More and more business users will go for online solutions, which are more affordable than the traditional solutions, says Bogdan Padiu, chief executive of TeamNet, a local software and IT solutions provider.
“The cloud computing market will develop fast in Romania, too, to about EUR100 million in the next four or five years and the big players will have the highest market shares,” Padiu told ZF.
“Cloud computing services used to be provided by multinationals like Microsoft and Google in Romania, but what they offered was not tailored to the needs of the Romanian companies, which is why we believe we will become market leaders with our platform,” Padiu added.
The first cloud computing solutions for companies in Romania were launched about a year ago, therefore there are no data about the current market value, Padiu says. Market researcher Gartner valued the global cloud computing industry at $109 billion in 2012.
TeamNet launched Ymens in Romania on Wednesday, a cloud-computing platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Ymens targets companies with up to 250 employees and provides billing, order sorting and planning, customer management or personnel recruitment services, available as a package or by subscription of EUR3 to EUR15 per user.
Ymens was developed using Microsoft technology and has required EUR1 million investment so far, with a further at least EUR1 million to be allocated by the end of next year, Bogdan Padiu said. Ymens can be accessed from any desktop or laptop PC or tablet connected to the Internet.
This cloud-computing platform already has more than 5,000 users in Romania and the target is over 100,000 until the end of 2013.
TeamNet has offices in Bucharest, Iasi, Ploiesti, as well as in Brussels, Chisinau (Republic of Moldova), Belgrade and Ankara. Its manager says the cloud computing division will seek to expand abroad after developing locally but “that will happen in about two years”. The company does not rule out working with the public sector, but that project will be separate from Ymens, its manager says.
TeamNet ended last year with EUR34 million in revenue, up 65% on 2010, and most of it came from contracts signed with public sector customers. Bogdan Padiu expects growth in 2012, as well, but did not say how much.
It was founded by businessman Sebastian Ghita, who sold all his stakes in IT&C companies from TeamNet to online retailer eMag, home appliances retailer Flanco and 2K Telecom this year.
Trade Registry shows London-based Fintech Investment as holding 49.91% in TeamNet, while Bogdan Padiu owns 15.81% and 17 other individuals own the rest.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)