Kolkata : Chirag Computers has become the first computer manufacturing company from East India to obtain Microsoft Certification to use Vista as a bundled operating system for it's new range of desktops.

The agreement, signed in August, will see Chirag incorporating Vista Starter edition with ready updates for its entire range of desktops. Speaking about the deal with Microsoft, Shibaji Panja, MD, Chirag Computers, commented, "So far, we have been using Open Source operating systems like Linux for our desktops and laptops but now onwards all PCs manufactured in Q4 will have licensed version of Vista as the default OS. We have created history by becoming the first East Indian firm to get this deal."

With a strong presence in the North Indian market and a marketshare of 2.74 percent in FY 2007-08, the company is now planning to further expand its reach by targeting the Northeast Indian market. Already certified by Energy Star, Red Hat, FCC, UL, Intel and DMTF for quality parameters and testing, Chirag is gradually building a strong channel presence across India.

"The northern markets accounts for 50 percent of our total revenue, while West leads with 25 percent, and the rest is evenly distributed. We have already sold 1,51,718 units in FY 2007-08 and now we are looking forward to increasing our marketshare after this deal. Also, our primary objective for the next three quarters is to bag contracts and tenders from government establishments along with strengthening our channel base," shared Panja.

Having bagged the deal, Chirag recently won a lucrative tender in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, outbidding Acer, Compaq and HCL for supplying 750 advanced desktops and maintenance operations involved. As the minimum requirement put forward by government tenders is a Microsoft or AMD certification, Chirag has so long been dormant in the field of supplying PCs to government establishments. However, now the company is aggressively targeting to bag these tenders directly.

"In the tendering process, Chirag PCs are 20 percent cheaper than the market price being an indigenous company; we have a lead over other players. In the consumer segment, we have a price lead and will now target the premium sector with the updated processors, chips and related hardware," Panja elaborated.

Speaking about Chirag's offshore expansion plans, Panja said, "We are looking for expansion of our manufacturing units, and talks are on with the government of Djibouti to set up a manufacturing there. It will give us an additional advantage in pricing as it is the only free port in the horn of Africa under Dubai Port Authority. Recently, we have bagged a deal with the Ethiopian government for system maintenance and further supplies."

Hoping to increase its marketshare at a steady 2.5 percent YoY growth, in addition to its existing share, Chirag is aggressively targeting to expand its eastern and northern channel base with offers on the go for its dedicated partners.

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