Exclusive Interview With Muneer Ahmad, Business Head, ViewSonic India on ViewSonic India’s Expansion Plans, COVID-19 Effect and More!

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    Earlier this month, we at TechQuila had an opportunity to interview Mr Muneer Ahmad, Business Head, ViewSonic India. The majority of the interview was about ViewSonic India’s strategies for India and their plans for the future. We also touched some other areas such as COVID-19’s effect on their business and any new opportunities it created for the company.

    Interviewing Mr Muneer Ahmad, Business Head, ViewSonic India

    viewsonic logo

    With a lot of the products listed as ‘Coming Soon’ on the official website, how soon can we expect ViewSonic devices to be available in India? Also, do you plan to expand your presence in the offline markets? (Since most of your devices are costly, and people do tend to try these devices before buying)

    ViewSonic India has been on an expansion spree and is launching new and innovative products in the Indian market, keeping technological advancements at the forefront to provide better experience and services to its customers. A dedicated research and development team, work towards the development of the products and our aim is to constantly grow and develop. Hence, we are coming up with the new product segments in the Indian consumer-tech market keeping in mind the needs of our end-users.

    We have recently launched XG2405 gaming monitor, myViewBoard classroom, M2 projector, M1 and M1 mini Plus projectors, and we have new product launches lined up for the coming year.”

    How do you plan to expand your business in India. Do you have any plans to tie with corporates?

    “ViewSonic have their own identity when it comes to business in India, be it the projector market, monitors or Ed-tech industry. Owing to the evolution of technology every day, our focus has always been to introduce products based on Indian consumer insights.

    ViewSonic works on a comprehensive strategy focussing on the consolidation of business by expanding the market in terms of both online and offline channels according to the consumer insights and the kind of products they demand. To create a complete educational ecosystem, we have partnered with brands like Intel, Google and Microsoft and incorporated their key features in our IFP’s and digital whiteboard software to bring all the tools an educator needs in one individual platform.”

    Also Read: ViewSonic Announces Extended Warranty of Five Years on its Monitors

    With schools shut, for the time being, teachers have taken to online medium for teaching. Do you plan to bring any new devices in this category? If yes, how soon can we expect them? Do you plan to partner with schools in metros?

    “Schools, colleges and educational institutions have been shut down to prevent the spread of the virus, which has carved the way for online education. Adapting to the new normal, educational institutions have moved to virtual classrooms which is the need of the hour. ViewSonic has launched myViewBoard Classroom, a collaborative tool for delivering education content that enables visual learning, and participation for a full class. It comes complete with a digital whiteboard canvas, to prepare and present content in real-time. After the positive feedback from schools and educators, we decided to make myViewBoard Entity for education complimentary to all educational institutions permanently and also made the premium version free to the users. We have developed a hybrid learning technique that will continue to play an essential role, given the “new normal” in education.”

    With a lot of students studying online, loads of information (assignments, personal details) are uploaded online. How does ViewSonic’s online learning platform ensure privacy?

    “The educational institutions rely on electronic records and online testing, the management of the school, as well as teachers, parents, and students, may all have concerns about the security of that data. In our software, the users can find links to the dropbox where they can access the study material provided by teachers. The myViewBoard keeps renewing “SSL & TLS certificates” which are the industry standard encrypted protocols to secure data encryption and authentication on network communications. Also, every file is encrypted with AES256 encryption scheme and can be locked with a password to a specific user who will require the Private/Public Key to open the file.”

    Any specific online shopping platform you’re partnering with? If yes, which one and why?

    “No, we do not plan on partnering with any e-commerce platform as of now.”

    Many companies focused on ed-tech have come and gone. Teachers find it difficult to use tech-based education products, and more often than not, roll-back to traditional blackboards for teaching. What are the challenges you face while creating software for online education?

    “ViewSonic is an American technology brand and myViewBoard Classroom has been a great success in the USA. It was easy to use and teach online, but in India, initially, it was a little difficult to launch the software. The introduction of my View Board Classroom comes as schools and teachers struggle with re-opening of schools and what the new normal would look like.

