced our presence in India. We have a sales and marketing team that works closely with our distributors to educate the market on the need of storage and subsequently increase our market share in India.

SG: We view competition differently. Today our competition is the mindset of people who view floppy as 'the' storage device. We want to educate people that the amount of data being generated every day is no more confined to 1.44 MB. The file size is increasing every day and so should the capacity of external storage, therefore today we need a device like Zip drive which has the capacity of storing data from 100 MB to 250 MB while being affordable at the same time.

SG: We are the only company that is exclusively in the space of personal storage solutions. We understand market very well and offer solutions that cater to the demands of our consumers. It gives me great pleasure to state that today we have 40 million satisfied users of Zip drives worldwide. As the demand for storage has increased we have launched products like Iomega CD-RW; Hip Zip, an MP3 player and Fotoshow that allows our customers to share, edit and view digital photographs on a PC or television. Our innovative products always keep us ahead of our competitors and facilitate us to increase our customer base.

SG: We always look for partnerships and alliances for marketing all over the world. We sell huge numbers of zip drives to big PC manufacturers like Dell, Compaq, Apple who build them inside their systems. We engage with software companies to offer total solution to our customers.

SG: We are targeting high growth in India for all our products. Our initiative is to educate the marketplace on the importance of storage and increase the attach rate of Zip drives with PCs from current 5% to 10-12%.

SG: Sure. It has some impact on overall consumer spending and hence, sale of all products. However, Information is critical for the success of any organization. Daily data is generated in huge amounts, and as more people are realizing the importance of protecting their valuable data we see an escalating demand for storage devices, irrespective of the Slowdown. With stress on paperless offices, the more data a company produces, the more each employee will have to create personal back-ups.

IT@TT: Could you share with our readers some of your favorite websites and why you like them?

SG: This is a very personal choice. Generally speaking, a good web site should have elements of good processes, good information, and user friendliness. They must ensure a good CRM.

Interviewed By Amrita Ghosh
[email protected]

Top

Other Articles

CareerCorner | ChiefChat | CoolStuff | Mailbox | ProductReview | SiteScan
Techtalk | Tips | VirusWatch | Webware