Made-in-India ERP solution launched by Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu

In an era where digital infrastructure defines a nation’s autonomy, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has issued a call for "tech sovereignty". Speaking from the rural town of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, Vembu marked a significant milestone for the Indian software industry with the launch of Zoho’s new "made-in-India" Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution.

The announcement was more than just a simple product release; it was a strategic move to challenge entrenched global software giants. Vembu argued that in a technology-saturated world, true sovereignty for a nation requires absolute control over its core technologies.

As ERP software serves as the crucial engine for business operations, indigenising this technology is, in his view, "absolutely vital."

Despite Zoho's growing influence and visibility, with government ministers and industry leaders frequently citing it as a model for scalable Indian software, Vembu told PTI in an interview that Zoho will not go public. The decision is rooted in a desire to avoid the "quarter-to-quarter fluctuations" and the "short-termism" that often plagues public companies.

A benefit of remaining private is that Zoho can continue to plough its profits back into intensive research and development. This patient approach is evident in the new ERP solution itself, which took five years to develop, leveraging over 15 years of expertise in financial software.

Describing Zoho as a deeply R&D-driven enterprise, Vembu revealed that he spends approximately 70% of his own time on research. He believes India needs more "patient" companies capable of enduring long innovation cycles.

The new ERP offering will initially target the Indian market, aligning with the government’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives, before scaling globally in a phased manner. For Vembu, this is just the beginning of a journey to ensure that the software underpinning Indian business is as local and homegrown as the enterprises it serves.