    It provides a seamless transition between the physical and virtual spaces and offers teachers the capabilities to continue inspiring their students with engaging lessons that the users can easily learn and hence, there are no challenges to it.

    The technology is something that keeps evolving and this software also keeps on updating with new features and improvements. There is a diverse team of innovative and creative minds working together to develop the software for providing the best interactive experience on an easy-to-use platform.”

    ViewSonic’s M1 Project (Look out for a review on our website very soon!)

    Demand for projectors has gone down in the past few years. How do you plan to tackle this situation?

    “ViewSonic has been always on the forefront in bringing out new innovative technologies. The demand for ViewSonic projectors might have decreased but projectors are not limited to professional use anymore but also act as a great source of home entertainment. We plan to go forward with our legacy in providing superior quality projectors, IFPs, and monitors to our discerning consumer.

    As a brand, we have witnessed a growth in the demand for projectors and we have launched a series of new projectors in the market. Be it the L series by the brand that is for the corporate purpose or the M series or X series for both the corporates and the lifestyle, ViewSonic has been offering award-winning, innovative and dependable projection solutions for education, SMB, commercial, and home entertainment environments.”

    ViewSonic is relatively a new brand for Indians. Not every person has heard about it. How do you plan to build ‘hype’ around your brand?

    “ViewSonic started its operations in California, USA, in 1987. Ever since the brand has managed to diversify its presence to over 100 cities globally. It has continuously helped people “See the Difference” with a portfolio of products including Monitors, Commercial Displays, myViewBoard Interactive Flat Panels, Touch Displays and Projectors combined with class-leading software and services including our innovative hybrid cloud myViewBoard Ecosystem for Digital White Boards for everyone, everywhere.

    ViewSonic has been a prominent market leader with some of the latest visual technologies available in the market for more than two and a half decades. The company has more than 30 offices around the world, and its products are available in more than 125 countries. Working with the industry’s most innovative technology suppliers, we are committed to creating cutting-edge technologies. We are committed to providing our customers – fully immersive and optimised solutions that best suit their computing needs.”

    With every new brand launching in India, support is something that comes to everyone’s mind before buying a product. How do you plan to provide support to people buying the product?

    “With a vision of providing the best in class products and services to the consumers, ViewSonic has successfully marked a great milestone. We have recently announced our festive offer for the consumers by extending the warranty of our monitors to five years. It is an outcome of the company’s ongoing dedication to providing superior quality and cost-efficient products, with trouble-free ownership. Other than the extension of warranties, we are also offering ‘myViewBoard’ subscription free of cost to support distance learning.”

    Installation is another factor that hinders a consumer’s decision. Do you plan to provide any kind of installation support to buyers? 

    “The offered segment of products by ViewSonic India are highly preferred in the market because of the quality and pricing. With profound expertise, our Channel partners play a vital role in providing installation services to the customers. Also, we offer installation support through the third party for Interactive Flat Panels displays.”

    A lot of companies are now focusing on environmental degradation caused by electronic products. How does ViewSonic fare in this area?

    “ViewSonic offers eco-friendly LED displays proving options to conserve energy. “GO LED. GO GREEN.” is the motto of ViewSonic’s environment-friendly LED series. Furthering its commitment to smarter, greener computing, we have teamed with Energy Star® certified displays that comes with long-lasting and highly efficient power-saving LED backlight as well as ViewSonic’s exclusive ECO Mode that reduces power consumption based on different lighting environment and also minimizes maintenance effort and costs. These displays represent another step towards our commitment to delivering an array of green LED products that best fit the needs of our customers.”

    What are future plans for ViewSonic? What products can we expect in the year 2021?

    “Indian audience is embracing smart technology, and a lot of people like the concept of having a projection room in their homes. We are going to launch the X100 series to cater to this segment of the consumers and VX series, which is extremely convenient for both general use and home entertainment segment.

    ViewSonic aims to thoroughly transform learning by providing technologically advanced products that usher in the next generation of interactive classroom displays. Our goal is to create hybrid learning techniques and teaching tools that ensure a seamless transition between physical and virtual spaces and provides teachers with the opportunity to continue to encourage their students to learn. And hence, ViewSonic will continue to play an essential role given the “new normal” in education.”

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